Using a Snapper

It is easy as 1, 2 ,3 to pay for more than one person on the same Snapper, when travelling on the bus.

Step 1:

Before you tag on, tell the driver you want to Snapper another person. You can Snapper up to 5 people of each fare type on the same trip.

Step 2:

The driver just presses a button on his console, then you tag on, and a multiple tag-on fare is charged.

Step 3:

Tag off once for you and your friend(s).

So, if your friend has left their Snapper at home, Snapper their bus fare.  Maybe they'll return the favour by Snappering you a snack at Subway or a coffee from your favourite Snapper cafe.

Make sure you have money loaded on your Snapper (go to Topping up your Snapper for more information) and then hop on the East by West ferry.

As you step on the ferry, tag on by holding your Snapper to the Snapper reader at the top of the ramp.

Place your card on the Snapper symbol on the Snapper reader and hold it there until you see the green circle and hear the confirmation beep/s.

As you get off the ferry, tag off in just the same way. You can tag on and tag off at any of the Snapper readers on the ferry.

At a Snapper retailer just ask to pay by Snapper.  When prompted by the retailer, touch your Snapper to the Snapper reader on the counter.

Snapper is really quick, so if you want to check how much you're paying and what your balance is, make sure you keep an eye on the information displayed on the Snapper reader before, during and after you use your Snapper.

If you already have a Snapper account, you can register your Snapper online now.

If you don't have a Snapper account, sign up for one now and you can register your Snapper whilst you're there.

Registration happens immediately, it's free, and you can then log in any time to check your balance and transaction history.

Part of what makes Snapper such a fast and conveninet system is that it is electronic and does not issue paper-based tax invoices and receipts.  A Snapper top-up is a transfer of money from one form to another, and not an actual purchase that attracts GST. In this way, a Snapper top-up is just like withdrawing cash from your bank account at an ATM.

If you require a GST receipt for when you pay with Snapper, we recommend that you register your Snapper and use the online transaction record for your business expense claim.  You can even export your transaction records into .OFX format so that it can be easily imported into popular expense claim applications such as Xero.  

It is also worth nothing that there is no requirement for a GST tax invoice for purchases under $50. So for small purchases and bus transactions your transaction record will suffice for tax and tracking your spend.

If you make a payment of over $50 using your Snapper then ask the retailer for a tax invoice at the time you purchase, just as you would if you paid by cash, EFTPOS, or credit card.

A Snapper USB allows you to top up directly from your credit card and still does everything that a standard Snapper Red card does.

You can still top up your Snapper USB at an approved Snapper retailer, Snapper service centre or Snapper kiosk, just like a classic Snapper Red.

Like any other Snapper, the Snapper USB can have a travel concession applied to it so if you're at school you'll automatically get a child discount on the bus.

Attach your Snapper USB to your keyring, mobile phone, handbag, or wallet for easy access any time.

To top up your Snapper USB yourself using your credit card, you will need to download MySnapper.

Snapper USB's cost $40 and you can buy one right now.

Topping up your Snapper at a Snapper kiosk using EFTPOS, is free.

Topping up your Snapper online using a Snapper Feeder or Snapper USB and your credit card is free.

Topping up your Snapper at a Snapper retailer or Snapper service centre costs 25 cents per top up.  This small fee covers the cost of the retailer providing the top up service and associated bank charges.

The online transaction history is great for checking how much you've been spending and keeping an eye on your balance.  Just like bank statements though, it's not always completely up to date, and here's why...

Your online balance and transaction history is updated every day with the transactions that the Snapper system has received so far.  Transactions include every retail transaction such as buying a coffee or paying for your movie tickets, and a record of every time you tag on and off a bus or ferry.

Most retailers upload their daily transactions just once a day, and buses upload their trip data each time they return to the bus depot, which is usually at the end of the day.  Because of this, your transaction history may not be completely up-to-date.   That's why it's just like your bank statement: sometimes a transaction may have not been received yet.  Also, every now and then, a bus may not go back to the depot until the end of the following day.  When this happens, the data from that trip may not appear on your transaction history for a couple of days.

