I don't remember them ever doing that. I looked into this when I started and found they wouldn't fund 30-day passes, only regular cards with enough funds per month for commuting to-and-fro every weekday. Since I was using CTA every weekend (and riding back from monshu's Wednesday night more often than not), this was no bargain for me. Not to mention that I love the freedom of a card: It makes me more willing to take a bus that happens along if I know that it's not costing me any more.