New York subway riders say good-bye to MetroCard

"Now, more than three decades later, the gold-hued fare card and its notoriously finicky magnetic strip are following the token into retirement. The last day to buy or refill a MetroCard is Dec. 31, 2025, as the transit system fully transitions to OMNY, a contactless payment system that allows riders to tap their credit card, phone or other smart device to pay fares, much like they do for other everyday purchases."

"The humble MetroCard may have outlasted its useful life, but in its day it was revolutionary, says Jodi Shapiro, curator at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, which opened an exhibit earlier this month reflecting on the MetroCard's legacy. Before MetroCards, bus and subway riders relied on tokens, the brass-colored coins introduced in 1953 that were purchased from station booths. When the subway opened in 1904, paper tickets cost just a nickel, or about $1.82 in today's dollars."

MetroCard replaced subway tokens in 1994, introducing swipeable plastic fare payment. The card will no longer be sold or refilled after Dec. 31, 2025, as the transit system fully adopts OMNY, a contactless tap-to-pay method usable with credit cards, phones, and smart devices. More than 90% of subway and bus trips are now paid with the tap-and-go system introduced in 2019. Major global cities, including London and Singapore, have used similar systems, and several U.S. cities have launched pay-go contactless options. Before MetroCards, riders used brass tokens introduced in 1953 and, at system opening in 1904, paper tickets costing a nickel.

Read at KOMO