Unused and unregistered Opal cards will be drained by the NSW government in the coming months. (Source: Getty)
New South Wales is launching a penny-pinching blitz on Opal cards that are gathering dust around the state, country, and globe. Roughly 17 million cards haven’t been linked to a person’s bank account but still have a few dollars on them.
The state government will introduce a bill on Wednesday to allow transport authorities to seize this unused money in a one-off action. NSW transport minister John Graham said roughly $70 million will be raised through this move, which will be put back into the system.
“Particularly much-needed initiatives that will connect people to transport hubs by better active transport infrastructure and Opal-powered bike lockers,” he said.
“These are things that will benefit the people of NSW using the network every day.”
When people sign up for an Opal card, they can register their personal and financial details to ensure their accounts are topped up.
But some, especially those just visiting, will purchase a card to get around Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Hunter, Illawarra, and the Central Coast, and not go through the rigmarole of registering their information. This means the government has no way of tracking who the Opal card belongs to.
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Authorities estimate the average amount on each of these unregistered cards is $4.
The legislation will stipulate that only cards that have been unused for five years or more will be wiped.
The government will soon launch a 12-month advertising campaign to give people enough time to register or use their cards to ensure their balances aren’t eaten up.
Yahoo Finance has reached out to the NSW Transport department for comment.
New South Wales put a call out last year to other Opal users who hadn’t tapped on in more than a year.
The government estimated there were 18 million cardholders in this cohort and they have a combined $143 million sitting in their accounts waiting to be used for public transport.
One major reason for this trend was people switching from using Opal cards to tapping on and off buses, trains, and ferries with their phones or smartwatches through contactless payments.
“Over 60 per cent of public transport users on adult fares now tap using credit and debit cards or phones, and that’s seen the dormant dollars left on Opal cards more than double in the last five years,” Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said.
“We want our passengers to know that even if you’re no longer using an old Opal card to tap on and tap off, you should still ‘tap in’ and reactivate or refund your cash.
“Don’t leave hard-earned dollars trapped on unused Opals. There are simple ways to access it – whether it’s rolling that balance onto a new card, using it up from the old account, or requesting a refund from Transport.”
He suggested it’s worth looking into your account to see if there are any leftover funds and get them transferred into your bank account if you no longer need or want to use an Opal card.
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