Here's How To Pay For Subway Rides With Your Phone

NEW YORK — Out with the old, in with the OMNY. That's the name the MTA has given the new tap-to-pay fare system that will eventually replace the MetroCard — and straphangers will give it a test starting Friday.

Riders may have noticed glowing screens attached to the turnstiles at a handful of subway stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. That's where they will be able to hold their credit cards or cellphones to pay fares during the first phase of the rollout for OMNY, which stands for "One Metro New York."

The launch of the new system marks the beginning of the end for the MetroCard, which straphangers have used to swipe through the turnstiles for more than a quarter-century. But the technology will catch New York City's public transit system up with with other big cities such as London, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Here's what straphangers need to know at the start of a new era for the subway.

Where Can I Use OMNY?

Riders will be able to use the tap-to-pay technology on the 4, 5 and 6 lines from Grand Central Terminal in Midtown to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It will also be active on all Staten Island buses.

The MTA plans to expand the system to the entire subway system and all bus routes by late 2020, and it's expected to hit the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad in 2022.

How Does OMNY Work?

OMNY is a contactless payment system that uses near-field communication, a radio-based technology that allows electronic devices such as smartphones to interact with each other.

To use the system, straphangers just have to hold their smartphone or credit card up to the reader on the turnstile. The screen will then say "go" if the payment was accepted or give another message if the transaction does not work.

The system will work with contactless credit cards, which bear a symbol with four curved lines. Riders can also use smartphones or wearable devices with enabled digital wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay and Fitbit Pay. The MTA also says its own contactless transit card will be available starting in 2021.

How Much Does It Cost?

Rides bought through OMNY will cost $2.75 apiece, just like with the MetroCard. But straphangers can only pay per ride until the technology is rolled out across the entire subway and bus system.

That means weekly and monthly unlimited passes won't be available in the beginning, but riders can still load them onto their MetroCards and swipe in as they currently do.

If you have a Mastercard, you're in luck — the company says it will refund cardholders for up to two subway rides bought through OMNY each Friday in June and July.

When Will The MetroCard Disappear?

The swipe-able subway pass will stick around in 2023. That's when the MTA says all "comparable fare options" will be available through OMNY.