2017 AARP Tap Card

I have one extra "field" and two extra "bus" AARP TAP cards for trade.
If you have the 2017 Golden Streets,  2016 Expo Line to Santa Monica or 2016 Veterans Day or the 2015 25 Years of Metro, TAP cards I will trade with you!

I love both of the 2017 AARP Tap cards which were released to the public on March 26, 2017.  Both cards are colorful, beautiful artwork!  The top TAP card I will call the field TAP card and the bottom TAP card I will call the bus TAP card.

Now, do I have a story about how I found out about these TAP cards, and how I got finally got the TAP cards.  On Monday June 5, 2017 I went to the Memorial Park Gold Line station to get the Pride TAP card, after the disaster release of the Pride TAP card on Friday June 2, 2017.  I got the Pride TAP cards no problem.  While at the Memorial Park Station, I noticed one of the machines had a Let's Get to Work sticker.  So I wanted to get that TAP card too.  But, something I've learned is to never trust the sticker on the machine, unless the TAP card has been issued in the past couple days.  So, I waited until somebody else bought a TAP card.  It was the Let's Get to Work TAP card, so then I  buy it with no problems.

A couple minutes later, a guy comes up to reload his TAP card and I noticed it was a TAP card I've never seen before!  The AARP TAP card pictured at the top, the "field" AARP TAP card.  I asked him where did he got it and even took a picture!  He got it at the Atlantic Station.  So I made a note of it.

I go to the Downtown Azusa station and I see somebody buy a TAP card and it's the "field" TAP card, even though there was no sticker on the machine.  So, I buy the TAP card and sure enough it is the "field" TAP card pictured at the top!  So, in one day I get three new TAP cards for my collection; Pride, Let's Get to Work and the "field" AARP TAP card!

But, the story, which I found about a month later, said these five stations would have the AARP Tap cards- Atlantic, Wilshire/Western, North Hollywood, 7th Street/Metro Center and Culver City.  Downtown Azusa was not listed as a station!  So, why was I able to get the "field" AARP TAP card at Downtown Azusa?

Let's skip ahead a month.  On Friday July 8, 2017, I bought the just release LA 2024 Olympics TAP card at the 7th & Metro Station at the Hope Street entrance.  At the station I saw two TAP machines that had the sticker of the AARP TAP card that is pictured on the bottom of that above picture, the "bus" TAP card!  Well, I like the "bus" AARP TAP card better than the "field TAP card so I decide to buy it.  But, one TAP machine gave me the 2015 Special Olympics World Games TAP Card, and the other gave me the generic blue TAP card.  WTF!!!  I did call Metro customer service to tell them take the damn sticker off.  I haven't been back to 7th & Metro, so I'm not sure if they stickers are still on the TAP machines!

Update- July 24, 2017.  I went to the 7th & Metro station and they have taken down the sticker on both TAP machines for the AARP TAP cards.  The 2024 Olympic TAP cards were still being sold at both TAP machines at the Hope St. entrance.

When I get home I do a search and find out that there are indeed two AARP TAP cards and what stations they were issued at, but since I'm three months late in trying to find them I figure I'm out of luck.  So I tried the Wilshire/Western Station and all the TAP machines do not have the sticker!  Then I went to the Atlantic Station of the Gold Line.  The sticker is the "bus" TAP card, so I put my money in and I get the "field" TAP card!  WTF!  I figure out that they stocked the TAP machine with both TAP cards and alternate between selling each TAP card, maybe 10 cards then they switch to the other.

So, I went back another day and I tried my luck, but again I got the "field" TAP card at both machines.  Luckily, it was a busy day and there were about 8 people buying TAP cards.  So I waited until after 2 or 3 people got the "field" TAP card, I saw somebody get the "bus" TAP card that I wanted.  So I put my money in and finally got the "bus" TAP card.  I'm not sure how much longer the Atlantic Station will have their TAP cards.

If you ever get a different TAP card than the sticker on the TAP machine, call TAP service center at 1-866-827-8646, and tell them to take off the sticker!! Or send a tweet to Metro!  

While I was late getting these two AARP TAP cards, Metro needed to put a sticker for both the "field" and "bus" AARP TAP cards! Not just one sticker for both cards! Either way I'm happy that I finally got both of these AARP TAP cards!!