How much do you save with a Clipper card?

Paying with Clipper Clipper customers get discounts on one-way fares of 50 cents for adults, 25 cents for youth and 19 cents for senior and disabled riders. You need a cash value balance of at least $2.10 on an adult card, $1.05 on a Youth Clipper card and 75 cents on a Senior or RTC Clipper card.



In 2026, using a Clipper card in the San Francisco Bay Area provides significant savings over cash fares and paper tickets across more than 20 transit agencies. For example, BART riders save 50 cents on every one-way trip compared to paper tickets, which adds up quickly for commuters. Muni riders in San Francisco also enjoy a discount of 50 cents per ride when using Clipper instead of cash. Beyond direct fare discounts, the real savings come from transfer credits and fare caps; many agencies offer free or discounted transfers when switching between systems (like from a bus to a train) only if you use a Clipper card. Furthermore, the "Clipper START" program offers low-income riders up to 50% off fares. While "Next Generation Clipper" now allows for contactless payment via bank cards, these specific deep discounts for youth, seniors, and low-income individuals still require a registered Clipper card to be validated.

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Paying with Clipper Cash value: For single rides. Clipper customers get discounts of 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for seniors and disabled riders on Muni buses and light rail. You need a cash value balance of at least $2 on an adult Clipper card to board.

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6.1 Clipper® Card Registration: 2 All Youth and Senior Clipper® cards, as well as RTC Discount Cards and cards loaded with the Clipper® START(SM) discount, are automatically registered, not transferable, and can be used only by the person identified in the Clipper® customer database.

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Registered cardholders can complete and sign a form authorizing another individual to act on behalf of the cardholder. To request a form and find out more information about the authorization requirements, please contact Clipper Customer Service at 877.878. 8883 (TDD/TTY 711 or 800.735. 2929).

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The Clipper card is a smart, contactless travel card that can be used all over the Sasn Francisco Bay Area. Travelers, both residents and tourists, can add value to their card either as they go or automatically, depending on what works best for them.

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In addition to the 50-cent per trip savings on BART, adult Muni customers who use Clipper save 50-cents on single-ride fares.

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Using Clipper® on your mobile device is fast and easy – and you avoid the $3 fee for new plastic Clipper cards.

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Youth 5-18 years old get 50% off BART with a youth Clipper card. Seniors 65 and over get 62.5% off BART with a Senior Clipper card. Qualifying low-income adult riders get 20% off BART with Clipper START. Riders with qualifying disabilities get 62.5% off BART with the RTC Clipper card.

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Does the Clipper START card expire? Unlike a credit or debit card, the Clipper card does not expire; however, you will need to renew your eligibility for Clipper START once every two years to continue receiving the discount.

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BART makes it extremely easy to get a ticket from the San Francisco airport to downtown San Francisco. All you need to do is use one of the ticket vending machines to buy a one-way ticket for each passenger, which costs about $10.15 per person for a one-way ticket and $20.30 for a round trip.

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Clipper Cards can be purchased at the SFO BART Station upon arrival.

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Can two people use the same card at the same time? No, every rider needs their own card or device (phone or watch) to pay for fares.

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When will my card automatically reload? If you set up Autoload for cash value, when your balance falls below $10, Clipper will automatically reload you card when you pay your next fare. If you set it up for a pass, Clipper will automatically reload a new pass on your card when the old one expires.

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