Those who uses an ORCA transit card now have the ​ability to save and access their cards in Google Wallet from ​Android and Wear OS ​devices, Sound Transit announced.

Starting Monday, ORCA customers with Android and Wear OS devices can easily add their ORCA cards to their Google Wallet, enabling them to pay for transit, fund their accounts, ​purchase a pass, ​view transactions and see trip history within the Google Wallet app. 

The feature applies to those only to those who use Google Wallet/Android devices, the agency said, but “ORCA is continually working to make riding transit easier in the Puget Sound region, including expanding methods of payment,” Sound Transit Public Information Officer David Jackson added.

To add a new ORCA card to the Google Wallet app:

1.       Open Google Wallet 

2.       Select Add to Wallet 

3.       Choose Transit pass 

4.       Search for “ORCA”  

5.       Tap ORCA

Additionally, customers who own plastic ORCA cards can easily convert them into digital cards on Google Wallet at no extra charge. If you have an Android phone, converting your plastic card to a digital card is available for adult, youth, senior, disabled, and Orca Lift cards. Upon conversion, the plastic card will be deactivated, and all passes and balances will be transferred to the phone. New adult digital cards added to the wallet will cost the same as purchasing a plastic ORCA card: $3. 

Sound Transit said that while this feature is available customers who have purchased their own ORCA Card,  businesses, schools and organizations that issue ORCA cards will determine if they enable the cards that they provide to be added to Google Wallet. Customers can contact their issuing employer, school or organization for more information. 

To use ORCA ​from Google Wallet​​, ​​​​​​​​​customers must have an Android ​p​hone and have their ORCA card loaded into the Google Wallet app. They can also connect a Wear OS device to Google Wallet. ​​​​​Of note, this feature is only available for ORCA cards at this time; customers cannot use credit and debit cards from Google Wallet to pay for transit in the Puget Sound Area.​ 

This new feature is supported by all seven participating transit agencies, including Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit, and Washington State Ferries. 

To ensure the best experience, customers are also encouraged to link their digital ORCA cards to their ORCA account on the myORCA app or myORCA.com. 

For more information, visit info.myORCA.com/GooglePay and stay updated with the latest news and updates by following ORCA on social media @TheORCACard.