View source for MetroCard

{{short description|Public transit payment system in the New York City area}}
{{for-multi|similarly named cards|MetroCard (disambiguation)|a general discussion of fares on transportation in New York City|New York City transit fares}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox electronic payment
| image= MetroCard.SVG
| name= MetroCard
| location= [[New York City]], United States
| launched= 1993
| service_1= '''Rail:'''<br>[[AirTrain JFK]]<br>[[New York City Subway]]<br>[[Port Authority Trans-Hudson|PATH]]<br>[[Staten Island Railway]]<br>'''Bus:'''<br>[[Bee-Line Bus System|Bee-Line]]<br>[[Hudson Rail Link]]<br>[[MTA Regional Bus Operations|MTA New York City Bus and MTA Bus]]<br>[[Nassau Inter-County Express]]<br>'''Other:'''<br>[[Roosevelt Island Tramway]]
| sales_location_1= [[#MetroCard vending machines|Vending machines]]<br>Stations<br>Online<br>MetroCard buses and vans<br>Authorized merchants
| currency= [[United States dollar|USD]]
| stored_value= Pay-Per-Ride
| credit_expiry=
| maximum_credit= $100{{efn|For unlimited-ride cards, one can make a theoretically infinite number of trips for a fixed price, depending on whether one buys the 7-Day Unlimited or 30-Day Unlimited cards. For pay-per-ride cards, the maximum initial amount is $100.<ref name="mccombination">[http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcCombinationValue.htm About the $1 New Card Fee], MTA.info</ref>}}
| automatic_recharge= EasyPayXPress
| unlimited_use= Unlimited Ride
| variant_1= SingleRide<br>Reduced-Fare<br>Student
| technology_1= [[Magnetic stripe card|Magnetic stripe]]
| operator= [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]
| manager= Metropolitan Transportation Authority
| homepage= http://web.mta.info/metrocard
|successor=[[OMNY]]}}
The '''MetroCard''' is a [[magnetic stripe card]] used for [[fare]] payment on [[transportation in New York City|transportation in the New York City area]]. It is a payment method for the [[New York City Subway]] (including the [[Staten Island Railway]]), [[New York City Transit Authority|New York City Transit]] buses and [[MTA Regional Bus Operations|MTA buses]]. The MetroCard is also accepted by several partner agencies: [[Nassau Inter-County Express]] (NICE), the [[PATH (rail system)|PATH]] train system, the [[Roosevelt Island Tramway]], [[AirTrain JFK]], and Westchester County's [[Bee-Line Bus System]].

The MetroCard was introduced in 1993 to enhance the technology of the transit system and eliminate the burden of carrying and collecting [[New York City transit fares#Token and change|tokens]]. The MTA discontinued the use of tokens in the subway on May 3, 2003,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/scripted-ticket-display.shtm?http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/fare-changes-2003.gif|title=Fare Change Information 2003|date=2003|website=thejoekorner.com|publisher=New York City Transit|access-date=June 9, 2016}}</ref> and on buses on December 31, 2003.

The MetroCard is expected to be phased out by 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brachfeld |first=Ben |date=2023-04-24 |title=OMNY machines rolling out at subway stations this summer as phase-out of MetroCard delayed indefinitely {{!}} amNewYork |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/omny-machines-rollout/ |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=www.amny.com |language=en-US}}</ref> It will be replaced by [[OMNY]], a [[contactless payment]] system where riders pay for their fare by waving or tapping credit or debit [[bank card]]s, [[smartphone]]s, or MTA-issued [[contactless smart card|smart cards]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/nyregion/metrocard-subway-new-york.html|title=New York to Replace MetroCard With Modern Way to Pay Transit Fares|last=Barron|first=James|date=October 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 20, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The MetroCard is managed by a division of the MTA known as Revenue Control, MetroCard Sales, which is part of the Office of the Executive Vice President.  The MetroCard Vending Machines are manufactured by [[Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cubic.com/cts/|title=Cubic Transportation Systems|work=cubic.com}}</ref>

As of early 2019, the direct costs of the MetroCard system had totaled $1.5 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McClain|first=Noah|date=2019-01-03|title=CityViews: Yes, Fare Evasion Costs the MTA. But What About the Costs of Fare Control?|url=https://citylimits.org/2019/01/03/cityviews-yes-fare-evasion-costs-the-mta-but-what-about-the-costs-of-fare-control/|access-date=2021-01-05|website=City Limits|language=en-US}}</ref>

==History==
The idea for a farecard with a magnetic strip for the MTA system was proposed in 1983. It was the "highest priority" for then-MTA Chairman [[Richard Ravitch]]. The card would replace the tokens that were, at the time, used to pay transit fares.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/06/weekinreview/the-region-in-summary-mta-chief-wants-a-new-way-to-pay.html|title=THE REGION IN SUMMARY; M.T.A. Chief Wants a New Way to Pay|last1=Levine|first1=Richard|date=March 6, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2018|last2=Douglas|first2=Carlyle|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> This plan was generally supported by the public.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/04/nyregion/fare-card-plan-draws-support-and-skepticism.html|title=Fare-Card Plan Draws Support and Skepticism|last=Daley|first=Suzanne|date=March 4, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1984, Ravitch's successor [[Bob Kiley]] said that he would try to create a system for the new farecards within the next four years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/29/nyregion/head-of-mta-urges-fare-card-for-the-subways.html|title=Head of M.t.a. Urges Fare Card for the Subways|last=Daley|first=Suzanne|date=October 29, 1984|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> However, bureaucratic actions and disagreements delayed the rollout of the system. In March 1990, the MTA board voted to allocate funding for the magnetic fare collection system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/23/nyregion/mta-panel-backs-automated-fare-system.html|title=M.T.A. Panel Backs Automated Fare System|date=March 23, 1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 26, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Three months later, the New York state legislature voted to allow the MTA to proceed for its plans for the new system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/23/nyregion/mta-can-go-ahead-with-fare-automation.html|title=M.T.A. Can Go Ahead With Fare Automation|date=June 23, 1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 26, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By 1991, the token technology was becoming dated: almost all other transit systems were using magnetic farecards, which were found to be much cheaper than the token system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/02/nyregion/plan-to-update-turnstiles-hits-a-snag.html|title=Plan to Update Turnstiles Hits a Snag|last=Sims|first=Calvin|date=July 2, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In July of that year, the MTA board approved the roll-out of the magnetic farecard system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/27/nyregion/in-one-two-mta-punch-new-token-then-no-token.html|title=In One-Two M.T.A. Punch, New Token, Then No Token|last=Sims|first=Calvin|date=July 27, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 28, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The MTA opened a request for bids to furnish and operate the farecard system, and [[Cubic Transportation Systems]] offered the lowest bid at $100 million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/16/nyregion/automated-card-system-chosen-to-collect-fares-in-new-york.html|title=Automated-Card System Chosen To Collect Fares in New York|last=Sims|first=Calvin|date=March 16, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 28, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On October 30, 1992, the installation of Automated Fare Collection turnstiles began.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm |title=About NYC Transit History |date=October 19, 2002 |access-date=September 18, 2016 }}</ref> The farecard system was given the name MetroCard by April 1993. At the time, the first subway stations were supposed to receive MetroCard-compatible turnstiles before year's end, and buses were scheduled to be retrofitted with MetroCard collection equipment by late 1995.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/26/nyregion/a-fare-card-for-transit-is-lagging.html|title=A Fare Card For Transit Is Lagging|last=Faison|first=Seth|date=April 26, 1993|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 28, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On June 1, 1993, MTA distributed 3,000 MetroCards in the first major test of the technology for the entire subway and bus systems.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DC143BF931A35755C0A965958260 |first=Seth |last=Faison |newspaper=The New York Times |title=3,000 Subway Riders, Cards in Hand, Test New Fare System |date=June 2, 1993 |access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> Less than a year later, on January 6, 1994, MetroCard-compatible [[turnstile]]s opened at [[Wall Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|Wall Street]] on the [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Lexington south}}) and [[Whitehall Street–South Ferry (BMT Broadway Line)|Whitehall Street–South Ferry]] on the [[BMT Broadway Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Broadway south}}).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/06/nyregion/fare-cards-make-debut-in-subways.html|title=Fare Cards Make Debut In Subways|last=Foderaro|first=Lisa W.|date=January 6, 1994|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> All MetroCard turnstiles were installed by May 14, 1997, when the entire bus and subway system accepted MetroCard.<ref name=":0" />

On September 28, 1995, buses on Staten Island started accepting MetroCard, and by the end of 1995, MetroCard was accepted on all New York City Transit buses.<ref name=":0" />

{{Graph:Chart
|width=800
|height=200
|type=line
|legend=Pay-Per-Ride

|xType=date
|xAxisTitle=Year
|xAxisAngle=-40
|x=1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019

|yType=number
|yAxisFormat=$.3g
|yAxisMin=0
|yGrid=
|yAxisTitle=Cost of Single Trip (in USD)
|y1Title=Bus/Subway Base Fare
|y1=1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2.25, 2.25, 2.25, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.75, 2.75, 2.75, 2.75
|y2Title=Bus/Subway Single Ride
|y2=1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 1.5, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2.25, 2.25, 2.25, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 3, 3, 3, 3
|y3Title=Express Bus Base Fare
|y3=4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 6, 6, 6.5, 6.5, 6.5, 6.75
}}

