By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated
A driver meets you at arrivals for a fixed all-in fare — no card-loading stress on day one. Available on Shabbat when trains and buses stop running. Ideal for late-night arrivals or if you are staying in Jerusalem from the first night.
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The Rav-Kav covers the cities and coast — for the Galilee, Golan Heights and Negev, a rental car opens up everything the bus network cannot reach. Compare all major companies at Ben Gurion.
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Guided day trips to Masada, the Dead Sea, Galilee and beyond — the operator handles all the logistics while you enjoy the view. No timetable juggling, no card-tapping.
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Israel’s public transport works well — trains connect the main cities fast, buses cover everything else, and a new light rail line has transformed getting around Tel Aviv. But none of it accepts cash. Every Israeli bus, train and tram requires the Rav-Kav, the national RFID transit card that functions like an Oyster or Clipper card. This guide tells you everything you need to know to start using it on arrival.
The Rav-Kav (רב-קו — literally “many lines”) is Israel’s unified rechargeable transit card. One card works on:
One card for everything — no separate tickets, no cash needed.
There are two types of Rav-Kav:
Anonymous Rav-Kav — costs ₪5 for the card itself, requires no ID or registration, available to anyone. This is the card for tourists. It works identically to the named card for all travel purposes.
Named Rav-Kav — registered to a specific person with an Israeli ID number (teudat zehut). Offers benefits like balance recovery if lost and certain subscription passes for Israeli residents. Tourists cannot buy a named card.
Critical difference: if you lose an anonymous Rav-Kav, the credit on it is gone. There is no recovery process. Load only what you expect to use in the next few days.
The Public Transportation Information Center is in the Terminal 3 arrivals hall — look for it before you exit to the street, near the exit doors. It is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The staff speak English. Buy your card, load credit, and ask any questions before you even leave the airport. This is the most tourist-friendly way to start.
Israel Railways also has ticket machines one level below arrivals in the underground train station. These machines sell and load Rav-Kav cards, but the touchscreen interface is less intuitive for first-timers. The information center is the better choice on arrival.
You do not need to buy the card at the airport. If you arrive by transfer directly to your hotel on day one, you can pick up a Rav-Kav at any Super-Pharm or train station the next morning.
Any train station has machines that load Rav-Kav cards. Insert your card, select your language (English is available), choose “Load value” and enter the amount. Most major credit and debit cards work at station machines. Keep the receipt — it confirms the load.
The Public Transportation Information Center at Ben Gurion Airport handles loading at the counter with no machine required.
You can load credit online from home before you travel if you have an NFC-capable phone and an international credit card. Note: some international cards have reported issues with the Rav-Kav Online website. If the online load fails, the station machine or airport counter will always work. Do not rely on online loading as your only option.
The HopOn app (Israel Railways’ mobile payment app) allows smartphone-based tap-in via NFC on compatible phones. It generates a QR code as an alternative on some routes. Useful as a backup, but the physical Rav-Kav card is more universal.
Tap once when you board. Hold your Rav-Kav to the yellow reader near the driver. You will hear a beep and see your remaining balance on the small display. A single fare is deducted. Do not tap off when you leave — there is no exit reader on buses, and no second tap is needed.
Tap on when boarding. Tap off when exiting. Both the entry gates at the platform and the exit gates at your destination require a tap. If you tap on but fail to tap off, the system charges you the maximum possible fare for that route — often significantly more than the actual fare. There is also a potential fine of up to ₪180 for an untapped exit.
At unmanned stops on smaller lines, platform validators replace the gate. Tap the validator before boarding and after alighting.
Same rules as the train network: tap on at the platform validator when boarding, tap off at the platform validator when exiting. The Red Line opened in 2023 and covers 34 stations across the city, from Bat Yam in the south to Petah Tikva in the northeast. Stations have both entry and exit validators — they look similar but are clearly labelled. Tapping off matters.
Same tap-on and tap-off rules as the Red Line. Jerusalem’s light rail has been running since 2011 and is well-signposted in English. Tap at the platform validator before boarding; tap again at the validator at your exit station.
Within a single local transit zone, one fare covers 90 minutes of travel on any combination of buses and city light rail. The clock starts from your first tap.
How it works: You board a city bus and tap your Rav-Kav — ₪3.50–5 is deducted. You ride 20 minutes, get off, and board the Jerusalem Light Rail within 90 minutes. The second tap is free. The system calculates this automatically.
Important limits:
For a typical city day (bus to the city centre, light rail between districts), you will often find yourself within the transfer window, saving two or three fares.
