NYC Transit EasyPayXPress MetroCard
Soon the MTA will post a press release to talk about their EasyPayXpress Metrocard which automatically refills itself. Here are the details of that press release:
The last lazy days of summer have given way to a return to the hectic pace of work, school, after-school activities, sports and studying. While it’s going to take a few weeks for parents and students to get used to the new “old” routine, commuters can still ‘take it easy’ when it comes to purchasing their fares for local and express bus and subway service by enrolling in MTA New York City Transit’s EasyPayXpress MetroCard program.
EasyPayXpress MetroCard is a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard that automatically refills itself. Originally designed with express bus customers in mind, EasyPayXpress MetroCards are proving popular among riders who use the subway and local buses. Enrollment in EasyPayXpress has grown steadily in 2008, from slightly more than 4,400 at the beginning of the year, to more than 10,500 and counting, with most of that growth occurring since March. While the majority of trips taken with EasyPayXpress MetroCard are express bus trips, riders’ use of the card for exclusively local subway and bus trips has grown significantly.
“Last year at this time, only 14-percent of EasyPayXpress accounts were exclusively local bus and subway trips. That number has tripled this year, to where 46-percent of EasyPayXpress accounts are exclusively local,” said Paul J. Fleuranges, Vice President of Corporate Communications for NYC Transit. “That shows us that our customers have become increasingly familiar with linked programs, which in the case of EasyPayXpress is a more convenient and user-friendly way to pay for their fares.”
With EasyPayXpress, riders can scratch those recurring MetroCard purchases off their to-do list for two years; signing up is simple and convenient. Customers simply link a debit or credit card to their EasyPayXpress MetroCard account, so they never run out of rides.
When riders go the Easy Way with EasyPayXpress:
• No more waiting in line at vending machines or station booths.
• No more worrying about leftover balances on pay-per-ride cards; it never runs out of rides.
• No loss to the customer if the card is lost or stolen.
• No more multiple card purchases—customers sign up once and never think about it again.
• Account balances can be viewed online at any time.
When customers apply online for the card, NYC Transit will charge $40 to their credit or debit card in order to fill the EasyPayXpress MetroCard account. Plus, they’ll receive the 15% bonus, so the card starts off with $46 in value. The EasyPayXpress MetroCard works like any other Pay-Per-Ride card, except users never have to worry about running out of rides. When the card balance reaches $30, it triggers an automatic $40 refill.
Customers can apply for EasyPayXpress MetroCard by visiting www.mta.info. Once they link the EasyPayXpress account to a credit or debit card, they can begin using the card as soon as it arrives in the mail. Easy Pay. It’s the Easy Way.
I have not tried this new service but it seems promising. My only complaint would be the amount that triggers an automatic refill. I feel the current trigger balance price of $30 is quite high. I feel a better amount to trigger the automatic refill would be in the $10-$20 range.
xoxo Transit Blogger
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
The card expires (how odd) and just stopped working. Maybe my fault for not noticing, but when I checked in with the help line, the recorded message says I should get a new card 2 weeks before the old one expires. One full month later, I can’t ever get through to the help line (after 30-45 min holding, they just disconnect) and I have tried daily . I have emailed daily also, and have gotten no reply. I tried also contacting MTA corporate office. So I am out 30$ that is still on my card. My credit card company says that the charge is too old to dispute, and MTA simply can’t be contacted or wont respond. It is also impossible to cancel the autopay – you can only update credit cards. So if you should decide you want to stop the service, you can’t recoup the money on the card because once you go below you refill level it will automatically charge you again