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Riders Can't Buy MetroCards With Credit Cards Saturday Morning, MTA Says

By Aidan Gardiner | August 14, 2014 12:59pm
 The MTA will be upgrading system software between 1 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, the MTA said.
The MTA will be upgrading system software between 1 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, the MTA said.
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DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

NEW YORK CITY — All MetroCard vending machines in the city won't accept credit or debit cards Saturday morning while the MTA upgrades their system's software, officials said.

Riders can only buy MetroCards with cash between 1 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. as the MTA updates mainframe software, which affects every station including the PATH stations, JFK AirTrain and the machines at LaGuardia Airport, said spokeswoman Amanda Kwan.

"We don't expect it to take the full 8-and-a-half hours," she explained. "To be safe, in case the upgrade fails and we need to redo it, we’re allotting 8-and-a-half hours."

Credit and debit card-only machines will be down completely during that period, the MTA said.

The MTA scheduled the shutdown at that time because the agency anticipated low ridership.

"Not a lot of people are using the trains at that hour, let alone buying a MetroCard at that hour. We chose it because it would create the least amount of inconvenience," Kwan said.