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Old Apr 21, 2014 | 9:52 am
  #27  
gfunkdave
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Originally Posted by Blumie
I use an EasyPay Express metrocard and haven't had any problems. The MTA "decided" to deactivate gfunkdave's card because his method of payment was declined. Hard to blame them, no? gfunkdave, were you not able to fix the problem simply by logging into your account and revising the payment method?
Yes, this is true - but I still had to call to get them to turn the card back on. And it only took 24 hours to start working again.

Originally Posted by themicah
They definitely suspend accounts if a replenishment attempt is declined and you don't have a valid backup payment method. So it's important to always have a backup credit card linked to your account AND to keep the expiration date of the backup card updated. My wife experienced exactly the same thing as gfunkdave when her TransitChek debit card had insufficient funds and I neglected to keep current the expiration date of the backup credit card on her EasyPay account.

It WOULD be nice if they sent you an e-mail letting you know your account had been suspended and explaining why, though.

But overall the Easypay cards are incredibly convenient, as I never have to worry about whether I have a sufficient balance on my card (or my wife's card or our nanny's card). And if I lose it, a simple e-mail to EasyPay customer service will immediately put a hold on the old metrocard and transfer the balance to a new one. It takes about a month to get the new card, but it's still better than losing a regular pay-per-ride card, where you'll never get the balance back.

So yeah, it's not perfect, but I still think it's way better than the available alternatives, especially if you're a pay-per-ride user (if I was an unlimited user I might be more reluctant to get EasyPay, since you can't "time" when you start your month).
Yeah, agreed here. I just wish they'd go full speed ahead with replacing the MetroCard system with a contactless option instead of the constant dithering.


Originally Posted by Analise
...and the MTA pocketed his money with that deactivation. That's what is egregious.
Nah, they just held the account until I called and got it reactivated.

And FWIW, I added a regular credit card as backup to the account so this won't happen again. I had been hesitant to do so because I don't trust the MTA's IT abilities at all and didn't want to trust them to store a normal credit card. The account allows only a 4 digit PIN as a password, for crying out loud.
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