To travel on Metro de Madrid you need a Public Transport Card (TTP) loaded with a valid ticket type for the journey you wish to make. More information about Tickets to travel with Metro and Cards/tickets to enter/exit Aeropuerto stations.
Card types
Multi card
The Multi card is a multi-personal, reloadable, contactless public transport card which is valid for ten years that can be used in conjunction with different types of tickets.
To benefit from the discounts for large families or people with a recognised level of disability equal to or greater than 65%.the user must have a Personal Public Transport Card (TTP).
Where can you get it?
The Multi card can be purchased at:
- Metro de Madrid and Metro Ligero ticket machines.
- Tobacconist’s and other authorised points of sale.
Multi Public Transport Cards can be purchased along with the ticket. Cards may also be purchased separately without adding a ticket.
The price of a Multi card is €2.50. For cards purchased along with a Tourist Ticket, the price of the card is included in the sale price of the ticket itself.
What tickets can be loaded?
The following tickets can be loaded:
- Single Ticket valid for Metro, TFM, Metro Ligero 1 and Metro Ligero Oeste.
- 10-Journey Ticket valid for Metro, TFM, Metro Ligero 1, Metro Ligero Oeste and city and intercity buses.
- Airport Extra Charge, required to enter or exit the Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 or Aeropuerto T4 Stations when travelling on a Single or 10-Journey Ticket.
- Tourist Tickets.
Single Tickets and Airport Extra Charges, once loaded onto any card, must be used on the day of purchase and are considered valid until the end of service, not the end of the calendar day. If you attempt to use it the day after it was purchased, the turnstile readers don't accept it because it has expired.
Tickets that cannot be loaded onto a Multi card:
- 30-Day Season Ticket
- Annual Season Ticket
For these ticket types, the user must be in possession of a Personal Public Transport Card.
How does it work?
To use the card, you must purchase a ticket that is valid for the journey you wish to make. It must be validated by the readers on the operator’s equipment. One journey is deducted for each validation and the remaining journey balance appears on the screen of the validation equipment for Single Tickets and 10-Journey Tickets. For Tourist Tickets, when the expiration date is approaching this information appears on the screen.
The card can be consecutively validated as many times as there are passengers using the service with the same card, as long as they begin and end their journey together. The card supports up to three different ticket types, allowing users to make different types of journeys. For example: Single MetroSur + Metrobús + 10-Journey on MetroNorte.
There are some rules for loading the different ticket types, as not all of them are compatible with one another. Click here to check the compatibility of the different ticket types.
Large families and persons with disabilities of 65% or more
Because it is non-personal, the Multi card cannot be used to receive the discounts for large families and people with a recognised level of disability equal to or greater than 65%.These users must have a Personal Public Transport Card in order to receive the available discounts.
Balance inquiry
The balance available on public transport cards can be checked through Metro de Madrid’s official app, by using the ticket machines in the underground, Cercanías (suburban rail) stations, transport interchange stations, authorised tobacconist shops and at designated Bankia ATMs.
The turnstiles in Metro de Madrid stations inform passengers of the journeys available on single and 10-journey tickets at the time of validation. In the case of Tourist Tickets, the turnstiles will show for how long the ticket is valid when the expiry date is near.
Likewise, the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium has also developed a ‘Public Transport Card’ ('Tarjeta Transporte Público') app for checking the balance available on each ticket loaded on the card. Click here for more information.
Inspection control
All passengers, before starting their journey, must be in possession of a valid transport ticket for their intended journey, which must have been validated for that journey.
Throughout the journey, and until the user passes through the exit turnstile at the destination station, the passenger must keep the ticket and show it to any Metropolitan Railway agent or inspector of the Regional Transport Consortium upon request.
Passengers without a valid transport ticket are required to pay a surcharge of €80 for using the service or trying to use it without a ticket. This amount is reduced by half if paid on the spot or within 15 business days. Payments should be made to the Metropolitan Railway operator.
