Metro announces new payment options for Washington Capitals fans

WMATA, partnered with the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, Littlepay, and Cubic transportation Systems, announced Wednesday that riders can now simply tap a contactless credit and debit card, mobile wallet, or smartwatch virtual card on rail station fare gates.

The announcement was made at Dulles Airport station, aided by mascot representatives from Washington Mystics (Pax), George Washington Revolutionaries (George), Washington Spirit (PK), American Eagles (Clawed), Washington Commanders(Teddy), Washington Wizards (G-Wiz), and Washington Capitals (Slapshot).

The new payment method will enable travelers to bypass fare machines and SmartTrip cards, though the latter can still be used.

Also, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay are accepted at all 98 stations, with busses and parking garages coming soon

The Washington Commanders are set to are set to move into the old RFK site by 2030. The approximate 65k seat venue will be located within a one-minute walk from the Stadium-Armory Metro station, accessible via orange, blue and silver lines.

The Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, Nationals, Spirit, DC United, and Defenders, all play inside the city. The new payment feature brings Metro up-to-speed with large urban centers around world, that adapt new technologies to make their experiences more convenient and in line with their lifestyles.

Metro says they've been working on the Tap.Ride.Go program since last year. The same card may be used to tap in and out of the system, and cards are not transferrable. The contact-free program is available at all 98 stations in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.