Subway and bus in New York: paying, the OMNY Card and fares

Riders pay for the New York subway and buses by tapping (tap and ride): riders tap a bank card, a phone or an OMNY Card on the reader. The system is called OMNY. According to the MTA, riders do not have to sign up or download an app.

This guide covers New York City. The facts come from the official pages of the MTA, the agency that runs the city’s subway and buses, and of OMNY.

In short

One ride on the subway or a local bus costs $3.
According to the MTA, riders can pay directly at the reader with a contactless bank card or a phone. Nothing else is needed.
According to the MTA and OMNY, the OMNY Card is sold at vending machines in every subway station and in stores. It is for riders who have no contactless bank card or who pay in cash.
According to the MTA, the free transfer and the weekly cap ($35 in 7 days) apply only when the rider uses the same card or phone every time.

What it costs

Subway and local buses (local, limited, rush, Select Bus Service): $3.
Express bus: $7.25.
Single-ride ticket from a vending machine (Single-Ride OMNY ticket): $3.50. It costs 50 cents more than a regular ride and is valid for only two hours after purchase. The MTA says it includes a free bus-to-bus transfer, but not a transfer between the subway and a bus.

Weekly cap (fare cap). According to the MTA, a rider pays no more than $35 in 7 days on the subway and local buses when using the same card or phone every time. That pays for 12 rides; any more rides in the same 7 days are free. Express buses are not part of the $35 cap. For a rider who also takes express buses, the cap is $67 in 7 days for subway, local bus and express bus rides together. The 7 days start with the first tap.

Paying

On the subway. According to the MTA, riders tap a card, phone or OMNY Card at the turnstile reader only when they enter. There is no tap on exit.

On the bus. According to the MTA, on local and express buses riders board at the front door and tap at the reader there. On Select Bus Service buses, riders can board at any door, and they pay at the door.

What is accepted. According to OMNY, the readers accept contactless credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay, JCB), phone and watch wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) and the OMNY Card.

A wallet with several cards. OMNY says that when a whole wallet with several cards touches the reader, the fare may be charged to a different card. For that reason OMNY advises taking the card out of the wallet and tapping it on its own.

The OMNY Card: where it is sold and what it costs

The OMNY Card is for riders who have no contactless bank card or who want to pay in cash.

At a subway station vending machine (OMNY vending machine). According to the MTA, every subway station has a vending machine. It sells new cards, reloads cards and shows the balance. The MTA says a new card at the machine costs $1 for now, as a limited-time introductory offer. The machine takes cash, credit and debit cards (international cards too) and phone wallets. The machine gives back at most $9.95 in change.

In a store. According to OMNY, the card is sold and reloaded at Walgreens, CVS, 7-Eleven, CFSC Checks Cashed and many small stores (bodegas) and independent pharmacies. In a store the buyer pays $5 at purchase: the card costs $1, and $4 goes onto the card as travel credit.

OMNY’s official store finder has a “Use my current location” button that shows nearby stores. The link is below.

Reloading the card

With cash: at a subway station vending machine or in a store.
With a card or a phone: at a vending machine.
Online: according to OMNY, riders can reload a card online once they link it to a free OMNY account. The account can also reload the card automatically, so the balance does not fall below a chosen amount.

What the account shows. According to OMNY, the account shows one year of trip and charge history, the balance, and how far the rider is from the weekly cap. OMNY says riders do not have to open an account.

A lost OMNY Card. According to OMNY, a rider can suspend a card linked to an account and move its balance to a new card. Without an account, OMNY says the card’s 18-digit number, CVV and expiration date may help Customer Service recover the balance, and OMNY advises keeping a record of them.

Transfers

According to the MTA, a rider gets one free transfer within two hours of paying: subway to bus, bus to subway, or bus to bus. The MTA says the free transfer applies only when the rider pays with the same card or phone. With a different card or phone, the rider pays the fare again.

A rider who transfers from the subway or a local bus to an express bus pays the difference in fare, the MTA says.

The card and the phone are not the same. According to OMNY, a plastic card on one tap and a phone on the next count as two different payment methods, even when the phone holds the same bank card. OMNY says the rider then gets no free transfer, and the ride does not count toward the weekly cap.

