Millions of dollars worth of unspent funds are currently residing on inactive Opal cards according to Transport for New South Wales (NSW) Secretary, Josh Murray.
Figures show that over $143 million sits untouched on approximately 18 million cards, which have not been used for tapping on and off public transport services in over a year.
Murray highlighted the importance of not letting these idle funds go to waste, encouraging passengers who are no longer using their old Opal cards to take action and either reactivate their accounts or claim a refund.
“People often have numerous reasons why their cards have become dormant… cards might be lost or damaged, or individuals might have transitioned to a different type of Opal card due to changes in their fare entitlements or simply shifted to utilising contactless payment options like personal cards or digital wallets,” explained Murray.
The trend towards contactless payments has significantly impacted the use of Opal cards. Over 60% of adult public transport users now opt for the convenience of tapping in with credit or debit cards and smartphones. As a result, dormant funds on Opal cards have seen a significant increase in recent years.
Customers with registered cards or card numbers can easily tap into these lost balances.