A passenger is considered to be without a valid ticket if, when asked by an agent of the Metropolitan Railway or an inspector of the Regional Transport Consortium to produce a ticket:
- The passenger is unable to produce a ticket.
- The passenger is unable to produce a ticket that covers or is compatible with the journey they are making or have just made.
- The passenger produces a ticket that has not been properly validated for the journey they are making or have just made.
The general conditions for acquiring and using non-personal public transport cards can be consulted at: general terms and conditions.
Guarantees
The Multi Card has a two-year warranty during which the user is entitled to have defective cards replaced free of charge, provided that the damage is not due to misuse of the card.
The guarantee is managed by the Public Transport Card Management Office of the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium.
Personal card (TTP)
This is a personal, non-transferable card, which expires 10 years after its issue date and which can be used to load both personal and non-personal transport tickets. The card contains the cardholder’s name and photograph and the card identification number.
Large families and people with disabilities of 65% or more can receive a series of discounts on the tickets loaded onto this card. In addition, beneficiaries of the Employment Activation Programme receive a discount on the purchase of a 30-Day Season Ticket.
Where can you get it?
Personal Transport Cards can be purchased online or at tobacconist’s. Complete information on conditions, forms, fees and required documents, as well as timeframes to obtain them, are available at http://www.crtm.es/informacion-tarjetatransportepublico and www.tarjetatransportepublico.es.
There are also Public Transport Card Management Offices where you can apply for this card and get information about it. You must visit www.tarjetatransportepublico.es to get an appointment.
What tickets can be loaded?
The following tickets can be loaded:
- 30-Day Season Ticket.
- Annual Season Ticket.
- Single Ticket valid on Metro, TFM, Metro Ligero 1 and Metro Ligero Oeste.
- 10-Journey Ticket valid on Metro, TFM, Metro Ligero 1, Metro Ligero Oeste and city and intercity buses.
- Airport Extra Charge required to enter or exit the Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 or Aeropuerto T4 Stations when travelling on a Single or 10-Journey Ticket.
Single Tickets and Airport Extra Charges, once loaded onto any card, must be used on the day of purchase and are considered valid until the end of service, not the end of the calendar day. If you attempt to use it the day after it was purchased, the turnstile readers will not accept it because it has expired.
Tickets not compatible with the Personal Public Transport Card:
- Tourist Tickets
In order to load this type of ticket you must have a Multi Public Transport Card.
How does it work?
To use the card, you must load a ticket that is valid for the journey you wish to make. It must be validated on the readers for the relevant rail service operator. The card supports up to three different ticket types, allowing users to make different types of journeys and to pay for their travelling companions provided that they begin and end the journey together.
If you have a valid season ticket for the fare zone you are in, this will be validated first, and then, if you touch in again with your card, a journey is be deducted from the tickets loaded (single or 10-journey ticket) valid for that station.
If the season ticket loaded onto the card is not valid for that fare zone, you are allowed to pass through the turnstiles providing you have a single or 10-journey ticket loaded valid for the relevant station, which will be deducted.
There are some rules for loading the different ticket types, as not all of them are compatible with one another. Click here to check the compatibility of the different ticket types.
Balance inquiry
The balance available on public transport cards can be checked through Metro de Madrid’s official app, by using the ticket machines in the underground, Cercanías (suburban rail) stations, transport interchange stations, authorised tobacconist shops and at designated Bankia ATMs.
The turnstiles in Metro de Madrid stations inform passengers of the journeys available on single and 10-journey tickets at the time of validation. In the case of Tourist Tickets, the turnstiles will show for how long the ticket is valid when the expiry date is near.
Likewise, the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium has also developed a ‘Public Transport Card’ ('Tarjeta Transporte Público') app for checking the balance available on each ticket loaded on the card. Click here for more information.