Children and groups

According to the MTA, up to three children under 44 inches (about 112 cm) ride free on the subway and local buses when they are with a fare-paying adult.
According to OMNY, one card or phone can pay for four riders: the owner and up to three more. Each rider is one tap. OMNY says free transfers stay only when all four riders tap at the same reader.
The first tap. According to the MTA, a card or phone used for the first time cannot pay for other riders on that trip: the bank must first approve the payment. The MTA says approval generally takes only a few minutes.
According to OMNY, when one card pays for several people, only the first tap counts toward the weekly cap. The other taps pay the full fare, even after the cap is reached. The MTA says group trips do not count toward the cap. So each rider builds up the cap only by paying with their own card or phone.

Cash and the MetroCard

MetroCard. The MTA says that as of January 1, 2026, a MetroCard can no longer be bought or refilled. The MTA says riders can move the value left on an old MetroCard to an OMNY Card at a Customer Service Center.
Cash on buses. According to the MTA page, local buses still take cash, but only exact change in coins. The same page says that the MetroCard and cash will both stop being accepted at the same time in 2026, and that the exact date will be announced later. Riders can buy and reload an OMNY Card with cash at subway vending machines and in stores.

Discounts

People 65 or older and people with a qualifying disability. Under the MTA’s Reduced-Fare program, they pay half fare, $1.50, on the subway and local buses. Their weekly cap is $17.50.
Low-income households. The city’s Fair Fares NYC program gives a 50% discount on subway and eligible bus fares. The official Fair Fares NYC page explains who qualifies. According to the MTA, 311 gives information on the program, and an application can also be started at a Customer Service Center.

The app

Riders do not need an app to pay. The MTA’s official app, the MTA app, does other things: it shows when a train or bus will arrive, plans trips, sends service alerts, and has a live chat with MTA customer support. It is on iPhone and Android. According to the MTA, the app has a Spanish-language option.

A second official app, TrainTime, is for the commuter railroads (Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North). The MTA says tickets for those trains can be bought in it.

Help

In a station. The MTA’s Customer Service Centers are open day and night. In Brooklyn they are in these stations: 36 St, Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr, Broadway Junction, Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy, Church Av (B and Q lines), Coney Island-Stillwell Av, Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College, Jay St-MetroTech, Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs.
By phone. OMNY Customer Service: 877-789-6669, open day and night.
A vending machine took money but did not load the card. According to OMNY, a station agent helps in that case, and when no agent is there, OMNY Customer Service helps at the number above. OMNY asks for the machine number (in the bottom right corner) and the date, time and station of the payment.
A charge that looks wrong. According to OMNY, a rider can dispute a charge within 180 days.

Common mistakes

Tapping the card one time and the phone the next. OMNY says a rider loses both the free transfer and the weekly cap this way.
Tapping a whole wallet on the reader. OMNY says the fare may be charged to a different card.
Buying a single-ride ticket every time. According to the MTA, it costs 50 cents more and does not include a transfer between the subway and a bus.
Not linking the OMNY Card to an account. According to OMNY, a lost card that is linked to an account can be suspended and its balance moved to a new card.
Expecting a free transfer to the airport train (AirTrain JFK). According to OMNY, transfers between the subway or a bus and AirTrain are not free.

Key terms

Plain meanings. The Georgian word is in brackets.

subway: the city’s underground train system (მეტრო).
OMNY: the payment system for the subway and buses (ომნი).
tap: holding a card or phone against the reader (შეხება).
fare: the price of a ride (საფასური).
fare cap: the weekly limit; after it is reached, rides are free (კვირის ლიმიტი).
transfer: changing from one train or bus to another (გადაჯდომა).
turnstile: the gate at the station entrance with the reader (ტურნიკეტი).
express bus: a more expensive bus that makes fewer stops (ექსპრეს ავტობუსი).
vending machine: the machine that sells and reloads cards (ავტომატი).
reload: adding money to a card (შევსება).
MetroCard: the old card, no longer sold (მეტროქარდი).

All words on one page: glossary (in Georgian).

Official links

Traveling between cities?

Ride listings between cities, posted by Georgians: rides. For a driver with a free seat, posting a ride is free.

This is general information and not legal advice. Fares and rules change. The current rules are on the official pages.