Can you buy public transport tix w/ credit cards in Vienna?

Hi Alyssa,
Yes, you should be able to easily purchase U-bahn tickets from machines which accept credit cards. I believe these machines are at every station but certainly at the Hauptbahnhof.
Enjoy Vienna.

Thank you jhouston! This gives me peace of mind.

Yep. Every station has the machines and with an English option. No worries, just make sure to validate your tickets.

Thanks Alex! I was hoping that a newer station like Hauptbahnhof would have that option but I wasn't positive since I have been to train stations in other countries that only had machines accepting cash. Appreciate the help!

Just a caveat: the ccards may have to be true chip and pin cards (most US cards still are not really these)

Ooh thanks for letting me know about that Laura - I don't have a chip & pin credit card but my boyfriend does so we should be okay.

Wiener Linien is the public transportation operator for Vienna. If you are a smart phone user, they have a nice app that allows you to buy a variety of tickets/passes from your phone -- from a 90-minute single use ticket to a one-month pass. The user enters the date/time she wants the ticket to be effective, so no need to validate tickets. I used the app to purchase a 72-hour pass for the time period I wanted before I left the US. (The pass covers all public transportation within Vienna). The app allows users to pull up the pass even without an active internet/cell connection. A credit card is used to make purchases. I found the app to be incredibly convenient. Unfortunately, the app doesn't allow for searching schedules; for that I used the DB Bahn website. If interested in the app, search "Wiener Linien" in your app store.

Wow thank you so much Dave! I had no idea about that and that's just the kind of thing that's so helpful when traveling... So you just scan the pass on your phone when you enter public transport? Or is there no scanning? Not sure how it works there.... Here in DC we have to scan in and out, annoyingly.

No scanning required. The public transportation system in Vienna is built on the expectation that people will be honest. There are no turnstyles to get to train platforms and no scanners/ticket readers to get on trains/trams/buses. You just walk up and hop on. You basically need your validated paper ticket/pass or your electronic ticket/pass in case a transportation official (randomly) asks to see it. There are big fines for being caught without a ticket/pass. For me, it's easier to keep up with my phone than a slip of paper. The app is easy to use and eliminates the need to remember to validate tickets.

Excellent, thank you Dave!!!