MTA Partners with Iconic Culinary Vendors to Celebrate End of the MetroCard

MTA to Sunset MetroCard Sales at End of the Year

Tap-And-Ride Fare Technology Available Today to All Subway and Bus Customers

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today unveiled its MetroCard farewell campaign, a months-long celebration designed to honor the legacy of the MetroCard while ushering riders into the era of tapping. By partnering with iconic New York food vendors, the MTA is marking the MetroCard's place in New York City history, while embracing tap-and-ride payment.

"We're sending the MetroCard off in style with a farewell campaign that is worthy of an icon by partnering with some of the City's most celebrated food vendors," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "MetroCard has served us well, but we're excited for the future of tap-and-ride."

"Over the last 30 years, New Yorkers have made the MetroCard part of the City's culture," said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. "It is our job to create a product that makes it more convenient and accessible for riders. We saw that with the MetroCard, and tap-and-ride expands on those benefits."

"As someone who's been at the MTA for 28 years, I've seen fare products come and go, and the MetroCard has been a great part of our history," said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. "As we say goodbye to the MetroCard, we're using Customer Service Centers to make it as easy as possible for riders to transition to tap-and-ride."

Participating food vendors are:

• Alidoro - La Tessera sandwich ("the card" in Italian): crispy chicken cutlet, sweet soppressata, fresh mozzarella, Calabrian chili vodka sauce and garlic pesto cream on a toasted semolina baguette. The sandwich will go on sale November 3, National Sandwich Day.

• Carvel - MetroCard® Flying Saucer®, free MetroCard® Sprinkles with mention of the MetroCard ® and purchase of Scooped or Soft Serve ice cream, and custom cakes with edible MetroCard® and Cardvaark images.

• Golden Krust - With purchase of Golden Krust's signature Jamaican-style patty, a multi-layered, flaky, golden pastry filled with perfectly seasoned beef, chicken, vegetable, or seafood fillings, customers will receive a free Jamaican coco bread, made from a Hawthorne family recipe dating back to 1949, is soft, buttery, and slightly sweet with real coconut milk.

• Gong cha - "The M Tea A Drink:" Inspired by Gong cha's signature Milk Foam Green Tea, this limited edition drink combines green tea, pearls, blue milk foam made with butterfly pea flower, and chocolate powder MTA logo, echoes the colors of the iconic MetroCard.

• Stretch Pizza (by Wylie Dufresne) - The Metro pizza: vodka sauce, fior di latte cheese, chicken cutlet, spicy Calabrian chili, garlic pesto cream and grated parm.

• Zabar's - MetroCard and Cardvaark cookies.

Earlier this year, the MTA announced that the final day for MetroCard sales and distribution will be December 31, 2025, as the MTA's popular contactless tap-and-ride payment system fully replaces the three-decade old swipe system. The tap-and-ride payment system allows riders to pay fares directly with digital wallets, contactless credit and debit cards, and OMNY cards.

MetroCards will still be accepted into 2026 and the official final acceptance date will be announced at a later time. While customers are encouraged to spend down the value on their MetroCards, remaining balances will be eligible for transfer or reimbursement two years from the expiration date on the MetroCard. To transfer funds, customers can bring an OMNY card and their remaining MetroCards to any of the Mobile Van locations, Customer Service Centers (CSC) located in 16 stations or to Lower Manhattan at 3 Stone St. To request a reimbursement, customers can visit any of the above locations. To find a CSC, click here.

Through the end of 2025, riders can look forward to special pop-up customer outreach events across the city at stations, Customer Service Centers and some MTA Sessions, where riders can pose with MetroCard, token and tap-and-ride props. Riders will also hear some famous New Yorkers bid farewell to the MetroCard. The New York Transit Museum will mark MetroCard sales ending with MetroCard-themed products. MTA licensee Only NY will be releasing MetroCard merchandise later this year. More information can be found here.

"We're extremely honored to be included in our second MTA campaign, this time in celebration of the decades-long run and sunsetting of the iconic MetroCard," said Alidoro Owner Jon Streep. "In true ALIDORO form, we're paying homage to the old and the new, partnering with NY legend, Chef Wylie DuFresne and his own Stretch Pizza to turn out both a sandwich AND pizza spin on the classic NY Chicken Parm. On the ALIDORO side, the sandwich features a crispy chicken cutlet, sweet soppressata, fresh mozzarella, Calabrian Chili vodka sauce and pesto cream on a toasted semolina baguette. And on the STRETCH side, the pizza features vodka sauce, fior di latte cheese, chicken cutlet, spicy Calabrian chili, garlic pesto cream and grated parm."

"For decades, both the MetroCard and Carvel have been woven into the fabric of New York which is why we are working together to celebrate this piece of the city's identity," said Carvel Chief Brand Officer and Senior Vice President Jim Salerno. "Carvel is proud to honor the MetroCard legacy with a sweet tribute that celebrates the nostalgia we all share. Guests can visit 233 Carvel shoppes across New York, New Jersey, and nearby Connecticut for a $2 MetroCard® Flying Saucer® and MetroCard® Sprinkles with a mention of MTA or their MetroCard."