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New $250 Travel Card to Assist Regional Seniors with Fuel Costs

The prepaid Visa card provides seniors with $250 to ease the burden of travel costs and assist them in getting to and from essential services. The card is making it easier and more affordable for seniors to remain connected with family and friends.

Seniors are using their regional seniors travel card to pay for:

• pre-booked NSW TrainLink train and coach services.

Seniors can check their card balance or transaction history by phone or online.

After a cardholder has put fuel in their car, a member of staff or the cardholder swipes the card in a point-of-sale terminal. The cardholder selects ‘credit’ (not ‘savings’ or cheque’) and enters their PIN.

The regional seniors travel card has a magnetic strip on the back. It doesn’t contain a chip which means it can’t be inserted into a point-of-sale terminal or used for contactless payments including tap and go.

The regional seniors travel card has been restricted for use at Australian retailers based on their merchant category code. Merchant category codes are used to classify businesses by the type of goods or services they provide. The card will work at retailers or service providers using travel-related merchant category codes. This includes merchant category codes for fuel 5983 and service stations (with or without ancillary services) 5541.

If service station owners are not sure which merchant category code they are using they can check with their merchant acquirer or payments provider.

To be eligible seniors must be:

• an age pensioner with a valid Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Department of Human Services or Department of Veterans’ Affairs; or
• a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder – card issued by the Department of Human Services Affairs or Department of Veterans’ Affairs; and
• living in regional NSW outside Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.

The regional seniors travel card was a 2019 election commitment by the NSW Government.

Seniors can apply at Service NSW:

• online at service.nsw.gov.au
• call 13 77 88
• visit a Service NSW Service Centre.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

More information is available at www.service.nsw.gov.au

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Need to check the balance of your local gift card? If so, then just follow these steps:

• Click on the button below that will take you to the check balance page.
• In the first box enter your card number. This is the 16 digit number on the back of your card, it will be something like 5021-1802-XXXX-XXXX.
• Click on the next box. At this point a drop down box will appear. Select to sign in using “Card Number and 4 Digit Passcode”
• In the final PassCode box enter your 4 digit pin that is on the back of your card.

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Terms and Conditions

Information for retailers

Accepting payments.

The regional seniors travel card can be used at Australian retailers for travel-related purchases in-store, online or over the phone.

Merchant category codes

You can accept regional seniors travel card payments if your business is using one of the following travel-related merchant category codes:

• 4111 – Local/suburban commuter passenger transportation – railroads, ferries, local water transportation
• 4112 – Passenger railways
• 4121 – Taxis
• 5541 – Service stations (with or without ancillary services)
• 4131 – Bus lines
• 4789 – Transportation services (not elsewhere classified)
• 5542 – Automated fuel dispensers
• 9399 – Government services (not elsewhere classified)
• 4011 – Railroads– Freight
• 763 – Agricultural co-operatives
• 5172 – Petroleum and petroleum products
• 5552 – Electronic vehicle charging

Merchant category codes are used to classify businesses by the type of goods or services they provide. If you’re not sure which merchant category code you’re using, you can check with your merchant acquirer or payments provider.

Fuel payments at service stations and mixed businesses

After putting fuel into their car, the cardholder (or a staff member) will need to swipe/tap the regional seniors travel card in a point-of-sale terminal. The cardholder will then need to select ‘credit’ (not ‘savings’ or ‘cheque’), and enter their personal identification number (PIN).

The transaction will be accepted if you are operating with a service station or fuel category code.

Online and over the phone payments

The card can be used for one-off payments online or over the phone. Cardholders will provide their card number, card expiry date (printed on the front of the card) and CVV number (the CVV number is the 3-digit card verification value found on the back of the card).

The transaction will be declined if your business is operating under a non-travel related merchant category code. 

Card balances, split payments and contactless payments

If the total cost of the transaction is more than the card balance, you can ask the cardholder to:

• pay the outstanding balance in cash or by using a different card (if you accept split payments), or
• use an alternative method of payment for the entire purchase (if you don’t accept split payments). 

The regional seniors travel card is designed for contactless payments (tap and go, payWave) at accepted retailers. Cards issued prior to 2022 are not designated for contactless payments. 

To check their balance, cardholders can contact card services 24/7 by: 

• visiting nswregionalseniors.cards , or
• calling 1800 569 070 .

More information

By applying for the card and accepting the regional seniors travel card terms , cardholders are aware that:

• the card is to be used for travel-related purchases only, and 
• if a retailer does not accept the card, they will need to use an alternative form of payment.

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Registered and unregistered Opal cards

Not all Opal cards need to be registered to travel, however there are benefits when you do.

You can register Opal cards at any time online or through the Opal Travel app .

Unregistered Adult and Child/Youth Opal cards are available at Opal retailers . You can add value and travel on public transport without registering these cards. To protect the balance and top up online, you can register these Opal cards at any time.