A rough guide for a typical tourist:
| Journey | Approximate fare |
|---|---|
| City bus (single ride) | ₪3.50–5 |
| Light rail (single ride) | ₪3.50–5 |
| Ben Gurion Airport → Tel Aviv (train) | ₪22 |
| Tel Aviv → Jerusalem (train) | ₪22 |
| Tel Aviv → Haifa (train) | ₪34 |
Fares as of 2026; verify current rates at rail.co.il or egged.co.il before travel — Israel Railways adjusts fares periodically.
Starter suggestions:
The most time-efficient sequence on arrival:
The train does not run on Shabbat (from approximately Friday afternoon to Saturday night, around an hour after sundown). On Shabbat, sherut shared taxis and pre-booked transfers are the alternatives — see the airport transfers guide for the full logistics.
If you arrive on Shabbat (Friday afternoon to Saturday night), the train is not running and the Rav-Kav is largely redundant until Saturday night. Plan ahead: book a pre-arranged transfer to your first accommodation, then pick up or load your Rav-Kav at the nearest train station or Super-Pharm on Saturday evening.
Contactless bank cards (Visa, Mastercard) work on most Israeli buses and the Tel Aviv Red Line as of 2026 — tap directly on the card reader. The 90-minute transfer may not apply to bank-card taps, and the system may charge per journey. For a single day of light travel this works fine; for longer stays the Rav-Kav is more economical.
Neither Gett nor Uber requires a Rav-Kav — they operate on separate app-based payment. Gett is the main ride-hailing app covering Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. Uber operates in Tel Aviv only. Both are useful on Shabbat or for destinations outside the bus and rail network.
If you have an NFC-capable Android phone, the Rav-Kav Online app can turn your phone into a virtual Rav-Kav (tap-in with your phone rather than a physical card). iOS support is more limited. Some international Mastercard and Visa cards report issues completing the online loading payment — if this happens, use a station machine or airport counter instead.
The Rav-Kav covers the main cities and the rail-served coast well. For these destinations, public transport with a Rav-Kav is genuinely the best option:
For the Galilee, Golan Heights, Negev and Eilat, buses are infrequent and a rental car opens significantly more flexibility — especially around Masada and the Dead Sea, where no direct bus service runs to the main beach entry points. See the car rental guide for what to expect, and our driving in Israel guide for road rules and parking.
| Vehicle | Tap on | Tap off |
|---|---|---|
| City bus | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Intercity Egged coach | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Israel Railways train | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Tel Aviv Red Line light rail | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Jerusalem light rail | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Haifa Carmelit | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
No. Israeli intercity and city buses do not accept cash fares. You must pay with a Rav-Kav card, a contactless bank card, or (on some city routes) a QR code generated through the Israel Railways app. If you arrive without a Rav-Kav, tap your contactless bank card on the reader as a fallback — most modern Visa and Mastercard contactless cards work. But buying a Rav-Kav at Ben Gurion Airport arrivals is still the simpler option for a multi-day trip.
The Public Transportation Information Center desk in the Terminal 3 arrivals hall is the easiest option — it is open 24/7, the staff speak English, and you can buy, load and get guidance in one stop. The center is located in the main arrivals hall before you exit to the street. Train station ticket machines in the building below arrivals also sell and load Rav-Kav cards, though the interface is less intuitive for first-timers.
No. On city buses and intercity Egged/Metropoline coaches, you tap the Rav-Kav only when you board. A single fare is deducted automatically and you do not need to tap off. The situation is different on trains and light rail: on the Israel Railways network and on the Tel Aviv Red Line light rail, you must tap BOTH when boarding and when exiting. Failure to tap off results in the system charging you the maximum possible fare for that route, and you may also be liable for a fine of up to ₪180.
Within a single local transit zone, one fare covers 90 minutes of travel across any combination of buses and light rail. If you tap on a city bus, then tap on a light rail line within 90 minutes, the second journey is free. This applies to local city journeys only — it does NOT apply to intercity trains or to trips that cross zone boundaries. The 90-minute clock starts from your first tap.
An anonymous Rav-Kav card (the type tourists always buy, as it requires no ID) cannot be replaced if lost. Any remaining credit on the card is gone. This is why the standard advice is to load only what you expect to use in the next few days, rather than loading a large amount upfront. Named Rav-Kav cards (for Israeli residents who register them) can be replaced with the balance transferred, but tourists are not eligible for named cards without an Israeli ID.
Yes, contactless Visa and Mastercard payment works on most Israeli buses and on the Tel Aviv Red Line light rail as of 2026. However, the 90-minute transfer discount does not always apply when paying by bank card — you may be charged per journey rather than per zone period. For a multi-day stay with regular public transport use, a Rav-Kav card is more economical. For a short visit of one or two days, contactless payment may be sufficient.
By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated