Venice Tests New Digital ACTV Ticketing: 5,000 Early Users Get 10% Off Annual Passes

This one is mainly for residents, commuters and regular ACTV users rather than a short-stay tourist deal. The trial is a controlled test of the customer platform AVM wants to use for a broader shift toward cloud-based, more flexible ticketing. It starts with a limited set of subscriptions and a physical Venezia Unica card, then expands later if the pilot behaves properly.

01 · What AVM/Actv has actually launched

AVM describes this as the first experimental phase of a new electronic ticketing system and digital customer hub. The immediate change is simple: selected participants can purchase certain monthly or annual subscriptions online and have the product associated with their existing Venezia Unica profile.

The pass itself is held in the new cloud environment and linked to the customer’s named physical Venezia Unica card. In practical terms, testers keep tapping the same card they already use. AVM is testing the back-end purchase, validation and inspection flow before opening the system more widely.

02 · Who can join the 5,000-user pilot

The trial has two key eligibility rules. Applicants need a current physical Venezia Unica card whose expiry extends beyond the subscription they want to buy, and they must not already have a monthly or annual subscription valid for October 2026 or later.

People who chose a virtual-only Venezia Unica card in the AVM Venezia Official App are excluded from this first phase unless they obtain a physical duplicate through an enabled Venezia Unica agency. AVM also says the subscription purchased online during the pilot cannot yet be used via the mobile app.

03 · Registration is open now; online sales start 20 September

The registration form opened on 9 September 2026. The first 5,000 customers selected for the trial can access online monthly or annual pass purchases from 20 September, with the new passes valid from 1 October.

That timing matters for anybody considering an October subscription: buying or renewing a competing October-or-later monthly or annual pass before selection can make you ineligible under the published trial rules. Check the official form and terms before changing your normal renewal routine.

04 · The annual-pass incentive is 10%

AVM is funding a 10% discount on annual subscriptions purchased by selected trial participants. Monthly passes are part of the online test too, but the promotional discount applies to the annual product.

The first test covers ordinary and student urban integrated-network passes, navigation-network passes for island residents, Lido and Pellestrina bus-network subscriptions, and People Mover subscriptions. It is not yet a general online shop for every ACTV ticket type.

05 · Validation may feel slightly slower during the test

AVM is explicitly asking testers to report on the whole journey: purchase, travel, validation and ticket inspection. The company warns that validation may be slightly slower than usual during the experimental phase while the new platform is being checked for bugs and real-world edge cases.

That is the point of the 5,000-person cap. This is not simply a discount promotion; participants are effectively helping AVM stress-test the new account-based environment before it becomes part of normal service.

06 · What AVM says comes next

After the pilot, AVM plans to progressively add other fare products: urban tickets, suburban origin/destination tickets and subscriptions, discounted provincial products, and ferry subscription/carnet products for lines 11 and 17 for eligible Pass IMOB holders.

The longer-term goal is more flexible support choice. AVM says customers should eventually be able to associate a travel product either with a physical support or the mobile app, with the ability to change that choice once per day or when the fare product expires.

07 · Physical sales channels are not disappearing

AVM is pitching the project as a multichannel expansion rather than a digital-only replacement. Venezia Unica agencies, ticket offices, machines, authorised resellers, veneziaunica.it and the WhatsApp chat&go sales channel remain part of the system.

That matters in Venice, where the public-transport audience ranges from daily commuters and island residents to students and visitors. AVM’s stated aim is to make digital purchasing easier without removing the staffed and physical options people still rely on.

08 · What to check before you join

• Your card: confirm you have a physical Venezia Unica card and that its expiry comfortably covers the pass you want.
• Your October status: check you do not already hold a monthly or annual pass valid for October or later.
• Your product: confirm your subscription type is in the first pilot list.
• Your phone expectations: the new online subscription cannot yet be used through the mobile app in this phase.
• Your feedback: expect AVM to ask how purchase, validation and inspection work in practice.

For general network basics, see our vaporetto tickets and passes guide and getting around Venice guide.

Sources & verification

Material facts on this page were checked on 12 September 2026 against AVM/Actv’s official announcement and customer information:

• ACTV — new electronic ticketing pilot and benefits for the first 5,000 participants
• AVM — electronic ticketing trial announcement
• AVM — trial registration / subscription promotion page