Roland Perry wrote:

Or they may pass a new law saying that all credit expires a year after
it's added - I think the New York equivalent has that rule.

Not quite.

Each physical MetroCard has a preprinted expiration date. When you buy
a new MetroCard, the expiration date is usually a bit over a year away.

The card will no longer work after that date, regardless of whether
there's any balance left on it. However, 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.

(If the card is an unlimited card, in the middle of its period of
validity, when it expires, then the station agent can't do anything
about it. I'm pretty sure it can be mailed in for a prorated refund or
for a new card containing the remainder of the unlimited period.)

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.
Otherwise, it's largely not an issue. There is no charge for the
MetroCard itself, and unlimited cards are always dispensed on new cards.
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA

Roland Perry wrote:

I believe it's also illegal to sell/transfer the cards, so someone else
who happens to be visiting NY can use up the money.

It most certainly is permitted to give or lend a MetroCard to a friend
while you're not using it - even an unlimited card. (Of course, that
only applies to standard-issue cards available to anyone - Student
MetroCards and Reduced Fare MetroCards and employee passes and the like
are not transferable.)
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA

In message , at 09:08:48 on Sun, 14
Dec 2008, David of Broadway remarked:
I believe it's also illegal to sell/transfer the cards, so someone
else who happens to be visiting NY can use up the money.

It most certainly is permitted to give or lend a MetroCard to a friend
while you're not using it

But what about selling them? (On eBay or wherever).
--
Roland Perry

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.

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.
--
Roland Perry

David of Broadway wrote:

It most certainly is permitted to give or lend a MetroCard to a friend
while you're not using it - even an unlimited card. (Of course, that
only applies to standard-issue cards available to anyone - Student
MetroCards and Reduced Fare MetroCards and employee passes and the like
are not transferable.)

I should add that, in the case of a pay-per-ride MetroCard, up to four
people may ride on the same card at the same time. If they transfer,
they should only swipe/dip once the second time; the proper number of
transfers will register.
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:08:48 on Sun, 14
Dec 2008, David of Broadway remarked:
I believe it's also illegal to sell/transfer the cards, so someone
else who happens to be visiting NY can use up the money.

It most certainly is permitted to give or lend a MetroCard to a friend
while you're not using it

But what about selling them? (On eBay or wherever).

I don't think that's legal. (Whether it's done in practice is a
different question.)

But is it really worth the trouble? How much do you typically have left
over on your card when you leave? If you don't know of anyone back home
who could use a MetroCard, you could always hand it to a stranger on
your way out. You never know - someone could return the favor on your
next trip! (I once got a free ride or two at the airport from a
departing French tourist.)
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA

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

In message , at 19:35:07 on Sun, 14
Dec 2008, David of Broadway remarked:

How much do you typically have left over on your card when you leave?

I only have the one set of cards, from one visit; and I forget the exact
amount. But it was four cards (one for each of the family) and enough to
be irritating.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 19:38:03 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.

I already said that 12, 13, 24, 25 months all felt the same to me; and
that at the time the only deadline I was made aware of was 12 months.

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?!

The need to go, and I don't need to at the moment.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:

I only have the one set of cards, from one visit; and I forget the exact
amount. But it was four cards (one for each of the family) and enough to
be irritating.

Not that this will help you this time around, but, as I pointed out
elsewhere, a family of four can share one card. Of course, if you want
to split up and go to different places, that won't work.

And I can't argue with the irritation!
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA