New York City public transport: tickets, passes and apps

For almost every visitor the answer is no ticket at all: use the same contactless card, phone or watch for every ride and let the system stop charging you once you hit the weekly cap. Rides are counted over a rolling 7-day window, not a calendar week, so a Thursday-to-Wednesday trip still earns the cap.

The cap is per card or device, not per person. Two travellers tapping the same physical card are treated as one rider, which is fine for a couple who mostly travel together but wrong if you want each person's rides counted separately — use one card or phone each.

Buy a MetroCard only in two cases: you still pay in cash, or you want the AirTrain JFK discount that comes with a MetroCard purchase. A 7-day unlimited MetroCard is the old alternative and is being retired — check what is still on sale at your station before you plan around it.

Contactless is the default. Hold a physical bank card, phone wallet or watch over the reader at the turnstile or bus farebox; the screen shows a green light and the fare. Foreign cards work if they are contactless and enabled for overseas use — a US$1 pre-authorisation may appear on your statement.

If a card fails, the usual causes are a card that needs a PIN, a phone wallet with no card loaded, or a bank that blocks transit charges abroad. Carry a second contactless card as backup, or buy a MetroCard from a station machine (cards cost US$1 on top of the balance).

Apps: the MTA's own app shows service status and lets you reload a MetroCard; OMNY has its own app and website for managing cards and viewing your cap progress. Third-party trip planners are useful for routing but do not replace the tap.

New York's subway and local buses have no zones: one fare covers the whole city, from the Bronx to Coney Island. That is why a flat fare plus a cap beats any zone-based pass.

Some services sit outside the system and are charged separately: PATH trains between Manhattan and New Jersey, NJ Transit and Metro-North commuter rail, the Long Island Rail Road, and Amtrak. The Roosevelt Island Tram accepts OMNY. Express buses cost more than local buses but count toward the same cap.

Fares are per person, with no child discount on OMNY taps for most visitors; children under 44 inches tall ride free on subway and local bus — check the current rule at the gate.

JFK: the AirTrain loops the terminals and connects to the subway at Jamaica (E, J, Z) and Howard Beach (A), or to the LIRR at Jamaica. The AirTrain costs US$8.50 on exit or entry unless you stay inside the airport loop. Total to Midtown on the subway is roughly US$11.40 and 60–75 minutes.

Newark (EWR): AirTrain to the NJ Transit or Amtrak station, then a train to Penn Station. The AirTrain itself is free; you pay the NJ Transit fare, about US$15–20 depending on destination — check current pricing.

LaGuardia (LGA): no rail link. The Q70 bus is free and connects to the subway and LIRR in Queens; a taxi or ride-hail to Midtown is typically US$35–60 and 30–60 minutes depending on traffic.

Do the maths before buying anything: at US$2.90 a ride, the weekly cap pays for itself after 12 rides, which is about two rides a day for six days. A short trip of four or five rides is cheaper on plain taps.

Tap once per person per ride. The most common mistake is tapping a phone and then a watch from the same wallet, which registers two different cards and splits the count.

Keep a MetroCard only if you want the AirTrain discount or need a cash option. Otherwise the card is a US$1 souvenir you cannot spend anywhere else.

Off-peak is quieter and cheaper for ride-hailing, not for the subway, which costs the same all day. Late nights: use staffed entrances where possible and stay in the front car.