Concession, Gold Senior/Pensioner and free travel Opal cards need to be applied for based on eligibility and concession entitlements . Each card is registered. It can only be used by the person entitled to the card.

Registered cards

A registered Opal card has your personal information linked to the card. This means you can:

• protect the card balance and block your lost or stolen Opal card by transferring the balance to another Opal card
• set up auto top up so you are always ready to go
• view your activity statement to keep track of your journeys and balance
• download your activity statement to share with a third party, like your employer or accountant
• get updates by SMS or email about your account
• link your Opal cards.

Adult and Child/Youth Opal cards that are ordered online are automatically registered under your name.

Unregistered Adult and Child/Youth Opal cards

An unregistered Opal card does not have any personal information associated with it. You cannot protect your balance, block the use of your card if you lose it or get a refund on remaining value.

With an unregistered Opal card, you can:

• travel on the network
• top up your card at retailers and top up machines
• see your Opal activity and check your Opal card account balance

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NSW Government vouchers help families tackle the cost of living and save money.

Vouchers for families

First Lap swimming vouchers

Offering $50 vouchers to pay for at least 5 supervised swimming lessons.

Active and Creative Kids vouchers

Give your kids the freedom to move, play and create with the new Active and Creative Kids $50 voucher.

Vouchers for seniors and pensioners

Regional seniors travel card

Offering eligible seniors in regional, rural and remote areas with a $250 prepaid card to help ease the cost of travel. 

Pensioner travel vouchers

If you hold a NSW/ACT pensioner concession card or a NSW War Widow/er transport concession card, you're entitled to 4 Pensioner Travel Vouchers each calendar year. You can use the vouchers for 2 return or 4 single trips.

Use the Savings Finder  

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NSW Budget: rebates up – Regional Seniors Travel Card axed

Article published 20 september 2023.

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NSW Budget: rebates up - Regional Seniors Travel Card axed

Regional seniors travel card axed.

WITH the suspension of new applications for the Regional Seniors Travel Card on 7 July this year, it was pretty clear that the card would not survive the budget process, in its current form and maybe not at all.

The presentation of the NSW Budget yesterday confirmed this, or rather, the fine print did. Buried deep in the budget papers (Budget Paper 1, p138) the Regional Seniors Travel Card was allocated a budget of $36 million for the 2023-2024 financial year.

While $36 million is a lot of money, it’s not enough to run the Regional Seniors Travel Card for a year. In 2022–2023, when the card ran without restrictions, it cost the budget $102 million. In its first year of operation in 2021-2022, the card cost $98 million.

The NSW Government told CPSA in a letter that applications for the card had been suspended while Service NSW reviewed it. Cards in circulation were not affected. The reason for the review, the NSW Government told CPSA, was that the card was being used for purchases which had nothing to do with transport, “including tobacco and gambling products”.

Technically, this is where the card is still at. It’s under review and no new applications will be received.

However, CPSA wonders if this is a softly-softly way of axing the card.

The Regional Seniors Travel Card operates like a credit or debit card. This means that all the card management features available to credit and debit cards are available. These include the facility to record what types of purchases are made and the facility to block the card from being used to buy, let’s say, cigarettes and scratchies.

$36 million would be about one-third of the full annual cost of the card to the NSW Budget. Enough to cover purchases made using cards in circulation until they run out, mostly at some point during 2023-2024.

There might be optimists who will assume that the Regional Seniors Travel Card will be started up again in 2024–2025 as part of the 2024-2025 budget process. Their optimism is to be admired.

For all practical purposes, the Regional Seniors Transport Card has been axed, certainly for those people who became newly eligible for one, or whose old card expired on or after 7 July 2023, when applications were suspended.

The NSW Regional Seniors Travel Card has helped older people in regional, rural and remote areas of NSW to stay connected. The loss of this card will be felt keenly by regional seniors who are already struggling to make ends meet as living costs continue to climb.

Energy rebates up

While the Regional Seniors Card is all but gone, CPSA does welcome increases in NSW energy rebates. The Low-Income Household Rebate as well as the Medical Energy Rebate will go from $285 to $350. The Seniors Energy Rebate for self-funded retirees will rise from $200 to $250 and the Life Support Energy Rebate has also received a significant boost from $1,343 to $1,639.

It is currently unclear whether eligible customers living in places which have private ‘embedded’ energy networks will receive a similar increase, or how much that might be.

1,500 more social housing units

Also welcome is the NSW Government’s commitment to providing 1,500 additional social housing dwellings under the $610 million Commonwealth Social Housing Accelerator program.

This number will go nowhere near solving the social housing shortage, but it is more than has been achieved in recent years. A year ago, housing advocacy group Everybody’s Home calculated that constructing 25,000 social homes needed now would cost $12.9 billion.

The percentage of older people who own their own homes is declining and due to an undersupply of social housing, more people over 65 are experiencing housing insecurity in the private rental market.

