Through their ‘Tap to Ride’ campaign, Visa and Chase give another incentive to start using contactless
- More people are returning to the office, which means more commuting
- Visa and Chase have been using this as an opportunity to launch their ‘Tap to Ride’ campaign

On August 30th, Visa and Chase launched their ‘Tap to Ride’ campaign. For every payment made using a Chase Visa contactless card on MTA subways and buses, the companies have promised to donate 10 cents to nonprofit New York Cares — up to $250,000.
New York Cares is the largest volunteer organization in the city, working with over a thousand nonprofits, organizations and schools all over the city, and managing over 1,500 volunteer projects, covering both environmental and social causes. According to a Visa spokesperson, the nonprofit played a big role in serving the community during the pandemic, distributing 44 million meals since March 2020.
As part of their campaign, the companies have onboarded Saquon Barkley, running back for the New York Giants, to promote the cause.
The campaign is taking place in the midst of the back-to-office vibes seeping into the city. Slowly but surely, New Yorkers are getting out of their home offices and back into subways.
As of August, 23% of Manhattan employees have returned to the office — higher than the 12% back in May. During August, subway ridership in New York City was around half of what it was pre-pandemic times — the highest it’s been since the outbreak.
Meanwhile, contactless pay continues to gain momentum. Over 80% of consumers used contactless payments during the 12-month period starting May 2020, according to a report by Raydiant, a digital signage management platform.
According to Visa, there are now 370 million tap-to-pay enabled Visa cards. In the US, 25% of in-person Visa payments are made through tap. In New York, it’s 30%.
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