{{Graph:Chart
|width=800
|height=200
|type=line

|xType=date
|xAxisTitle=Year
|xAxisAngle=-40
|legend=Unlimited Rides
|x=1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019

|yType=number
|yAxisFormat=$.3
|yGrid=
|yAxisTitle=Cost of Card (in USD)
|y1Title=1-Day Fun Pass
|y1=, , 4, 4, 4, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7.5, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25
|y2Title=7-Day Unlimited
|y2=17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 21, 21, 24, 24, 24, 25, 27, 29, 29, 30, 30, 30, 31, 31, 32, 33
|y3Title=7-Day Unlimited Express Bus
|y3={{repeat|6|, }} 33, 33, 41, 41, 41, 41, 45, 50, 50, 50, 50, 50, 57.25, 57.25, 59.50, 62
|y4Title=14-Day Unlimited
|y4={{repeat|11|, }} 47, 51.5, 51.5
|y5Title=30-Day Unlimited
|y5=, , 63, 63, 63, 63, 70, 70, 76, 76, 76, 81, 89, 104, 104, 112, 112, 112, 116.5, 116.5, 121, 127
|y6Title=30-Day Unlimited Express Bus
|y6=, , 120, 120, 120, 120, 120
}}

Before 1997, the MetroCard design was blue with yellow lettering. These blue cards are now [[collectable|collector's item]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/nyregion/31metrocards.html |title=On MetroCards' Flip Side, Art Exhibits That Catch Collectors' Eyes |last=Mallozzi |first=Vincent M. |date=August 30, 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 26, 2010}}</ref> On July 4, 1997, the first free transfers were made available between bus and subway at any location with MetroCard. This program was originally billed as MetroCard Gold. Card colors changed to the current blue lettering on goldenrod background.<ref name=":0" /> On January 1, 1998, bonus free rides (10% of the purchase amount) were given for purchases of $15 or more.<ref name=":0" /> On July 4, six months later, 7-Day and 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCards were introduced, at $17 and $63 respectively.<ref name=":0" /> A 30-day Express Bus Plus MetroCard, allowing unlimited rides on express buses in addition to local buses and the subway, was also introduced at $120.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hop On, Hop Off: The Unlimited Metrocard Arrives |first=Andy |last=Newman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/03/nyregion/hop-on-hop-off-the-unlimited-metrocard-arrives.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 3, 1998 |access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> The 1-Day Fun Pass was introduced on January 1, 1999, at a cost of $4.<ref name=":0" /> The debut of the MetroCard allowed the MTA to add bonus fare incentives, such as free bus transfers to other buses or subways. Half of the ridership increase between 1997 and 1999 was attributed to these incentives.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Hirsch | first1=Lawrence R. | last2=David Jordan | first2=J. | last3=Hickey | first3=Robert L. | last4=Cravo | first4=Valdemar | title=Effects of Fare Incentives on New York City Transit Ridership | journal=Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board | publisher=SAGE Publications | volume=1735 | issue=1 | year=2000 | issn=0361-1981 | doi=10.3141/1735-18 | pages=147–157 | s2cid=109406104 }}</ref>

The first [[MetroCard Vending Machines]] (MVMs) were installed on January 25, 1999, in two stations,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1999/01/26/043672.pdf |first=Monte |last=Williams |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Metrocard Machines' Subway Debut |date=January 26, 1999 |access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> and by the end of 1999 347 MVMs were in service at 74 stations.<ref name=":0" /> On April 13, 2003, tokens were no longer sold.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gothamgazette.com/article//20030428/202/362 |first=Michael |last=Markowitz |newspaper=Gotham Gazette |location=New York |title=NYC Subway Token, 1953–2003 |date=April 28, 2003 |access-date=April 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427090825/http://www.gothamgazette.com/article//20030602/4/408 |archive-date=April 27, 2007 }}</ref> Starting May 4, 2003, tokens were no longer accepted, except on buses. The following fare increases were implemented:
* '''Base fare''' increased from $1.50 to $2.00<ref name="dailyfreeman">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Jesse J. |date=January 19, 2003 |title=Commuters could face 33% fare hike |url=http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6742177&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620090354/http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6742177&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6 |archive-date=June 20, 2008 |newspaper=The Daily Freeman |location=Kingston}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Seeks-Increase-2003">{{cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Randy |date=March 6, 2003 |title=The Transit Increases: Overview; Transit Authority Seeks an Increase in Fares and Tolls |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/2003/03/06/648078.pdf |access-date=April 25, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>
* '''1-Day Unlimited''' MetroCard fare increased from $4 to $7<ref name="dailyfreeman"/><ref name="NYTimes-Seeks-Increase-2003"/>
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' MetroCard fare increased from $17 to $21<ref name="dailyfreeman"/><ref name="NYTimes-Seeks-Increase-2003"/>
* '''30-day Express Bus Plus''' was replaced with a 7-day Express Bus Plus card, which cost $33 each.<ref name="dailyfreeman"/><ref name="NYTimes-Seeks-Increase-2003"/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' MetroCard fare increased from $63 to $70<ref name="dailyfreeman"/><ref name="NYTimes-Seeks-Increase-2003"/>
* The bonus for pay-per-ride increased to 20% of the purchase amount for purchases of $10 or more<ref name="dailyfreeman"/><ref name="NYTimes-Seeks-Increase-2003"/>
* Tokens would be phased out, but for the next two months they acted as $1.50 credit towards a $2 bus ride.<ref name="dailyfreeman"/><ref name="NYTimes-Seeks-Increase-2003"/>

On February 27, 2005, another fare hike occurred:
* '''7-day Express Bus Plus''' increased by $8, to $41.<ref name="NYTimes-Fares-Rising-2005">{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/2005/02/28/435570.pdf |first1=Sewell |last1=Chan |first2=Ann |last2=Farmer |author-link=Sewell Chan |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Facing the Pain Of Rising Fares, And Riding On |date=February 28, 2005 |access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref>
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' increased by $3, to $24.<ref name=NYTimes-Fares-Rising-2005/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' increased by $6, to $76.<ref name=NYTimes-Fares-Rising-2005/>
On April 1, 2007, MetroCard started to be accepted by the Westchester [[Bee-Line Bus System]] as all of its buses were now equipped with new fareboxes that could accept MetroCard.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2007|title=Starting April 1, 2007 Westchester Bee-Line buses are equipped with new fareboxes that accept both coins and MetroCard.|url=http://www.mta.info/metrocard/beeline.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428003238/http://www.mta.info/metrocard/beeline.htm|archive-date=2007-04-28|access-date=July 5, 2021|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}</ref>

On March 2, 2008, another set of fare increases was implemented:
* '''1-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by 50 cents, to $7.50.<ref name="Chan 2008">{{cite web | last=Chan | first=Sewell | title=All About the M.T.A. Fare Increase | website=City Room | date=February 29, 2008 | url=//cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/all-about-the-mta-fare-increase/ | access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref>
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $1, to $25.<ref name="Chan 2008"/>
* '''14-Day Unlimited''' was introduced for $47.<ref name="Chan 2008"/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' increased by $5, to $81.<ref name="Chan 2008"/>
* The bonus for pay-per-ride decreased to 15% of the purchase amount for purchases of $7 or more.<ref name="Chan 2008"/>

On June 28, 2009, the agency had its second fare hike in as many years:
* The '''base fare''' and '''single-ride ticket''' increased by 25 cents, to $2.25.<ref name="Donohue 2009">{{cite web | last=Donohue | first=Pete | title=MTA Talks Fare Hikes for 2009 AND 2011 | website=New York Daily News | date= June 28, 2009 | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-subway-fare-hike-takes-effect-sunday-price-rises-2-25-ride-article-1.373236 | access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref>
* '''1-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by 75 cents, to $8.25.<ref name="Donohue 2009"/>
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $7, to $27.<ref name="Donohue 2009"/>
* '''7-Day Express Bus Plus''' fare increased by $4, to $45.<ref name="Donohue 2009"/>
* '''14-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $4.50, to $51.50.<ref name="Donohue 2009"/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' increased by $8, to $89.<ref name="Donohue 2009"/>
* The minimum purchase for a pay-per-ride bonus rose to $8.<ref name="Donohue 2009"/>

On December 30, 2010, the bonus value for Pay-Per-Ride decreased to 7% for every $10, and the 1-Day Fun Pass and the 14-Day Unlimited Ride were discontinued altogether. Additionally:
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $2, to $29.<ref name="dnainfo2010">{{cite news |title=MTA Votes Yes on Fare Hikes |first1=Jennifer |last1=Glickel |first2=Nina |last2=Mandell |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20101007/midtown/mta-votes-yes-on-fare-hikes |newspaper=DNAinfo.com New York |date=October 7, 2010 |access-date=February 11, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529223039/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20101007/midtown/mta-votes-yes-on-fare-hikes |archive-date=May 29, 2012  }}</ref>
* '''7-Day Express Bus Plus''' fare increased by $5, to $50.<ref name=dnainfo2010/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $15, to $104.<ref name=dnainfo2010/>

In 2012, the MTA allowed advertisements to be printed on the fronts of MetroCards. The backs of MetroCards had already been used for advertisements since 1995. This change meant that advertisers could remove the MTA logo from the fronts of MetroCards.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/nyregion/mta-opens-front-of-metrocard-to-advertising.html|title=M.T.A. Opens Front of MetroCard to Advertising|last=Flegenheimer|first=Matt|date=July 18, 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 24, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-cursed-history-of-nyc-metrocards-1819774428|title=The Cursed History of NYC MetroCards|last=Estes|first=Adam Clark|date=October 23, 2017|work=Gizmodo|access-date=October 24, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

