CTA customers who use the Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus are encouraged to get free replacement cards before the cards expire. Cards issued in December 2006 and January 2007 will no longer be valid starting in January 2011.
Registered Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus holders with expiring cards will receive an e-mail or postcard reminder to replace their cards. Unregistered card holders must check their expiration dates via one of the following outlined below.
Chicago Card
More than 150,000 Chicago Cards will expire in 2011. In January and February alone, 24,000 Chicago Cards are up for renewal. Customers can check the expiration date of their Chicago
Cards four ways:
- Online: at www.chicago-card.com/cc
- In person: at the passenger information units located in most CTA rail stations
- In person: at the CTA Sales Center at 567 W. Lake Street on the second floor. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- By phone: at 1-888-YOUR-CTA (1-888-968-7282) on Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
To avoid deactivation or loss of their remaining balance, registered Chicago Card customers must obtain a replacement card. Only registered cards can have the balance transferred. In order to preserve balances, customers with unregistered cards are encouraged to go online or call CTA to register their cards before the expiration date. Once registered, customers will be able to transfer any remaining value to a new card.
Obtaining a new card with the balance transferred can be done through one of the following options:
- In Person – Prior to card expiration, registered Chicago Card customers can transfer the balance from their existing card to a new one at the CTA Sales Center located on the second floor of CTA’s headquarters at 567 W. Lake St., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After presenting the soon-to-expire or expired card to the cashier, customers will be given a new card with the remaining balance transferred from the expiring card.
- Over the Phone – Customers with a registered Chicago Card, who wish to transfer the balance of their existing card to a new one after it expires, also can call 1-888-YOUR-CTA (1-888-968-7282), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A new card with the remaining balance from the expired card will be mailed within five to seven business days.
Customers also can order a new card online by visiting www.chicago-card.com/cc, clicking on the Expired Cards link and following the screen prompts. A new zero-value card will be delivered within five to seven business days. Customers will need to use the remaining balance on their expiring Chicago Cards prior to its expiration date. Please note, balances cannot be transferred when ordering online.
Chicago Card Plus
More than 50,000 cards will expire in 2011. CTA will send e-mails to customers 45 days prior to the expiration date. The e-mail will explain the easy steps to verify the cardholder’s address online. Only after this confirmation will a replacement card be mailed to the cardholder.
Customers can update their Chicago Card Plus account online at
www.chicago-card.com or by phone at 1-888-YOUR-CTA (1-888-968-7282) Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to
8 p.m.