Ways to pay FAQs

Contactless is a simple and secure way to pay for bus travel without needing cash. Contactless payments can be made for any tickets up to the transaction value of £45 by placing your contactless card or device on the ticket machine’s reader. Simply tap and go!

Look for the contactless symbol  on your credit, debit or pre-paid cards. Most new cards are issued with this feature, however, if you’re not sure whether your card is contactless enabled please check with your bank or card issuer.

You can also check whether your device is Apple Pay or Google Pay capable by searching for them on the relevant app store.

Sometimes the payment will be taken from your account at the end of the day, and if you make multiple journeys on the same day, the cost of these journeys might be combined and taken from your account in a single transaction.

You can check what you’ve been charged for each journey on our customer portal :

Check your contactless payments

All Visa and MasterCard cards displaying the contactless symbol , along with Apple Pay and Google Pay, can be used. Unfortunately, we do not accept payments by American Express or Maestro.

If you’re using a pre-paid card, please ensure you have enough credit before trying to purchase your ticket as unfortunately this could result in your card being rejected.

Most contactless cards issued outside of the UK will be accepted on our ticket machines, however, if you find that your card didn’t work this time please contact your bank or card issuer. Please be aware that cards issued outside of the UK may incur overseas transaction fees applied by your bank or card issuer.

You can use contactless to purchase any of our tickets up to a total value of £45. This can include more than one ticket in a single transaction, e.g. an adult and a child ticket so long as the total price does not exceed £45.

For purchases of more than £45 we recommend using mTickets on the First Bus App. For FAQs on mTickets click here.

The limit for contactless payments in the UK is £45.  Unfortunately we’re unable to process single contactless transactions above £45 on-bus.

For purchases of more than £45 we recommend using mTickets on the First Bus App. For FAQs on mTickets click here.

From time to time, we authorise a payment for a nominal amount. This allows us to check with your card issuer that the card is valid and will be replaced by the full transaction amount in the next 24-48 hours.

You can view your contactless transactions and request a refund on our online portal: https://first-group.uk.littlepay.com/first-group

Alternatively, you can fill out our contact form with the details of your request and our Customer Service team will be in touch. 

Unfortunately, due to the nature of contactless payments, our drivers will not know why a payment has failed. However, if for any reason a payment fails, you may wish to try a different card or pay using an alternative payment method such as; using an Apple or Google Pay enabled device, or purchasing a ticket via our First Bus App.

Tickets are often cheaper as mTickets on the First Bus App, so why not buy before you travel?

Below are just some of the more common reasons why a contactless transaction may have failed:

• The card hasn't been approved by the bank for the transaction.
• This can occur as a result of several contactless transactions in a short space of time which can trigger automated fraud risk management policies with your bank or card issuer.
• The card hasn’t been used at a Chip and PIN terminal for a certain period.
• Most banks and card issuers require a chip and PIN transaction every so often to help make sure it really is you using that card. Usually once a chip and PIN transaction has been seen by your card issuer, this temporary block will be removed.
• More than one card has been detected by the reader at the same time.
• If this happens the reader won’t take any payment and the driver will be notified that this is the case. Don’t worry though, simply make sure that one card is presented to the reader and try again.

If you use a card for a payment which is subsequently declined for insufficient funds, unfortunately your card will be automatically blocked by our ticket machines.

However, we will try again to recover the money owed automatically after a few days or when you try to use the card again on our buses. As soon as the amount outstanding is settled with your bank or card issuer, your card will be unblocked by our ticket machines and you can make contactless payments on our buses again.

Yes, you will get a receipt once your transaction has gone through, along with a ticket for your journey. Please ask your driver for your receipt as well as your ticket if you’re unsure you have received one.

We don’t currently accept contactless payments for topping up smart cards on our buses as we believe this may increase boarding times and therefore, delay our buses.

Buying tickets is easy! Tap the mTickets button in the app, click buy, choose your area, select your ticket from the product catalogue, and then simply choose a payment method.

Your selected First Bus region/area is shown on the First mTickets screen; if you need to change it, tap on the area name to choose a different area.

There is no minimum purchase. You can simply buy the ticket you want in advance of your journey or buy several at once.

All of your purchased tickets are automatically put in your wallet and stored there until ‘activated’ so you’ll always be ready for your bus journey.

Yes!  You can activate multiple tickets at the same time, on the same device.

This feature is available in the First Bus App version 4.5.0 or above, so please make sure you have the latest version.

You can pay for mTickets using all the below methods:
 

• By card (Mastercard or Visa Credit or Visa Debit cards)
• PayPal, Apple Pay (on iPhones)
• Pay by Google Pay (on Android phones)

  Sorry, we don't accept Maestro or Electron cards.

Receipts are sent to the email linked with the account at the time of purchase. If you're going to need your receipt, we would recommend double checking your account details are correct before making a ticket purchase and ensure to check your spam folder once the purchase is made.

