Save on MTA Subway and Bus Fares, Get $1 Off Every Ride

Save on MTA Subway and Bus Fares with Cash App

Update 2:

This offer is back again for some Cash App users through September 30, 2023. You can use it every 6 hours, to easily save $1 on every ride. You can stack it with MTA’s current “Tap and Go” offer for a very cheap weekly pass. There’s also an Amex Offer that will save you $2 on fives rides.

Update:

The M.T.A.’s board voted to raise the base fare for subway and bus trips for the first time in eight years, to $2.90 from $2.75 on Aug 20. But you can still get $1 off every ride using the Cash App. That means that each ride will cost you just $1.90 after the price increase, or even cheaper if you’re willing to put in the extra work. Download Cash App and use code MMZGVNB to get a $30 bonus when you send $5 to someone.

Here are all the new prices that go into effect on Sunday:

• The base fare for subway, local buses and paratransit will increase 15 cents, from $2.75 to $2.90.
• The 7-Day Unlimited Ride pass will increase from $33 to $34, and the 30-Day Unlimited Ride pass will increase from $127 to $132. If you purchase a 7-Day or 30-Day Unlimited Ride pass at the current fare, you must begin using it by August 27 to get the full days of unlimited rides. If you begin using your pass after August 27, you will need to request a pro-rated refund for the remaining days after September 2 for a 7-Day pass or September 25 for a 30-Day pass. Unused passes will be refunded at the full purchase price. 
• The reduced fare for eligible customers will remain half of the base fare. It will increase from $1.35 to $1.45.
• The Express Bus base fare will increase from $6.75 to $7, and the 7-Day Unlimited Express Bus Plus pass will increase from $62 to $64. Since Express Buses travel longer distances than local buses and use highways, New York City Transit provides coach buses and charges a higher fare than on local buses.

Download Cash App and use code MMZGVNB to get a $30 bonus when you send $5 to someone.

If you live in New York City or use its public transportation system regularly, then you spend quite a lot on MTA subway and bus rides.

Since 2015, a single ride costs $2.75. if you commute to work everyday, that’s $27.50 every week and about $110-$120 every month. If you also subways for a night out, or on the weekends, that number goes even higher.

The MTA sells unlimited Metrocards that could make those rides a little cheaper. If you ride more than 12 times in seven days, you can save by paying $33 for a 7-day unlimited card. You can also pay  $127 30-day unlimited card if you take the bus or subway more than 46 times in a month.

But what if I told you that you can save 36% or more on every ride. You can easily pay just $1.75 every time you get on the subway, or even less. Those are prices not seen since 2003 in NYC. And if you really want to go crazy, you can pay as little as 13 cents per ride. Let’s see how you can save on MTA subway and bus fares.

How to Get Reduced MTA Fares

The key to saving on your commute in NYC is the Cash App. The Cash App was created by Square, Inc, and is a peer-to-peer payment service. You can receive and send payments using a debit or credit card on the app. It also comes with a Debit Card of its own that can save you money at several merchants that change continuously. One of those merchants is the MTA.

This MTA offer gets you $1 off each ride and it can be used every three hours. That means that you can get on the subway every three hours, and pay just $1.75 with your Cash Card every single time. That’s a 36% discount. Just use the contactless feature to pay at any OMNY readers that are now available at subway entrances around the city.

But it can get even better than that. You actually don’t need to pay for a full ride to get that $1 discount. You only need to make a purchase of more than $1. So if you go to a MetroCard Vending Machine and add $1.05 (that’s the minimum that you can add), you will end up paying only $0.05 if the MTA Boost is activated in the Cash app.

This can even stack with reduced fares for riders who are 65 or older or riders who have qualifying disabilities. Reduced fares are $1.35 per ride, and if you add your Cash card to your account, you should be able to get the $1 discount.

Using the MetroCard Vending Machine

So before you go to a MetroCard Vending Machine, make sure you have activated the MTA Boost in the Cash app. Now go to a subway station and don’t forget to bring your Cash Card and your Metrocard (there’s a $1 fee to purchase a new one).

• Touch ‘Start’ to begin and select your language.
• Select ‘Refill your card’
• Insert your Metrocard
• Select ‘Add Value” and then choose ‘Other Amounts’
• Enter your amount (105) for $1.05 and press ‘Enter’
• Choose ‘Pay with Credit Card’
• Insert your Cash card, and enter your zip code to complete the payment.

$1.05 will be loaded to your card and if you check your Cash app, it will show that you were charged only $0.05 after the $1 MTA Boost was applied.

How to Load the MTA Boost

Cash App Boosts only last for a certain amount of time, usually about a week or so. But the MTA Boost has been an option for at least a year or even longer. However, it does expire after a week, so don’t forget to add it again once it expires, or you will not get the discount.

If you’re not familiar how to use these Cash App Boost offer, here are some quick instructions. Just open your Cash app and tap the card icon at the bottom and then select ‘Add Boost’. You will find lots of great discounts here besides this MTA offer. Scroll through the offers and find the MTA Boost.

Tap the MTA offer, click ‘Add Boost’ and then the offer should show under your card, as displayed in the third image above.

It’s also worth noting that these Cash App Boost offers vary from one account to the other. So if you’re not in NYC, you probably will not see the MTA offer.

Guru’s Wrap-up

The easiest way to use this discount to save on MTA subway fares is to just use the Cash Card and get $1 off. But if you’re often at a subway station then you can load $1.05 to your MetroCard and pay just 5 cents. That actually comes out to a price of only 13 cents for a subway ride.

First time users can download the Cash app and enter referral code MMZGVNB to get a $30 bonus when you send $5. You can download the app for free for iOS and Android phones.