As a result of [[Hurricane Sandy]] in October 2012, three free transfers were offered on the MetroCard. The first was between the [[Q22 (New York City bus)|Q22]], the [[Q35 (New York City bus)|Q35]], and the {{NYCS trains|Nostrand}} at the [[Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (IRT Nostrand Avenue Line)|Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College]] subway station.<ref name="RockawayTransfers" /> The second between the Q22, either the [[Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards buses|Q52 Limited or the Q53 Limited]], and the {{NYCS trains|Fulton east}} at the [[Rockaway Boulevard (IND Fulton Street Line)|Rockaway Boulevard]] station.<ref name="RockawayTransfers" /> Finally, a three-hour transfer window applied from transfers from any subway station to the Q22 or [[Q113 (New York City bus)|Q113]] routes of MTA Bus, and then to the [[List of bus routes in Nassau County, New York#n31|n31, n32, and n33]] routes of [[Nassau Inter-County Express|NICE]].<ref name="RockawayTransfers">[http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/rebuildingtheRockaways.htm "Rebuilding the Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy: Current Service"], MTA.info</ref>

On December 19, 2012, the MTA voted for the following fare increases:
* '''Base fare''' and '''single-ride ticket''' increased by 25 cents, to $2.50.<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/nyregion/mta-raises-cost-of-single-rides-and-monthly-passes.html |first=MATT |last=FLEGENHEIMER |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Increase in Base Subway Fare and 30-Day Pass Is Approved |date=December 19, 2013 |access-date=January 16, 2013}}</ref>
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' MetroCard fare increased by $1, to $30.<ref name="nytimes1" />
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' MetroCard fare increased by $8, to $112.<ref name="nytimes1" />
* The bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard decreased from 7% to 5% but the cutoff for the bonus decreased from $10 to $5.<ref name="nytimes1" />

Starting February 20, 2013, people were able to refill cards with both time and value, so that when a MetroCard is filled with both an unlimited card and fare value, the unlimited ride portion is used first where applicable. If not started already, the unlimited ride period would begin when the card is next used, and when the unlimited period expires, the regular fare would be charged.<ref>{{cite web | last=Flegenheimer | first=Matt | title=MetroCards Become More Flexible | website=City Room | date=February 21, 2013 | url=//cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/metrocards-become-more-flexible/ | access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref> On March 3, 2013, a $1 fee was imposed on new card purchases in-system in order to reduce the number of discarded MetroCards.  However, MetroCards purchased through the Extended Sales retail network carry no new card fee.<ref>{{cite web | last=Flegenheimer | first=Matt | title=New MetroCards to Cost $1 Starting Sunday | website=The New York Times | date=March 2, 2013 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/nyregion/new-metrocards-to-cost-1-starting-sunday.html | access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref>

On March 22, 2015, the MTA voted for the following fare increases:
* '''Base Fare''' increased by 25 cents, to $2.75;<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2015">{{cite web | last=Fitzsimmons | first=Emma G. | title=M.T.A. Is Raising Fares and Tolls; One Subway or Bus Ride Will Cost $2.75 | website=The New York Times | date=January 23, 2015 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/23/nyregion/mta-raises-fares-subways-and-buses.html | access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref>
* '''Express Bus''' fare increased, to $6.50;<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2015"/>
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $1, to $31;<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2015"/>
* '''7-Day Express Bus Plus''' fare increased by $7.25, to $57.25;<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2015"/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' increased by $4.50, to $116.50;<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2015"/>
* '''Single Ride ticket''' increased by 50 cents, to $3.00;<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2015"/> and:
* the bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard was increased to 11%.<ref name="Fitzsimmons 2015"/>

On March 19, 2017, the following fare increases went into place:
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $1, to $32;<ref name="Tcholakian 2017">{{cite web | last=Tcholakian | first=Danielle | title=$121 For a Monthly MetroCard! MTA Approves Fare Hike For March | website=DNAinfo New York | date=January 25, 2017 | url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170125/midtown/mta-fare-hike-subway-bus-how-much-when-why | access-date=December 16, 2017 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110043942/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170125/midtown/mta-fare-hike-subway-bus-how-much-when-why | archive-date=November 10, 2017 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* '''7-Day Express Bus Plus''' fare increased by $2.25, to $59.50;<ref name="Tcholakian 2017"/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' increased by $4.50, to $121; and<ref name="Tcholakian 2017"/>
* the bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard was reduced from 11% to 5%.<ref name="Tcholakian 2017"/>

On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by [[OMNY]], a [[Contactless payment|contactless fare payment]] system also by Cubic, with fare payment being made using [[Apple Pay]], [[Google Wallet]], debit/credit cards with [[near-field communication]] enabled, or [[radio-frequency identification]] cards.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-approves-plan-scrap-metrocards-tap-payment-system-article-1.3584098|title=MTA approves plan to scrap MetroCards for 'tap' payment system|last=Rivoli|first=Dan|date=October 23, 2017|work=NY Daily News|access-date=October 24, 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/nyregion/metrocard-subway-new-york.html|title=New York to Replace MetroCard With Modern Way to Pay Transit Fares|last=Barron|first=James|date=October 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 24, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> All buses and subway stations would use the OMNY system by 2020. However, support of the MetroCard is slated to remain until 2023.<ref name=":2" />

In mid-2018, city officials tentatively agreed to start a program in which they would provide half-fare MetroCards to almost 800,000 New York City residents living below the federal [[Poverty in the United States|poverty line]]. The program would start in January 2019, and the New York City allocated $106 million in fiscal year 2019 to subsidize the half-fare MetroCards for at least six months.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/nyregion/nyc-subway-metrocard-fair-fares-subsidize.html|title=Leaders Poised to Provide Discounted MetroCards to Low-Income New Yorkers|last=Goodman|first=J. David|date=June 7, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 9, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Pereira | first1=Ivan | last2=Barone | first2=Vincent | title=Half-priced MetroCards for the poor could happen after all | website=am New York | date=June 7, 2018 | url=https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-fair-fares-metrocard-1.19036526 | access-date=June 9, 2018}}</ref> After uncertainty over whether the program would be implemented,<ref>{{cite web | title=New York City's Poor Were Promised Half-Priced MetroCards. They're Still Waiting. | website=The New York Times | last=Fitzsimmons | first=Emma G. | date=January 3, 2019 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/nyregion/metrocards-half-price.html | access-date=January 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Tieu | first=Van | title=Advocates Blast Delayed Details on Fair Fares Program | website=Spectrum News NY1 &#124; New York City | date=January 3, 2019 | url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/01/03/nyc-mayor-s-proposed-fair-fares-program-latest- | access-date=January 9, 2019}}</ref> the half-fare MetroCards were rolled out starting on January 4, 2019.<ref name="Waller 2019">{{cite web | last=Waller | first=Derick | title=City rolls out Fair Fares program for low-income riders | website=ABC7 New York | date=January 4, 2019 | url=https://abc7ny.com/5013606/ | access-date=January 9, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Rauh 2019">{{cite web | last=Rauh | first=Grace | title=NYC's 'Fair Fares' to Help Only a Fraction of Eligible Residents at First | website=Spectrum News NY1 &#124; New York City | date=January 5, 2019 | url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2019/01/05/nyc-rolls-out-half-priced-metrocard-program-fair-fares-will-help-only-a-fraction-of-eligible-residents-at-first | access-date=January 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Parry | first=Bill | title=City officially launches 'Fair Fares' NYC program for low-income New Yorkers | website=QNS.com | date=January 4, 2019 | url=https://qns.com/story/2019/01/04/city-officially-launches-fair-fares-nyc-program-for-low-income-new-yorkers/ | access-date=January 9, 2019}}</ref> Initially, the reduced-fare MetroCards would be rolled out to 30,000 residents, though another 130,000 New Yorkers receiving [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program|SNAP]] benefits would also be allowed to receive the half-fare MetroCards in April 2019. However, in the revised plan, only a portion of the originally projected 800,000 residents (around 20%) would be eligible for the reduced-fare cards.<ref name="Waller 2019"/><ref name="Rauh 2019"/>

On April 21, 2019, the following fare increases went into place:
* '''Express Bus''' fare increased by 25 cents, to $6.75;<ref name="NYTimes-FaresRising-2019">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/nyregion/mta-fares-hike.html|title=Subway Fares Are Rising Again. But That Won't Solve the M.T.A.'s Crisis.|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Emma G.|date=February 27, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 27, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}
* {{cite web | title=MetroCard swipe to stay $2.75 after MTA rejects fare hike, slashes pay-per-ride bonus | website=www.pix11.com | date=January 25, 2017 | url=https://pix11.com/2017/01/25/mta-to-vote-on-fare-hike-increasing-subway-swipe-to-3 | access-date=September 27, 2019}}
* {{cite web | title=Bye Bye Bonus: What You'll be Paying for MetroCards Starting Sunday | website=www.ny1.com | date=April 19, 2019 | url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/04/19/nyc-subway-bus-metrocard-fare-hikes-take-effect-this-weekend | access-date=September 27, 2019}}</ref>
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $1, to $33;<ref name="NYTimes-FaresRising-2019"/>
* '''7-Day Express Bus Plus''' fare increased by $2.50, to $62;<ref name="NYTimes-FaresRising-2019"/>
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' fare increased by $6, to $127; and<ref name="NYTimes-FaresRising-2019"/>
* the bonus for a pay-per-ride MetroCard was eliminated.<ref name="NYTimes-FaresRising-2019"/>

In August 2023, the following fare increases went into place:
* '''Base Fare''' increased by 15 cents, to $2.90<ref name="Lazar y313">{{cite web |last=Lazar |first=David |date=August 19, 2023 |title=MTA subway, bus and commuter rail fare hikes take effect |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2023/08/19/mta-subway--bus-and-train-fare-hikes-go-into-effect-this-sunday |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=Spectrum News NY1}}</ref><ref name="Cranmore k086">{{cite web |last=Cranmore |first=Crystal |date=August 21, 2023 |title=MTA fare hikes: Riders now required to pay $2.90 to take NYC buses, subways |url=https://abc7ny.com/mta-fare-hike-bus-subway-congestion-pricing/13678904/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=ABC7 New York}}</ref>
* '''Express Bus''' fare increased, to $7.00<ref name="Lazar y313" /><ref name="Cranmore k086" />
* '''7-Day Unlimited''' fare increased to $34<ref name="Lazar y313" /><ref name="Cranmore k086" />
* '''7-Day Express Bus Plus''' fare increased to $64.00<ref name="Lazar y313" /><ref name="Cranmore k086" />
* '''30-Day Unlimited''' fare increased to $132<ref name="Lazar y313" /><ref name="Cranmore k086" />
* '''Single Ride ticket''' increased by 25 cents, to $3.25<ref name="Lazar y313" /><ref name="Cranmore k086" />

==Technology==
[[File:nyc transit authority token.png|thumb|150px|right|A NYCTA token]]
During a swipe, the MetroCard is read, re-written to, then check-read to verify correct encoding.<ref>Riazi, Atefeh. MetroCard: Automating New York City's Public Transit System. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Urban Transportation Systems, American Society of Civil Engineers, Miami, Fla. (March 21–25, 1999).</ref>

[[File:Select Bus Service bus shelter.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Select Bus Service]] pay shelter for pre-payment of fare before boarding [[Select Bus Service]] buses.]]
Each MetroCard [[stored value card]] is assigned a unique, permanent ten-digit [[serial number]] when it is manufactured. The value is stored [[Digital card#Magnetic storage|magnetically]] on the card itself, while the card's transaction history is held centrally in the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) [[Database]]. When a card is purchased and fares are loaded onto it, the MetroCard Vending Machine or station agent's computer stores the amount of the purchase onto the card and updates the database, identifying the card by its serial number. Whenever the card is swiped at a turnstile, the value of the card is read, the new value is written, the customer is let through, and then the central database is updated with the new transaction as soon as possible. Cards are not validated in real time against the database when swiped to pay the fare.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|last=McClain|first=Noah|date=July 15, 2019|title=Caught inside the black box: Criminalization, opaque technology, and the New York subway MetroCard|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334683186|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=December 22, 2020|website=Researchgate}}</ref> The AFC Database is necessary to maintain transaction records to track a card if needed. It has actually been used to acquit criminal suspects<ref>{{cite news |title=Murder Case Dropped After MetroCard Verifies Alibi |first=Benjamin |last=Weiser |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/nyregion/01murder.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 31, 2008 |access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> by placing them away from the [[crime scene|scene of a crime]]. The database also stores a list of MetroCards that have been invalidated for various reasons. Reasons include the MetroCard being lost, stolen, expired student, or an expired monthly card, and it distributes the list to turnstiles in order to deny access to a revoked card.

The older blue MetroCards were not capable of the many kinds of fare options that the gold ones currently offer. The format of the [[magnetic stripe]] used by the blue MetroCard offered very little other than the standard pay-per-swipe fare. Gold MetroCards allow groups of people (up to four) to ride together using a single pay-per-swipe MetroCard. The gold MetroCard keeps track of the number of swipes at a location in order to allow those same number of people to transfer at a subsequent location, if applicable. The MetroCard system was designed to ensure [[backward compatibility]], which allowed a smooth transition from the blue format to gold.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10A17FA3E5A0C728EDDAB0894DF494D81 |title=205 More Buses Ordered To Handle Free Transfers |first=Garry |last=Pierre-Pierre |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 21, 1997 |access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref>

Cubic later used the proprietary MetroCard platform to create the [[Chicago Card]] and [[Tren Urbano]]'s fare card, which are physically identical to the MetroCard except for the labeling.

== Physical attributes ==
* Dimensions: {{convert|2.125|x|3.375|in|cm}}; {{convert|10|mil|in}} thickness<ref name="mta-qpl">{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/procure/QPL%20300.pdf|title=MTA QUALIFIED PRODUCTS LIST (QPL)|date=June 8, 2018|access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref>
* Material: Polyester<ref name=mta-qpl/>

==Card types==

===SingleRide Ticket===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Singleride.jpg|thumb|175px|A SingleRide Ticket]] -->
The SingleRide Ticket (introduced to replace [[subway token]]s and single cash fares) is a piece of paper with a magnetic strip on the front, and with the date and time of purchase stamped on the back.  They cost $3.25 for one subway or local bus ride, with one free transfer allowed between buses, issued by the bus operator upon request. SingleRide Tickets do not allow transfers between subways and buses.<ref name="mta.info"/>  SingleRide tickets can only be purchased at MetroCard Vending Machines, which are usually located within subway stations, and expire two hours from time of purchase.<ref name="mta.info"/> Because of these limitations, SingleRide Tickets are not frequently used, having been used by only 3% of subway riders in 2009.<ref>{{cite web | last=Wilson | first=Michael | title=Sighting a Rare Breed at Subway Turnstiles: The Single-Ride Rider | website=The New York Times | date=March 27, 2009 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/nyregion/27single.html | access-date=October 9, 2017}}</ref>

Although the Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard is accepted on [[Port Authority Trans-Hudson|PATH]], the regular SingleRide ticket is not. However, a PATH SingleRide ticket is available from MVMs in PATH stations for $2.75, valid for 2 hours and only on PATH. PATH also accepts 2-Trip PATH MetroCards, which cost $5.50 and are also valid only on PATH.<ref name="PATHfares"/>

===Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard===
The Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard can be filled with an initial value in any increment between $5.80 and $80, though vending machines only sell values in multiples of 5 cents. Cards can be refilled in 1 cent increments at station booths (formerly called token booths), and in 5 cent increments at vending machines. A MetroCard holder can spend up to $80 in one transaction and up to a total value of $100. Pay-Per-Ride MetroCards can also be filled with unlimited ride time in 7- or 30-day increments.<ref name="mta.info"/>  As of 2022, station booths no longer do any MetroCard transactions.

The Pay-Per Ride MetroCard is accepted on the New York City Subway; MTA express, local, limited, and [[Select Bus Service|Select]] Bus Service buses; and the Staten Island Railway. Outside agencies also accept the MetroCard, including [[Nassau Inter-County Express]]; the [[Port Authority Trans-Hudson|PATH]], operated by the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]; the [[AirTrain JFK]], operated by the Port Authority; the [[Roosevelt Island Tramway]]; and the Westchester County [[Bee-Line Bus System]].<ref name="mta.info"/> However, PATH does not accept reduced fare MetroCard.<ref name="PATHfares" />

Pay-Per-Ride MetroCards deduct different values depending on which service is used. Subway, Staten Island Railway, Roosevelt Island Tramway, or local/limited/Select bus uses, cost $2.90 per trip and usually allow one valid transfer, though two transfers may be allowed depending on which routes are being used (see below). Although the PATH charges $2.75 as well, it does not offer any free transfers. A ride on an MTA express bus costs $7.00, with transfers allowed to or from the subway, Staten Island Railway, or non-express MTA buses. The BxM4C Bee-Line Bus deducts $7.50 per trip, and no free or discounted transfers are allowed to or from that route.  The AirTrain JFK costs $8.25 per trip if the passenger enters or leaves at [[Jamaica (LIRR station)|Jamaica]] or [[Howard Beach–JFK Airport (IND Rockaway Line)|Howard Beach–JFK Airport]] stations.<ref name="mta.info"/>

Transfers are available within two hours of initial entry, with the following structure:
* One free transfer from
** subway to local bus
** bus to subway
** bus to local bus
** express bus to express bus
** bus or subway to Staten Island Railway
** subway to subway between the Lexington Avenue–59th Street ({{NYCS trains|Lexington-59th|time=box}}) stations and the Lexington Avenue–63rd Street ({{NYCS trains|63rd Lexington header|time=box}}) station or between Junius Street ({{NYCS trains|New Lots header|time=box}}) station and Livonia Avenue ({{NYCS trains|Canarsie|time=box}}) station
* Two consecutive free transfers are available with the MetroCard for certain transfers. The transfers must be made within two hours of each other (e.g. when one makes the first transfer, they have two hours to make the second transfer).
** Between [[List of bus routes in Staten Island|Staten Island bus routes]] crossing the [[Staten Island Railway]], through St. George Ferry Terminal, and then any MTA local bus or NYC subway service below Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan.<ref name="SIR fare">[http://web.mta.info/nyct/sir/sirfare.htm "MTA Staten Island Railway Fare and Transfer Information"], MTA.info</ref>
** Between certain bus routes as specified in {{section link|MetroCard|Designated multiple-transfer corridors}}
* $4.10 for each local bus or subway to express bus transfer.
* Transfers with coins (pennies and half-dollar coins not accepted) are good for use on one connecting local bus route (restrictions apply).<ref name="MTAtransfers">[http://web.mta.info/nyct/bus/howto_bus.htm "How to Ride the Bus", under 'Making Connections'], MTA.info</ref>
* Customers transferring to suburban buses from another system with a lower base fare must pay the difference between the fare on the first bus and the fare on the second bus.
* No transfers to the BxM4C.<ref name="BXM4C">[http://transportation.westchestergov.com/images/stories/Schedules/Rte_BxM4C_TT_Spr13.pdf BxM4C schedule notes (page 2)] {{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* No free transfer between PATH and NYC Subway, Bus and MTA Bus.<ref name="PATHfares">{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/path/fares.html|title=Path fares}}</ref>
* Up to 4 people can ride together on a single Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard, with one free transfer granted.

Expired card balance may be transferred to a new card at any MetroCard Vending Machine, up to one year after expiration. After one year the card must be sent to the Customer Claims area of the MTA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/problems.htm#expired |title=Has your MetroCard expired? |access-date=May 21, 2011}}</ref>

===EasyPayXPress MetroCard===
The EasyPayXPress MetroCard functions like a pay per ride or unlimited MetroCard, but is automatically refilled from a linked credit or debit card. An EasyPayXpress account is opened with either $30 or a 30-day unlimited balance of $121. {{As of|January 2015}}, another $45 is automatically added for Pay-Per-Ride customers when balance drops below $20. To reduce this, a one-time payment may be made online before the balance drops below $20. All rules for standard pay per ride or unlimited cards apply, and EasyPay customers can review the account and ride usage online. Reduced-fare EasyPay version converts from Pay-Per-Ride to Unlimited rides (during that billing cycle) once the value of fares used meet or exceed the cost of a reduced-fare 30-Day Unlimited Ride card. Express bus fares do not contribute, and EasyPay cannot be used on PATH trains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.easypaymetrocard.com/ |title=Mta Index |access-date=January 31, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125111755/http://www.easypaymetrocard.com/ |archive-date=January 25, 2007 }}</ref>

===AirTrain JFK Discount MetroCard===
The AirTrain JFK Discount MetroCard offers 10 trips on [[AirTrain JFK]] at $25. This card can only be purchased at specially marked MetroCard Vending Machines. It can be refilled, and once done so, becomes a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard.<ref name="jfk-card">{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk-cost-tickets.html |title=Cost and Tickets |website=John F. Kennedy International Airport |publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey}}</ref> However, although the AirTrain fare is also payable using a regular Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard, no discount is given for Pay-Per-Ride cards.<ref name=jfk-card/> There is also an unlimited-ride 30-day card that costs $40 and is only valid on AirTrain JFK.<ref name=jfk-card/>

===Unlimited MetroCard===
{{As of|2023}}, four types of Unlimited-ride MetroCards are sold:
* 7-Day Unlimited Ride Card, $34<ref name="mta.info">{{cite web|url=https://new.mta.info/fares|title=mta.info – MetroCard: Fares|work=mta.info}}</ref> for unlimited subway and local bus rides until midnight on the seventh day following first usage.
* 30-Day Unlimited Ride Card, $132<ref name="mta.info"/> for unlimited subway and local bus rides until midnight on the thirtieth day following first usage.
* 7-Day Express Bus Plus Card, $64<ref name="mta.info"/> for unlimited express bus, local bus, and subway rides until midnight on the seventh day following first usage.
* 30-Day [[AirTrain (JFK)|AirTrain JFK]] Unlimited Ride Card, $40 for unlimited trips on the AirTrain (operated by the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]]) until midnight on the thirtieth day from first usage. This card can only be purchased at specially marked MetroCard Vending Machines at the [[Howard Beach–JFK Airport (IND Rockaway Line)|Howard Beach–JFK Airport]] ({{NYCS trains|Rockaway north|time=box}}) or [[Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport (New York City Subway)|Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport]] ({{NYCS trains|Archer|time=box}}) stations and at MetroCard vendors in JFK Airport. There are no transfer privileges with this card as it only works on the AirTrain. This is the only unlimited card accepted on the AirTrain.

Any Unlimited Ride Card cannot be used at the same subway station or bus route for 18 minutes after it is swiped. Every MetroCard can be refilled in increments of 7 or 30 days' worth of unlimited ride time, or with pay-per-ride value, but time is used before value unless the time on the card cannot be applied to the ride taken. The 7 Day Express Bus Plus card is the only unlimited card that can be used on express buses. Unlimited rides cannot be applied to non-MTA transit systems such as the PATH or AirTrain JFK; to use these systems that require a value-based fare, riders can load money on their Unlimited Ride MetroCard by selecting "Add Value" when refilling at a MetroCard Vending Machine or at a station booth. Turnstiles for these systems will simply deduct the fare from the value portion of the MetroCard. 30-Day Unlimited and 7-Day Express Bus Plus Cards that are purchased using a credit, debit or ATM card from a MetroCard vending machine can be reported lost or stolen to receive a pro-rated credit for the card.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mta.info/metrocard/balanceprotection.htm |title=Insurance for 30-Day MetroCard|publisher=New York City Transit}}</ref>

Standard 7- and 30-day unlimited cards are accepted on MTA New York City Subway; non-express buses from either the MTA, NICE, or Bee-Line; the Roosevelt Island Tramway; and the Staten Island Railway. 7-Day Express Bus Plus is accepted on MTA express buses. The AirTrain JFK only accepts the Unlimited AirTrain JFK card.

===Student MetroCard===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:StudentMetroCardPassMTA.JPG|thumb|175px| Student MetroCard (Grades: 7-12) (face)]] -->
The Student MetroCard is issued to New York City public and private school students who live within the city limits. It allows free access to the NYCT buses and trains, depending on the distance traveled between their school and their home. The card program is managed by the [[New York City Department of Education|NYCDOE]] Office of Pupil Transportation.<ref name="nycgov-student">{{cite web|url=http://www.optnyc.org/ServicesAndEligibility/metrocards.htm|title=Student MetroCards|website=Office of Pupil Transportation|publisher=New York City Department of Education}}</ref> In Nassau County, Student MetroCards are issued by individual schools which have pre-paid for the cards.

The DOE issues different colors of cards to students who live in New York City. Orange cards are given to students who are in grade K-6. Green cards are given to students who are in grades 7–12. Student MetroCards are allowed on the New York City Subway, non-express MTA buses, and the Staten Island Railway. Formerly, there was also a half-fare card that could only be used on non-express buses, discontinued in mid-2019.<ref name=nycgov-student/> Red cards are issued to students and parents when there is a school bus work stoppage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Transportation Resources for Schools|url=https://infohub.nyced.org/in-our-schools/operations/transportation-resources-for-schools|access-date=2021-01-08|website=infohub.nyced.org}}</ref> Blue and purple cards are issued to Nassau County students and are only allowed to use the cards on NICE buses.<ref name=nycgov-student/> Up to three trips per day may be made on student MetroCards, though four-trip MetroCards can be authorized individually for students who must make more than one transfer between home and school.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/transportation/metro-cards|title=MetroCards|website=www.schools.nyc.gov|access-date=2019-07-14}}</ref>

Students who receive a student MetroCard must live:
* More than 0.5 miles away if they are in grades K–2<ref name="nycgov-student" />
* More than 1.0 miles away if they are in grades 3–6<ref name="nycgov-student" />
* More than 1.5 miles away if they are in grades 7–12<ref name="nycgov-student" />

In May 2019, the MTA voted to phase out the half-fare student MetroCard and distribute only full-fare cards for students who qualify for a MetroCard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/05/22/mta-full-fare-metrocards-for-city-students--|title=MTA Approves Full-Fare MetroCards for City Students|website=www.ny1.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/5/20/18632368/nyc-schools-full-fare-metrocards-students-mta|title=MTA authorizes full-fare MetroCards for NYC students|last=Ricciulli|first=Valeria|date=2019-05-20|website=Curbed NY|access-date=2019-07-14}}</ref>

===Disabled/Senior Citizen Reduced-Fare MetroCard===
[[File:Senior reduced fare.jpg|thumb|150px|Senior Reduced-Fare MetroCard (Male & Female) (Back)]]


Senior citizen MetroCards are received via application<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/fare/pdf/seniors.pdf|title=Application for MTA Reduced-Fare MetroCard for Senior Citizens (65 years or older)|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}</ref> or by submitting the application in person with required ID and copies of proof of age at the NYC Transit Customer Service Center at 3 Stone St in lower Manhattan and act as a combination photo ID and MetroCard. It allows half-fare within the MTA system, and on express buses during off-peak hours only. Half fare is also available on the 7-day and 30-day Unlimited MetroCards. "Autogate" cards are issued to persons with mobility impairments and are accepted at wheelchair doors at selected stations. The card back is color-coded to indicate the gender of the card holder, and the card face is marked with "Photo ID Pass". Later issues of Senior Citizen and Disability MetroCards are uncolored (all white with black printing on back with photo, gold face remains unchanged) for gender neutral requests.
Temporary replacement cards are purple with no photo, or blue for Autogate MetroCard holders, and the value cannot be refunded if the original card is stolen or lost. A Senior & Disabled Reduced-fare EasyPay (automatic refill) card is also available.

This type of card is accepted everywhere the Pay-Per-Ride or time-based MetroCard is, with two exceptions: it is not valid on the PATH, and it is not valid for ticket purchase on New York City-bound LIRR and Metro-North trains in the morning. Reduced-Fare MetroCards (in any variety) are also not accepted at PATH stations. Reduced fare customers who do not have a MetroCard may purchase a full-fare round trip MetroCard from a subway station agent by presenting proof of eligibility.

