NYC commuters using Apple Pay Express Transit reportedly being charged for going too close to readers
Tap-and-go fare readers on the New York City subway are said to be mistakenly charging MTA passengers who have Apple Pay’s Express Transit feature enabled on their iPhone when they merely walk past the ticket barriers, leading to many passengers being charged unintentionally.
Express Transit allows commuters to pay for their journey using Apple Pay, without the need of Face ID or Touch ID authentication. Users can simply hold their phone on the contactless readers at the station, even when the battery on their iPhone has died, to pay for their journey.
According to the New York Post, passengers claim the OMNY tap-and-go fare readers that the MTA installed are oversensitive, leading to many being charged twice for their journey if they paid using a contactless card whilst their iPhone was in their pocket or in a purse.
MTA confirmed within a statement to the New York Post that “about 30 customers” had complained about unintended charges when the Express Transit feature was enabled on an iPhone which was close to the payment machines when using an Apple Pay attentive to pay for their commute, adding that the authority is working with Apple on a solution to address “the issue of unintended taps.”