Is OMNY the same as MetroCard?

OMNY can currently be used to pay fares at all New York City Subway and Staten Island Railway stations, on all MTA buses, and on the Roosevelt Island Tram; when completely rolled out, it will also replace the MetroCard on Bee-Line buses, NICE buses, and AirTrain JFK.



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One difference between MetroCard and OMNY is that your free transfer will not be confirmed at the OMNY reader. If your trip qualifies for a free transfer, you will not be charged for that trip. You can register for an OMNY account or sign in to view your trips and charges.

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Are reduced fares available with OMNY? Customers in the MTA Reduced-Fare MetroCard Program can now make the switch to OMNY and receive the same half fare benefit with the contactless credit/debit card or smart device of their choice.

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OMNY is our contactless payment system. You don't have to sign up or download an app to use OMNY — simply use your contactless credit or debit card, smartphone, or wearable device to tap and go. You'll pay the same base fare — $2.90 — and still get free transfers.

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Fare capping FAQ All you have to do is tap! There is no sign-up, registration, or app required. Simply tap and go with the same contactless credit or debit card, smart device, or OMNY card. Once you've hit 12 paid trips in a seven-day period, the rest of your rides for that week will automatically be free.

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Customers will automatically receive free, unlimited rides for the rest of the week once they have paid $34 (or $17 for registered Reduced-Fare customers) in fares — the same as taking 12 trips. Group trips, express bus taps, and transfers do not count toward the weekly cap.

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Since MetroCards are still available until the end of 2024, so until then, it may not be worth buying an OMNY card, which costs $4 more than a MetroCard. On the other hand, if you use a pay-per-ride MetroCard, you do not get to take advantage of the OMNY fare cap mentioned above.

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You can load a minimum of $1.00 at participating OMNY retailers (visit omny.info/retail to find a store near you), or by calling OMNY customer service at 877-789-6669. You can also reload your OMNY card online at omny.info ($5.80 minimum for online reloads).

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OMNY readers are point-of-sale terminals, allowing you to pay your fare and enter the system – all in a split second. Just like you swipe or dip your MetroCard at MetroCard readers, you can tap your contactless card, your smart device, or an OMNY card at OMNY readers.

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Other OMNY Information See the MTA website on this for more information. The system currently only supports full-fare, Pay-per-ride, Reduced-Fare and the weekly Unlimited Ride options. It does not yet support the monthly Unlimited Ride option, which we do not expect to arrive until 2023/2024.

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Creating an OMNY account is not required. However, there are many benefits available to you by registering for an OMNY account. For example, you can access a secure, personalized dashboard, where you can view up to 12 months of your trips and charges. Register for an OMNY account today.

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The OMNY name was announced in February 2019. "OMNY" is an acronym of "One Metro New York," intended to signify its eventual broad acceptance across the New York metropolitan area.

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OMNY is accepted on all New York City buses. Fares can also be paid with a MetroCard, coins, or SingleRide ticket. Some buses are fare-free: Q70-LaGuardia Link to and from LaGuardia Airport.

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Yes. The same pass-back rules that apply to MetroCard also apply to OMNY. You can tap and pay for yourself and up to 3 additional riders with the same payment method on a single trip. You will need to tap your payment method for each person that is riding with you.

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Once you take a single credit card and load it onto a device, phone or watch, that credit card is given its own identity, via the device. Therefore, multiple people can load one credit card onto multiple devices and the fare cap system will work.

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Effective March 3, 2013, a $1.00 fee is charged for each new MetroCard purchased at an MTA New York City Transit MetroCard Vending Machine, station booth, or commuter rail station.

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An OMNY card works the same as a contactless credit or debit card — all you have to do is tap and go. You can also use an OMNY card to take advantage of our fare capping program. Pay for 12 rides using the same card in a seven-day period and additional rides within the week are free.

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But OMNY has a data-driven dark side — your full ride history, available online to anyone with your credit card number, according to a new report. 404 Media investigated OMNY's rider tracking, and found that any rider's tap history can be obtained easily online — only secured by a credit card number.

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