Fact-check: Punjab's Metro T-Cash card cannot be used for international transactions

A video circulating on social media falsely claims that the Metro T-Cash card introduced by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, for public transport in the province, can now be used for international transactions.

The claim is false.

Claim

On August 9, an X user shared a 58 second video showing a man in a foreign country making payments with a card identified as the Lahore Metro T-Cash card.

"Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Metro T-Cash card can now be used abroad," read the Urdu-language caption.

The T-Cash card is a contactless payment card issued under Punjab's public transport system. It allows passengers to pay fares on Lahore’s metro and other mass transit services.

At the time of writing, the post had been viewed 388,200 times, liked 143 times and reshared 54 times.

The video took off on other platforms as well such as Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

Fact

The Metro T-Cash card cannot be used for international transactions, according to the Punjab Masstransit Authority and the Bank of Punjab, which issues the cards.

Sajawal Shahzad Bhatti, the executive director of planning and development at the Punjab Masstransit Authority, provided Geo Fact Check with a written response after consulting the Bank of Punjab.

"International transactions are not active in T-Cash Cards," the bank said, adding that it had reviewed the video and determined that the card shown was a Mastercard.

The bank said the customer appeared to be using a Mastercard feature that can allow a transaction to go through temporarily despite the card not being enabled for international payments.

"It seems in the video that customer is using card with MasterCard deferred payment mechanism, where MasterCard allows for entry and travel," the bank said. "This customer may have used this allowed window but may not be able to use his card next day."

Geo Fact Check later spoke to Bhatti by phone for further clarification. He said the Bank of Punjab had reviewed the transaction records and found several attempted transactions in Azerbaijan's currency. However, all of the transactions were subsequently declined.

Bhatti said international transactions involve additional charges and exchange rate considerations, among other factors, which is why the facility has not been activated on T-Cash cards.

Verdict: Punjab’s Metro T Cash card is not enabled for international transactions. The video appears to show a temporary Mastercard transaction.

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