This type of card caused complaints because it took up to three months to replace.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fare-level-anxiety-senior-metrocards-chore-article-1.1073326|title=Fare level of anxiety: Getting senior MetroCards is a chore|last=Donohue|first=Pete|work=New York Daily News|date=May 6, 2012}}</ref>

=== Fair Fares MetroCard ===
The Fair Fares MetroCard pilot program was implemented in January 2019.<ref name="Waller 2019" /><ref name="Rauh 2019" /> These are distributed by Fair Fares NYC, which sends letters to eligible residents that meet the income criteria, including veteran students, [[New York City Housing Authority]] residents, [[City University of New York]] students, and residents who receive benefits from the Department of Social Services. These residents must then register online to receive the Fair Fare MetroCard. Holders of the Fair Fare MetroCard can purchase Pay-Per-Ride or time-based fares at half the regular price. This type of card is accepted only on local/limited/Select buses, the subway, and the Staten Island Railway.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/home/downloads/pdf/resources/2018/Fair-Fares-FAQ-English.pdf|title=Frequently Asked Questions About the Program|date=2018|website=nyc.gov|access-date=2019-11-27}}</ref>

===Emergency services===
[[File:Emerg serv metrocard.jpg|thumb|150px|NYPD and FDNY MetroCards]]


An emergency MetroCard is carried by police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel while on duty so they can access the subway system during an emergency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluishorange/3722703294/|title=Sean's NYPD metro card|website=Flickr|date=May 15, 2009|access-date=September 29, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/free-metrocards-for-cops-barely-used-though-free-student-passes-may-go-1.1840684|title=Free MetroCards for cops barely used, though free student passes may go|work=Newsday|access-date=September 29, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002124900/https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/free-metrocards-for-cops-barely-used-though-free-student-passes-may-go-1.1840684|archive-date=October 2, 2016}}</ref>

==Fares==
{{Excerpt|New York City transit fares|Current fares|subsections=yes}}

===MetroCard Bus Transfer===
The '''MetroCard Bus Transfer''' is issued upon request to passengers who pay cash fares on buses accepting MetroCard. The transfer is inserted into the fare box on the second bus, which retains it. [[Bee-Line Bus System|Westchester Bee Line bus system]] and [[Nassau Inter-County Express]] and [[MTA New York City Transit bus]] is free to transfer from one bus to another bus that is accepted with MetroCard. The bus transfer is paper like the SingleRide Metrocard. This transfer does not grant cash customers subway access.

For suburban transfers, if the fare paid to get the transfer is less than that required on the second bus, the difference must be paid on boarding. For transfers from NICE to New York City Transit, no step up fee is required.

The predecessor to the MetroCard bus transfer was the ''original'' bus transfer. These paper tickets allowed bus to bus transfers. Available in pads of several different colors for use at different times, boroughs or directions, they would be torn at a certain time-marked line to indicate when the transfer would expire.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} A version of this still exists today as the "General Order Transfer" (aka "block ticket") which is provided to customers as they leave the subway system during service disruptions to re-enter the system at another point (often via a shuttle bus).

==Purchase options==
All new MetroCard purchases are charged a $1 fee, except to reduced fare customers and those exchanging damaged/expired cards. This purchase fee does not apply to MetroCard refills.<ref name="mta.info"/>

===Subway station booths===
As of 2022, booths no longer handle any transactions, and station agents have been reassigned to other functions within the station.<ref name="Siff 2022 a738">{{cite web | last=Siff | first=Andrew | title=Is This the End of the Line for Token Booths in NYC Subway Stations? | website=NBC New York | date=December 9, 2022 | url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/is-this-the-end-of-the-line-for-token-booths-in-nyc-subway-stations/3990076/ | access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref><ref name="ABC7 New York 2022 u814">{{cite web | title=NYC transit: MTA announces reassignment of last remaining subway token booth agents in New York City | website=ABC7 New York | date=December 8, 2022 | url=https://abc7ny.com/subways-mta-subway-token-booths-twu/12544592/ | access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref>  Prior to this booths staffed by MTA station agents (at specified time periods) are located in all MTA [[metro station|subway stations]]. Every type of MetroCard could be purchased at a booth, with the exception of the SingleRide ticket (purchased at the MetroCard Vending Machine) and MetroCards specific to other transit systems (AirTrain JFK and PATH). All booth transactions had to be in cash.<ref>{{cite web|website=MTA.info|url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/buybooth.htm|title=buybooth}}</ref>

===MetroCard vending machines===
[[File:MetrocardMVM 2.jpg|upright|thumb|left|MetroCard Vending Machine]]

MetroCard Vending Machines (MVMs) are located in all subway stations, PATH stations (with the added ability to reload [[SmartLink (smart card)|SmartLink]] cards), [[Staten Island Ferry]] terminals, [[Roosevelt Island Tramway]] stations, and the [[Hempstead Transit Center]], [[Eltingville Transit Center]], and Central Terminal at [[LaGuardia Airport]].

MVMs debuted on January 25, 1999, and are found in two models. Standard MVMs accept cash, [[credit card]]s, and [[debit card]]s, and are located in every subway station. Cash transactions are required for purchases of less than $1, and they can return up to $9 in coin change (this amount was changed in later years to $6). MVMs can also reload previously issued MetroCards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mvms/index.htm|title=MTA/New York City Transit – MetroCard Vending Machines|website=web.mta.info|language=en|access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref> MetroCard Express Machines (MEMs) are smaller MVMs that only accept credit and ATM/debit cards.<ref name="MTA-Transit&Bus-Dec2015">{{cite web|title=Transit & Bus Committee Meeting December 2015 |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/151214_1030_Transit&Bus.pdf |website=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] |access-date=January 8, 2016 |date=December 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081652/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/151214_1030_Transit%26Bus.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="MTA-Bx121Yr-Oct2009">{{cite web|title=Bx12 Select Bus Service One Year Report|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/docs/Bx12-SBS-OneYearReport.pdf|website=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]|access-date=January 8, 2016|date=October 2009}}</ref><ref name="MTA-BronxTale-Bx12SBS">{{cite web|title=A Bronx Tale: Bus Rapid Transit in New York City|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/docs/Bx12SBS-Presentation.ppt|website=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]], [[New York City Department of Transportation]]|access-date=January 8, 2016}}</ref> Both models allow customers to purchase any type of MetroCard through a [[touchscreen]]. The machines also comply with the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]], through use of [[Braille]] and a [[headphones|headset]] jack: audible commands for each menu item are provided once a headset is connected and the proper sequence is keyed through the keypad; all non-visual commands are then entered via the keypad instead of the touchscreen. The MEMs and MVMs are geared to allow a maximum of 2 transactions per day when payment is made by either credit or debit card.  PATH fare vending machines (only in PATH stations) can dispense MetroCards.  MetroCards that have expired can be exchanged using a MVM or MEM if done within one year of the expiration date printed on the back of the card.  This is done by using the Refill option on the machine screen.  Any cash value that is left on the expired card will be transferred to the new card.  No fee is charged for a new MetroCard in this instance.

===MetroCard bus and van===
[[File:NYC Transit MetroCard bus 8319.jpg|thumb|MetroCard bus]]
[[File:MTA (New York) MetroCard Sales van.jpg|thumb|A MetroCard sales van]]
A number of MetroCard sales vans and a MetroCard bus (a retired bus converted for sales duty) routinely travel to specific locations in [[New York City]] and [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]], stopping for a day (or half a day) at the announced locations. MetroCards can be purchased or refilled directly from these vehicles. Reduced-fare MetroCard applications can also be processed on the bus, including taking photographs for these cards.

The MetroCard van serves all five boroughs and Westchester County, while the MetroCard bus serves Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and parts of Brooklyn.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcbus.htm|title=MTA/New York City Transit – MetroCard Bus and Van|work=mta.info}}</ref>

===Neighborhood MetroCard merchants===
Vendors can apply to sell MTA fare media at their business. Only presealed, prevalued cards are available, and no fee is charged. A comprehensive listing of neighborhood MetroCard merchants can be found on the MTA website.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tripplanner.mta.info/metrocardmerchants/|title=MetroCard Merchant Locator|website=tripplanner.MTA.info|access-date=September 29, 2016|archive-date=September 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925225647/http://tripplanner.mta.info/metrocardmerchants/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/metrocard/merchant_selling.htm|title=MTA/New York City Transit – Selling MetroCard|website=MTA.info|access-date=September 29, 2016}}</ref>

===Commuter railroad ticket vending machines===
Ticket vending machines (TVMs) for the MTA's two commuter railroad systems, [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad]], offer the option to purchase combined tickets/passes and MetroCards. A $5.50 MetroCard is available with a round-trip ticket, and a $50 MetroCard is available with a monthly pass. In addition, the machines sell separate $25 MetroCards. TVMs at [[Jamaica station]] and Penn Station sell [[AirTrain JFK]] monthly passes on the back of LIRR tickets. All cards sold from these machines are of thick paper stock, not the normal plastic.

Beginning in 2007, with the start of the [[S89 (New York City Bus)|S89 bus]] service, a combined [[Hudson–Bergen Light Rail]] (HBLR) monthly pass and monthly MetroCard became available at [[NJ Transit]] ticket vending machines at HBLR stations.

==Future==
In 2006, the MTA and Port Authority announced plans to replace the magnetic strip with [[smart cards]].

