How to use your
Smartlink Card
Smartlink...for Smarter travel!
Ulsterbus Smartlink Cards
can be loaded in one of two ways
ult
AdAdult
The Ulsterbus Smartlink Multi
Journey Card (MJ) can be loaded with
journeys between specified stages or
alternatively if you travel on Ulsterbus
Town Services you can load your
card with unlimited day, weekly
or monthly travel.
Card Number
Adult
Adult
4567 2345 5678 2345 23
ber
Card Num
2345 23
5 5678
4567 234
Smartlink Benefits:
• Discounted Travel - Smartlink offers
discount compared with buying
single or return tickets. 40 Journey
top-ups give the maximum discount.
• It is a safer, cash free method of
payment for travel.
• Parents can ensure children always
have sufficient bus fare.
• Smartlink Cards are transferable,
so you can lend yours to a family
member or friend.
• Faster boarding times on buses.
• Flexibility of buying as many journeys
as you wish - up to 40.
• Lost or stolen cards can be
cancelled preventing fraudulent use.
Buying & Topping-Up
Buying & Topping-Up an
Ulsterbus Multi Journey Card
Ulsterbus Smartlink MJ cards can only
be bought with at least 5 journeys
already loaded.
You can top-up your card with 10
journeys onboard a bus or with 5, 10,
20 or 40 journeys at Ulsterbus Stations,
the Metro Kiosk, Donegall Square
West, PayPoint Agents or participating
Smartlink Agents in the Greater Belfast
Area (a list of Smartlink Agents is
available at www.translink.co.uk/
smartlink). Cards can be topped up with
40 journeys at a time and can store a
maximum of 50 journeys.
Although you will have paid an initial
£1.00 for your Ulsterbus Smartlink MJ
Card, this is a one-off cost as your card
is re-useable.
Please keep your Ulsterbus Smartlink
MJ Card safe, so when you top-up
there will be no charge for another
card, only the charge for the number
of journeys you require.
Journeys will be valid for 12 months
from when you first purchase your
card. Each time a card is toppedup, all valid unused journeys have
their validity extended for a further
12 months. Any journeys not used
within 12 months of a top-up are
removed from the card and will not be
refunded.
Top-ups of 10 journeys only are
available on an Ulsterbus. It is NOT
possible to buy Ulsterbus Smartlink
MJ cards on a bus, at Smartlink
Agents or PayPoint Agents.
Smartlink MJ Fares
The price for an Ulsterbus Smartlink MJ Card (first purchase and topping up),
for adults and children is as follows for example journeys between Dungannon
and Belfast, and Ballymena and Belfast. For journey prices between all other
stages contact your local Ulsterbus Station or the Translink Contact Centre on
028 90 66 66 30.
DUNGANNON - BELFAST
5 Journey
10 Journey
20 Journey
40 Journey
BALLYMENA - BELFAST
5 Journey
10 Journey
20 Journey
40 Journey
ADULT
CHILD
Top Up*
Top Up*
£30.50
£61.00
£122.00
£232.00
£15.25
£30.50
£61.00
£116.00
£22.25
£44.50
£89.00
£169.00
£11.12
£22.25
£44.50
£84.50
*Plus £1.00 initial card purchase. NB: All fares are subject to alteration.
Remember, a single 40 journey top-up offers more discount per journey than top-ups
of 5 or 10 journey multiples.
Buying & Topping Up
a Town Service Travel Card
If you travel on Ulsterbus Town
Services, then using your Smartlink
Travel card to store unlimited travel
offers great value. The more you
travel the more you save!
You can choose to add one day,
one week or one month’s worth
of unlimited travel to your card. A
day’s travel is valid for one day from
first use (not purchase). A week’s
travel is valid for 7 consecutive
days from the date of first use (not
purchase). A month’s travel is valid
for one calendar month e.g. from 25
February to 24 March inclusive from
the date of first use (not purchase).
Once you start using your Travel
Card, you can top-up with a further
day, week or one month.
