I've lived here long enough to remember the MetroCard dip/fail dance, but this one's new to me. Almost every morning at the 7 train mezzanine by the 42nd St / 8th Ave entrance, the bank of OMNY readers near the first turnstile flashes 'Just a moment' then 'Tap again.' I tap a second time on the same reader, and my bank later shows two pending charges, but the gate only lets me through the second time.

Same card works on the 1/2/3 side and at Grand Central without a problem. I've tried taking the card out of my sleeve, using the physical debit card instead of the phone, holding it flat for a full second. No difference.

Is this a dead reader or am I just tapping like an animal? Also, if the first charge posts, do I eat it or is there an actual way to get that back? The station agent just points at the reader and says call OMNY.

I'm on that exact block most days. The middle reader on the right-hand bank is cursed. I've watched a dozen people do the double-tap shuffle there. It'll beep like it took it, but the gate doesn't unlock, so people think they missed.

Don't hit the same reader twice. Move to the next one, preferably the far one near the exit. You'll still get a pending charge from the first tap, but it usually drops off in a day or two if you never got admitted. If it actually posts, the OMNY site has a form for charged but didn't ride, but good luck with anything fast.

Me, I use the physical card, not the phone wallet, at that station.

Okay this explains so much. I just moved here from upstate and thought my bank was glitching, because I had a pending charge from last Wednesday that vanished and then a second one for the same amount posted. I was at that same mezzanine trying to catch the 7 to Jackson Heights.

Do I need to set up an OMNY account for them to even look at a dispute, or is there a number? I couldn't tell if the reader actually said denied or just took too long. I'm using my phone and it usually works on the bus.

Also, the reader's beep vs the gate's beep confuse me. Is the first beep the card and the second beep the gate? Sorry if that's dumb.

Not dumb, Midge. I've been in the city two months and I still can't tell. Last week at that exact row I tapped my watch, got a green check, then the gate just stayed locked. I had to do the little shuffle to the next turnstile while a line formed behind me.

The one time I got a red light and 'Tap again' I did, and now I'm worried I paid twice. Does anyone preload a physical OMNY card instead? I don't want my bank getting hit with these ghost holds every time I pass through Times Square.

DykerNewbie, I picked up the OMNY card from a deli last year and it does work more consistently than my phone at that bank, but the recharge delay is annoying. If you load it online, give it at least a day before you rely on it.

For the ghost hold, don't panic: a pending charge from a locked gate almost always falls off. It's the posted one that's a pain.

Midge, the first beep is usually the reader hitting your card, and the gate click is that mechanical thunk. At that mezzanine, if you hear the beep but no thunk, don't stand there tapping again.

Midge, I set up the account after a similar mess at the 59th St/Lex N/R/W side. It does help because every tap shows as a separate line and you can flag the one that didn't open the gate. It's not instant, but at least you can screenshot it for the bank.

The phone tap can also trigger your card more than once if you leave it near the sensor because the reader is so slow. At Times Square I literally take my card out of the phone case and hold it flat about an inch off the logo, and I don't move until the gate actually opens. Took a few tries to unlearn the old MetroCard swipe-and-walk muscle memory.

Thank you! I did my first real experiment this morning. I used the far reader like WestVillage_W said and it opened on the first tap. No second pending charge today.

The weird thing is the same phone worked at the same station on the downtown 1 side for weeks, so maybe those readers are just older? I tried calling the number on the machine but it was just an automated menu about a lost card.

Do I file the dispute through the OMNY account now, or do I wait to see if the old one posts? I don't mind a few dollars but I also don't want to be flagged for a chargeback.

Update from me: tonight I took the emergency gate next to the booth because the reader flashed 'See agent' after I tapped. The agent buzzed me through and said something about it already reading. Now I'm not sure if I was charged at all. Is that normal?

The emergency gate opens and there's no way to know if your tap counted. I didn't want to hold up the line by trying a third reader. I guess I'll check my card tomorrow.

Also, why do they call it an emergency gate when it's the only thing working half the time?

Dyker, if it said 'See agent' after a tap, that usually means it read the card but the gate had a motor fault or your card got flagged for the double-tap, not that you skipped. If the agent buzzed you through, I'd bet there's a pending charge, but it may drop if the reader and gate got out of sync. Check for posted charges before you dispute.

And yeah, the emergency gate has become the unofficial reader-is-drunk gate. I was in line at 14th last month and the agent just left it open because none of the regular turnstiles would take OMNY. Half the station, free? No, but they don't say it out loud.

OP, if you're still fighting the first double charge, don't call the booth. Do the OMNY account dispute and if it posts, tell your bank it was a duplicate. I've gotten two of these reversed, but only after the pending disappeared.

The key is the trip history. If the locked tap doesn't show as a ride, and it usually won't if the gate never opened, you're in good shape. If it shows as a ride, you're stuck fighting the all-knowing we-see-you-passed line.

The Times Square mezzanine readers report their own little fantasy trip sometimes. I'd avoid the bank entirely and use the far left one until they replace it.

Final update from me for the week: I've been using the far left reader every morning and haven't had a double charge since. I also set up the OMNY account and the old charge that posted did not show a trip, so I flagged it. No refund yet, but the site took it.

Thanks all. I genuinely thought I was losing it at Times Square. This board has better info than the guy in the booth.