The MetroCard is officially going the way of the subway token.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber announced on Wednesday that the agency will retire the MetroCard by the end of the year. Sales and distribution of the cards will end on Dec. 31, 2025, making way for the full-time use of OMNY, the MTA’s new contactless tap-and-go payment system.
“After 32 years, it’s time to say goodbye to the MetroCard and go all in on the fare payment system of the future,” Lieber said. “Tap-and-go – already the choice for 65% of our riders – is not only easier and more convenient to use, it also opens the door for new discounts and promotions that’ll put money back in riders’ pockets.”
One of those discounts includes free rides. With OMNY, riders automatically receive free, unlimited rides for the rest of the week once they have paid $34 (or $17 for enrolled reduced-fare customers) in fares — the same as taking 12 trips, MTA officials explained.
It seems like only yesterday that the MetroCard hit the transit scene. The MTA rolled out the plastic cards in 1994 as the eventual replacement of metal subway tokens, which were relegated from everyday commuting staples to artifacts of subway history.
Though the MetroCard circle of life is nearing completion, MTA officials said the agency will still accept the cards going into 2026. An official end date is yet to be announced.
The MetroCard’s days are numbered as city straphangers increasingly use OMNY, which can be accessed directly with digital wallets and contactless credit and debit cards.
But there is a bright spot for anyone who will miss slipping their sleek MetroCards back into their wallets after passing through the turnstile. OMNY is available in physical card form, too.
OMNY cards are available for $1 and can be loaded or reloaded at some stores, online, at Mobile Sales Van locations, or at subway stations where OMNY vending machines are currently available.
MTA officials said OMNY vending machines will be available in all 472 subway stations by the fall.
“The tap-and-go system has greatly simplified how to use the MTA and navigate New York City,” NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said. “Tap-and-go has become very popular among subway and bus riders, and for good reason – it is the fastest, easiest, and most convenient way to pay the fare and we encourage any remaining customers to make the switch as soon as possible for a seamless transition.”
Although New Yorkers have embraced OMNY overall, many have trouble saying goodbye to this historic piece of MTA history.
“I’m a creature of habit,” one New Yorker said. “It took me a while to learn how to use the MetroCard and load it, and now it’s going, and I’ll have to figure out OMNY. Not by my choice.”
The MTA is encouraging riders to spend down the value on their MetroCards, though remaining balances will be eligible for transfer or reimbursement two years from the expiration date on the MetroCard.
To transfer funds, riders can bring an OMNY card and their remaining MetroCards to any of the Mobile Van locations, MTA customer service centers located in 15 stations, or to Lower Manhattan at 3 Stone St.
