How To Buy and Choose Your MetroCard: NYC Guide

Traveling to New York? You’ll probably need a MetroCard! The reusable ticket for New York’s public transportation system may seem like nothing more than a flimsy piece of paper, but that yellow ticket is quite the iconic symbol for NYC tourism.

Before you travel to NYC, make sure you know everything there is to know about buying and using a MetroCard, as there are a few different tickets to choose from. Don’t be intimidated, though, it’s quite simple. 

Here’s a handy guide to getting a New York City MetroCard.

What is a MetroCard?

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A MetroCard is your gateway to public transportation in New York. This is your ticket to get on the subway, buses, local rail, and more. 

Specifically, here’s everything you can access with your MetroCard:

• MTA regional buses (not express buses)
• New York City Subway
• Metro North’s Hudson Rail Link
• Staten Island Railway
• PATH train
• Roosevelt Island Tramway
• AirTrain at JFK Airport
• Nassau Inter-County Express
• Bee-Line Bus

Reasons to get a MetroCard

There are plenty of reasons to get a MetroCard, but the primary reason is that it is going to get you to the major tourist spots you’ll want to see while you’re visiting the city. 

For example, all of the below are easily reachable by public transportation and, thus, your MetroCard:

• The Wall Street Charging Bull
• The 9/11 Memorial
• Central Park
• Madison Square Garden
• The Empire State Building
• Rockefeller Center

Honestly, with a little bit of walking, you can get anywhere in Manhattan with your MetroCard! It’ll also get you to a lot of places in the other boroughs as well (and beyond).

Benefits of a MetroCard

The easiest way to get around New York is by public transportation. While it’s fun to be driven around in a taxi, the price will add up quickly, and the time sitting in traffic will start to wear on you — especially if you don’t have a lot of time to spare. 

The subways are usually efficient and go almost everywhere you need to go. The trains can even connect you to major airports, including JFK and Newark (for LaGuardia, you’ll have to connect to a bus, but that’s easy!). 

With a MetroCard, you have access to all of this transportation, and if you buy an Unlimited Ride (more on this in a minute), you may even save some money by the end of your trip. 

Plus, traveling by subway is part of the New York experience. It’s how we New Yorkers get around — and that’s one of the reasons it’s part of our NYC in a Day Tour. 

That’s right. You’ll need your MetroCard if you join us on this six-hour tour of the city so you can hop on the subway at beautiful Grand Central Terminal. Of course, if you don’t have a card yet, your guide will help you get one on the tour — and then you can use it for the rest of your trip!

Where to buy your MetroCard

You can buy tickets at most subway stops, which have vending machines. There are also MTA staffers who can assist you at some stops. 

Keep in mind, not every subway entrance will have a kiosk available to purchase or refill your card. Look out for the entrances that say “Enter with or buy a MetroCard at all times.” That means there is an opportunity to buy or refill before you have to swipe.

Types of MetroCards and what they cost

Depending on how frequently you think you’ll use your MetroCard, you can purchase Single Ride, Pay-Per-Ride, or Unlimited Ride MetroCards.

Single Ride

Single Ride tickets are available at MetroCard machines, and they cost $3.25. These are ideal if you know you just need one ride and you don’t want to put the minimum amount on a MetroCard. 

These tickets also don’t look like a standard Metrocard (they’re white). Keep in mind that you cannot transfer between the subway and a bus with this ticket.

Pay-Per-Ride 

Each ride on a NYC subway or bus costs $2.90 per ride for each individual. The vending machine will present several amounts you can choose to add to your MetroCard, or you can add your own amount. 

You can add money as you go, and there’s no limit to the amount of times you can refill. The minimum that you must add to a MetroCard is $5.80.

Unlimited Ride 

The 7-Day and 30-Day passes will give you unlimited access to the subways or buses for seven and 30 days, respectively. You can swipe as many times as you want throughout the day. 

Unlike the Pay-Per-Ride, you cannot share this between people. Once you swipe, you can’t use the card again for 18 minutes. The 7-Day is $34 and the 30-Day is $132. 

You can combine time and value on the same card, but time will always be the default. So if you have a $5 balance on a 7-Day MetroCard, the swipes will be taken from the 7-Day pass until those days are up, then it will go into the $5.

OMNY

OMNY, or One Metro New York, is the contactless payment system that uses an OMNY card, your tap-to-pay credit card or your smartphone at the turnstile. You can buy OMNY cards at vending machines for $5 (though sometimes you’ll find them on sale for $1). If you skip the OMNY card and use your own credit card or phone, you don’t have to pay the surcharge. 

With OMNY, after you pay for 12 rides in one seven-day period, all subsequent rides during those seven days are free. 

New MetroCard surcharge

There’s a $1 surcharge on new MetroCards. If you’re traveling in a group but not traveling frequently enough to justify purchasing an Unlimited Ride card, consider sharing one MetroCard. That way, you won’t have to pay the surcharge multiple times. The card can be split among four people, so if you have more than four in your group you will have to buy two separate cards and fill them accordingly.

Local tip: Every so often, the MTA will do special themed MetroCards for an event in the city, like a concert or celebration. In 2024, New York had special MetroCards for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the Olivia Rodrigo concerts, and more. You can get these at specific vending machines, which you can learn about on the MTA’s Instagram. They make a great souvenir!

See you in New York soon!

Getting around New York may sound tricky, but I promise it’s not! If you ever feel a bit lost, don’t be afraid to ask a New Yorker for help — I promise we’re nice people who are happy to help. We hope to see you in New York soon, and we hope to see you on one of our tours when you arrive. Once you’ve mastered the New York City subway system, you can sail on down to Lower Manhattan where our Statue of Liberty tours depart from Battery Park or zip up to the Upper East Side for our Met Tour. Wherever you want to travel, your MetroCard will help get you there!