Ventra frustrations (Chicago: credit card, transfer to, buying)

[koctail]

#1) They send me an email with my username/password. I go online and it does not work ( seems it will work after you get the card )
#2) they say card is coming in a week, doesn't come for several weeks
#3) Receive card and call to activate it but they ask for "Access Code" No helpful explanation of what this access code is or anything
#4) Go to website to register my card, but keep keep getting error saying "Invalid combination of numbers entered"...

I make a living writing computer code, so can't imagine how the rest of Chicagoans are expected to figure out this puzzle?

[marothisu]

I am also a computer scientist/software engineer and found their process to be less than optimal. I got my card, and this is what you have to do

1) Login online given the username and password that is sent to you.
2) Once you're online, you have to enter an access code (I think the first time you login, a form comes up where you can input it - amongst other things like address, email, etc that should already be filled out for you) and submit that form.
3) Call the number to activate your card and use the access code you just specified from #2.

With that being said, I put $20 on my card with the re-load from my debit account and I have yet to get a turnstile to take my ventra card out of 10-15 tries. I've seen some people getting it to work, but mine doesn't for some reason.

[marothisu]

I noticed on my account, it said my card was not active. I called online though to the activation number and it told me my card was already activated.

After talking to a coworker whose fiance went through the same thing as me, I ended up calling the Ventra phone number and speaking with a customer service rep. She told me my card was not activated and when I said "that's odd because the activation number told me it was" she told me that they're working to fix it. I wonder how many people are in the same boat where the activation doesn't actually work?

As a software engineer who designs and builds enterprise applications for a living, I can tell you that whoever programmed this system probably did a **** poor job - it's not THAT hard to create.

[ChicagoMeO]

they said on the news to be careful if you swipe your ventra card while keeping it in your purse with your credit card.. because the ventra card can swipe both at the same time. it will then charge you double for your bus ride.

[Burritogeek]

I heard the same thing about PayWave enabled debit & credit cards double charging. I'm hoping they enable the feature to link your Ventra card to an eligible debit or credit card, or NFC enabled smartphone. I'd rather use my phone to board instead of pulling out a card from my wallet. It looks like that's the only advantage the Ventra system has over the Chicago Card Plus system.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

they said on the news to be careful if you swipe your ventra card while keeping it in your purse with your credit card.. because the ventra card can swipe both at the same time. it will then charge you double for your bus ride.

Again, this is only if you have a debit or credit card that has an RFID chip in it. Many debit/credit cards don't even have that, so it's not a concern if you don't have one. Also to note that if you use your debit/credit card as the payment on the machine instead of the ventra card, you'll be charged $5 for a ride, not $2.25.

[Thepreacherswife]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Again, this is only if you have a debit or credit card that has an RFID chip in it. Many debit/credit cards don't even have that, so it's not a concern if you don't have one. Also to note that if you use your debit/credit card as the payment on the machine instead of the ventra card, you'll be charged $5 for a ride, not $2.25.

That's not quite right. Ventra will put a $5 authorization hold on your card but will settle up the transaction later (similar to what happens when you use a credit or debit card to pay at the pump when buying gas). Eventually your card should be charged for the proper amount.

The bigger thing to be concerned about is that until the functionality to link an RFID card to your Ventra account is active, using a contactless credit card instead of the Ventra card will charge you the pay-as-you-go cash fare of $2.25 with no transfers. So if you use your credit card to board the bus and then transfer to an L train through the fare gates, you'll be charged an additional $2.25 instead of the regular 25 cent transfer.

[marothisu]

^ Good to know. I was going off an article I read a few weeks ago in the Tribune.

[pidgeon92]

I got the cards last week, and didn't realize I had already received the email til I did a search in my email and found it. So, I went to "activate" the cards. Got the same error the OP got:

#4) Go to website to register my card, but keep keep getting error saying "Invalid combination of numbers entered"...

This happened whether I started at the "register card" screen, or if I tried to add the cards to my account after logging in.

I did create an access code after logging in, so at least I got something accomplished.

Then I called the 888 number that was stickered on the card itself, and using the access code I had just created online, and was able to activate both cards, though annoyingly I had to call again for the second one, there was no option to activate an additional card after activating the first one.

Then I went back to the Ventra website, added my credit card info for automatic reloading of the cards, and hopefully it's all set. I remember reading that the balance from the Chicago Card Plus would be added to these new cards. I wonder when that will occur.

Here's hoping that the cards actually work when we go to use them.

[marothisu]

^ A few hours after you register it and put money in the card, make sure online it says something like "Status: Active." My card wouldn't work for awhile. I called a number which said my card was activated, but then I called customer support to talk with someone. They said my card was not activated and they had to do it. When I told them I activated it, and the number confirmed it was activated, the CSR told me it's a known problem and they're trying to fix it.

After it was activated manually, my card has worked great.