What is the point of OMNY?

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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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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Benefits of OMNY for Reduced-Fare customers Reduced-Fare OMNY offers the same half-price fare that customers receive today, with free transfers. You can pay with your smartphone, wearable device, or contactless debit or credit card — there's no need to carry or find an MTA-issued card.

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Get free rides when you tap your fare with OMNY! Pay for 12 rides using the same device or card in a week and additional rides within the week are free, only with OMNY.

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An even better weekly fare discount Say hello to an easier, more equitable way to pay your fare: the 7-day fare cap with OMNY! Effective August 20, you can start any day of the week: pay for 12 rides in a 7-day period and any additional rides are free. And, unlike with MetroCard, you don't have to pay upfront.

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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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The MTA said it wants to get out of the business of selling physical cards that expire after 18 months, which is the expiration time for MetroCards. The reloadable OMNY cards are thicker and will expire after seven years.

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Important: You are limited to tapping and paying for yourself and 3 additional riders with the same payment method at a single OMNY reader. You may continue using the same payment method at a different OMNY reader. However, if you do so, the 4 free transfers associated with the original 4 taps will be forfeited.

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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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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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Nearly half of all subway riders are using OMNY to tap into the system with two million riders using OMNY every day. OMNY has processed cards from all of the 195 countries that issue bank cards and 68 percent of OMNY transactions are made by customers tapping digital wallets in phones and wearables.

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You do not need an OMNY card to tap and pay the fare. Use your own contactless credit, debit, reloadable prepaid card, or a smart phone or device with digital wallet enabled.

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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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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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What is this? Select Single Ride if you only need one ticket for one trip and pay $3. To purchase a Pay-Per-Ride Card or a 7-Days-Unlimited Card press MetroCard. Select $9 MetroCard, if you want to buy a Pay-Per-Ride Card and you want to get done quick.

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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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The OMNY rollout started in 2019, and its tap-and-go contactless readers now exist in every subway station and on every bus route in the city. MetroCards, according to the MTA, will be fully phased out by 2024 — as will the vending machines.

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What can I do if my payment was not accepted at the OMNY reader? If you tap your contactless card or smart device and the OMNY reader indicates that the payment was not accepted, you will need to use another payment method to pay for your ride.

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Important: You are limited to tapping and paying for yourself and 3 additional riders with the same payment method at a single OMNY reader. You may continue using the same payment method at a different OMNY reader.

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