The Washington State Ferries (WSF) Summer Reservations System opened on Tuesday, but you will pay more if you pay with a card.
New this summer, WSF passengers using credit or debit cards will now pay a 3% transaction fee, which began March 1.
This fee applies to booking reservations and tickets, including those for the Port Townsend/Coupeville and Anacortes/San Juan Islands routes, for which summer vehicle reservations opened Tuesday.
The Washington State Legislature approved the 3% fee to cover the processing costs associated with card transactions, both online and at ferry terminals.
Some ferry riders have already encountered the new card fee. Kelly Fine, a ferry rider taking the Ferry in Edmonds on Tuesday, said that while she has been charged the 3% fee, it amounted to “under a dollar” and was “not a big deal.”
Passengers can avoid the 3% charge by paying with cash or by using an ORCA card that was not loaded at a WSF facility. However, debit card transactions are processed as credit card transactions and are subject to the fee.
Ferry rider Craig Kreeger expressed frustration about the fee, stating, “everybody uses cards, nobody uses cash anymore.”
Passengers planning travel on the Port Townsend/Coupeville and Anacortes/San Juan Islands routes are advised by Washington State Ferries to make reservations and purchase tickets, which are separate transactions. A no-show fee will be charged for unused reservations, and this ‘no-show fee’ will also include the 3% card transaction charge if paid by card.
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