Starting on Jan. 1, transit riders will no longer be able to buy a MetroCard, the flimsy fare pass that’s been stuffed in New Yorkers’ pockets and swiped at turnstiles for more than 30 years.
Its tap-and-go successor, called OMNY, has been rolled out over the past six years and will become the only way to pay for subway and bus rides. MetroCards may still be used for about six months, but riders will not be able to refill them.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the city’s subway and buses, has said the move will save at least $20 million annually on MetroCard production and distribution. The OMNY system could also make it easier to verify when riders pay, an important tool in the agency’s efforts to curb fare evasion.
As of mid-December, passengers used OMNY for over 90 percent of paid trips, the M.T.A. said, but at least tens of thousands of riders are still holding out. Critics have complained of technical glitches and other obstacles to making the change.
Here is what to know.
How does it work?
OMNY, short for One Metro New York, is an electronic fare system that debuted in 2019. Riders pay at contactless readers using a digital wallet on their smartphone or watch, a credit or debit card, or a physical OMNY card.
After a rider pays the fare 12 times in a seven-day period, every subsequent ride using the same payment method is free, effectively capping the weekly cost at $34. Starting on Jan. 4, a fare increase will raise the cost to $35 a week. Single rides will cost $3, up from $2.90.
Riders who use the same account to pay for others, such as a child or a partner, should keep in mind that only the first payment in a 15-minute window will count toward the fare cap.
You don’t need to register a credit card to tap at the turnstile, but creating an account on omny.info is currently the only way to check payment history and fare cap progress. The M.T.A. said it will launch an OMNY app by mid-2026 with similar information.
Cubic, the company that designed OMNY, has also said it is working to make the information more readily available, potentially on screens near fare gates.
Where can you buy OMNY cards?
OMNY vending machines are in all 472 subway stations, the M.T.A. said, and there are roughly 2,700 retailers — like bodegas and newsstands — where riders can buy and refill cards. The system is also compatible with prepaid debit cards that some transit riders get through their employers and use for tax benefits.
For those who want to buy or refill a MetroCard, options are dwindling. There were fewer than two dozen vending machines left in early December, and most are in stations where riders could struggle with the transition.
Critics have argued that riders without credit cards will have difficulty switching to the new system, though OMNY cards can be bought and refilled with cash.
Riders who qualify for discounted fares are also being transitioned to OMNY.
What about the monthly card?
The popular monthly MetroCard, which allowed riders to pay a flat fee for unlimited rides for 30 days, has been discontinued, and OMNY does not offer a monthly option. Some have criticized the omission, arguing that the seven-day fare cap can cost more over time, depending on frequency of use.
Janno Lieber, the chief executive of the M.T.A., has called the new system more equitable, because it does not require riders to pay a large sum up front, and prevents them from overpaying if they take fewer rides in a month.
How will the change affect other commuters?
Bee-Line Bus commuters in Westchester County have for years used MetroCards for free transfers. But OMNY readers will not be activated across that network until early January, the M.T.A. said, which could lead to a period when riders will need to carry exact change. Riders of NICE, the Nassau County bus system, will face a similar gap.
Riders who use a MetroCard on the PATH train will not be able to replace it with an OMNY card, because the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates that system, has adopted a different card called TAPP. But the PATH stations still accept digital wallets, and credit and debit cards.
Have the kinks been worked out?
One of the most common complaints has been that finicky hardware has forced riders to tap their phone or card repeatedly at the turnstile.
In a survey of about 400 riders, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the M.T.A., an independent consumer advocacy group, found in July that 42 percent of respondents had trouble with OMNY readers. And more than a third of users said they had received charges hours or days after paying.
Jessie Lazarus, the M.T.A.’s deputy chief for commercial ventures, said a programming update in October has addressed technical issues, including the occasional lag in charges appearing on customers’ accounts that had led some to believe they were being charged extra.
Stefanos Chen is a Times reporter covering New York City’s transit system.
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