Getting around Sydney with an Opal Card

Last updated: 25 June 2023

Originally published March 2019. Are you planning a visit to Sydney Australia soon and looking for the best way to get around Sydney like a local? Well, you’ve come to the right place because I’m going to share everything you need to know about using the Opal Card (the public transport system card) to travel all across Sydney quickly and easily.

The Opal Card, similar in nature to London’s famed Oyster Card, allows users to simply tap in and out across various modes of public transport, including the train, bus, ferry, and the light rail (basically a tram) networks. The Opal Card is ideal to get you from your hotel on the city circle line to Sydney Harbour and the sensational Circular Quay to capture views just like these.

Oh and speaking of Circular Quay, if you’re interesting in finding out why Circular Quay is my favourite place in Sydney then check out the link here. One suggestion is that after you’ve spent time in Circular Quay then I suggest that the next evening you head over to Darling Harbour to soak up the atmosphere. 

How Does the Opal Card Work?

Once you pick up your Opal Card (details on how to do that below) you simply TAP ON at the Opal Card touchpad located at the entrance gates of the trains and ferry terminals and at the front of the buses and the front & middle of the light rail.

When you have arrived at your stop, you will need to TAP OFF in order to pay the correct fare. You’ll see the touchpads as you exit so you just need to remember TAP OFF but the good news is that you’ll see everyone else do it plus you’ll hear the chime when someone taps off so chances are you won’t forget…  

All in all, it’s a fairly straightforward system.

Opal Card for Tourists: Getting Started

Here’s what you need to do;

Step 1: Purchase an Opal Card from either online or in person from any number of retailers including newsagents and convenience stores.

Step 2: Choose the amount of credit that you need initially. I opted for a $10 Opal Card to get me started. The card itself is free and it’s packaged with a credit amount so the $10 package I purchased included the Opal Card and $10 credit.

Step 3: Use the Opal Card on your first train/bus/ferry/light rail and enjoy your Sydney travels

Tip: If you’re visiting Sydney for a few days and looking to travel around (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t?) we recommend starting off with a balance of $50 (£30) which will be enough for 3 days of substantial travel due to the Daily Cap (more details below)  

Opal Card for Visitors: Which One? 

There are different types of Opal Cards available to you depending on whether you meet the criteria. The most common type is the Adult Opal Card which is used by anyone over the age of 16 and generally pays full fare.

The other types of Opal Cards available include;

• Child (50% of adult fare and available for children aged 4-15 inclusive)
• Concession (50% of adult fare and available for eligible full-time tertiary students)
• Gold Senior/Pensioner (Fares capped at $2.50 for seniors with a NSW Seniors Card)
• School (Designed specifically for school children)

There is one final type of Opal Card which you may encounter during your Sydney travels and that is the Opal single trip tickets. Like its name implies, it’s designed for single one-time tap on/tap off journeys on the train, ferry, and light rail services on the DAY OF PURCHASE only. If you want a single one trip ticket for the bus then you need to purchase it on board (except on prepaid buses).

To be honest, I don’t really think you’re going to get much use out of single use Opal card if you’re visiting Sydney, you’re better off picking up an actual Opal Card that you can top up as needed.   

Getting Around Sydney: Where Can I Use It?

The Opal Card can be used extensively in the Sydney city centre and metropolitan area but also includes the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter and Illawarra areas.

Here are the specifics if you’re looking to travel outside of Sydney during your stay.

• All NSW TrainLink Intercity services
• All Sydney trains
• All buses in the Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Newcastle, Hunter and Illawarra
• All Sydney ferries and Stockton Ferry in Newcastle
• Light Rail

To Register or Not Register

If you purchase your Opal Card from a retailer then there is no need to register and you can start using it straightaway which is great however it does mean that you miss out on some of the additional benefits available.

Benefits include;

• Auto Top Up which means when your balance drops below $5 it will automatically top up to a predetermined amount (great to avoid some embarrassing moments on the bus)
• Opal Card Protection means that if your card is lost/stolen then you can have your balance transferred to a new card
• Activity Statement means you can access and download your travel history
• SMS/Email Alerts can be activated for account updates

Opal Card Prices: Topping Up Your Balance

There are a variety of ways to top up your Opal Card balance;

• Online – www.opal.com.au
• Phone – 13 67 25 (13 OPAL)
• Vouchers purchased through retailers

However, the EASIEST option is using the Opal top up machines located in the train stations

Opal Top Up: Daily Cap

One of the best things about using the Opal Card is the daily cap which means that your daily travel will be capped at $16.10 (weekly $50 cap for an adult), perfect for visitors to Sydney who rely on a variety of public transport to get around.

Oh and if you do use the daily cap then you’ll be happy to know that your fare will never exceed $50 for the week and there is also the Sunday Travel Cap which means that all day travel on Sunday is capped at $2.80. 

Weekly Travel Reward

One really cool benefit of using the Opal Card is when you complete 8 journeys between Monday and Sunday then the fares for the rest of the week are half price! The exception is the airport which isn’t included in the half price offer.

Opal Trip Advantage

As a visitor to Sydney you’re probably going to be heading from one side of the city to the other and the best news about that is when you use an Opal card on a single mode of transport and make multiple changes within 60 min of the last time you tapped off then it all counts as a single fare, which is pretty sweet. The only exception to this is using the Manly ferry.

The Opal Card Travel App

And just to make things a little more manageable, the Opal Card has an app which is available on both Android and iOS.

The app allows you to check your balance, top up your Opal Card, plan your journey (perfect for a full day of sightseeing), and keep up to date with any service disruptions.

Sydney Airport Transfers & the Opal Card

There are many ways to get from Sydney International (and Domestic) Airport to the city and back again but the train still remains the simplest option. It is what Roma and I use every time we’ve ever travelled in and out of Sydney, travelling via Central Station. 

Once you clear immigration and customs then all you need to do is follow the signs to the trains and you’ll arrive at the ticket office in no time. The good news is that you can purchase an Opal Card from the ticket windows at both the international and domestic terminals which makes it nice and easy.

The cost of an adult fare from Sydney International Airport is $17.90 and child fare is $14.40 so when you purchase the Opal Card make sure you include a minimum top up amount to cover the airport fare. Children under 4 travel for free.

The reason why airport train fares are much higher than the rest of the line is because the fare includes an extra surcharge called a Station Access Fee. The Station Access Fee for an adult is $14.90 and for a child is $13.20. Standard train fare is much more affordable as no other station attracts this Station Access fee surcharge.

Final Thoughts

The Opal Card has been running in Sydney since 2013 with more services added in the following years and it’s at a stage now where it now the dedicated public transport service across Sydney and the greater NSW area.

This means that if you’re planning a visit to Sydney and intend on using public transport on getting around then you’re going to need to get yourself an Opal Card. But hopefully now after reading this post you can see that the Opal Card system is easy to use, easy to manage, and will get you to where you want to go.

And if you’re looking for some great suggestions on where to visit in Sydney then make sure you check out Roma’s post on her favourite places in Sydney

Have you visited Sydney? Did you use the Opal Card?