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

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

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

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

In message , at 08:12:53 on Mon, 15
Dec 2008, David of Broadway remarked:
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.

We might have split into 2+2 a few times. I don't recall this "four on
one card" thing being very well explained - it's quite an unusual mode
for metro ticketing. Handy to know if I ever return en masse.
--
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