over the decades the nyc subway has gone through an evolution of payment methods
it started out with tickets then coins then a variety of tokens and then the metrocard and
now a contactless payment system eventually the metrocard which has been in use since the 90s
will be phased out in favor of these contactless readers so that we're not far behind the times
in this video we are going to talk about this new method of payment
the one metro new york payment system we are going to discuss the plan for the omni system
how to use this reader cover fare capping transfers how it works for multiple writers
and notes for tourists welcome to urban caffeine if you like new yorking hit that like button
one metro new york or omni is a payment system that new york is phasing into becoming
the method of payment for subways buses the lirr and the metro north commuter rails
while the subways and buses run within the confines of the new york city area the long
island railroad and the metro north go beyond it currently these readers have been installed
in the subways and buses only eventually the lirr and metro north will have them too right
now we're in this weird time period where both the omni readers and metro cards are being used
eventually the current metrocard will retire some estimate that the
metrocard will be here at least until 2024 so we've got some time to learn the ropes
the omni readers accept cards and smart devices that have the tap and pay feature
the more globally group term for it is nfc short for near field communication near field meaning
touch free using the omni reader is quite simple just wave your method of payment over the reader
wait a couple seconds until the reader turns green and you are good to go if you don't
have any of these devices and still prefer cold hard cash there's the omni card which we'll talk
about later in another video once that video is available a link will be pinned in the comments
section of this video also subscribe and hit that notification bell so you won't miss future videos
whether you use the omni system or metrocard a cost for a single ride is $2.75 note that the
mta hasn't raised these fair prices on the single ride since 2015 so i wouldn't be surprised if the
price for a single ride goes up anytime soon when using the metrocard a way to save money
is by getting a 7 day or 30 day unlimited rides while the omni system does not offer 7 day or 30
day unlimited for purchase they just started a pilot program for fair capping fair capping is
when passengers get free rides once they meet a certain cap for the case of the omni system
once you've taken 12 rides in a week whether it's bus or subway your rides for the rest of the week
are free this model aligns with the seven day unlimited pass on the metro card a seven day
unlimited is worth 33 dollars with a metro card with the omni reader 12 rides is also 33 dollars
the omni system considers a week as monday to sunday so every sunday at the stroke of midnight
your ride count resets as long as it is the same method of payment the machine will keep track of
how many times that payment method has been used note that the physical card is recognized as
one method and if you program that same card into your device that counts as a completely different
method so however you pay for your ride on monday make sure you use that same method until sunday
but be warned all ye commuters fair capping is a pilot program that is expected to be in place
only for the next four months so until the end of june then the mta will evaluate whether to
keep it permanent or scratch it i'll make sure to pin a comment to this video for any updates
exactly like the metro card within two hours of your last payment you can get a free transfer
from subway to bus bus to subway and bus to bus just make sure to use the same method of payment
say you're traveling with three other people so plus u equals four commuters well you're in
luck because with the omni reader you can use the same method of payment up to four times in one go
but how would that work for fair capping only the first tap will count towards the weekly cap so if
you took two trips and paid for four people you only get two rides credited towards your cap once
you reach the cap of 12 rides and you're still paying for others only the first tap will be free
if you are a tourist here are a few things to consider
if you are staying midweek to midweek say thursday to wednesday then fair capping might not work out
because even if you take the subway more than 12 times in your first few days and enjoy unlimited
rides you will have to start paying for it again come monday in this case if you plan to take the
subway a lot you are better off getting the seven day unlimited with the metro card which
will cover your entire seven days an unlimited metro card starts the first day you use it
using the omni system and taking advantage of fair capping is really only great for solo travelers
or for groups where each person has a credit card or device they can use but for families and other
groups where only one person will be paying for everybody it might be worth looking at getting
everyone an unlimited metrocard if you plan to use the subway a lot it's always worth doing the math
and if you are a foreign tourist with a foreign credit card you might be charged a
foreign transaction fee per charge so you might be paying more than $2.75 per ride
you can get around this again by buying a metro card yes you could get an omni
card but right now these are hard to get and will cost you five dollars
instead of the one dollar for a metro card this channel will have another video that
covers just the omni card so subscribe and hit that notification bell and that's all
folks thanks for watching let me know what you think of the omni system and this in-between
phase that we are in right now until next time thanks so much for watching and happy new yorking