NYC commuters can purchase OMNY cards at dozens of subway stations throughout the city, as the MTA move to phase out MetroCards and introduce the new payment system continues.
Commuters can now buy OMNY cards from 201 machines activated in 87 train stations in every borough except Staten Island. This is a significant increase from the MTA’s pilot program that launched nearly a year ago, when only 10 machines sold the tappable cards in six stations.
The added machines are located in smaller stations and more bustling transportation hubs, including 34 Street/Penn Station, Grand Central, Times Square, Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center, 74 Street/Broadway, and many others.
A complete list of stations can be found at omny.info.
Customers can use cash, credit and debit cards, and digital wallets to purchase an OMNY card. Similar to MetroCards, an OMNY card costs $1, and the cards last up to five years, which is three years longer than newly issued MetroCards. Transit riders can also reload or check balances on their cards at the machines. Refilling OMNY can also be done online after registering a card.
(TIP: New to OMNY? Check out this short video from the MTA on how to use it.)
What New Yorkers are saying about OMNY
The MTA originally planned to outfit all 472 subway stations with OMNY through 2024, but a complete rollout is now scheduled by the middle of next year, an agency spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, some New Yorkers are taking a liking to the new system.
NYC commuter Elena Quinones said she was skeptical of OMNY at first but is now a fan of the system.
“I finally got my OMNY,” she said. “I was apprehensive but got it. It’s always on me. I have it set to automatically refill when it’s low. It works for transfers. It’s good for me.”
Carolyn Ryden, another transit customer, agrees.
“I’ve been using the OMNY card for about a couple of months as a result of my MetroCard malfunctioning due to it getting bent,” she said. “OMNY is so much better for me as I can just scan the card easily and add value whenever I need to, day or night. I no longer have to rush to find a vending machine to add or pay for my rides.”
New Yorkers are also opting for the easy tap-and-go method. This is another convenient option commuters use by tapping their debit or credit card, or digital wallet, on readers installed on all turnstiles and buses since 2020.
MetroCards are still around
For anyone who loves nostalgia, the good news is that the MTA has yet to completely ditch MetroCards. MetroCard machines are still active, though customers have reported issues with machines not accepting cash or credit at the same time.
Currently, OMNY is unavailable on Staten Island, but commuters are finding ways to make due on their public transportation travels into the rest of the city.
“I have been using pay per ride MetroCards,” Dawn Paolillo, a Staten Island commuter, said. “I still have three I need to use. I do know about OMNY, but I may use tap and pay.”
NYC train stations with active OMNY vending machines include: The Port Authority Bus Terminal, Penn Station, Grand Central Station, 34 Street-Herald Square, Lexington Avenue/53 Street in Manhattan; Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike, Rockaway Avenue, 74 Street/Broadway, Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue in Queens; Bay Ridge/95 Street, Jay Stree/MetroTech, Court Street in Brooklyn; and Fordham Road in the Bronx.
