I enabled the Express Mode option in my Apple Wallet over the weekend for both my iPhone and my Watch. I saw that it’s supposed to work with both MTA in NYC and SEPTA in Philly so I decided to give it a try for my commuting needs.

I put it to the test over the last two days. I was going to Manhattan to work on-site and it was raining on Monday so I was going to have to rely on SEPTA and MTA rather than ride my bike throughout the two cities. I still used my SEPTA Key Card in the morning when I took the L to 30th St Station but I used my watch at the subway at Penn Station and it worked flawlessly. So then I continued to use it every chance I got!

It’s great not having to fiddle with a physical card (even if it works just by tapping) and I loved not having to unlock my device to access the Wallet. I just held my watch over the reader and, voila, the gates unlocked as if by magic!

It supposedly works even when the device is out of battery, which is super handy. A few years ago, my friend only had her iPhone on her and couldn’t pay for her kids’ food at a vegan pop-up event at the KCFC Co-op (R.I.P.) after her phone died so Phil and I spotted her. And while Express Mode only works in a few scenarios (certain transit cards/systems, passes, and keys), maybe one day it can be expanded so situations like that won’t happen again.