Where to buy farecards, in person
You can buy farecards (Transit Card and Chicago Card), in person, at hundreds of locations throughout the region. You can also buy fares in advance in our online store.
You can purchase farecards at:
Vending machines / 'L' stations
- Transit Card Vending Machines (Cash/coin only)
Available at all 144 'L' (train) stations and selected locations around town. Transit Card Vending Machines let you purchase new Transit Cards and allow you to add value to both Transit Cards and Chicago Cards.
> See a list of Transit Card Vending Machine locations
- Express Vending Machines (Credit cards only; all major credit cards accepted)
Available at some 'L' stations. Express Vending Machines let you purchase new Transit Cards and allow you to add value to both Transit Cards and Chicago Cards.
> See a list of Express Vending Machine locations
- CTA Pass Machines (Cash or credit card; all major credit cards accepted)
Available at certain 'L' stations and area attractions. CTA Pass Machines dispense 1-Day, 3-Day and 7-Day passes. Some also dispense 7-Day CTA/Pace passes. These passes allow unlimited rides for one person for a designated period of time from when they're first used for fare payment.
> See a list of CTA Pass Machine locations
CTA Headquarters
You can buy farecards (Transit Cards and Passes) and get Chicago Card or Chicago Card Plus, in person, at CTA Headquarters:
567 W Lake St
2nd Floor Sales Center
Chicago, IL 60661
(1 block west of Clinton on the Green and Pink Lines)
Retail locations
Retail locations throughout the region sell pre-loaded Transit Cards and passes (1-, 3-, 7-, and 30-Day cards).
Interactive map of Retail Sales Locations
List of Chicago Card retail sales outlets (.pdf)
List of Transit Card & Unlimited Ride Pass retail sales outlets (.pdf)
Note: Not all outlets sell all media types. Please call the location first to verify which media are sold.