Some NYC subway commuters with Apple Pay on their phones are accidentally getting charged twice when they swipe their MTA card at the turnstiles
- A new contactless payment system in NY’s subways has been causing problems
- Several commuters have reported being double charged for subway fare
- Some suggest the system is caused by the new OMNY system inadvertently activating a person’s Apple Pay account without permission
A new wireless payment system in the New York City subway appears to be causing some commuters to be double charged as they pass through the turnstiles for their morning commute.
According to multiple reports, commuters swiping their MetroCards have found their Apple Pay accounts inadvertently activated and charged the $2.75 for fare a second time.
The double charging appears to be caused by a new contactless payment system called One Metro New York, which the MTA is planning to transition to by 2023.
The gradual transition to a new contactless payment system called One Metro New York (OMNY) appears to be responsible for double charging some commuters over Apple Pay after they’ve already paid their fair with a standard MetroCard
OMNY systems have been installed in a limited but growing number of subway stations in anticipation of the transition, allowing users to pay using a new tap-style NFC card, any credit card with an NFC chip, or smartphones with payment apps such as Apple Pay.
It appears however that some stations with both payment systems, the newly installed OMNY systems have been charging people’s phones without their approval.
‘Whoaaaa just got charged $2.75 by @MTA OMNY even though I swiped my monthly metro card and my phone was in my pocket. This is kinda crazy @NYCTSubway?’ Twitter user macartney posted earlier this week.
Another Twitter user, Libby S., said she had experienced the double charge issue more than once.
‘@NYCTSubway – my ApplePay has now been charged SEVERAL TIMES accidentally by your OMNY machines even though I use an unlimited Metrocard every time I ride subway,’ she posted.
‘My bank said many customers had been calling to dispute these charges. When will you fix it???@NYCMayor #mtastealing’
The MTA says they’ve received around 30 complaints about double charging through the OMNY system and are in touch with Apple to investigate ways to prevent the issue in the future
Something similar happened to a US Daily Mail staffer in mid-December.
While passing through Grand Central Station, they swiped their Metrocard while holding their phone in their free hand.
While waiting for their train on the platform a few minutes later, their phone lit up with a new notification from Apple Pay reporting a $2.75 charge.
A screen capture of a Daily Mail staffer’s double charged Apple Pay account, experienced after swiping their Metrocard at New York’s Grand Central Station
They disputed the charge through the credit card company linked to their Apple Pay card, and the charge was removed two weeks later.
The issue may be connected to the ‘Express Transit Card’ option, according to Twitter user Chaim Haas, who experienced the double charge in December.
‘Warning to #ApplePay users in #NYC,’ he posted on December 23, ‘If you swipe a MetroCard to ride the @MTA subway, turn off the “Express Transit Card” option so your card isn’t charged accidentally when you pass trhouh OMNY-enabled turnstiles like mine was…’
When contacted by The Verge about the issue, the MTA’s Al Putre said they had been notified by ‘about 30 customers, out of more than 5,000,000 taps so far.’
‘The system is a popular success that’s working well for the vast majorty of people and we’re in touch with Apple about addressing the issue of unintended taps.’
HOW DOES APPLE PAY WORK?
Apple Pay is the firm’s mobile payment and virtual wallet service.
It allows customers to make payments using an iPhone, Watch, iPad or Mac.
It works alongside most banks and most major credit and debit cards providers including Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
To use the services, users must link their device, security details and bank card.
To do this, open Wallet, go to settings and find Wallet and Apple Pay in there.
Apple Pay is the Apple’s mobile payment and virtual wallet service. It allows customers to make payments using an iPhone, Watch, iPad or Mac
Here, you can add credit or debit cards.
Before it is activated, the device needs to be authenticated by the bank.
Each bank has different protocols, but their security measures will have to be passed before Apple Pay is fully verified.
After your card is verified, you can tap Next and start using Apple Pay.
Apple Pay requires the Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna and Touch ID or Face ID on iPhone 6 and later to work.
Once set up, you can hold your device near a contactless terminal to authorise a payment.
For most iPhones double pressing the home button will bring up the Apple Pay function, which will use your fingerprint to confirm the transaction.
On the iPhoneX, users must press the sleep/wake button twice to invoke Apple Pay.
