Second Ave. Sagas

MTA debuts EasyPayXPress Unlimited cards

Written by

Benjamin Kabak

in

easypayxpress

I’m a devotee of the 30-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard. I take so many trips around the city that the $81 card basically costs me just over $1.00 a ride. But the 30-day card also leads to some of the more annoying subway moments around.

Picture this: It’s early in the morning, and your subway stop is really crowded. You hear — and see — the train you want pulling in, and you rush to swipe your 30-day card. You step forward…and slam into the turnstile bar. “Insufficient Fare” flashes the LCD display. Your time has expired, and while you try to keep track of when the 30 days are up, no one really marks it on your calendar.

Dejected, you head to the MetroCard Vending Machine and fill up your card. As you trudge down to the platform, it’s too late. That train you wanted was long gone, and you’ll just have to wait for the next one.

But no longer! This subway frustration has been eliminated. The MTA’s EasyPayXPress program — and auto-bill for your MetroCard — now features an unlimited card program. So far, more than 16,000 pay-per-ride users take advantage of the program, and with the debut of unlimited card service, more should do so.

“The addition of an Unlimited card option is the natural next step for the EasyPayXpress Program,” NYC Transit’s VP of Corporate Communications Paul Fleuranges said. “We expect that Unlimited MetroCard users will, as we’ve seen with our Pay-Per-Ride population, appreciate the fact that they never have to worry about their card running out of rides or standing on an MVM line with their credit card or cash to buy a new one.”

Here’s how it works: Straphangers can sign up here for an account. Submit your credit card info, and in a few days, you’ll receive a MetroCard — good for two years — in the mail. The program automatically bills the credit card every 30 days, and the MetroCard will not expire until the 24-month term is up. In effect, it’s a two-year unlimited ride card.

The renewal options are designed for the user as well. It’s easy to switch from an unlimited ride account to a pay-per-ride card. So if you’re going away for a long vacation, you won’t burn the money on an unused unlimited-ride card.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love this program. What’s not to like? It eliminates a key source of underground frustration, and it’s been a long time coming. So check it out.

Comments

12 responses to “MTA debuts EasyPayXPress Unlimited cards”

  1. Judge

    This is brilliant! I don’t see why it’s asked of you to have two credit cards for the unlimited, but the set up otherwise seems perfect. This makes for a fine stop-gap until smart cards come to the MTA.

    Reply
  2. Flooey

    Excellent! My company uses TransitChek for transit benefits, and they’ve long had a year-long unlimited MetroCard that worked like this (every month the price of a 30-day unlimited card is deducted from your paycheck). I was quite surprised that the MTA didn’t offer that to everyone, since it’s so convenient.

    Reply
  3. R2

    Obviously, smart cards are the way to go and I wish that damn trial would be over with and instead go forward w/ implementation.

    BTW, for the 30-day unlimited, I write the expiration date w/ a marker directly on the card. Often do it on the way home when I have more time on my hands.

    Reply
  4. digamma

    Those cards are way too fragile to trust for longer than a few months. Eventually it’ll get one scratch too many and then not only will you annoy the people behind you at the turnstile, you’ll be using Pay-Per-Ride until you can navigate the bureaucracy to get a replacement.

    Reply
    1. Julia

      You’d be surprised. Like the poster above, I have a TransitChek Metrocard that lasts for a whole year. I’m half a year into my third and had no problems at all with the first two. Some of the design started rubbing off, but the magnetic strip was fine.

      Reply
  5. Alon Levy

    Through accident, I ended up with both an unlimited monthly and a pay-per-ride. What I do now is use the unlimited monthly, but keep the pay-per-ride with me so that if the monthly expires and I don’t have time to buy a new one, I can use the pay-per-ride. I can eat the $1.74 for not missing my train.

    Reply
  6. crescent

    What if you lose the card?

    Reply
    1. Benjamin Kabak

      Per the FAQs on the MTA’s site:

      Q. What if my EasyPayXpress MetroCard is lost or stolen?
      A. You must call the EasyPay Account Service Center at 1-877-323-RIDE (7433) immediately. We will deactivate your card to protect you from unauthorized charges. We will also send you a replacement card in the mail.

      Reply
  7. BS

    Two credit cards, huh? No way! In this day and age of bad economy, the MTA wants me to have TWO CARDS??? I DON’T THINK SO!

    Sounds to ME like you are TRYING to make the system onerous for lower income people. In the past, that approach has also proven to be a racist one.

    One credit card is more than enough for:
    • METRO-NORTH RAILROAD!!! (YOUR OWN SUBSIDIARY!)
    • E-ZPass (ANOTHER SUBSIDIARY – WHAT IS IT WITH YOU IDIOTS?)
    • Blue Cross/Blue Shield
    • ATT
    • Verizon
    • Con Edison
    • Cablevision
    • My Insurance Company, Hanover
    • My gym, NYSC
    • Apple iTunes
    • Westy Storage Center (A place for my “stuff”, as G. Carlin put it)

    Get with the program, MTA! You should allow ONE credit card for this new product!

    Reply
    1. Max

      I think this is a horrible program.

      Check out this scenario that actually happened to me.

      I am an infrequent user of the MTA system. I thought it convenient NOT to have to worry about refilling my card so I signed for the EasyPay card. I used it a couple of times and then lost the card (but was unaware of the loss, since I was traveling on business for a few weeks).

      Then, I got my first statement in the mail and I had $250 of usage on the card. I called and canceled the card and the MTA opened up a case number. I was hoping to get some relief from the MTA, but they were super-generous and resolved the case by giving me nothing. Imagine a phone company treating a customer the same way – but the MTA has a monopoly and has to fund their stupendously generous pension obligations

      So, BUYER BEWARE … a card like this which has minimal security features (such as usage limits or email warnings) is a TERRIBLE idea and open to abuse.

      Reply
  8. Paul

    I do find the EasyPay Unlimited plan useful. But has anyone experienced a similar issue when temporarily suspending their Unlimited. I did this for a few months while working exclusively from home and not using the MTA much:

    – Logged in to account on website to suspend Unlimited plan
    – selected Pay-Per-Ride and end date for suspension
    – site charged instant $30, bringing total up to $134 (didn’t expect this)
    – site charged $30 every time balance (past original $104) dropped below $20, resulting in gradually increased balance
    – Logged in to remove suspension, updated end date for suspension
    – site charged yet ANOTHER $30 (totally made no sense)

    Currently, my balance is $177.20. That means I’ll have an extra $73.20 that cannot be touched. I’m afraid to suspend the Unlimited plan again if it means I’ll keep adding to this untouchable surplus.

    I’ve contacted the MTA about this but haven’t got a response yet. Anyone here have any feedback? Thanks.

    Reply
    1. C.

      Yup, I know exactly how you feel, suspending or closing the account is a NIGHTMARE. And no one will ever know until they have to move away from NYC. This feels like such a scam right now. Sigh.. very frustrating

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More posts