Tarjeta bip! ("bip! card") is the
contactless payment
Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices, that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC) for making sec ...
method used in the public transportation system of
Red Metropolitana de Movilidad
Red Metropolitana de Movilidad (English: ''Metropolitan Mobility Network''; named Transantiago until March 2019) is a public transport system that serves Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is considered the most ambitious transport reform underta ...
in the metropolitan region of
Santiago, Chile
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
.
It is issued and maintained by
Metro de Santiago
The Santiago Metro () is a rapid transit system serving the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It currently consists of seven lines (numbered 1-6 and 4A), 143 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by the state-owned Metro S. ...
. The name is primarily due to the similarity to the sound emitted when passed through a validator or automatic ticket collector. It works similarly to a debit card, requiring payment before traveling, and the balance is deducted when traveling by bus or metro, depending on the fare segment and mode of transportation used. Part of the technology's compatibility with the Santiago Metro is due to the fact that it coexisted with the
Multivía
Multivía was a contactless card designed for paying the travel fares in the mass transport system Transantiago, in Santiago, the capital of Chile. It was replaced by Tarjeta bip! since 2007 and was completely phased-out in 2011. It was a plastic ...
card until August 2011.
History
On 9 February 2007, hours before the implementation of Transantiago, Transport Minister
Sergio Espejo announced the system would be free for the first three days, between 10 and 12 February. He stated primarily that this would allow users to familiarize themselves with the routes throughout the capital, postponing the start of fare collection until 13 February. However, early that day, Ministry of Transport inspectors detected an average 15% failure rate in the bus validators, prompting the AFT to make the system free until Friday for trunk buses and Sunday for feeder buses.
The delay caused by the change in date resulted in a multi-million-dollar fine for AFT companies, close to 300 million
pesos, due to the failure to meet the implementation date for the payment technology on buses. In the days following the fine, on the second attempt to put the fare collection system into operation on Friday, 17 February, validators and users responded favorably to the change, detecting an error rate of close to 2% on the buses that went into circulation. Even so, the evasion rate in areas with high concentrations of people was very high. To solve this problem, "extra-vehicular payment zones" were created, that is, payment zones outside the vehicles, before accessing the stop. This allows users faster access to buses and prevents payment evasion.
According to a December 2007 survey conducted by the
Central University of Chile, Transantiago users expressed great satisfaction with the payment method implemented in Santiago. The survey showed that the Tarjeta bip! received a score of 5.53 (out of 7.0) out of 600 respondents, leaving the Transantiago Financial Administrator quite satisfied with people's perception of the payment method. This result was the attribute most highly rated by Santiago residents regarding Transantiago.
Types of cards
There is two kinds of payments that can be possible with the bip! system: the physical bip! card and Cuenta bip!QR, a virtual payment system through
QR codes displayed on smartphones.
Physical cards
* Bip! bearer card: It is a contactless card that can be used by the user in possession; therefore, it cannot be blocked if lost or stolen. Its balance expires after two years of inactivity, which can be extended for another year.
* Personalized Tarjeta bip!: It allows bearers to block the card and recover the balance in case of loss, theft, or misplacement. It is personal and non-transferable, and includes a photo, name, and ID number.
* Bank Tarjeta bip!: Associated with a bank account. As of April 2025, only
BancoEstado operates this system with CuentaRUT cards.
* Tarjeta Nacional Estudiantil (TNE, Student National Card, school pass): Issued by Junaeb and containing the student's photo, name and school information. This card provides a personal and non-transferable benefit that allows access to reduced fares on transportation modes associated with Red Metropolitana de Movilidad, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round.
* Senior Citizen Metro Card (TAM Metro): Card issued for people over 65 years old, which allows reduced fare only on Metro de Santiago network.
As of April 2025, the reduced fare with this card is CLP 250.
* Senior Citizen Tarjeta bip! (TAM or TAM Intermodal): Card issued for people over 65 years old, which allows reduced fare through all Red Metropolitana de Movilidad services.
As of April 2025, the reduced fare with this card is CLP 370.
Collectible cards
In September 2010, for the
Bicentennial of Chile
The Bicentennial of Chile () took place on September 18, 2010.
The celebration commemorates the beginning of the Independence process in Chile, with the first Government Junta of Chile on September 18, 1810, and Chile's becoming a free and inde ...
, the sale of the "first collectible card" for Transantiago was announced. It featured the
Chilean flag waving against a background of white clouds, shaded in light blue. The card cost CLP 2,000 and was available only at the busiest metro stations. This card was issued in 50,000 units and is equivalent to a standard (non-personalized) Tarjeta bip!.
Since then, numerous bip! cards have been launched with various designs, generally related to commemorations, events taking place in the country, etc. They have the same value as a standard Tarjeta bip!. These collectible Bip! cards are usually sold at Santiago Metro ticket offices (with the notable exception of Lines 3 and 6, which are self-service). Some of the events that have their own Tarjeta bip! are the
2015 Copa América
The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...
, the
2014 South American Games
The 2014 South American Games was a multi-sport event that took place in Santiago, Chile. It was the 10th edition of the ODESUR South American Games. Santiago hosted this event for the second time, the first being in 1986. Most of the events too ...
, the
Lollapalooza Chile
Lollapalooza Chile is the Chilean edition of the popular music festival Lollapalooza (). It was the first Lollapalooza event to be held outside the United States and has taken place in Santiago, Chile since 2011.
History
The festival debuted in ...
festival, the
Santiago Marathon, the anniversary of the Santiago Metro, the inauguration of lines 3 and 6, the
2023 Pan American Games
The 2023 Pan American Games (), officially the XIX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Santiago 2023, were an international multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, held in Santiago, Chile from 20 October to 5 Novem ...
,
International LGBT Pride Day in 2024, cultural or civic events, among others. Collectible bip! cards have also been launched for the premiere of some films in Chile, such as ''
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''A Night at the Opera (Queen album), A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by Queen's lead si ...
'', ''
Dragon Ball Super: Broly'' and ''
Detective Pikachu'', among others.
Cuenta Bip!QR
Started in 2022, is a system that allows the fare payment through QR codes.
It can be created for free with Clave Única in the RED App and can be recharged automatically or topped-up as needed (minimum load: $100 and maximum: $50,000). To pay for the trip, the user must generate the QR code in the RED App and hold it up to the validator's reader.
See also
*
Red Metropolitana de Movilidad
Red Metropolitana de Movilidad (English: ''Metropolitan Mobility Network''; named Transantiago until March 2019) is a public transport system that serves Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is considered the most ambitious transport reform underta ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Santiago Metro
Fare collection systems
Transport in Santiago, Chile
Contactless smart cards