What is a MetroCard?
The MetroCard is a refillable fare holder. When you buy a new MetroCard, there is a $1 surcharge in addition to the amount you’ve put into the card. Depending upon your needs, there are several options to choose from when selecting a MetroCard. There’s the Single Ride which costs $2.75 and is only available at vending machines. You can opt for the Pay-per-Ride card if you’re going to occasionally travel by public transportation. Lastly there’s the Unlimited ride option if you’re planning on riding the rails frequently weekly or monthly. A good thing about the latter two options is that they can both be put on the same card meaning you have the choice of adding value or adding time to your MetroCard. The time added will be used before the value added. For example, if you buy a 7-day unlimited card and subsequently add a dollar amount of $10.00 to your card, the week of unlimited rides would have to expire before the dollar amount would be used. The base fare is $2.50 per ride. When you add $5 or more to your card, you receive a five percent bonus. Unlimited rides cost $30 for a seven day pass or $112 for a 30 day pass.
Pay-per-Ride cards allow up to four customers to use the same card in one trip. Unlimited card users only allow one customer to use a card at a time. After an Unlimited card is swiped, the user has to wait 18 minutes until it can be used again. Unlimited cards are insured if they are lost. Just be sure you hang on to your receipt.
How Can I Pay for a MetroCard?
MetroCard Vending Machines inside Subway stations take cash, ATM cards, and credit cards.
MetroCard Vending Machines can only return $6 change, and do so with dollar coins.
Subway Station Booths only accept cash for purchase of MetroCards.
How Do I Know How Much Time/Money is Left on My MetroCard?
When you swipe a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard through a Subway turnstile, you will see the remaining balance displayed.
MetroCard Readers are available at Station Booths and in Subway Stations and if you swipe your card through, it will display the expiration date for Unlimited Ride fare, as well as the remaining balance on your Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard.