On July 1, 2006, MTA launched a six-month pilot program to test the new contact-less [[smart card]] fare collection system, initially ending on December 31, 2006, but extended until May 31, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mastercard.com/us/paypass/subway/about/faqs.html#nq1 |title=The NYC Subway Trial – FAQs (MasterCard) |access-date=February 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204112610/http://www.mastercard.com/us/paypass/subway/about/faqs.html#nq1 |archive-date=December 4, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This program was tested at all stations on the [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]] and at four stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. The testing system utilized [[Citibank]] [[MasterCard]]'s [[Paypass]] keytags.<ref>{{cite news |title=MTA Launches Smart Card Trial Program |url=http://ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/top_stories/?SecID=1000&ArID=60917 |work=NY1 |date=July 11, 2006 |access-date=October 19, 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712085016/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/60917/mta-launches-smart-card-trial-program-|archive-date=July 12, 2012 }}</ref> This smart card system was intended to ease congestion near the fare control area by reducing time spent paying for fare. MTA and other transportation authorities in the region said they would eventually implement it system-wide.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wnbc.com/news/9496669/detail.html |title=Subway 'Smart Cards' Program Begins |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714025236/http://www.wnbc.com/news/9496669/detail.html |archive-date=July 14, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=188195&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1 |title=Smart Cards for the Subways |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621065236/http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=188195&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1 |archive-date=June 21, 2008 }}</ref>

=== OMNY ===
{{main|OMNY}}
In October 2017, MTA signed a $573 million contract with [[Cubic Transportation Systems]] for [[OMNY]] (short for One Metro New York), a new fare payment system. This will use the [[Contactless smart card|contactless]] payment system, with riders waving or tapping credit or debit [[bank card]]s, [[smartphone]]s, and/or MTA-issued [[contactless smart card|smart cards]] to pay their fare.<ref name=":3" /> This contactless system was originally developed by [[Transport for London]] at a cost of £11 million (at the time equivalent to around $14 million),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/londons-contactless-system-to-power-new-yorks-subway-bus-and-rail-journeys/|title=London's contactless fares system to power New York's subway, bus and rail journeys|date=October 25, 2017|last=Hoscik|first=Martin|work=MayorWatch|access-date=November 20, 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref> before being licensed to [[Cubic Transportation Systems|Cubic]] for worldwide sale.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/july/licencing-london-s-contactless-ticketing-system|title=Licencing London's contactless ticketing system |website=Transport for London|language=en|access-date=November 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032915/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/july/licencing-london-s-contactless-ticketing-system|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> MTA expects to spend at least six years rolling out the system, with new electronic readers and vending machines.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rivoli |first1=Dan |last2=Gregorian | first2=Dareh |date=April 12, 2016 |title=MTA to solicit proposals for 'New Fare Payment System,' taking first step in finding MetroCard replacement |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-takes-step-replacing-metrocard-article-1.2598346 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=November 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=MTA Looks to Replace MetroCard With System Using 'Contactless Media' | website=NBC New York | date=April 13, 2016 | url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NYC-MTA-to-Replace-MetroCard-New-Contactless-Media-Fare-System--375504081.html | access-date=November 30, 2016}}</ref> The new fare system would be rolled out on a limited basis in May 2019. By 2024, the MetroCard would be phased out entirely.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/metrocard-fare-payment-1.19188463|title=MetroCards to start tapping out in May|date=June 13, 2018|last=Barone|first=Vincent|website=am New York|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name="MTA-CPOC-Nov2018">{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/181113_1400_CPOC.pdf|title=Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting November 2018|date=November 13, 2018|access-date=November 10, 2018|publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]|page=103}}</ref>

==<span class="anchor" id="Fraud and scams"></span> Unauthorized resale and scams==
{{Main|New York City transit fares#Fare evasion}}
The MetroCard system is susceptible to various types of unauthorized resale, colloquially known as "selling swipes".

At times, this may involve individuals charging to swipe another commuter into the subway system at a discount below the official fare, either by using an "unlimited ride" MetroCard, or by manipulating a spent MetroCard to obtain an extra, unpaid ride. A 2004 press release from New York State Senator [[Martin J. Golden]] claims these behaviors cost the MTA $260,000 a year.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=[[Martin Golden]]|date=November 8, 2004|title=Golden: Assembly Inaction Allows MetroCard Swipe Scam to Continue in New York|url=http://senatorgolden.com/press_archive_story.asp?id=9707|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050107032358/http://senatorgolden.com/press_archive_story.asp?id=9707|archive-date=January 7, 2005}}</ref>

So-called 'swipers' reportedly may secure customers by maliciously damaging the coin and bill acceptor mechanisms of metrocard vending machines <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/03/nyregion/03subway.html |first=Michael |last=Luo |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 3, 2004 |title=MetroCard Dispensers Breaking Down, Victims of Tampering and Their Own Success |access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> Nearly half of broken vending machines were in Manhattan, and the MTA spent $26.5 million on MVM repairs as of 2017.<ref name="Stewart 2018">{{cite web|last=Stewart|first=Nikita|date=June 17, 2018|title=Selling MetroCard Swipes Remains Illegal, and a Way of Life|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/nyregion/metrocard-swipes-arrests.html|access-date=August 22, 2019|website=The New York Times}}</ref> An 18-minute delay between uses of an "unlimited ride" MetroCard at any given station, and the expense of unlimited ride MetroCards, have historically limited their use for selling swipes.

More commonly, "swipers" use a technique which involves bending a spent MetroCard in a precise way that then allows a further use of that MetroCard when swiped and unkinked according to a specific procedure at a turnstile.<ref name=":7" /> Swipers employ this procedure to sell discount entry to the subway; some riders simply use the technique to garner free subway entry themselves. The bend purportedly damages the magnetic stripe on the MetroCard which indicates it no longer has value, prompting the turnstile reader to defer to a back-up field which indicates that the metrocard has one remaining fare.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|last=Chan|first=Sewell|date=2009-05-01|title=Appeal Fails in Forgery of MetroCard|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/nyregion/01metrocard.html|access-date=2021-01-05|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>  When the technique was discovered, it could be performed an unlimited number of times with the same MetroCard.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rutenberg|first=James|date=January 10, 1998|title=TA Seeks Card Fix That Isn't Bad Deal|work=Daily News|url=|access-date=}}</ref> However, a software correction soon limited the technique to just once per used MetroCard, in which a turnstile computer which had deferred to that "backup" field would require the MetroCard be swiped additional times through the reader/writer before granting entry so any lingering indication of value could be deleted from the card, making it impossible to manipulate a given MetroCard in the same way once again.<ref name=":7" />

Criminal charges leveled against those using this bent-MetroCard technique have included petit larceny and, in a state law introduced specifically to target swipers in the year 2006, with "unauthorized sale of transportation services." As early as 2001, however, police and prosecutors began to charge people bending MetroCards to seek free rides (either to sell, or for personal use) with various forms of forgery.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Noah McClain {{!}} CDCS Website|url=https://cdcs.asc.upenn.edu/noah-mcclain/|access-date=2021-01-05|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Stewart 2018" />

While misdemeanor forgery charges have been used in a number of jurisdictions, the [[New York County District Attorney|Manhattan District Attorney's Office]] championed felony forgery charges for those in possession of manipulated metrocards, including "criminal possession of a 'forged instrument' in the 2nd Degree", a felony.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|last=McClain|first=Noah|date=2019-10-20|title=Caught inside the black box: Criminalization, opaque technology, and the New York subway MetroCard|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2019.1644410|journal=The Information Society|volume=35|issue=5|pages=251–271|doi=10.1080/01972243.2019.1644410|s2cid=199843890|issn=0197-2243}}</ref> A representative of that office successfully defended the charge to the state's highest court, the [[New York Court of Appeals|New York State Court of Appeals]], in a case decided in 2009.<ref name=":8" /> Critics have argued, however, that the court's decision is based on an incomplete—and possibly incorrect—understanding of MetroCard technology, calling to question the status of a bent metrocard as a "forged instrument". The MetroCard technology has no public documentation, and has never been made available to criminal defendants who might dispute claims that a simple bend to a MetroCard alters its data as read by a turnstile computer in the way claimed by Manhattan prosecutors. It is unclear, for example, why a bent MetroCard cannot be used to obtain an unpaid ride on a New York City bus if simply bending a MetroCard can actually alter how it is read by a subway turnstile computer as prosecutors claim.<ref name=":7" /> One researcher has argued that a bent MetroCard must be subject to further procedures in order to be seen by the turnstile computer as legitimate, which requires both concealing data from the turnstile computer with a bend, as well as having fresh data written to the MetroCard by the turnstile computer itself. Because a bent MetroCard will not actually appear legitimate to a turnstile computer without further steps to allow the turnstile computer to write that fresh data, this casts doubt on the claim that a bent MetroCard – often cited as evidence in the prosecutions of swipers – actually constitutes a "forged instrument" as defined in New York State law.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Article 170 – NYS Penal Law – Forgery {{!}} Forged Instrument|url=http://ypdcrime.com/penal.law/article170.htm#p170.25|access-date=2021-01-07|website=ypdcrime.com}}</ref>

A $1 fee on new MetroCards imposed in 2013 significantly curtailed the bent-MetroCard form of selling swipes. The fee motivated riders to keep and refill their existing MetroCards, undermining the vast supply of discarded spent MetroCards from which swipers previously drew as their stock-in-trade.<ref name=":7" /> Nonetheless, people continue to sell swipes of bent MetroCards which have been discarded.<ref name="Stewart 2018" />  Swipers continue to be prosecuted under forgery laws, according to research published in 2019.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McClain|first=Noah|date=November 1, 2019|title=An Urban Outcast on the Digital-Legal Frontier|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343163031|journal=The Digital Radical|volume=|pages=|via=Researchgate}}</ref>

The MetroCard has resisted digital duplication through software. The MetroCard has a magnetic stripe, but both the track offsets and the encoding differ from standard [[Magstripe]] cards. It is a proprietary format developed by the contractor Cubic. Off-the-shelf reader/writers for the standard cards are useless to read from or write to MetroCards without mechanical modification and custom software. Self-identified hackers have had success decoding MetroCard data by treating Metrocard contents as sound, and converting its contents to binary using a computer sound card, inferring the role of data fields by comparing MetroCards with known properties, and developing custom Linux software to decode MetroCard data.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://events.ccc.de/congress/2005/fahrplan/events/765.en.html |title=22C3: Magnetic Stripe Technology |date=December 27, 2005}}</ref> Moreover, MetroCard data has been duplicated to other media, also by treating it as sound, using an eight-track tape player. While duplicates may be usable to enter the subway in the short term, they are likely to be invalidated after the AFC database discovers imbalance between fares purchased for a MetroCard with a certain serial number, and fares used from one or more MetroCards bearing that serial number.<ref name=":9" />

==Limited editions==
Over the years, the MTA has issued limited-edition MetroCards in honor of certain events, people, or structures.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2014/may/27/new-york-metro-card-subway-anniversary-designs|title=The New York City MetroCard turns 20 – in pictures|author=Guardian Staff|date=2014-05-27|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-06-18|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

