Save on MTA Subway and Bus Fares with Cash App
Update: This offer is back again for some Cash App users through May 29, 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.
Download Cash App and use code MMZGVNB to get a $5 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.
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- Find Offer
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- Add Boost
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- Boost Added
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 $5 bonus when you send $5. You can download the app for free for iOS and Android phones.
Is this for perpetuity ? Or limited time offer?
The current offer is valid through December 16, 2022. But it is usually extended by a week over and over. It has been available for me most of the time over the last year or so, expect for a few weeks.
Thing app is cheating lots of pple these days, its not happening to me but many friends. I will be charged for $2.75 in the middle of the day while Im at work PLUS I will be charged again 2x for morning and evening commute ($1.75×2 after using boost), This happen to me 3x already with in 2 week. so check out your balance! Cash app has no answer for the charges that occured in the middle of the day!!!
Absolutely right about this and the mta will keep trying your card if there is no money on the cashapp. I usually would add the exact amount of what is needed for two trips and cashapp won’t even show the charge for a week or 2 but will show the 2nd ride made after a few hrs. What this does is bottleneck the card so that mta keeps trying your card this doesn’t feel right and I think the mta is in on scamming cash app users they are notorious for doing wrong to the public on their own cards.
I usually keep about $30-$40 in the app and never had this issue. But i have noticed sometimes that charges stay pending for a long time.
Important tip: in order to get the boost to appear, you’ll need to set your address to one with a NYC zip code. Once you do this, force close the app and the offer should appear after that.
This doesn’t work. What doesn’t work is the metrocard 1.05 add. I mean i get insufficient fare once I swipe it. Though it shows I was charged 5 cents because of the boost. Very odd I tried on two separate occasions both with the same issue. As for getting the other method for the discount can I use the actual cash app card on the at wireless omny and still get the discount?
You’re adding $1.05 at a Metrocard machine right? You need to do this 3 times, so you have enough for a fare ($2.75).
For $1 off any fare, yes, you just us the Cash debit card (make sure you activate the offer in the app) with Omny.
Yes I added 1.05 to the metrocard but I never knew I had to add 1.05 3 times. From what I thought the metrocard needed to be empty 0 balance then activate the boost once thats done use the cash card to add the 1.05 to the empty metrocard then once the money is on the metrocard swipe to use which didn’t workout because it’ll come up with insufficient fare at the turnstile.
Yes, you would still need at least $2.75 on your MetroCard for the fare. But loading it 3 times, you would be paying 15 cents and you get a $3.15 balance on your MetroCard.
Can I add $1.05 over and over or do I have to wait 3 hours before adding the value again? I’m just trying to figure out how feasible that strategy is.
its 6 hours now, at least for my offer. So it requires a lot of work to do multiple $1.05 transactions. Probably works only for those who pass by a station multiple times a day. Personally i just use the $1 discount on every ride.
Is it Choose ‘Pay with Credit Card’ or Debit Card? I believe if you use Credit Card, it doesn’t prompt you to enter in the pin.
No luck. Don’t see the MTA boost on my card
Can I only use the Cash card and not a credit card to get the boost?
You have to use the Cash Card.