You can top-up your Travel Card
onboard a bus or at an Ulsterbus
Station with one day or one week’s
travel. You can only top-up with one
month’s travel at Ulsterbus Stations.
You can also top-up with one day,
one week or one month’s travel at
any PayPoint Agent.
When you top-up your card, any
additional days extend the validity
of the card from that date e.g. if you
have 3 days left on your card and
you top-up with a further 7 days, your
Travel Card immediately becomes
valid for 10 days from the date you
top-up, and not 3 days plus a further
7 days from the date of first use of
newly purchased travel.
Buying & Topping-Up
Smartlink Town Service Travel Card Fares
When you buy your Town Service Travel Card, you will pay a one-off charge of
£1.00 for the card. The prices for adults and children are as follows:
1 Day unlimited travel
7 Day unlimited travel
1 Month’s unlimited travel
ADULT
CHILD
Top Up*
Top Up*
£2.30
£10.50
£40.00
£1.15
£5.25
£20.00
*Plus £1.00 initial card purchase. NB: All fares are subject to alteration.
Using Smartlink on Ulsterbus
Using Smartlink MJ
on Ulsterbus Services
• Details of current journey
• Number of journeys left on card
• Date by which all remaining journeys
When boarding an Ulsterbus, hold your
must be used
Ulsterbus Smartlink MJ Card to the
If two or more people are travelling
target on the ticket machine reader
together on the same card simply
situated beside the driver. Each time
remove and replace the Ulsterbus
you use Smartlink for an Ulsterbus
Smartlink MJ Card on the ticket
journey, that journey will automatically machine for each person travelling.
be deducted from the total on your
Allow 3 seconds between transactions
card. The ticket machine on the bus
before replacing the card on the reader.
will issue you with a journey receipt that The machine will automatically deduct
will display the following information:
one journey for each person.
Using your Smartlink Card
Five easy steps to using your Smartlink Card on the bus.
1
2
3
4
Hold your Smartlink Card to the target on the ticket machine reader
tray with the front of the card facing upwards.
The machine will bleep once and the green light will light up. The
display will show ‘Adult’ or ‘Child’. For a MJ Card the card type will
be displayed eg. City Zone. The display will also show the number of
journeys remaining (MJ Card) or the expiry date (Travel Card).
If your card is a MJ Card, the machine will automatically deduct one
journey from your MJ Card. The machine will also issue you with a
ticket showing the number of journeys (MJ Card) or the expiry date of
the card (Travel Card). The ticket must be retained for inspection.
If the red light appears, remove your Smartlink Card. Then hold it to
the target and try again.
To remind you to top up your card in time, the machine will also print a
reminder on your ticket when there are just 3 journeys remaining on a MJ
Card or 3 days validity on a Travel Card.
Hotlisting Your Card
After purchasing a new card you
should make a note of your Smartlink
Card Number, which is printed along
the front of the card and on all
corresponding receipts issued.
The Smartlink Card number is
needed to cancel your card if it is
lost or stolen.
If your card is lost or stolen it can
be cancelled or ‘hotlisted’. To hotlist
a card, you must report the card
lost or stolen as soon as possible
by telephoning the Smartlink Office
during office hours on:
028 9075 9129
It takes two working days before a
hotlisted card becomes deactivated.
Translink can then prevent
unauthorised use of the card.
A hotlisted card presented for travel
will be confiscated. Hotlisted cards
CANNOT be reactivated.
Translink CANNOT prevent the
unauthorised use of lost or stolen
Smartlink Cards until they have been
reported by the card holder and
hotlisting completed.
See Terms & Conditions on
our website: translink.co.uk
PayPoint Agents
In addition to current Smartlink Agents,
you can top up your Smartlink Card at any
PayPoint Agents. There are over 1,000
PayPoint Agents across Northern Ireland.
To find your nearest PayPoint Agent visit
translink.co.uk/paypoint or look out for the
familiar PayPoint sign.