Go Card: How to get millions of dollars sitting on dormant cards

Queensland public transport users have been told they could be able to nab a share in millions of dollars sitting in government coffers, as the state’s network moves towards smart ticketing.

Last financial year, $8.6 million was transferred from dormant Go Card accounts to Translink because the cards had been unused for three years.

Queensland’s transport network is undergoing a transformation with the move towards smart ticketing.

According to Trankslink smart-ticketing project director Sarah Capstick, about 15 per cent of commuters using the rail network had transitioned to using their debit or credit cards.

“A card becomes dormant after a customer hasn’t used it for five years,” Ms Capstick told ABC Brisbane on Tuesday.

“It is important to note that if your card expires or becomes dormant, you can always request a refund of the money left on that card if you’ve got the card or the card is registered.”

Ms Capstick said there was an average of $9.29 sitting on dormant Go Cards, but up to $250 on some.

The money that is transferred to Translink is reinvested into the transport network, however customers can still claim their money back any time.

“So you can go to one of our retailers ... or you can go onto the website and download a refund form and basically request a refund and send us your card,” she said.

“It’s your money - if you’ve got the card whether you stopped using it last week or six years ago, we will refund that money.”

While there had been about eight million trips on debit and credit cards, Ms Capstick predicted Go Cards wouldn’t be phased out anytime soon.

“If you think about some of our customers, we have children, we have people who are seniors and they just feel more comfortable using a card,” she said.

“I don’t think you’ll see the end of some form of reloadable cards from us anytime soon.”

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