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The Madrid Metro single ticket falls to €1.50 if you pay at the gate
Entering the Madrid Metro no longer requires going to the machine to buy a single ticket. Since 1 June, passengers can pay directly at the gates with a bank card, mobile phone or smartwatch, holding the device to the reader as in any contactless purchase.
The measure is aimed above all at tourists, visitors and occasional users. Anyone who only needs to make a one-off journey will not have to buy a Multi card, load a ticket onto it or waste time choosing options on the screen. Simply tap the card at the barrier and enter.
The change also comes with a price advantage. During this first phase, journeys paid for directly at the barrier will have a promotional fare of 1.50 euros, the minimum single-ticket price. Until now, that ticket could become more expensive depending on the number of stations travelled, so the new system simplifies both payment and the calculation of the cost.
Direct payment works with contactless bank cards and compatible mobile devices. For the moment, it applies only to the single ticket, while season tickets, multi-journey tickets and regular cards will continue to work as before.
The rollout comes at a particularly sensitive time for Madrid. The city faces days of heavy pressure on public transport because of the visit by Pope Leo XIV, closures in the centre and several mass events. Reducing queues at machines and ticket offices may help stations absorb people who do not use the Metro every day more effectively.
For regular users with a monthly pass, the change may not alter the routine very much. But for someone arriving with a suitcase, going to a concert, visiting relatives or using the Metro twice a month, it may make a difference. Fewer steps, fewer doubts and less dependence on the physical ticket.
The new feature also brings Madrid closer to the model of other major European cities where public transport is already paid for directly by card. It does not eliminate traditional tickets, but it adds a simpler entry point for those who want to get around without first learning the entire fare system.
On a network used by millions of people every day, saving a few seconds per passenger is no small thing. The new contactless single ticket does not change the Metro map, but it does change a very common scene: someone standing in front of a machine without knowing what to buy. Now, at least for a one-off journey, the answer will be much simpler.