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3d ago

MetroCard Sales End Dec. 31 as New York Switches to OMNY

Officials frame the switch as a cost-saving modernization that still leaves access questions for vulnerable riders.

Parts of MetroCards used by New York City artist Thomas McKean to create sculptures and mosaics are seen in Manhattan, New York, on January 27, 2023.
Riders take advantage of MetroCard transfers as they enter subway system near Staten Island Ferry terminal at Whitehall Street on July 7, 1997.
FILE - Russell Chin, left, helps Angie Hoyle, 3, of the Brooklyn borough of New York, as she tries on a hat made of MetroCards shaped as the Brooklyn Bridge during the Easter Parade on New York's Fifth Avenue, March 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File)
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Overview

  • The MTA will stop selling and reloading MetroCards on Dec. 31, 2025, with OMNY required starting Jan. 1, 2026, while existing MetroCards will continue to be accepted into 2026 with a final cutoff expected in midyear.
  • OMNY lets riders tap a phone, contactless bank card or a reloadable OMNY card, which can still be purchased with cash for $1 at subway vending machines and participating retailers.
  • Transit officials report that more than 90% of rides are already paid with OMNY, and weekly fares are capped after 12 taps, reaching $35 once the base fare increases to $3 in January.
  • The MTA says retiring the MetroCard will save about $20 million annually from reduced production, vending machine maintenance and cash handling.
  • Advocates warn the transition can disadvantage seniors, reduced-fare users and unbanked riders and raise privacy concerns, as the New York Transit Museum commemorates the card with its FAREwell, MetroCard exhibit.