MetroCard

Cost per swipe: $2.90.

You put a dollar value on the card and pay $2.90 at the beginning of each trip. The minimum balance for new cards is $5.80, the cost of two swipes. A new card costs $1.

You can combine time (7 or 30 days of unlimited rides) and value on the same MetroCard. Time will always be used first. Value will become available after the time on your card runs out. PATH, AirTrain JFK, and express buses will always deduct from the value on your card.

Cost: $34 (7-day) or $132 (30-day).

You have unlimited swipes on the subway and local buses for either 7 or 30 days.

Your MetroCard can only hold one unlimited ride refill at a time. You can’t pause an unlimited ride card once you’ve started using it.

You can combine time and value on the same MetroCard. Time will always be used first. Value will become available the time on your card runs out. PATH, AirTrain JFK, and express buses will always deduct from the value on your card.

Cost: $64.

You have unlimited swipes on express buses, local buses, and the subway for 7 days.

Your MetroCard can only hold one Unlimited Ride refill at a time. You can’t pause an unlimited ride card once you’ve started using it.

Cost: $3.25.

A SingleRide ticket costs $3.25 and is available for cash only at the large vending machines. They aren’t refillable. These are useful if you don’t want to put the $5.80 minimum on a pay-per-ride card.

It is good for a subway or bus trip only within two hours of purchase. It gives you a free bus-to-bus transfer, but no transfer between subway and bus. If you’re transferring between buses, ask the driver for a paper transfer when you board the first bus.

Reduced-Fare MetroCard is being replaced by Reduced-Fare OMNY. If you have a Reduced-Fare MetroCard, spend down the remaining value on your MetroCard and then start using your Reduced-Fare OMNY card. You have until the expiration date printed on the back of your MetroCard to use it.

Cost: $42.50.

These are good for unlimited AirTrain JFK trips until midnight, 30 days from first use.

Your MetroCard can only hold one Unlimited Ride refill at a time. You can’t pause an Unlimited Ride card once you’ve started using it.

Cost: $26.50.

These are good for 10 AirTrain JFK trips until midnight, 30 days from first use.

You can buy these only at MetroCard Vending Machines in Howard Beach and Jamaica AirTrain stations.

The AAR MetroCard gives Paratransit customers four free trips a day using the subways, local buses, Select Bus Service (SBS), and Staten Island Railway (SIR).

A day is a 24-hour calendar day, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. Like any other MetroCard, you get an automatic free transfer between the subway and a local bus route, SIR and a local bus, or between two local bus routes

Read more about AAR MetroCards.

These machines are in many subway stations. They accept cash and credit/debit cards. Some smaller machines only accept credit or debit cards.

You can buy:

• a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard. The minimum value is $5.80.
• a 7-Day or 30-Day Unlimited MetroCard.
• a 7-Day Express Bus Plus MetroCard.

More about MetroCard vending machines

• A $1 fee applies to each new MetroCard purchase. The fee does not apply to card refills.
• Large machines accept cash. They can return up to $6 in change. The change given is in dollar coins, not bills.
• If there's a problem during your purchase, the machine will automatically dispense a receipt. Keep it for proof of your transaction. It lists the machine number and the date.
• These machines meet all requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. An audio feature is available for people with partial or total vision loss; headsets are necessary for use. The machines can be used by those who read Braille.
• When you use a credit card at a vending machine, it will ask you to enter your ZIP code for verification. If your credit card has a billing address outside the U.S., type in “99999” when prompted for a ZIP code.

Federal law allows a pre-tax transit benefit of up to $300 per month.

Employers: Obtain information regarding NYC’s 2019 Commuter Benefits Law.

See details about pre-tax transit benefits.

Each month, our mobile sales vehicles travel around the five boroughs, making regularly scheduled stops at senior citizen centers, shopping centers, and along major bus routes. They are staffed with customer service representatives who are happy to answer questions and help with MetroCard or other fare issues.

Learn more and see the schedule.

You can buy a MetroCard at some local merchants. Download a list of MetroCard retailers for:

• The Bronx
• Brooklyn
• Manhattan
• Queens
• Staten Island
• Nassau County
• Rockland County
• Westchester

You can order Unlimited and Pay-Per-Ride MetroCards, along with AirTrain JFK cards, in bulk on our bulk sales website. The minimum order is 50. Available options and pricing can be found on the website. Right now, payment is limited to credit cards.

If you have a problem with a MetroCard, you can file an online claim for these issues:

• Balance Protection Claim
• Check on the status of a MetroCard claim previously submitted
• Lost or stolen Reduced-Fare MetroCard
• MetroCard not returned from bus farebox/AutoGate
• MetroCard Vending Machine problem
• Overcharged MetroCard
• Select Bus Service MetroCard Fare Collector
• Transfer problem

If your problem isn’t on this list, print a claim form to mail to us with your MetroCard.

• Ask a station agent for a postage paid envelope or mail your damaged card to:

  MetroCard Customer Claims
  130 Livingston Street 
  Brooklyn, NY 11201

• To receive a full credit for time remaining on an Unlimited Ride MetroCard  card, the envelope must be postmarked no later than one day after the problem occurs. Sundays and Federal holidays are not counted.

Every MetroCard has an expiration date. The date is located at the upper left corner on the back of the card. The expiration date is usually about one year from the date of purchase.

If your Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard expires, you have two years from the expiration date to transfer any remaining money to a new card. Within the first year after expiration, use a MetroCard Vending Machine to transfer the balance to a new card. After that time, the expired MetroCard must be sent to MetroCard customer claims. Ask the station agent for a postage-paid Business Reply Envelope.

MetroCard Customer Claims
130 Livingston Street 
Brooklyn, NY 11201

The Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard can’t be replaced if it is lost or stolen. Treat it like cash. The following cards can be replaced:

• Reduced-Fare EasyPay MetroCard. Call the EasyPay Account Service Center at 1-877-323-7433 immediately if your card is lost or stolen. You can also file a claim online.
• 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard and 7-Day Express Bus MetroCard. These cards provide balance protection if purchased with a credit card or debit/ATM card. File a report online or call 511. 
• Reduced-Fare MetroCard. Call 511. You can also file a claim online.

For help, call 511 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., 7 days a week. 

Most MetroCard claims can be filed online. If the issue you’re having is listed on this page, fill out and submit the related form. If not, you can print this form (or get one from a station agent) and mail it to us here:

MetroCard Customer Claims
130 Livingston Street 
Brooklyn, NY 11201