The great thing about Snapper is that the Snapper itself (your Snapper Red, or Snapper Sprat for example) is where the master data is stored, so the balance on your Snapper is always up-to-date.  There are quite a few ways to get an up-to-date balance:

• check the display when you make a retail purchase with your Snapper - the balance is always shown on the Snapper reader
• if you're tagging on or off a bus and your balance is less than $12.00 you will hear the message "please check your balance".  When you hear this message, your balance is displayed on the lower half of the bus reader in green
• download the MySnapper application to your computer.

If you have registered your Snapper, you can simply log in to your account and view all of your Snapper transactions.

If you're not registered already, click here and follow the instructions.  Registering your Snapper gives you the added protection of Hot-listing if your card is lost or stolen. See "What do I do if my Snapper is lost or stolen?" for more information.

An IOU is applied when there is not enough money on your Snapper to cover a fare or penalty. 

You can incur an IOU on your Snapper when:

1.       You don't have enough money on your Snapper when you tag off, or

2.       You don't tag off and your Snapper is charged a penalty fare, or

3.       You travel outside of the zones that your Snapper travel pass is valid for, and your Snapper is charged an extension fare

You will need to top up your Snapper after you incur an IOU so that you can use your Snapper on public transport again. 

An IOU is removed from your Snapper (i.e. you pay it back) the next time you tag on. 

If you use a travel pass it will not work until you have cleared the IOU.

See also How do I clear an IOU?

Most taxi companies charge a fee if they need to process an electronic transaction to pay for a taxi fare.  This fee varies from operator to operator.  At the time of writing (October 2010) taxi companies that accept Snapper charge a $2 electronic transaction fee.

Taxi companies do not offer a discount when paying for a taxi fare with Snapper. However, Green Cabs don't charge an electronic transaction fee, making Snapper the perfect replacement for cash. 

No, you don't need to hand the driver your Snapper when paying for your taxi fare.  The driver should enter the fare into the EFTPOS terminal and hand it to you.  

Hold your Snapper on the screen of the EFTPOS terminal to pay.  Your fare will be deducted from your Snapper, the terminal will beep, and your new Snapper balance displayed on the screen.  Hand the EFTPOS terminal back to the taxi driver.

If you have incurred a penalty fare and your Snapper travel pass is no longer working just top up your Snapper for at least the amount of the overdue penalty fare and your travel pass will work again. 

It's a really good idea to have some money loaded on your Snapper to cover one or two journeys on your regular commute. This is also handy in case your travel pass expires unexpectedly, and you still need to travel using your Snapper.

See also How do I clear an IOU?

As part of  the Total Mobility Scheme, Total Mobility cards will be accepted by authorised taxi companies within the Greater Wellington Region.  

This includes Wellington City, the Hutt Valley, Porirua Basin, the Kapiti Coast, Otaki and the Wairarapa.

The card can also be used as a standard Snapper card for payment on Go Wellington, Valley Flyer and Runcimans buses and at Snapper retailers.

No.  As part of the Total Mobility Scheme, the Total Mobility subsidy is only applicable to authorised taxi companies.  

The card can be used as a standard Snapper card to ride on Go Wellington, Valley Flyer and Runcimans buses.  Normal fares apply, however this does include the up to 20% discount for payment by Snapper.

Pending items are Snapper transactions that have occurred but haven’t made it all the way through the Snapper system yet.  

When you use your Snapper, the Snapper reader on a bus, taxi, ferry or in a retailer captures the transactions and regularly sends them to the Snapper system.  Occasionally some transactions don't make it to the Snapper system as quickly as the rest.  While these transactions are making their way through the Snapper system your transaction history will show "pending items" which means your transaction summary will be updated shortly.

If your bus breaks down, the bus company will send out a new bus to pick you up. When the new bus arrives don’t worry about tagging off on the broken down bus (there will be no penalty fare), just tag onto the new bus once the driver advises, and continue on your journey as normal.