=== Back side designs ===
[[File:DLJ direct metrocard ad 2001.jpg|thumb|2001 MetroCard with corporate advertisement on reverse]]

For much of the MetroCard's history, images were printed only on the back side of MetroCards.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/nyregion/mta-opens-front-of-metrocard-to-advertising.html|title=M.T.A. Opens Front of MetroCard to Advertising|last=Flegenheimer|first=Matt|date=2012-07-18|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-06-18|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> These have included cards with the [[Statue of Liberty]], the [[New York City bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics]], a [[Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum]] exhibit, and the [[Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises|Circle Line]] ferry.<ref name=":4" /> Sporting events have also been commemorated, including the [[Subway Series]],<ref name=":4" /> the [[Super Bowl XLVIII|2014 Super Bowl]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2014/01/09/mta-issues-commemorative-super-bowl-metrocards/4387059/|title=MTA issues commemorative Super Bowl Metrocards|website=lohud.com|language=en|access-date=2019-06-18}}</ref> and the [[2014–15 NBA season|2014–15 season]] of the [[Brooklyn Nets]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-headquarters/brooklyn-nets-celebrate-2014-2015-season-metrocard-branding|title=MTA {{!}} Press Release {{!}} MTA Headquarters {{!}} Brooklyn Nets Celebrate 2014–2015 Season with MetroCard Branding|website=www.mta.info|access-date=2019-06-18}}</ref>

In 2017, the MTA started issuing [[Supreme (brand)|Supreme]]-branded MetroCards at eight subway stations. The Supreme-branded cards were popular, and there were reports that some were resold for hundreds of dollars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supreme-metro-cards-have-nyc-shook_n_58ac9be7e4b02eb3a982ffad|title=Supreme-Branded Metro Cards Have NYC Shook|last=Amatulli|first=Jenna|date=2017-02-21|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-06-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/20/14674604/mta-supreme-metro-cards-nyc-subway-resale|title=The MTA's Supreme-branded MetroCard is a hot commodity|last=Tiffany|first=Kaitlyn|date=2017-02-20|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-06-18}}</ref> The MTA issued MetroCards featuring [[Mariska Hargitay]], the main actor in the TV series ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'', in 2024 to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary.<ref name="Brachfeld 2024 c625">{{cite web | last=Brachfeld | first=Ben | title=MTA selling limited-edition 'Law & Order: SVU' MetroCards featuring Mariska Hargitay for show's 25th anniversary | website=amNewYork | date=April 4, 2024 | url=https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-law-order-svu-metrocards-mariska-hargitay/ | access-date=April 5, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Rahmanan 2024 i770">{{cite web | last=Rahmanan | first=Anna | title=The MTA is releasing a limited-edition 'Law & Order: SVU' MetroCard—here is how to get one | website=Time Out New York | date=April 4, 2024 | url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-mta-is-releasing-a-limited-edition-law-order-svu-metrocard-040424 | access-date=April 5, 2024}}</ref>

=== Front side designs ===
[[File:MTA x WorldPride 2019 - 48055830003.jpg|thumb|left|[[LGBT pride]]-themed MetroCards for [[Stonewall 50 - WorldPride NYC 2019]]]]

The MTA started allowing front side advertising in 2012.<ref name=":5" /> One of the earlier front side designs was an [[I Love New York]] card first sold in October 2013. Three hundred thousand cards were printed in remembrance of [[Hurricane Sandy]] the previous year.<ref>{{cite web|url=//www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/the-mta-will-sell-i-love-ny-metrocards-in-remembrance-of-sandy|title=The MTA will sell "I Love NY" MetroCards in remembrance of Sandy|last=Butterfield|first=Leah|date=October 28, 2013|website=Time Out New York|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref>

Starting in December 2018, the MTA started issuing 250,000 ''[[Game of Thrones]]''-themed MetroCards at [[Grand Central–42nd Street (New York City Subway)|Grand Central–42nd Street]], in honor of the show's [[Game of Thrones (season 8)|final season]]. The cards came in four designs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gothamist.com/2018/12/03/game_of_thrones_metrocards.php|title=Limited Edition 'Game Of Thrones' MetroCards Available At Grand Central Starting Tuesday|date=December 3, 2018|last=Yakas|first=Ben|website=Gothamist|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618005714/https://gothamist.com/2018/12/03/game_of_thrones_metrocards.php|archive-date=June 18, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Game-of-Thrones-MetroCards-NYC-Subways-HBO-501855341.html|title=Limited-Edition 'Game of Thrones' MetroCards Hitting NYC|date=December 4, 2018|website=NBC New York|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref> Starting in May 2019, coinciding with the opening of the Memorial Glade at the [[National September 11 Memorial & Museum]], the MTA issued 250,000 MetroCards with images of first responders at the [[World Trade Center site]] after [[September 11 attacks|9/11]]. The MetroCards were issued at ten subway stations: six in Lower Manhattan and four high-traffic stations in midtown and Brooklyn.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gothamist.com/2019/05/13/limited_edition_metrocards_feature.php|title=Limited Edition MetroCards Feature 9/11 Emergency Responders At Ground Zero|date=May 13, 2019|last=Chung|first=Jen|website=Gothamist|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618005711/https://gothamist.com/2019/05/13/limited_edition_metrocards_feature.php|archive-date=June 18, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-911-museum-metro-cards-20190512-uys2u66xpvcghlmvbqlfrx5spy-story.html|title=New MetroCards pay homage to heroes of Ground Zero recovery efforts before opening of the 9/11 Memorial Glade|last=McShane|first=Larry|date=May 12, 2019|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/nyregion/9-11-metrocards.html|title=MetroCards to Show Vivid Reminder of Ground Zero: Recovery Workers After 9/11 Attacks|last=Rojas|first=Rick|date=2019-05-12|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-06-18|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In June 2019, the MTA celebrated [[Stonewall 50 - WorldPride NYC 2019]] with [[LGBT pride]]-themed MetroCards.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-celebrates-lgbt-pride-with-trains-metrocards-20190614-hd3odbkev5hdvoonrxsjiu2l6q-story.html|title=Everyone on board the Pride train! MTA celebrates LGBTQ culture with Pride-themed trains, MetroCards|first1=Clayton|last1=Guse|first2=Thomas|last2=Tracy|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=June 14, 2019|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref>

In November 2020, the MTA celebrated [[Veterans Day]] with Veterans Day themed MetroCards. The MetroCards were available at six stations: two in Brooklyn, one in Queens, two in Midtown Manhattan, and one in The Bronx.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MTA {{!}} Press Release {{!}} NYC Transit {{!}} MTA Issuing Commemorative MetroCards to Honor Veterans|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/mta-issuing-commemorative-metrocards-honor-veterans|access-date=2020-11-11|website=www.mta.info}}</ref> In 2023, the MTA issued special [[Cam'ron]], [[LL Cool J]], [[Rakim]], and [[Pop Smoke]] MetroCards.<ref>{{cite web | last=Hoeffner | first=Melissa Kravitz | title=How to get NYC’s limited-edition hip-hop MetroCards | website=Time Out New York | date=August 7, 2023 | url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/how-to-get-nycs-limited-edition-hip-hop-metrocards-080723 | access-date=May 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Lamarre | first=Carl | title=New York City Announces Commemorative MetroCards Honoring Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary | website=Billboard | date=August 7, 2023 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/nyc-mta-metrocards-hip-hop-anniversary-ll-cool-j-pop-smoke-1235386329/ | access-date=May 13, 2024}}</ref> In 2024, the MTA issued [[Ice Spice]] MetroCards to celebrate the launch of Ice Spice's first album.<ref>{{cite web | last=Brachfeld | first=Ben | title=Ice Spice MetroCards available to commemorate Bronx rapper’s forthcoming debut album | website=amNewYork | date=May 12, 2024 | url=https://www.amny.com/transit/ice-spice-metrocards-available/ | access-date=May 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Ice Spice: NYC MTA announces commemorative MetroCard for the Bronx rapper and native | website=ABC7 New York | date=May 12, 2024 | url=https://abc7ny.com/post/ice-spice-nyc-mta-announces-commemorative-metrocard-for-the-bronx-rapper-and-native/14804469/ | access-date=May 13, 2024}}</ref> That May, the MTA announced that two final front-side MetroCard designs would be issued, as the MTA was in the process of retiring the MetroCard itself.<ref name="Brachfield p558">{{cite web | last=Brachfeld | first=Ben | title=MTA will end promotional MetroCards as retirement and replacement by OMNY beckons | website=amNewYork | date=May 15, 2024 | url=https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-end-promotional-metrocards-omny/ | access-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref> The second-to-last commemorative card was themed to [[Olivia Rodrigo]] and was sold starting in October 2024.<ref>{{cite web | last=Weaver | first=Shaye | title=You can grab a limited-edition Olivia Rodrigo MetroCard starting on Monday | website=Time Out New York | date=October 25, 2024 | url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/you-can-grab-a-limited-edition-olivia-rodrigo-metrocard-starting-on-monday-102524 | access-date=October 26, 2024}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}
* {{official website|http://web.mta.info/metrocard/}}

{{MTA (New York)}}
{{NYCS navbox}}
{{MTA Regional Bus (New York)}}
{{PATH (rail system)}}

[[Category:Fare collection systems in the United States]]
[[Category:Bus transportation in New York City]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1993]]
[[Category:Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]
[[Category:New York City Subway fare payment]]
[[Category:Vending machines]]
[[Category:MTA Regional Bus Operations]]
[[Category:PATH (rail system)]]

[[de:New York City Subway#Tokens und MetroCard]]