Please be aware that as bus travel in UK is zero-rated for value added tax, we are not able to provide VAT receipts.

Please note that this purchase receipt is not valid for travel, and you will need to show the driver your active mTicket displayed on the app.

If your ticket has not been activated, please contact us and we can refund the ticket for you. Although activated tickets are non-refundable, we understand there may be times where you have purchased the incorrect ticket, or you can no longer use it. For any queries regarding activated tickets, you can contact us using our contact form.

Promotion codes are set for specific areas and tickets. If you wish to confirm that the promotion is valid for the ticket you wish to buy, please contact our support team and provide us with the code you are attempting to use and the name of the ticket you wish to purchase.

Webform: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support/help-our-apps/contact-app-support

If you’re struggling to complete the security challenge that pops-up when you are making a payment, you need to contact your bank or card issuer to request assistance.  The security challenge can take a number of forms, and First Bus present these directly from your bank or card issuer.  It could be an SMS message is being sent to the wrong mobile number, or your bank is expecting you to use their mobile app to approve the transaction.

Only your card issuer can resolve this.  If you can’t complete the purchase, you could try a different card, use PayPal or buy your ticket on the bus using your card.

The security pop-up when checking out is called the 3D Secure challenge.  3D Secure is a banking initiative to make paying by card more secure and reduce on-line fraud by asking you to prove you are the cardholder.  It is mandatory for all mobile and web payments from 14th March 2022.  Your bank or card issuer decides whether to request that First Bus request the step.

Not every transaction will be challenged – you are likely to see it the first time you use a card with us, if transactions are more than £25, and if you have made other recent purchased with the card.

If you can’t complete the challenge, you should contact your bank to check the details they hold for you and request assistance.

Some higher value transactions (typically over £100) can trigger a further fraud check from your card issuer.  This may take the form of an SMS message asking you to reply ‘Y’ or ‘N’ to indicate whether it was you making the payment.  Transactions with us will be declined until this is completed.   Please complete this extra step and retry the purchase.  Your card should be approved for use on the First Bus app and you should not see this happen again.  

You need an internet/data connection to purchase an mTicket. A weak phone signal when you board your bus should not be a problem. However, the First Bus App does need to communicate with our system on a regular basis to keep itself up to date when you're out and about, so long periods without connection may cause an issue.

Please note the app is not designed to work with Wi-Fi only devices such as tablets and iPads.

Once a ticket is purchased and downloaded, it will appear in the 'wallet' of the mTicket section of the app. Tickets in this section are listed from the oldest at the top to the newest at the bottom.

When you want to use a ticket, select the one you want and then select 'Activate Now'.

You'll then be informed of how long the ticket will be active for, before confirming that you want to activate this ticket. We would advise reading this carefully to avoid activating unwanted tickets.

Once activated, the app will generate a moving ticket image on your phone's screen and a QR code. This will stay active for the remainder of the ticket's validity and will include the time and a four letter 'word of the day'.

You'll need to scan the QR when you board the bus.

Unless stated otherwise on the ticket description, mTickets can be used anytime within 12 months of purchase. The countdown on the ticket states how long the ticket can be used for if activated at that moment.

The validity of single tickets varies across each First Bus region. For the most part, single tickets will remain valid for 30 minutes once activated. The app will remind you of this before activating the ticket, to avoid any misactivation.
 

We advise customers to only activate a ticket when ready to use it.

If the ticket expires after already being scanned, but while you are still on the bus, this is not a problem. The ticket is valid for the entirety of that single trip, and you do not need to purchase another ticket while on the bus.

For a step-by-step guide on ticket gifting, please check our dedicated page here: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/buy-tickets/ways-pay/ticket-gifting.

Please note, the First Bus App must be installed on the phones of both parties and each must have their own account. Tickets that can be gifted show the share icon  

The First Bus App is only designed to work with one device per account. However, should you purchase a new handset, or lose or damage your current device, you can transfer your tickets with the Transfer now button in your ticket wallet. Please note, mTickets should not be shared between users.

No; while you don't need an internet connection at the point you ‘activate’ an already purchased ticket, a regular internet connection is required by the app to keep content up to date and secure.

The validity of mTickets is similar to paper tickets. This means a day ticket is not valid for 24 hours, but rather the remainder of the day on which it is activated.

For example, typical validities are as follows:

(Example tickets, different tickets are available in different areas)

• FirstDay – the remainder of the day the ticket is activated
• FirstWeek – the remainder of the day the ticket is activated plus a further 6 days
• FirstMonth – the remainder of the day the ticket is activated plus a further number of days in the month less one
• First4Week – the remainder of the day the ticket is activated plus a further 27 days

We also include a period of grace past midnight, so if our services end at 2am locally, the period 00:00 to 02:00 forms part of the previous day and the hours & minutes countdown shown on the mTickets screen reflects this.

