July 5, 2022
Introducing One More Trip Protection for ORCA
If you are a little short on balance you can still get where you are going.
Every ORCA card now has One More Trip Protection. That means if you are a little short on balance you can still get where you are going. Our goal is to make sure that customers are never stranded without a way to pay or add money.
How it works
If you don’t have enough money to cover your next trip, the ORCA card will allow you to travel with a negative balance of up to -$2.75.
Just tap your ORCA card when boarding and you can pay the fare back before your next trip when you reload your card.
You can reload your card online at myORCA.com or with the myORCA app or visit one of the many locations where ORCA cards are sold. To find a location near you, visit our retail map on myORCA.com.
Example trip
| Balance | |
| Amount on card | $1.50 |
| Board bus and tap card (trip cost $2.75) | -$1.25 |
| Reload card with $5.00 at retail store | $3.75 |
Additional protection during the ORCA rollout
To offer more support to customers during equipment replacement, we are temporarily increasing the negative balance limit for the One More Trip Protection program to -$10.00. While this offers more protection, it also means you might need to pay back up to $10.00 the next time you reload.
One Trip Protection will return to a -$2.75 limit again in September 2022.
Other Helpful Tips
Be transit-ready with Autoload
Know you always have funds available by setting up an autoload for your ORCA cards.
You can choose to add funds on a day of the month, or when your balance reaches a certain level. Watch our video on how to set up autoloads here.
Check your card balance frequently
Card balances are temporarily not available on card readers, and you may have a negative balance and not realize it if you don’t check your balance. More information about this is available here.
You might also see delayed balance information while the replacement of old ORCA equipment continues through this summer. To find out the best way to check your balance during this transition period, read more here.
Buying passes
Customers cannot have a negative E-Purse balance when purchasing a pass. If you are having an issue purchasing a pass and have a negative balance, please reload E-Purse on your card to bring your balance to $0 or a positive amount first.
Avoid card blocks
Cards that exceed the temporary -$10.00 balance limit may be temporarily blocked. To unblock your card, you can add funds on myORCA.com, via the myORCA app, at an ORCA vending machine, at an ORCA retail location, or by contacting customer service at 888-988-6722 for assistance. In some cases after adding more funds to your card, it may take 24 hours for the card to be unblocked. Be sure to check your balance frequently and consider setting up an autoload.
Save money with reduced fare programs
Save money with one of the reduced fare programs available on the ORCA card. Programs are available for Youth, Seniors, Disabled, and for customers with low incomes. Find out more here.
