Smart ticketing has begun on Brisbane City Council buses and metro services

Passengers will now be able to tap on and off with credit cards, debit cards, prepaid Visas and Mastercards, as well as smart devices

Smart ticketing has begun on Brisbane City Council buses and metro services, completing the technology's rollout across south-east Queensland's public transport system.

Passengers will now be able to tap on and off with credit cards, debit cards, prepaid Visas and Mastercards, as well as smart devices including mobile phones and smart watches.

Now smart ticketing has been launched, here are the key things you need to know.

Can I still use a go card?

Yes. There will be no changes to the use of go cards.

Translink general manager of passenger transport Anjuna Singh says smart ticketing means there's just more options available.

"If you want to keep using your go card, please continue to use your go card," she says.

Translink buses are the last piece of the public transport network to receive the technology. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)

Are there extra fees for using smart ticketing?

There's no extra surcharge associated with smart ticketing.

"Whether you pay by go card, or whether you choose to pay with your credit card or debit card, it's 50 cents," Ms Singh says.

Passengers may see a $0 or 10c temporary authorisation hold on their bank statement after tapping to travel, but Translink says this charge will disappear within a few days.

Can I tap on with a go card and tap off with a credit or debit card?

No. The electronic card readers register go cards and smart ticketing cards as different payment methods.

"It's really important that you touch on and you touch off, and you do that with the same token," Ms Singh says.

"If you're touching on with your Visa credit card, make sure that you touch off with your Visa credit card."

If you forget to tap off, or tap off with a different card, you'll be charged the default $2.50 fare.

Smart ticketing has already been up and running on south-east Queensland trains. (ABC: Alice Pavlovic)

What about digital cards?

Physical credit or debit cards are not interchangeable with digital cards on a smartphone or smart watch.

Even though they're attached to the same bank account, Ms Singh says the cards are considered separate.

"The card in your phone or your smart watch has a slightly different number to the physical card that you have, so they do count as two different tokens."

This means if you tap on with your phone, you must also tap off with it to be charged the correct amount.

The smart ticketing system has faced delays in its rollout. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)

What happens if I tap off with the wrong card?

If you make a mistake and get charged the default fare, you can request to adjust the transaction using the Translink Ticketing Assistant on the Translink website.

Translink will issue a refund to the card you travelled with if they find that you were charged incorrectly.

Will people over 65 years old still receive free off-peak travel?

Senior concessions will not be available for trips made using smart ticketing.

"If you want to use your credit card, phone or watch to pay then you'll be charged 50 cents," Ms Singh says.

She says seniors will still be to access free travel during off-peak hours, but only if using a seniors go card.

Smart ticketing is available on CityCat vessels. (ABC News: Chris Gillette)

What's next for public transport in Brisbane?

Translink says the go card is approaching end-of-life and cannot keep up with evolving technology and customer needs.

Ms Singh says go cards will be replaced with a new fare system in the future.

"We will eventually move to a more modern token but there'll be plenty of notice for that," she says.

"We will be rolling out a virtual token … to be able to be put on your phone and topped up inside your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet."

But cash is unlikely to make a comeback – Ms Singh says trains, buses, metros and ferries will remain contactless for the foreseeable future.

"That was something that changed during COVID and we've found that it's much safer for our bus drivers and it also increases the speed at which we can board people on," says Ms Singh.