This year’s Times Square Ball Drop marked not only the end of 2025, but also the end of the MetroCard. Now, New Yorkers must use their credit, debit, or One Metro New York (OMNY) card to navigate the city aboard Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) trains and buses. While some residents welcome the transition away from the notoriously finicky MetroCard, the speed and convenience of the OMNY system comes at a cost: privacy.
While only 4 percent of fares were paid via OMNY before the pandemic, usage quintupled by 2021, and the Spring 2025 Customers Count Survey showed more than half of subway riders primarily used OMNY—84 percent of whom reported satisfaction with the payment option. Only 30 percent used a pay-per-ride or unlimited MetroCard, according to the survey.
Like its predecessor, passengers may transfer money to a physical OMNY card using cash or card at machines located throughout the subway system and at some retailers. Like MetroCards, OMNY can be used anonymously when purchased and reloaded with cash…