EXPLAINED: How to get Barcelona's new public transport cards

From Tuesday, November 28th the Barcelona transport system will no longer sell the regular cardboard/paper tickets. They will instead be replaced with permanent rechargeable plastic or hard cardboard tickets, as well as virtual cards via apps or bank cards.

The self-service ticket machines will stop printing old tickets with magnetic stripes from Tuesday and will only offer the T-Mobilitat cards, rechargeable and integrated with contactless technology.

The normal T-usual, T-casual, T-grup and T-familiar tickets are being phased out and there will now only be the T-Mobilitat cards available. You can either choose the personalised version, the mobile version, the anonymous version or the T-usual version – a monthly ticket with unlimited journeys.  

TMB transport tickets can be used on the metro, buses, tram, FGC trains and Rodalies trains. 

Barcelona's new transport cards are offered in physical or digital formats. Source: TMB

How to buy the personalised T-Mobilitat

Virtual tickets via the app or payment via bank cards has already been available since September in Barcelona, but if you're thinking of switching over now or you want the personalised permanent card, here's how it works. 

If you want to buy the new personalised T-Mobilitat cards, you must first be registered in the new system.

Once you have created your JoTMBé account via the above link, you will be able to register for T-Mobilitat. The app will ask for all your personal details, as well as your NIE, date of birth, and address.

In the final step, you will have to take a photo of your ID card, such as your TIE or passport and upload it to the app.

Next, you will have to wait for up to 24 hours for your identity to be approved. Once it has been, you will get a notification and will be able to either get the personalised card digitally on your phone via the app or get a physical plastic one.

The physical cards will cost a one-time payment of €4.50 and purchasing a digital card will cost €1. The app is currently only available on Android.

The cards cost €0.50 each, which will only be paid once, plus the cost of the journeys themselves. Photo: Tony Hisgett / Wikimedia Commons

Prices of the actual tickets will stay the same as they are currently. You can recharge the cards via the app or at the ticket machines in the metro or tram stations.

If you want to get the personalised T-Mobilitat cards in person, rather than online, you will have to make a cita previa or appointment. 

Appointments will only be available in person at the TMB offices of the following stations: Diagonal, La Sagrera, Arc de Triomf, Espanya, Lesseps, Torrassa, Sagrada Família and Universitat.

READ ALSO: How Barcelona metro’s new payment system works

How to buy the anonymous T-Mobilitat cards

If you're worried about security and getting out your phone or your bank cards at the gates, the safer and easier option is to simply buy the new anonymous card. 

The anonymous T-Mobilitat cards replace the T-Casual, T-Grup and T-Familiar. These will now be made from hard cardboard and can be purchased directly at the vending machines at train (Rodalies), metro and tram stations, without the need for prior registration in any app or website from November 28th.

The cards cost €0.50 each, which will only be paid once, plus the cost of the journeys themselves. 

READ ALSO: How to avoid being pickpocketed in Spain: tricks and scams to watch out for

How to get the T-Usual cards

The T-Usual cards which allow for unlimited travel over a period of one month, can be bought much in the same way that they are now, from the machines by entering your NIE or ID number.

You will now receive a hard cardboard card like the anonymous ones above, instead of the softer ones and will be able to recharge them once the month ends. They will also cost €0.50, plus the cost of the ticket.

I still have one of the old cardboard tickets with journeys left on it – will I no longer be able to use them?

Don’t worry, if you have some journeys left on your old cards, you will still be able to use them up until January 15th, 2024. Once your journeys run out though, you will only be able to buy the more permanent rechargeable cards instead.