Please note that any expiry date shown in words on the ticket screen is the last full day of the ticket, and does not reflect the period beyond midnight. This is so customers do not wrongly believe they have an additional full day's travel.

Trip tickets are different as they are valid for the number of trips specified.

Missing tickets are generally caused by your mTicket account becoming logged out, or a prolonged loss of internet connection. To restore your tickets, please make sure you have a good network connection and refresh from the Options button (iPhone) or Menu button (Android). All tickets in your account should reappear after a few seconds.

If your QR code is not being recognised by the scanner and you have purchased the correct ticket for your journey, don’t worry, your ticket is still valid, just show the ticket to the driver.

Take a look at these hints and tips which should help the QR to be scanned:

• Make sure you are using the correct ticket for the bus services and zones for your journey.
• Make sure your phone's app and operating system are updated to the latest versions.
• Turn up the screen brightness if possible.
• Through the settings on your phone, ensure the time on your phone is set to automatic.

If the problem persists, please contact our support team with your journey details: bus stop, service number and ticket purchased - so this can be further investigated.

Webform: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support/help-our-apps/contact-app-support

We do not issue paper copies of mTickets. You will receive an email receipt when you make your purchase, but this will not be valid for travel.

With mTickets, it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure a working mobile phone is available to show the driver the ticket screen. If there is a problem with the system, please let us know and we'll do our best to help.

If you are still experiencing difficulties please contact our support team here.

To change your mTicket account email address, please follow the steps below:

- Open the app and select the more tab

- Select View profile settings

- Select Edit my personal info

- In the Email address field, delete your old email address and enter your new email address

- Confirm your new email address in the field below

- Select Save changes

Yes! You can Tap on and Tap off our Park & Ride services and you'll be capped at the daily max of £4.80 and weekly max of £20.00, even if you switch between our city and Park & Ride services during the day or week.

The £3.80 Park & Ride Return is not available on TOTO - if you wish to purchase this ticket please do so through the existing methods, on bus, from the site or from the First Bus App. 

Whilst TOTO is available on our student services, the pricing is based on a solo Adult and does not include any student discount. To take advantage of our discounted student tickets you'll need to continue using our existing methods - on bus, on the First Bus App, or on our website. Find out more here.

No, you can use TOTO on non-consecutive days and still take advantage of the savings. For example, if you made 3 trips per day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you’d pay the max 3 day TOTO price of £13.50 rather than the price of 3 FirstDay tickets (£14.40).

If you need any assistance, please get in touch here.

You are charged the Single price for each journey you make. If you make further trips on the same day the cost is capped at the Day ticket price of £4.80. Each time you use TOTO in a 7 day period there is a max fare charged which is a discount on the Day fare.

Card clash happens when you accidentally tap more than one card or device on the Tap on Tap off readers. This can happen if you have multiple contactless cards within your purse or wallet and don't remove the card you want to use prior to tapping, or if you are trying to pay via mobile but keep your cards within your phone case. To avoid card clash and ensure you pay the best fare, please only present a single device or card when tapping in and present the same card or device when tapping out. If you don't, the Tap on Tap off readers may:

• Not register your card/device
• Take multiple payments from each card/device
• Take payment from the wrong card/device
• Take an incorrect payment

You can 'Tap off' at the ticket machine by the driver and this will record your journey correctly.

If you've made a purchase on board that was subsequently declined by your bank, unfortunately your card will be automatically blocked by our system. Once any outstanding amounts are settled by your bank, your card will be automatically unblocked. Until this happens, you'll need to pay with an alternative method. 

No, one of the benefits of the system is it is paperless. If you need a receipt you can access your payment history here >>  

The system is currently only designed for solo adult tickets. 

Child, 16-18 and Group tickets continue to be available on the First Bus App.

Yes, that's no problem. Just explain to our driver once you've tapped on for yourself - you can either purchase a normal ticket using cash or contactless, or use an alternative card or payment device to 'Tap on' for the other person.

Contact our customer service team for assistance here.

You'll be charged the Single fare to the end of the journey of the bus you were travelling on - so please remember to 'Tap off'! We all make mistakes, so if you need any assistance let us know. 

No, concessionary pass holders just need to 'Tap on' as normal with their pass.

This will depend on your own bank and how quickly they process transactions. You will normally be billed daily.

Yes, your payment history is linked to your card or device so make sure you use the same one each time you travel. 

If you have your payment method set up on your mobile through Apple Pay or Google Pay, make sure you stick to one method. If you switch to your card, it will be treated as a new payment method and you might not benefit from the price caps.

You can access your payment history here >> 

When you board the bus, use your contactless card or device to 'Tap on' at the ticket machine next to the bus driver. Once you've reached your destination, 'Tap off' the bus using the reader attached to the pole on the left hand side as you exit the bus.

If using a device, you will need to ensure you trigger the payment mechanism for that device when you 'Tap on' and 'Tap off' i.e. ensure Apple Pay or Google Pay registers the transaction.