Been weekly MetroCard loyal forever but my schedule changed to three days in the office plus maybe one weekend trip out to Flushing and I’m wondering if the OMNY cap finally beats the old weekly pass. I tap with the same card and I see the transfer thing, but I don’t trust the Monday reset. What’s the actual move for someone who rides 8–10 times a week but not every day? Do I front the pass or just let the cap decide?

Depends if your weekend trip is on Saturday or Sunday. OMNY cap is Monday to Sunday, so if you stack a heavy work week with a Sunday trip, the cap makes the pass feel less necessary. But if your heavy day is Saturday and your work week is light, the pass can still win. I’m team tap now because I don’t like fronting the pass and then getting sick one week and riding twice. Use the same physical card or same card in your phone every time, the readers are picky about Apple Pay vs plastic.

The Monday reset is lowkey the whole ballgame. If you start Thursday, the seven-day MetroCard lasts until next Wednesday, but OMNY caps your first week and then resets Monday anyway. So for a midweek start, the pass is better. If you’re a normal Monday–Friday person, just tap. I used to do the weekly card and wound up giving it away half the time when I had a light week.

Wait so the MetroCard week starts the day you first swipe, not Monday? I’ve been buying per ride because I thought both reset the same day. Does the OMNY cap count bus-to-subway as one ride or two? I just moved to Dyker and my commute is bus to the R and I still don’t know if I’m overpaying.

@DykerNewbie yeah, weekly unlimited starts first swipe and runs seven days, OMNY is Monday to Sunday. Bus-to-subway should be one transfer if you use the same card or device, but don’t switch from watch to phone or it thinks you’re a new person. I’m leaning toward the pass for my situation but I’ll track this week. If I hit the cap exactly maybe I’ll switch.

Also keep in mind OMNY caps by calendar week, not rolling seven days. So if you have a Monday holiday and the rest of the week is light, that’s a dead week on the pass if you bought it Monday. Real ones don’t buy the pass on a holiday week unless they’re running errands heavy. I still keep a card because my local station reader is in full sun and my phone overheats.

@DykerNewbie bus-to-subway counts as one ride if it’s within two hours and the same card. The cap counts each charge, not each leg. The transfer shows as a second line but doesn’t add to the count. Don’t judge by the reader screen, check the online account.

Okay I checked my account for the first time and I have a bunch of taps I don’t recognize? Maybe from using my phone once. That’s probably the problem. Thanks for the heads up. I’m going to try the pass next week because I have five days plus a Saturday, but now I’m worried about loading it before the fare goes up again.

Honestly the real budget move is not switching payment methods after 10pm. I had one week where I tapped my watch half the time and my card the rest and I got zero cap credit. I’m not doing the pass now. I’ll tap the same card and if I hit the cap, good. If not, I saved a few bucks versus fronting it.

My rule: if before Wednesday morning I already have 10 paid taps, I don’t buy the pass. If I know the weekend is going to be a two-borough day, pass. Otherwise tap. But like Flushing_F said, a midweek start changes it. Don’t overthink it, just pick one card and stick to it for 30 days, then check the math in your notes app.