© Jason Briscoe・Unsplash License

United States

New York

Yellow cabs thread the skyscraper canyons. The subway runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

New York City Subway (the subway)

No ticket to buy: tap your own contactless card or phone on the OMNY reader and ride for $3 - on credit cards even JCB and UnionPay work. There is no unlimited pass; keep tapping the same card and seven days cap at $35.

Updated on August 2, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Tap your card at the turnstile
    Hold your contactless card or phone against the OMNY reader on the turnstile. When the screen says GO, push through the bar.
  2. 2
    No contactless card? Buy an OMNY Card
    Every station has vending machines that sell and reload the OMNY Card. They take cash and internationally issued cards.
  3. 3
    Check the direction before the platform
    Trains are named by number or letter. In Manhattan, Uptown means north and Downtown means south - pick the right entrance stair.
  4. 4
    Don't tap on the way out
    Just push through the bar or door on the way out. There is no exit reader and nothing more is charged.
  5. 5
    Use the same card to transfer to a bus
    Within two hours of tapping in, the same card gets you one free transfer to a bus. Switch cards and it counts as a new trip.
  6. 6
    Check the map before a late-night ride
    Trains run all night, but overnight routes and stops differ. Check the MTA app or the station notices before you ride.

Fares

Single fares2

Subway / SIR single ride (base fare)
Flat, whatever the distance; local buses and the Roosevelt Island Tram cost the same. Revised January 4, 2026
3 USD ≈ $3
Single-Ride OMNY ticket (paper)
A paper one-ride ticket from the vending machines, valid two hours, with no subway-to-bus transfer
3.5 USD ≈ $4

Fare caps1

7-day fare cap (subway + local bus)
Only if you keep tapping the same card or device; a week including an express bus uses the $67 cap instead
35 USD ≈ $35

Card itself1

OMNY Card itself (station vending machine)
An intro price, rising to $2 when MetroCard acceptance ends; retailers charge $5 with $4 of travel credit
1 USD ≈ $1

Children & discounts1

Child 44 inches (about 112cm) or under
Free, up to three children per fare-paying adult; a child travelling alone is not covered
0 USD

Estimates use exchange rates as of September 5, 2026

Notice on a Metro-North ticket machine: it stopped selling MetroCard in May 2025 — tap to ride the subway or city buses instead Taken Oct 2025 © Tessa Bury・CC BY 4.0

Payment

Tap to ride
DiscoverVISAMastercardJCBAmex銀聯
Tap straight on the gate - physical cards and phone wallets both work
IC card
The OMNY Card, sold at vending machines in every station and hundreds of shops
App tickets
No official app sells subway fares - the MTA app is for trips, not tickets
Paper tickets
Just the Single-Ride ticket from machines; MetroCard is no longer sold
Cash
Only at vending machines to buy or reload a card - never at the gate

Quick facts

Hours
24/7, year-round
Fares from
3 USD+

Heads-up

  • Tapping your whole wallet charges the first card read

    Tap your whole wallet on the reader and OMNY charges whichever card it reads first. Take the card you mean to use out of the wallet before you tap.

  • PATH is a different operator and takes no OMNY Card

    PATH, the line under the Hudson to New Jersey, looks exactly like a subway but is a different operator. Your OMNY Card won't work and no free transfer or 7-day cap carries over; a contactless bank card does work, but through PATH's own TAPP system at PATH's own fare.

Timetable

Operating hours 24/7, year-round
Typical duration The backbone of getting around town - immune to traffic, and it never shuts
Check the official site for the latest times and service status

Route map

26 lines ·458 stations
© OpenStreetMapOpenMapTilesData (ODbL)