Metrolinx and Toronto's Up Express pick up Apple Pay support

Apple Pay on Apple Watch (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Metrolinx is adding Apple Pay support to Up Express in Toronto.
Tapping a PRESTO device with an iPhone or Apple Watch will activate a terminal.

Metrolinx is in the process of adding support for Apple Pay to Toronto's Up Express. The feature will allow users to pay for their fare using an Apple Watch or an iPhone.

As first reported by 9to5Mac, a new pilot program will allow people to tap a PRESTO device to pay via Visa, Mastercard, and American Express thanks to Apple Pay.

"Our customers have asked for more ways to pay, and we're so excited to roll out the next stage with PRESTO contactless payment on UP Express," said Metrolinx President and CEO Phil Verster. "We are eager to build on this launch and deliver this to our customers around the region."

It's worth noting that people who tap with their iPhone when beginning a trip, they'll also need to make sure they use their iPhone when they complete it, too.

To start using Apple Pay on Metrolinx, the consumer must avoid a situation called "card clash" and ensure the correct payment method is charged.If you tap onto a PRESTO device using Apple Pay on your iPhone, when you finish your trip, you must tap again the iPhone. If you use your Apple Watch instead, a "card clash" might occur.

Now that you can use Apple Pay when traveling around Toronto you might want to bag yourself one of the best Apple Watches you can buy to make it even easier!

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.