BC Ferries Experience™ Card

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The BC Ferries Experience™ Card is an electronic swipe card similar to a gift card that you can use to pay for ferry travel on a number of coastal routes.

To ensure you get the best possible savings, Experience Card features include transferability, registration, loss protection and pooling of related cards.

BC Ferries Experience™ cardholders must have their physical card in their possession and visible at time of payment. It is not possible to use Stored Value if a cardholder does not have their physical BC Ferries Experience™ Card present.

View the PDF below for Experience Card Terms & Conditions or visit our fares and fees page for more detailed fare information.

 
Card benefits
  • Access savings on select routes
  • Share your balance when you add secondary cards
  • Activate Auto Load, so your card never runs out of funds
  • Enjoy peace of mind with loss protection
  • Access travel history for the federal transit pass credit (if you qualify)
BC Ferries Experience Card image

How to get an Experience Card

You can get a card from any BC Ferries ticket booth, by calling 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779) or at any of the following terminals:

  • Nanaimo (Departure Bay)
  • Nanaimo (Duke Point)
  • Sunshine Coast (Langdale)
  • Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay)
  • Vancouver (Tsawwassen)
  • Victoria (Swartz Bay)
If you request an Experience Card over the phone, you will receive it by mail.
 

How to load your card

Once you have your card, register and load it online with the minimum amount required for the fare choice discount you plan to use, and start using it to pay for travel.

Effective April 1, 2024, the minimum amounts are:

  • $50 for passenger only fare
  • $120 for passenger with standard vehicle fare - up to 20 ft. (6.10 m) long

To receive discounted Experience Card rates, you must load the minimum amount of stored value onto your card and have enough stored value remaining to cover the entire fare at the Experience Card rate.
 

Manage your card balance

To manage the balance on your Experience Card, set up Auto Load to automatically load your card when your balance falls below a certain amount. You can also manage your Experience Card account online and manually reload your card with the minimum amount required.

These minimum loads apply each time you load your card and the type of discount available depends on the minimum amount loaded and the savings selected.

If you want to change your fare type, you can easily switch when you reload your card.

Important: The funds on your card never expire. Register your card to be eligible for loss protection. Funds loaded onto your Experience Card are non-refundable.


More information

Where to use your Experience Card
You can use your Experience Card on the following routes:
  • Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) – Bowen Island (Snug Cove)
  • Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) – Sunshine Coast (Langdale)
  • Victoria (Swartz Bay) – Southern Gulf Islands
  • Salt Spring Island (Fulford Harbour) – Victoria (Swartz Bay)
  • Salt Spring Island (Vesuvius) – Crofton
  • Inter Southern Gulf Islands travel
  • Chemainus – Thetis Island (Preedy Harbour) – Penelakut Island (Telegraph Harbour)
  • Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island (Descanso Bay)
  • Sunshine Coast (Earls Cove) – Powell River (Saltery Bay)
  • Powell River (Westview) – Comox (Little River)
  • Powell River (Westview) – Texada Island (Blubber Bay)
  • Port McNeill – Malcolm Island (Sointula) – Cormorant Island (Alert Bay)
  • Denman Island West – Buckley Bay
  • Denman Island East (Gravelly Bay) – Hornby Island (Shingle Spit)
  • Campbell River – Quadra Island (Quathiaski Cove)
  • Quadra Island (Heriot Bay) – Cortes Island (Whaletown)
  • Graham Island (Skidegate) – Moresby Island (Alliford Bay)
 
You can use your Experience Card as a method of payment for regular fares on the following routes:
  • Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Victoria (Swartz Bay)
  • Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Nanaimo (Duke Point)
  • Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) – Nanaimo (Departure Bay)
Experience Card savings are not applicable for these routes.


Note: You cannot use your Experience Card to make bookings or for onboard purchases.
Auto Load

With Auto Load, you can set up your account so that it will automatically load more money when your balance falls below an amount that you choose.

For example, you could set up your account to Auto Load $200 whenever your Experience Card balance falls below $25.

To set up Auto Load, access your Experience Card account online.

Important: Auto Load requires a valid credit card number.

Loss protection

If you lose your card, you can contact BC Ferries and we'll cancel it and move any remaining balance to a new card.

  • Call 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779)
  • Visit in-person at any major BC Ferries terminal administration office (we will ask for valid photo ID)

Important: Only registered cards are eligible for loss protection.

Share your balance with secondary cards
Add secondary cards for family members, and pool or transfer funds from your primary card:
 
  • Pooling allows your secondary cardholder to share your balance, but does not allow the secondary card to carry its own balance
  • Transferring lets you transfer money to the secondary card and allows the secondary card to carry its own balance
To add secondary cards, access your Experience Card account online.

Contact us

If you have any questions, call us at 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779).

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