Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:01:19 on Sun, 14
Dec 2008, David of Broadway remarked:
the remaining balance can be transferred to a new card at any station
booth or MetroCard Vending Machine until two years after the
expiration date (recently extended from one). After that, I believe
the balance is lost permanently.

So my impression from 2004 was correct.

Close but not quite. In 2004, the expiration date was about one year
after purchase, but you would have still had one more year to transfer
the balance to a new card.

If you're an infrequent visitor to New York, I suppose that means that
you should try to use up your balance before you leave New York.

I'd be unlikely to visit NY more than once every two years. It's been
4.5 years at the moment, and no visit in the pipeline.

What are you waiting for?!
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA