A little-known loophole in Sydney's Opal card is allowing travellers a nearly free ride to Sydney Airport's domestic and international stations – and it's costing the NSW Government an estimated $1.3 million in lost revenue.
The trick lets users skip the $13.80 'access fee' levied at the privately-owned and operated Airport Link stations and pay barely $3.50 for their entire journey to the airport.
It's come about because the Opal system lets travellers tap-on to start their trip with a credit of only $3.38, and lets them tap-off at the other end with a negative balance.
Savvy airport train travellers buy an Opal card – which requires no up-front deposit – and choose not to register it, and then use the card as normal until the balance is no less than $3.38.
At that point they can use the card to travel to Sydney Airport domestic or international stations, exit those stations with their card in negative balance and then simply throw their Opal card away.
For example, a peak-hour trip from Chatswood in Sydney's north to the domestic airport station costs $18 – of which $13.80 is the station access fee – but an Opal card with a balance of just $3.40 makes the trip cost less than a cup coffee.
The trick doesn't work on the return journey, however, as the airport stations require any Opal card to have sufficient credit to cover the access fee.
This loophole has resulted in a revenue sinkhole for the NSW Government.
"Unregistered Opal cards with negative balances cannot be recovered unless the passenger adds value to top up the card," the NSW Audit Office says, because cardholders can simply "discard their negative balance cards."
A likely fix will be to raise the minimum tap-on amount or charge a purchase price for each Opal card, as is done with many similar transport cards around the world.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
That seems like a lot of effort. I couldn't see a lot of people doing this on purpose. Maybe tourist on their way out of Sydney and don't understand the charges involved.
18 Aug 2015
Total posts 55
Its actually not much effort. When you land you buy an opal card with $10 on it, scan the gate and when you arrive at the other end you exit and throw card away.
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1242
But see:
21 Mar 2017
Total posts 5
I do this all the time. I catch the bus to and from work each day so I buy an Opal card, use it for a few commutes and when the balance is low enough I set the card aside for my next trip. I fly domestic every two weeks so it's worth doing.
23 Jun 2011
Total posts 85
..or just walk to/from Mascot station and enjoy the health benefits.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 729
What a bureaucratic bungle up that is. Can't they get anything right. Down here in Melbourne we re invented the wheel with our Myki card, cost billions and took years and never works. We need an Army of fare evader agents to quell the problem of free loading, and we don't even have transport yet to the airport.
18 Aug 2015
Total posts 55
"we don't even have transport yet to the airport." lol, and you guys never will. Tolls and Airport parking cost crushed the last attempt.
23 Feb 2015
Total posts 260
Have to say I am pretty disappointed David that you would run an article promoting fare evasion.
18 Apr 2015
Total posts 67
Completely agree - I was taken aback reading it. Public transport receipts never cover the cost to provide public transport infrastructure/services which many in the public don't fully realise.
09 Jun 2017
Total posts 30
Get over yourself. The Government and these extortionate fares are the real criminals
18 Jul 2013
Total posts 12
Sad to see ausbt advocating (even if indirectly theft... Really going down hill.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Sep 2014
Total posts 50
At no point does this article 'advocate theft' and suggest that readers engage in the activity be reported on. It simply states this is a loop hole that exists, this is how individuals exploit said loophole and [x] is the cost to the gov, and a fix is likely in the works. Mind you I disagree with the fix statement because… NSW, however, your assertion is baseless.
18 Apr 2015
Total posts 67
The problem, apart from publishing the article and potentially exacerbating the problem, is with using the word savvy. It's like saying a shopper is savvy if they enter quantity of 1 when they have 4 avocados at self checkout. Just because you can get away with it doesn't mean it's not theft.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 May 2015
Total posts 80
This is proof that the fare to and from the airport is too expensive. $18 is outrageous and makes it one of the most expensive transfers in the world. I'm currently in Europe and in the last month have taken public transport from airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Budapest, Prague, Madrid, Birmingham, Helsinki and the list goes on. A typical one way fare from these cities is between 3-6 euros. Make the price fare and less people will exploit this loophole.
25 Feb 2013
Total posts 61
It's no wonder people try and screw the system, the system is screwed. Australian airport travel costs are extortionate. There is no legitimate reason for the train trip (in Sydney or Brisbane) or bus trip (in Melbourne) to the airport to cost as much as it does, and it is undoubtedly damaging to business and the economy overall.
Even in the US - where they get every other part of public transit wrong - they get airport travel right and this kind of gouging doesn't happen.
In fact, most cities have it linked up to their public transit at cost, and some (e.g. Boston) actually run *free* public transit airport options
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 729
It appalls me that Governments here in Australia can enter into contracts that hold the public to ransom for 30+ years as they did in Melbourne with Citilink to the Airport and the Sydney Airport Train Gate fees, very sad shortsightedness.
09 May 2011
Total posts 25
This is hardly "theft" - it is a legal loophole which can be used as a result of poor requirements, planning, and testing on part of the NSW government when implementing the entire Opal card system. This is Project Management 101, and unfortunately is a common cock up in many high profile projects.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2013
Total posts 144
I believe this is journalism not advocating theft. Infact, if at all, it is promoting the concerned department to be more active on supervising and eliminating loopholes. Only when these things are made public, someone higher up will think this is important to fix. This will never make me put less money on the card, i'm sure the majority of the ausbt readers would think like me too. There are always going to be people who will abuse the system whether they read it here or not!
11 Dec 2015
Total posts 85
This sin't anything specific to Opal card - all cashless transport card systems work the same way. When you tap on, the card doesn't "know" where you're going, so as long as you have the minimum balance to make the cheapest possible journey on the system, you'll be let in.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Feb 2016
Total posts 9
I am travelling in Japan and this isn't a problem. You can swipe into the gate with the minimum fare but when you try and exit, the gate doesn't open unless you have the required credit. If you are below the required amount you can go to the fare adjustment machine and top up your credit. Very simple and evasion is harder.
13 May 2016
Total posts 31
It's only $2.50 on Sundays folks!
31 Oct 2018
Total posts 1
Top up kiosks before you exit. Lots of systems do it. In Japan an alarm goes off if you evade. It puts the ass in embarrassed I tell you.
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