Important notice regarding the payment card

Since autumn 2025, new prepaid payment cards are available that can be used contactlessly on the bus. The previous cards with magnetic strips are no longer in use. This makes handling much easier and faster.

If you still have an old black prepaid payment card, please exchange it at our issuing point for the new white card with contactless payment functionality. Any remaining balance on the old card will, of course, be transferred to the new card.

Please note: The prepaid payment card can only be recharged directly at our issuing point – regardless of whether it is the old or new card.

Pay cashless on the bus with the prepaid payment card.

The ESWE Verkehr prepaid payment card is ideal for passengers who want to pay for their tickets on the bus cashlessly and do not have a bank account. With the card, you can easily pay for your tickets directly on the bus. The payment is made contactlessly by holding the prepaid payment card over the designated area on the card reader. The payment card is free of charge, anonymous, and ready for use immediately. This allows you to start your journey quickly, safely, and without the need to carry cash.

Receive the payment card, top it up, and check the balance.

Issuance and top-up

The payment card itself is free of charge and can be purchased with a minimum amount of 15 euros, which is preloaded as starting credit. Empty prepaid cards are not available. The prepaid card is issued anonymously, and no personal data is stored on it.

Issuance and top-up are only available on-site at:
Mobility Center
Marktstraße 10
65183 Wiesbaden

Please note that credit can only be added in the following denominations: 15 €, 25 €, 50 €, 75 €, or 100 €.

Balance inquiry

You can check the current balance of your prepaid payment card at any time on the website of our provider  TeleCash.

For balance inquiry

FAQs

Prepaid payment card

  • The prepaid payment card is ideal for passengers who have no way to pay cashlessly, for example, because they do not have a bank account and do not have a subscription ticket such as the Senior Ticket Hessen or a student ticket.

    For all other passengers, it is faster and more convenient to pay directly cashless through the ESWE Verkehr Tickets app or with an EC/debit card, MasterCard, or Visa card, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

    Note: Passengers with a subscription with us are always ready to go and don’t have to worry about payment.

  • The issuance and top-up can only be done in person at the following location:

    Mobility Center
    Marktstraße 10
    65183 Wiesbaden

  • The use of the prepaid payment card depends on the type of card. If you own the old black card, please exchange it at an issuing point for the new white card with contactless functionality. The balance remaining on the old card will be transferred to the new card.

    Black Prepaid Payment Card—the old card with a magnetic stripe:
    If you still have the old black prepaid payment card, please exchange it immediately at one of our issuing points for the new white card with contactless payment capability. The balance on the old card will be automatically transferred to the new card.

    How to pay on the bus with the old card with a magnetic stripe:
    Swipe the prepaid payment card through the slot of the magnetic card reader on the right side of the card terminal. Make sure the card side with the M-logo and the text “Prepaid-Bezahlkarte” faces to the right and the text is upside down when you swipe it.

    White Prepaid Payment Card—the new, contactless card:
    With the new card, you pay contactlessly on the bus by simply placing the prepaid payment card on the designated area of the card reader with the bus staff. Fast, convenient, and cashless.

  • The prepaid payment card can only be topped up in person at our Mobility Center:
    Marktstraße 10, 65183 Wiesbaden.
    Please note that the balance can only be topped up in the following amounts: 15 €, 25 €, 50 €, 75 €, or 100 €.

    You can check your current balance online at any time through the website of our provider, TeleCash:
    https://www.telecash.de/terminals/umsatz-steigern/cards-emotions-guthabenabfrage/.

  • The ESWE Verkehr prepaid payment card is available free of charge and ready for use immediately. It is issued with a starting balance of at least 15 euros, which is preloaded. This allows you to pay for your ticket quickly, securely, and cashlessly on the bus.

  • The prepaid payment card is issued anonymously, and no personal data is stored on it. Please note: If the card is lost, the loaded balance is also lost, similar to cash. Unfortunately, a refund is not possible in this case.