Inspection control
All passengers, before starting their journey, must be in possession of a valid transport ticket for their intended journey, which must have been validated for that journey.
Throughout the journey, and until the user passes through the exit turnstile at the destination station, the passenger must keep the ticket and show it to any Metropolitan Railway agent or inspector of the Regional Transport Consortium upon request.
Passengers who do not have a valid transport ticket will be obligated to pay a surcharge of €80 for using the service or trying to use it without a ticket. This amount is reduced by half if paid on the spot or within 15 business days. Payments should be made to the Metropolitan Railway operator.
A passenger is considered to be without a valid ticket if, when asked by an agent of the Metropolitan Railway or an inspector with the Regional Transport Consortium to produce a ticket:
- The passenger is unable to produce a ticket.
- The passenger is unable to produce a ticket that covers or is compatible with the journey they are making or have just made.
- The passenger produces a ticket that has not been properly validated for the journey they are making or have just made.
The general conditions for acquiring and using personal public transport cards can be consulted at: general terms and conditions.
Guarantees
The Personal Public Transport Card has a two-year guarantee during which the user is entitled to have defective cards replaced free of charge, provided that the damage is not due to misuse of the card.
The guarantee is managed by the Public Transport Card Management Office of the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium.
Children's card
The Children's Public Transport Card is free of charge and is intended for children aged between 4 and 6 years old. With this Card, children can use all the public transport services of the Community of Madrid free of charge during the validity period of the card, which expires on the day when they turn 7. Children under the age of four may travel without a ticket.
The card must be validated by the readers on the operator’s equipment.
For more information on how to request it and the documentation that is required, please visit http://www.crtm.es/billetes-y-tarifas/otras-tarjetas/tarjeta-transporte-publico-infantil.aspx
Blue Card
This transport card is similar in features to the Personal Public Transport Card which can only be used with the ticket type of the same name, Blue Card. This card is for citizens who are registered residents of Madrid and meet certain age or disability requirements and also have limited resources.
It can be requested through the Madrid City Council and can only be used for travel on Metro de Madrid (zone A), Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (buses) and Metros Ligeros de Madrid (ML1).
For more information, visit the website at http://www.crtm.es/billetes-y-tarifas/otras-tarjetas/tarjeta-azul.aspx
Compatibility of the different ticket types
|
Types |
Single Ticket * (except Combos) |
10-Journey Ticket * (except Combos) |
Single Combo Ticket | 10-Journey Combo Tickets | ML2 and 3 Single and 10-Journey Tickets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single Ticket*
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Except if for the same scope |
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10-Journey Ticket*
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Except if for the same scope |
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Single Combo
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10-Journey
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Annual and 30-Day |
NORMAL |
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Depending on the scope of validity | Depending on the scope of validity | Depending on the scope of validity |
YOUNG
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SENIOR |
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30-DAY |
Employment Activation Prog. |
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*Valid for Metro.
Compatibility of the titles in TTP
| Title | Personal TTP | Multi TTP | Description | Maximum number of different tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Single Tickets |
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There can be up to 3 different tickets on both the MULTI and the Personal TTP, with or without a discounted price. These tickets are valid on: Metro, Metro Ligero Oeste, Urban and Suburban Buses. | 3 |
10-Journey Tickets |
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There can be up to 3 different tickets on both the MULTI and the Personal TTP, with or without a discounted price. These tickets are valid on: Metro, Metro Ligero Oeste, Urban and Suburban Buses. | 3 |
30-Day
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There can be only 1 ticket of this type exclusively on the Personal TTP. Additionally, you may load two more tickets, either a single or a 10-journey ticket. | 1 |
Annual
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There can be only 1 ticket of this type exclusively on the Personal TTP. Additionally, you may load two more tickets, either a single or a 10-journey ticket. | 1 |
Tourist Ticket |
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There can be only 1 ticket on the MULTI card. Once this ticket has expired or been used, you may load any new tickets again. | 1 |