How do I pay for the MTA with my iPhone, Android phone, or Fitbit? So while MTA tap-to-pay cards will eventually appear at kiosks (similar to the yellow swipe Metro cards used by millions of New Yorkers), this likely won’t happen for months. The MTA actually wants to persuade users to stop using dedicated transit cards, and instead rely on their own credit/debit cards and mobile devices.

Can I get a contactless fare card from the MTA? Also note that, for the next few months, Mastercard is offering “ Fareback Fridays,” which means the company will refund you for up to trips you make on Friday if you use one of its cards. She says most consumers will have such a card in the coming months.įor those who don’t want to wait, one workaround is to purchase a pre-paid Mastercard or Visa (one with the tap-to-pay logo of course) from a local drug store. According to Linda Kirkpatrick, an Executive Vice-President at Mastercard, banks and credit card companies are in the process of issuing new cards to many of their customers with the tap-to-pay feature. You can use any credit or debit card, but there is an important catch: The card must have the tap-to-pay symbol (it looks like a WiFi logo) for it to work. How do I tap my debit or credit card to pay for the subway? A person close to the project told Fortune that the MTA will be begin expanding the number of stations in December, and that the “whole system will be lit up” by October of 2020.

The 16-station launch is part of a pilot program, and it will be a while till the rest of the system gets the tap system. When will the rest of the MTA be updated to pay with Fitbits, iPhones, and Android devices?

Mta bus fare