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ACTV's 'tap to pay' ticket and payment scanners

"Tappy" is the Venice transportation agency's latest generation of electronic ticket scanners. The tap & go validators also let you pay fares on the spot with a credit or debit card, even when no ticket booth or vending machine is available.

ABOVE: A vaporetto on the Grand Canal promotes "tap to pay" with a rooftop advertisement.

By Durant Imboden

Updated May 19, 2025

ACTV  or AVM, Venice's public transit agency, has introduced some 2,200 new ticket scanners for traveling around the city on water buses, land buses, trams, and the People Mover. Here's how to use the new machines:

• If you've bought a paper ticket or have the Venezia Unica tourist pass, using the new "tap to pay" (a.k.a. "Tappy") scanners is a no-brainer: Just hold your ticket against the bottom of the scanner and wait for the green confirmation screen.

• If you've bought an electronic ticket with the AVM Venezia app or Chat & Go (WhatsApp), scan the QR code on your phone.

But wait, there's more!

• "Tap to pay" also lets you pay fares on the spot (e.g., at a vaporetto station) with a contactless bank card. This is convenient if you're at a location without a ticket booth or vending machine, since you can just tap your card against the bottom of the ticket validator on the waterbus platform, on the land bus or tram, or in the People Mover station.

• As a bonus, using "Tap to Pay" automatically gives you the best fare, whether that means individual fares or a 24-hour to 7-day travel pass. (The system monitors your recent ride history and determines whether you'd be better off with a pass than with individual fares.)

ABOVE: Tap your ticket, card, or phone against the bottom of the electronic reader to validate your fare.

For more information:

• See the transit agency's latest advice on using the system with contactless credit and debit cards.

• See our "Tap to Pay: Best Fare" article for more details and links.

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

PC Magazine has called this "the premier visitors' site for Venice, Italy." Over the years, it has helped more than 30 million travelers. For more information, see About our site, our Europe for Visitors press clippings, and our reader testimonials.

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

PC Magazine has called this "the premier visitors' site for Venice, Italy." Over the years, it has helped more than 30 million travelers. For more information, see About our site, our Europe for Visitors press clippings, and our reader testimonials.