It was several years ago when we visited London and used our contactless cards to pay for the fare on the London Underground. By using the same card throughout the trip, the system would automatically adjust to the lowest fare, taking into consideration any daily or weekly fare caps. That was in 2019.
It took until 2021 for the New York MTA to install contactless readers at every subway station and on every bus. While there are still places where you need to use a MetroCard, the payment system will be going away in a few years.
OMNY is still working out some bugs and they are slowly integrating parts of the MetroCard system into the new platform. This means that some benefits that passengers used with MetroCards are not yet available with OMNY.
One of the most recent additions to the OMNY system is “Fare Capping.” Based on a Monday-Sunday week, passengers only have to pay for 12 rides when using the same payment method (card, phone or smart device.) Any additional rides until the end of Sunday are free. The $33 charge for 12 rides is the same as the price for an unlimited 7-day MetroCard.
While this addition to OMNY may seem to eliminate the problems with using the system instead of buying a MetroCard, what if you’re a visitor and are in NYC from Wednesday-Tuesday? If you start to tap your watch for payment from JFK to your hotel and take 4 rides a day, you’ll hit 12 rides by Friday. Every ride until Sunday is free but starting on Monday, you’ll pay per ride until the end of your visit.
However, you could buy a 7-day unlimited MetroCard for $33 on Wednesday and all your rides for 7 days will be paid for because the timer starts with your first ride.
When the OMNY executives are asked about the ability to add a 7-day or 30-day payment method to the platform, their response is that those options are coming but for now, passengers should continue to purchase MetroCards if they want those payment options.
So while the MTA has installed OMNY readers at every station and on every bus, if you’re a regular rider or visiting the city on any days besides Monday-Sunday, it’s still best for you to buy a MetroCard instead of using the contactless payment system. So much for New York City being as tech-savvy as other global metropolises.
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