Options for buying tickets
The MTA eTix app
Download the app on your Apple or Android device to easily buy tickets, manage refunds and receipts, and more..
At a ticket office
Ticket offices sell all LIRR and MNR ticket types and also offer certain MetroCard options when purchased with LIRR tickets. You can pay with cash, credit or debit cards, and some transit benefit cards. For LIRR tickets, you can use a personal check for monthly, weekly, and ten-trip tickets, or five or more one-way tickets.
Ticket office hours are posted at stations and on the LIRR Station page.
Onboard trains
Buying tickets onboard is more expensive than other options: They cost $5.75-$6.50 more than tickets purchased before you board. You can only buy one-way tickets onboard.
Off-peak tickets will be "stepped up" to the peak fare when presented on peak trains. Step-up fares and extension-of-ride fares, which are charged for traveling beyond the stations listed on the ticket, will be rounded up to the next dollar.
Through your employer
If your company offers a tax-free transit benefit program, you can use it to buy LIRR or Metro-North tickets.
Note that transit benefit providers are independent of the MTA. If we refund tickets purchased through a pre-tax program, the money will be credited back to the benefit card you used to make the purchase.
At a ticket machine
For LIRR tickets: You can buy different tickets at different machines. Unless otherwise noted, they accept cash (up to $50 bills and coin, returning up to $17.75 in coin change) and credit and debit cards.
- Gray machines: Full-service. Buy most LIRR ticket types, pre-valued MetroCards, and UniTickets.
- Red machines: Buy one-way and round-trip tickets and pre-valued MetroCards only.
- Blue machines: Buy most LIRR ticket types, pre-valued MetroCards, and UniTickets. These machines accept only credit and debit cards They do not accept cash.
- Green machines: Buy most LIRR ticket types and AirTrain MetroCards.
For Metro-North tickets: Both gray and red ticket machines offer all types of Metro-North tickets.
Mail&Ride: Subscription by mail
Save 2 percent on rail travel when you purchase a joint Monthly Ticket/Monthly Unlimited MetroCard through our Mail&Ride program. Manage your account online and pay several easy ways.
All tickets have a MetroCard on the reverse side. You can choose a $0 or a $127 unlimited option. You can add a different value to the card after you buy it.
We also have a Mail&Ride program for students. Learn more.
See details and set up Mail&Ride for LIRR and Metro-North.