Contactless payments
We welcome contactless payments on all our buses across Norfolk and Suffolk.
What's more, paying with contactless can shave minutes off your journey, helping us to get you to your destination on time!
You can pay for any ticket priced up to £45*, using any contactless card displaying the Visa or Mastercard logo. And to make things even easier, you can also use Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay using your phone or other compatable device.
We even accept Apple Pay Express Mode.
For anyone using Apple Pay, you can now use Express Mode on our buses. Just tap the blue card reader with your device (iPhone or Apple Watch) when boarding the bus. There is no need to wake or unlock the device, open an app or use Face ID or Touch ID, easy and quick!
How it works...
1) Ask your driver for the ticket of your choice when you board the bus.
2) Tell the driver that you'd like to pay with contactless.
3) Place your card or device on the card reader on the ticket machine - it's shown with a bright blue sticker.
4) The ticket machine will read your card or device, take payment and issue your ticket along with a receipt.
It's so simple!
*Please note that, despite the current contactless bank limit of £100, due to the relatively low average spend made on-bus we are maintaining the £45 limit on single transactions at the present time.
Your Questions Answered
Contactless payments allow you to pay for your bus fare quickly and easily by tapping your contactless-enabled bank card, phone, or smartwatch on the card reader when you board.
Here’s how it works:
- Simply tap your contactless card or device on the reader at the start of your journey.
- Your fare is not taken immediately - instead, your trips are grouped together into a single payment, usually processed at the end of the day.
- If you make multiple journeys, fare caps may apply, ensuring you never pay more than the daily or weekly limit where available.
You can check your payments and journey details on our customer portal.
Contactless payments are highly secure—often safer than carrying cash. Here’s why:
- Advanced Security Technology – Contactless payments use encrypted data and secure Chip and PIN technology, making them just as safe as regular card transactions. Each tap generates a unique, one-time code that prevents fraud.
- Protection Against Fraud – If your card is lost or stolen, you’re protected against unauthorized payments as long as you report it to your bank quickly. They can block your card immediately.
- Bank Monitoring – Your bank monitors transactions for unusual activity. If anything seems suspicious, they may require a Chip and PIN transaction for extra security.
- Apple Pay & Google Pay Security – If you use Apple Pay with Express Mode, you can tap and go instantly for faster boarding without unlocking your phone. However, you can still choose to authenticate payments using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. If you want to turn off Express Mode:
- Go to Settings on your device
- Tap Wallet & Apple Pay
- Select Express Travel Card
- Choose None or Off
If you have any concerns, check with your bank for additional security features or guidance.
To check if your card is contactless-enabled, look for the contactless symbol
on your credit, debit, or prepaid card. Most new cards have this feature. If you're unsure, you can contact your bank or card issuer to confirm.
For devices, if you want to use Apple Pay or Google Pay, simply check your device’s app store. You can download the relevant app and set up payments if your device is compatible.
You will need first to set up Apple Pay. On iPhone, simply open the Wallet app, tap +, and follow the steps to add your credit or debit cards.
To enable Express Mode for Apple Pay take the following steps:
For iPhone:
- Open Settings, scroll down and tap Wallet & Apple Pay
- Tap Express Travel Card
- Select a card. You will then need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or passcode.
For Apple Watch:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone and select the My Watch tab.
- Select Wallet & Apple Pay, then tap Express Travel Card.
- Select a card, then authenticate with your Apple Watch passcode.
Find more information on Apple Pay on their website.
All Visa and MasterCard cards displaying the contactless symbol , along with Apple Pay and Google Pay, can be used. Unfortunately, we do not accept payments by American Express or Maestro.
If you’re using a pre-paid card, please ensure you have enough credit before trying to purchase your ticket as unfortunately this could result in your card being rejected.
Most contactless cards issued outside of the UK should work on our ticket machines. However, if your card doesn’t work, please contact your bank or card issuer for assistance. Keep in mind that cards issued outside of the UK may incur overseas transaction fees, which are applied by your bank or card issuer.
You can use contactless to purchase any of our tickets up to a total value of £45. This can include more than one ticket in a single transaction, e.g. an adult and a child ticket so long as the total price does not exceed £45.
For purchases of more than £45 we recommend using mTickets on the First Bus App. For FAQs on mTickets click here.
Yes, you will get a receipt once your transaction has gone through, along with a ticket for your journey. Please ask your driver for your receipt as well as your ticket if you’re unsure you have received one.
First Bus set a transaction limit of £45 for contactless payments. This is to prevent the use of stolen cards to buy large quantities of tickets in a single purchase.
When you tap your card on the bus, the payment is processed later the same day.
Instead of charging your card for each tap, we group your journeys into a single payment.
This means you may see one charge for multiple trips instead of separate payments. You can check what you’ve been charged for each journey on our customer portal.
If you made multiple journeys, fare caps may apply reducing the payment amount.
There are several reasons why a contactless payment might not work, but unfortunately, our drivers won’t know the exact cause. If your payment fails, try using a different card, an Apple or Google Pay-enabled device, or purchasing a ticket through our First Bus App.
Some common reasons for a failed contactless payment include:
- The previous payment to First Bus was declined and so your card has been blocked until the payment is settled. This could be because your bank hasn’t approved the transaction – This could be due to security checks, fraud prevention measures or insufficient funds.
- Multiple contactless payments in a short time – Banks sometimes block further transactions as a precaution.
- More than one card was detected – If multiple cards are in the same wallet or phone case, the reader may not take payment. Try tapping again with just one card.
- Card has expired - Please check that your card is still valid.
- Card type not supported – Not all cards are enabled for contactless travel payments.
- Temporary bank issues – Outages or delays in processing can sometimes cause payments to fail.
- Device settings (for Apple/Google Pay users) – Ensure NFC is enabled, and the correct payment card is set up.
If your payment fails, you can try again using a a different card, pay via Apple/Google Pay, or purchase a ticket in advance using the First Bus App.
No, nothing has gone wrong. Occasionally, we may authorise a small payment (e.g., 10p) to check with your card issuer that the card is valid. This is a standard process, particularly if it’s the first time your card has been used or we haven’t seen it in a few days.
The 10p authorisation will not be charged to your account, and it will be cancelled within a few hours. The full transaction amount will typically appear on your statement within the next 24-48 hours. If you have any concerns, feel free to contact us.
If your payment was declined and your card is now blocked, here’s what happens next:
When you tap your card on the bus, the payment is processed later the same day. If there are issues - such as insufficient funds - your bank (the card issuer) decides whether to approve or decline the payment. If the payment is declined, we will attempt to collect it again over the following days.
Until the outstanding fare is successfully paid, your card will continue to be declined when you try to use it for travel. Your bank may also have blocked the transaction due to insufficient funds or security reasons.
To resolve the issue, you may need to:
- Check with your bank to understand why the payment was declined.
- Ensure there are sufficient funds in your account.
- Use a different card or an alternative payment method, such as Apple/Google Pay or purchasing a ticket via the First Bus App.
If you continue to experience issues, your bank should be able to provide further guidance.
You can view your contactless transactions and request a refund on our online portal: https://first-group.uk.littlepay.com/first-group
Alternatively, you can fill out our contact form with the details of your request and our Customer Service team will be in touch.
We don’t currently accept contactless payments for topping up smart cards on our buses as we believe this may increase boarding times and therefore, delay our buses.
We are aware of an issue with some AIB-issued cards. Please contact your bank for a new card or add it to Google Pay or Apple Pay.
All payments are processed by FirstGroup Holdings Ltd on behalf of First Bus.
