Fares, fare conditions & payment options
Our range of Interislander fares and payment options are designed to help you book your sailing with ease!
Interislander passenger types
We have five passenger types:
- Adult: From 15 to 64 years
- Child: From 2 to 14 years. A child must travel with someone 18 years or older
- Infant: Up to 2 years. Infants travel for free
- Student: 15 years+ but must have a valid secondary school or tertiary institution student identification
- Senior: 65 years+. Must show a SuperGold card or photo identification containing date of birth
Fares and fare conditions
We offer three types of fares on each sailing. You choose how much flexibility you need. If you think you may have to change your travel plans, pick a flexible or refundable option.
Our fare types and fare conditions:
With our Saver Cook Strait ferry fare, you can change your sailing up to 1 hour before departure with the following Changes Fees:
- $20 per person,
- $30 per vehicle,
- $15 per motorbike,
- and any difference in the fare if the fares are higher for the sailing you are changing to.
If you booked online, you can go to Manage my Booking to change your sailing. Alternatively, call us on 0800 802 802 between 8am and 5pm daily.
Please note: there are no refund options available if you cancel your sailing.
With our Flexible fare, you can change sailings up to 1 hour before your scheduled departure.
Changing to a sailing of equal or lesser value is free of charge. You can also transfer to a more expensive sailing simply by paying the difference in fare. You can do this as many times as you need, providing your new sailing is within 12 months of your original sailing.
If you booked online, you can go to Manage my Booking to change your sailing. Alternatively, call us on 0800 802 802 between 8am and 5pm daily.
Please note: there are no refund options available if you cancel your sailing.
With our Refundable Cook Strait ferry fare, you can cancel or change your sailing up to 1 hour before your scheduled departure.
Changing to a sailing of equal or lesser value is free of charge. You can also transfer to a more expensive sailing simply by paying the difference in fare. You can do this as many times as you need, providing your new sailing is within 12 months of your original sailing.
If you cancel, you will receive a full refund less credit card fees.
If you booked online, you can go to Manage my Booking to change your sailing. Alternatively, call us on 0800 802 802 between 8am and 5pm daily.
Online payment methods
For online bookings, we accept the following payment methods:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Diners Club
- American Express
- Visa Debit
- Mastercard Debit
- JCB (Japan)
All credit and debit card payments incur a non-refundable 1.75% fee. KR IIL will appear on your credit or debit card statement.
We provide secure online bank transfer payments using Account2Account. With this payment method you can make online payments directly from your bank account via our website. Please note, while you can transfer the money in real time, it may take one or two days for the payment to be completed.
When you use Account2Account, you will be prompted to select your bank and access your bank account. This is a secure payment system and we cannot see or access your bank account.
All major New Zealand banks support Account2Account and transactions using this method do not incur a fee.
Refunds for Account2Account payments
Account2Account cannot process refunds. If you request a refund, add your bank account details to our secure online form. We deposit the refund directly into your bank account. Please allow up to 30 days for Account2Account refunds to be processed.
Any transaction to or from us will be attributed to KR IIL on your bank statement.
Passenger fare increases
Interislander reviews passenger fares every year to reflect changes in operating costs and other factors impacting the business from time to time.
In addition to CPI (Consumer Price Index) linked and other cost increases, this year’s (May 2026) update reflects higher than usual fuel costs, which have continued since late February and can no longer be fully absorbed.
We understand that things are tough for most New Zealanders right now.
These changes are necessary to ensure we can continue to provide safe, reliable services for passengers and freight customers across Cook Strait.
To help - during winter we will be reducing the price for foot passengers to cross the Cook Strait, with tickets available from $50 for adults and from $25 for children.
Cruisey Pay - pay later
Booking well in advance is the best way to say money when it comes to holidays. But affording next year's summer holiday just after returning from this year's summer holiday is not easy.
Here at Interislander, we help you snap up the best Cook Strait ferry fares months in advance by using our interest-free instalment option, Cruisey Pay.
Booking at our terminals
Tickets can also be purchased at Wellington Ferry Terminal or Picton Ferry Terminal. You can turn up on the day and pay at Check-in or come into our Terminals book in advance using the following payment methods:
- Eftpos
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Diners Club
- American Express
- Visa Debit
- Mastercard Debit
- JCB (Japan)
- Farmer's Card
Note: all credit card payments incur a non-refundable 1.75% fee