Charlie Card users get new online options

“It’s really a menu of options to customize your card,’’ said Daniel A. Grabauskas, the MBTA general manager.

The agency plans to announce the new system today with links on its website, www.mbta.com. Members of the MBTA technical team that designed the new system said yesterday that no transit agency in the nation offers as many custom options, though no single option is unique to the T.

Many riders have been asking for the online features since late 2006, when the MBTA promised its new automated fare system would allow online registration and bill payment.

Managers said the features took longer to install because the T had to comply with rigorous credit card industry standards for high volume accounts, and they wanted to add new features.

Options include the ability to add money to a fare card anonymously, for customers who are concerned about giving personal information to the MBTA. The T’s technical team said the system would verify credit card information with the bank when a purchase is made, but not store it. The account will be credited by 5 a.m. the following day.

Those who are willing to let the T store personal information will have more options, including the ability to cancel a Charlie Card if it is reported lost or stolen.

The T will send a new card in the mail, with its existing stored value, within three to five days, at no charge.

Those who want to get their cards faster will have to pay $13.95 for overnight delivery.

The new system will also allow users to link their fare cards with a credit card account that automatically deducts the price of a monthly fare pass five days before the end of each month.

The system also allows users to register multiple cards to a single account, so families can more easily manage their expenses.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.