Buying a Metro Card or Transit Pass

You need to buy or recharge a transit card to ride the metro or bus system.

You
Hola, necesito una tarjeta recargable para el metro.
OH-lah, neh-seh-SEE-toh OO-nah tar-HEH-tah reh-kar-GAH-bleh PAH-rah el MEH-troh
Hi, I need a rechargeable card for the metro.
In Mexico City the card is called 'tarjeta de movilidad integrada.' In other cities it may have a local name, but 'tarjeta recargable' is universally understood.
Clerk
Claro. La tarjeta cuesta veinte pesos. ¿Cuánto saldo quiere cargar?
KLAH-roh. lah tar-HEH-tah KWES-tah BAIN-teh PEH-sohs. KWAHN-toh SAHL-doh kee-EH-reh kar-GAR
Sure. The card costs twenty pesos. How much balance do you want to load?
'Saldo' means balance or credit on a card. You'll see this word at ATMs and phone top-up shops too.
You
Cien pesos, por favor. ¿Cuánto cuesta el viaje?
see-EN PEH-sohs, por fah-BOR. KWAHN-toh KWES-tah el bee-AH-heh
A hundred pesos, please. How much does one trip cost?
Clerk
Cada viaje cuesta cinco pesos. Puede recargar en cualquier estación.
KAH-dah bee-AH-heh KWES-tah SEEN-koh PEH-sohs. PWEH-deh reh-kar-GAR en kwahl-kee-EHR es-tah-see-OHN
Each trip costs five pesos. You can recharge at any station.
Metro fares in Latin America are generally very affordable. Always keep some saldo on your card to avoid lines at rush hour.