Rates of homelessness amongst older people, particularly older women, continue to rise. Like many other advocacy organisations and charities, CPSA calls on the NSW Government to commit to resolving the housing crisis in NSW and to commit to building the social and affordable housing needed. This would also enable it to lower the eligibility age for the social housing priority list from 80 to 65.

Read CPSA’s 2023-24 NSW Budget media release here.

For more information please email our media contact at [email protected]

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NSW TAXI COUNCIL

The Peak Body of the NSW Taxi Industry

• Jun 18, 2021

$250 Regional Seniors Travel Card for Taxis, Trainlink, and Fuel extended for additional two years

Source: NSW Government

More than 300,000 seniors in the regions will benefit from reduced travel costs with the NSW Government committing $246 million to extend the Regional Seniors Travel Card for an additional two years.

The Regional Seniors Travel Card is a $250 prepaid Visa card designed to ease the burden of travel costs for eligible seniors in rural, regional and remote areas.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said seniors across NSW have benefited from the initial two-year travel card trial, with 337,500 cards issued in 2020 and more than 330,000 cards issued to regional seniors in 2021 so far.

“Living in regional NSW is rewarding in so many ways, but every day we struggle with the tyranny of distance,” Mr Barilaro said.

“This card has made a huge difference to the lives of seniors living in the bush who have fewer transport options than those living in the city and we’re excited to announce it will be offered again in 2022 and 2023.”

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the extension and expansion of the Regional Seniors Travel Card is part of several cost saving measures aimed at seniors in the upcoming State Budget. “We know the cost of living is a big issue facing seniors and households, which is why the Regional Seniors Travel Card is being offered to even more people,” Mr Perrottet said.

“Increased funding will allow us to extend the card from 2022 to more seniors in the regions, including those eligible for the Age Pension and receiving either a Disability Support Pension or a Carer Payment from Services Australia.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the Regional Seniors Travel Card has provided a significant boost to businesses across our regions. “Having an extra $250 in their pocket has made it easier for regional seniors to get to the shops and medical appointments and stay connected locally and with friends and family living in other parts of the State. It’s also injected more than $108 million into regional economies, benefitting local taxi operators and fuel stations,” Mr Toole said.

“We’ve been reviewing the schemes that support people with disability and carers to ensure they meet the needs of those in the regions, including investing in community transport and a new smart card for the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme. We know these groups would also like to be eligible for the Regional Seniors Travel Card and we’re pleased to be able to make that happen as part of the next phase of this program.”

Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said it was great to see the program continue to expand, after first being trialed in Coffs Harbour.

“Coffs Harbour seniors were the first to try the Regional Seniors Travel Card a year and a half ago and it’s wonderful to see how far the scheme has come since. It’s made a huge impact on our community and I’m glad it is set to continue for two more years,” Mr Singh said.

The Regional Seniors Travel Card can be used for pre-booked NSW Trainlink Regional trains and coaches, fuel and Taxis.

From 2022, eligible applicants will include seniors who have reached the Age Pension age and are receiving:

the Age Pension through Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs

a Disability Support Pension or a Carer Payment from Services Australia

a Service Pension issued by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs

a Disability Pension through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986

a War Widow(er)’s Pension issued by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

People who hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card issued by Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs are also eligible.

The regional boundaries for applicants will remain the same in 2022.

More information about which regional areas are included in this initiative can be found at Service NSW www.service.nsw.gov.au.

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Lobby group calls for NSW Regional Seniors Travel Card to be made permanent

A seniors lobby group has called on the state government and opposition to commit to making the NSW Regional Seniors Travel Card permanent.

The scheme, trialled for two years starting in 2020, and then extended by another two years, is due to expire at the end of this year.

"The NSW Regional Seniors Travel Card is very popular and helps regional seniors cope with today's high inflation and cost-of-living pressures," said Combined Pensioners' and Superannuants' Association policy manager Paul Versteege.

The card can be used to pay for pre-booked NSW TrainLink regional trains and coaches, as well as fuel and taxis.

While commending the state government on introducing the scheme, Mr Versteege said it was now time for both the state government and opposition to acknowledge its success and commit to its continuation.

"The card has been on trial for almost four years and has been a big success," he said.

"The time for trialling is over; it now needs to be permanent."

People can apply for the card up until November 30. Details HERE

• READ MORE: Older driver test 'unfair and onerous'
• READ MORE: Older Australians in dire straits as cost of living outstrips pensions

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Regional seniors travel card

The nationals in government made travel more affordable for seniors living in regional, rural and remote nsw..

But the Regional Seniors Travel Card is under threat . Seniors right across regional, rural and remote NSW love the Regional Seniors Travel Card, but it’s under threat from Chris Minns and Labor who won’t say if they’ll keep the card in the hands of the people who need it during this cost of living crisis.

Removing the program will force people in the regions to pay more for travel.

Chris Minns must come clean and tell us if he’s going to cut the Travel Card program or not.

Click on the button below to SAVE THE REGIONAL SENIORS TRAVEL CARD.