chloedickensonLast Updated on 4th January 2026
This post about how to use the New York subway for beginners contains affiliate links.
Are you planning a trip to NYC for the first time but you’re not sure how to use the NY subway? This guide is for you!
One of the most frequently asked questions that I receive in my New York Facebook Group is “how does the New York subway work?” and if you’ve never experienced New York’s underground station system before, I can totally understand all the confusion!
Thankfully, I’m no stranger to using the city’s underground transport system, which is why I’ve put together this (hopefully!) useful guide to help you navigate the New York subway.
In my guide below, you’ll learn how to pay for the subway in New York, helpful tips and apps that you can use to make your experience much easier, New York subway fares and charges, and I’ve even attached some downloadable New York subway maps straight from the NYC MTA website that you can download to your device and use when you’re in the city!
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How to use the NYC subway as a tourist
According to the New York City MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority), there are 472 subway stations, across 25 routes, spanning more than 665 miles of tracks, making the New York subway system the largest and busiest network in the USA. The NYC subway system runs 24/7, 365 days a year, unlike the transport systems in many other major cities in the world!
It’s one of the best and easiest ways to get around New York City and while many tourists can feel overwhelmed and apprehensive about using the NY subway system, I’m hopeful that my guide below will help you feel more at ease!
Please remember, that this guide about how to ride the New York subway is for tourists, so all the information below is based purely on the experience of using the subway for tourists to the city and not locals.
New York subway map
Head to the links below to download a copy of the New York MTA subway maps to your device. These maps are also displayed on large posters inside many subway stations in New York City. Unfortunately, the maps are not available to purchase as a physical copy, but you can download and print out the maps below using your own device.
- Complete New York subway stations map
- New York accessible stations map
- Night service subway stations map
- Subway schedules for each train line in NYC
How much does the New York subway cost?
A single journey on the New York subway costs $3 per ride. This is the price if you use contactless payment on your phone, credit or debit card.
How to pay for the NYC subway – OMNY
***As of January 2026, you can no longer buy a MetroCard to pay for the subway***
In the section below, I’ve provided a detailed (but hopefully understandable!) insight into how the OMNY system works so you can easily and confidently ride the NYC subway.
OMNY – One Metro New York
Unlike the MetroCard, you do not need to purchase an OMNY card in order to use the OMNY payment system. In simple terms, OMNY is the city’s contactless payment system that can be used across the entire public transport system in New York City. You can pay with your contactless debit or credit card, smart watch, Apple Pay, or you can obtain a physical OMNY card which also allows you to tap and go.
How to use OMNY on the New York subway
OMNY is super easy to use as you just need to tap your contactless credit/debit card, smart watch or Apple Pay when prompted at the OMNY readers at the subway turnstiles. It’s much easier than using a MetroCard as you don’t need to go to a vending machine to purchase a physical card; you can literally just tap your phone or credit/debit card and go!
When using the OMNY payment system, you can benefit from free transfers which involves using the same credit/debit card or contactless payment device for both legs of your trip in order to get a free transfer.
OMNY also has a similar system in place to the former 7-day Unlimited MetroCard in that if you pay for 12 journeys using the same card or contactless device within a 7-day period, then all additional rides within that same week are free. Unlike the MetroCard, you don’t need to pre-pay for a card in order to take advantage of the free trips.
Similarly to the Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard, you can also use the same payment method for up to four people on a single trip, but you will need to remember to tap your chosen payment method (e.g. credit/debit card, Apple Pay, smart watch etc) for each person that is travelling with you.
However, if you’re using a new payment method for the first time (such as Apple Pay, for example), you cannot pay for multiple people at once as the payment system needs to have a record of the payment method first. Once you have completed your first journey, you can then use the same payment method for multiple people.
Top tip: to keep things simple, I would recommend using a different card/payment method for each person that you’re travelling with, but it is handy to know that you can use the same method of payment if you’re travelling with children, for example.
Remember, you do not need to purchase a physical OMNY card in order to use their contactless payment system; simply tap your smart phone, watch or contactless debit/credit card and go!
Find out more about how to pay for multiple people and how the OMNY contactless system works on their website.
