Imagine rushing to catch your morning train and instead of "touching on" and boarding you can't get through the turnstile.
You've got money on your travel card but it's not working.
This scenario is starting to play out for a handful of Brisbane commuters as the original batch of south-east Queensland Go Cards reach their expiry date.
"My Go Card had expired and I wasn't aware of it until I got an overdue account with fines amounting to several hundred dollars. However, after many stressful phone calls, it was resolved." — Jenny
"Yep, happened to me last year. It was a glitch apparently." — Dylan
Translink ditched printed tickets a decade ago in favour of pre-paid plastic cards travellers can top up with credit.
Nine million Go Cards are in use but, as Translink explained to ABC Radio Brisbane, all of them have an expiry date.
"Similar to bank cards and club membership cards, Go Cards have set expiry dates," a Translink spokesperson said.
"Adult and senior's cards were set at 10 years when the system was introduced in 2007."
You can't check your Go Card's expiry date by looking at it; that information isn't printed on the cards.
However, Translink said it would notify you when your card was about to expire.
"A warning will appear, one month prior to expiration, when you touch off," the spokesperson said.
"Customers with registered Go Cards will also receive notification via text or email."
What do you do if your card expires?
You don't have to throw it away.
If your Go Card passes its use-by date you have 90 days to extend it.
You can do this at any train station or selected newsagencies and convenience stores.
If you leave it longer than 90 days, you can call Translink's customer service centre to have any leftover funds transferred to a new card.
