How Much Is the 7-Day Unlimited MetroCard? | $35 Cap

A 7-day MetroCard no longer sells; OMNY caps New York subway and local bus rides at $35 over seven days.

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New York’s fare system has changed the answer to How Much Is the 7-Day Unlimited MetroCard. Older fare charts list $34, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority stopped selling and refilling MetroCards on January 1, 2026. For a visitor riding subways and local buses now, the practical weekly price is the $35 OMNY fare cap.

The old weekly pass was simple: pay once, swipe for seven days. The new system is pay as you go: tap the same card, phone, watch, or OMNY Card each time, and OMNY stops charging after you hit the weekly cap.

7-Day MetroCard Price Vs OMNY Fare Cap Today

The old 7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard was $34 before MetroCard sales ended. The current visitor answer is $35 for unlimited subway and local bus rides within a rolling seven-day OMNY cap.

The $35 cap is not a product you buy at a machine. Your first tap starts the seven-day period, and every paid subway or local bus ride on the same payment method counts toward that cap.

For most travelers, that shift is easier than buying a pass too early. If you only take eight rides, you pay for eight rides. If you ride every day, the cap protects you from paying more than $35 for eligible subway and local bus trips.

How Does The $35 OMNY Cap Work?

The OMNY weekly cap works only when the same rider uses the same payment method for each trip. A physical credit card, a phone wallet, and a reloadable OMNY Card are treated as separate payment methods.

At the regular $3 fare, the cap matters once you approach 12 paid rides in seven days. Transfers still work like MetroCard transfers: use the same payment method and you get one free transfer within two hours.

• Tap the same card or device every time.
• Do not switch between a physical card and the same card inside a phone wallet.
• Give each traveler a separate payment method if each person wants their own cap.
• Use an OMNY Card if you prefer cash reloads instead of a bank card or phone.

What You Pay In Common NYC Transit Situations

New York transit pricing now depends on how often you ride, not on whether you bought a weekly pass in advance. The table below shows the fare outcome a visitor is most likely to face.

What The MTA Says About MetroCard Now

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the subway and local bus fare is $3, the weekly OMNY cap is $35, and MetroCards can no longer be bought or refilled as of January 1, 2026, on its subway and bus fares page.

Existing MetroCards have a wind-down period. The MTA says old MetroCards will continue to be accepted into 2026, with the final acceptance date to be announced later, and remaining balances can be transferred or reimbursed through MTA channels.

The deadline to start an old 7-Day or 30-Day Unlimited Ride pass for its full number of days was March 31, 2026. A traveler planning a New York trip now should plan around OMNY, not around buying a new unlimited MetroCard.

When The $35 Cap Beats Pay-Per-Ride

The $35 cap pays off for travelers who expect 12 or more eligible subway and local bus rides in seven days. Visitors taking fewer than 12 rides can simply tap and pay only for the trips they take.

Typical tourists hit the cap faster than they expect because New York days often include two to four transit legs: hotel to museum, museum to dinner, dinner to a show, then back to the hotel. Airport trips, express buses, commuter rail, taxis, and rideshares sit outside that simple subway-and-local-bus math.

Where To Stay If You Plan To Ride The Subway Often

New York neighborhoods with several subway lines make the OMNY cap easier to use because fewer trips require taxis. For first-time visitors, look near Midtown, Chelsea, Union Square, the Upper West Side, Downtown Brooklyn, or Long Island City if transit access matters more than late-night taxi savings.

Once you know you will rely on subway rides, compare hotels near several lines rather than picking a room by distance to Times Square alone:

Who Should Skip The Old MetroCard Mindset

Most New York visitors should skip the old weekly-pass mindset because OMNY now gives the same broad weekly benefit without a prepaid pass. The only real task is consistency: one person, one payment method, every eligible ride.

Families and groups need a different plan. One card can pay for multiple people, but only the first tap counts toward that card’s cap, so separate cards or devices usually work better for adults taking many trips.

Cash travelers are not left out. Use a reloadable OMNY Card and add value at subway vending machines or retail locations, then tap the same card all week.

Your NYC Transit Fare Decision

The clean answer is simple: budget $35 per adult for a subway-heavy seven-day New York stay, but do not prepay for it. Tap the same payment method for every subway and local bus ride, and OMNY will stop charging after the cap is reached.

• Use OMNY if you are starting fresh in 2026.
• Expect $3 per eligible subway or local bus ride until the cap is reached.
• Plan around $35 for a busy seven-day visit using subways and local buses.
• Use a separate card or device for each rider who wants their own cap.
• Do not count express buses, taxis, rideshares, or commuter rail toward the $35 cap.

The former 7-Day Unlimited MetroCard price still explains why older articles say $34. For travel now, the number that matters is the $35 OMNY weekly cap.