MetroCard
***As of January 2026, you can no longer buy or refill a MetroCard***
Useful apps to download to use the NY subway
There are numerous apps that you can download and use to help you plan out your journeys on the NY subway. From taking the AirTrain and subway from the airport to your hotel, to planning your sightseeing route around the city’s major attractions, the apps linked below are super useful in helping to plan your subway journeys!
How to use the New York subway for beginners
Is it easy to use the New York subway?
If you’re a first-time visitor to New York City and you don’t have a lot of experience with using public transport systems in major cities, then it’s fair to say that using the New York subway can be a little intimidating at first.
However, hopefully the information provided throughout this guide will help you to feel more comfortable and once you actually experience the subway for the first time in person, it should all make sense.
Is the New York subway safe?
One of the major concerns that many people have about using the subway in New York is regarding safety and while of course there can be incidents and certain unnerving people inside the subway stations and riding the trains, for the most part, the NY subway is just as safe as anywhere else in the city.
It goes without saying that you should always remain as vigilant as possible and remember to keep your belongings on you at all times and in your direct line of sight. Use your common sense and avoid anything suspicious-looking and report anything usual to station staff and you should be good to go!
In my own personal experience, I have never encountered anything untoward while riding the subway in NYC, but I have witnessed a few questionable characters and as long as you avoid eye contact and just remember to keep your wits about you, you should have no problems.
Millions of local New Yorkers use the subway every single day so you’ll be surrounded by people who have ridden the subway hundreds, if not thousands of times!
Is the NYC subway a good idea for families?
While I can understand the apprehension of riding the subway with kids if you’ve never experienced it for yourself, it’s perfectly possible (and actually a very good idea!) to use the subway if you’re travelling to New York City with kids.
As I mentioned above, millions of locals use the subway every single day, and that includes families with children who are travelling to and from work, school and more, so it’s entirely possible (and safe) to ride the subway with your family when visiting NYC.
Is the subway the best way to get around New York City?
The subway is undoubtedly one of the best ways to get around New York City. While I’m a huge advocate for walking around the city as often as possible to ensure that you see and experience as much as possible, walking absolutely everywhere isn’t really feasible, especially if you’re only in the city for a few days and are limited on time, so using the subway is definitely a great option.
The subway system runs across all five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island and Queens), so you’re covered for pretty much anywhere you want to go within the city.
What time does the subway stop running?
The NYC subway system operates on a 24-hour, 7-day a week service, all year round (even on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year!), so if you’re bar hopping in the West Village until 2 AM and you need to get back to your hotel in Times Square, there will be an overnight service that you can take advantage of!
While the subway does run all through the night in New York, it’s important to note that the trains are less frequent in the middle of the night than during the day. You can check the full schedules of every single subway line in NYC on the MTA website.
What happens if you get on the wrong subway train?
As a first time user, getting on the wrong train is definitely possible (I still accidentally get on the wrong train occasionally and I’ve used the NY subway many times!) and if this happens, the best thing to do is – not panic first of all! – and then simply get off the train at the next station and then jump on the next available train going in the direction that you’re heading.
One of the best things to remember is that trains marked “Downtown” are heading in a general southern direction towards Lower Manhattan/Brooklyn, whereas trains marked “Uptown” are heading north towards Uptown Manhattan/the Bronx.
Conclusion – how to use the NYC subway
Hopefully, this guide about how to ride the NYC subway has helped ease your worries a bit and hopefully you’ll feel more confident paying for and riding the subway in New York City! If there’s anything I’ve missed out or if you’d like even more information included in the guide, please leave a comment below or send me a message via my New York Facebook Group!
Do you have any other helpful tips to add to this guide about how to ride the NYC subway? Let me know in the comments or in my New York Facebook Group!
I found your page to be very readable and informative for visitors to our city. I was born in 1942 and have been riding the subway ever since my parents carried me on board when I was about one year old. I was looking out the front window from when I needed to be held up to see out!
For people who have no idea of how to use the subway you should explain that you pay to enter the system, not to ride an individual subway line. Once in the system you can stay all day if you like and ride as many different trains as you like. You do not need to pay to exit the system, but you will have to pay to get back in.
This is not the case with MTA buses. Every time you get off a bus you will have to pay to get on another one. It should be mentioned that a free transfer works from subway to bus, bus to subway, or bus to a different bus route. Multiple transfers on the same card will all register on the first swipe, or tap, so don’t tap in four times because you have four transfers.