Hello all, thanks for answering this question. (Too much info online to find a direct answer.) Flying into SFO for a short vacay and taking the BART to Powell Street. Rather than loading Clipper onto our phones, I want to buy a plastic BART card at the airport and load $ onto it instead. Can you please tell me where the BART kiosk is where I can do this? Any advice is welcome!
Posted by
21 posts
SFO bart is conveniently located at terminal G, go to the right end after you exit international arrival custom. It is a manned station and there are kiosk right there. I think you can buy single use ticket but for topped up plastic, it has to be clipper. Unless you're special price group who need a plastic card, otherwise you use their app and top up there.
Posted by
1 posts
Hi - I don’t think BART has their own card anymore. I believe that Clipper cards are used for all public transportation (buses, trains, ferries, BART) in the SF Bay Area. (I live near SFO).
Posted by
near San Francisco
5844 posts
The BART station at SFO is at the international terminal, with lots of signs directing you to both. If you're arriving at one of the domestic terminals, you can walk or you may wish to take the airport terminal train.
https://www.bart.gov/stations/sfia
The kiosks to buy a $3 plastic Clipper card are near the fare gates, before you enter the paid area of the BART station - to the right, as I recall. You can buy the plastic card and add funds at the kiosks before tapping your new card to enter through the fare gates.
You'll tap as you enter and tap again as you exit your destination station.
Posted by
California
273 posts
The Clipper Card is now used throughout the Bay Area at SFO and SJC (San Jose) and on all Bart lines, Light Rail and buses. I used it this past May in San Jose and found that my plastic Clipper Card didn't work even though it still had money on it and I'd used it successfully before. After calling customer service I found out that because I had put my Clipper Card into my Apple Wallet the plastic card was deactivated (who knew?). Using my iPhone I just tapped it on the kiosk at the station and viola. (It also worked on the transit bus from the airport to the light rail stop). I didn't even need to have the Apple Wallet app opened. Impressive technology!
For more info check out: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/index.do