Tom Anderson wrote:
The really dopey thing, i found, was that the ticket machines didn't
sell unlimited ride cards, only the carnet-like cards. And had a 6 USD
limit to the amount of change they'd give you, which, given that a
six-ride card is ten bucks and ATMs all give you twenties, is bloody
annoying!

That is most certainly not the case! All MetroCard Vending Machines
owned by New York City Transit dispense both pay-per-ride and unlimited
MetroCards. In fact, the (overpriced) one-day Fun Pass is /only/
available at machines and at out-of-system vendors, not at booths.

Perhaps you encountered an MVM owned by the Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey. Fares on AirTrain and PATH are also paid by MetroCard,
but only pay-per-ride cards (and, in the case of AirTrain, special
AirTrain unlimited cards) are accepted. PA-owned MVM's don't sell NYCT
unlimited cards. (In fact, if I try to find out when my 30-day NYCT
unlimited card expires by slipping it into an AirTrain MVM, the MVM
tells me that my card is invalid!)

This leads to a somewhat confusing situation at Howard Beach, one of the
transfer points between AirTrain and the subway. The mezzanine is
divided into three sections: AirTrain fare control, subway fare control,
and outside fare control. The MVM's in subway fare control and in
AirTrain fare control are AirTrain MVM's, while I believe the MVM's
outside fare control are NYCT MVM's. The distinction is not obvious if
you don't know what to look for.

If all you're doing is buying a pay-per-ride card with cash or a
standard credit or debit card, it makes no difference which machine you
use. But if you want an unlimited card, or if you have a special debit
card that only works with certain vendors (for instance, I have a debit
card that is only valid at NYCT MVM's, allowing me to pay for my commute
from pretax payroll deductions), it makes a big difference.
--
David of Broadway
New York, NY, USA