Citibank is to conduct a six-month trial of contactless payments technology at ticket barriers on the New York subway.
Citi says the tests are being conducted in league with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and MTA New York City Transit and will use MasterCard's PayPass technology.
The bank says participants in the subway trial will be able to pay for their fare at the point of entry by simply tapping their new Citi MasterCard card or payment tag on a specially equipped reader mounted on a subway turnstile.
The trial will take place at select Lexington Avenue Line 4 5 6 stations. During the trial, participating customers will have the pay-per-ride option, including the 20% bonus, available to them. No passes or transfers to buses will be available.
MTA executive director Katherine Lapp, says: "Contactless payments hold the promise of simplifying fare payment for customers who travel throughout the MTA network, while also providing for operating efficiencies and cost savings."