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Another little piece of New York-area transit history is heading for the great turnstile in the sky.
PATH’s turquoise SmartLink card, which has been shuttling commuters beneath the Hudson for nearly two decades, will officially stop working on September 1. And it isn’t going alone: MetroCards will also stop being accepted on PATH that day, leaving riders with TAPP as their way into the system.
The good news is that most commuters have already made the switch. According to the Port Authority, 96 percent of PATH riders were using TAPP by the end of July, so chances are your morning commute will not descend into total fare-card chaos.
For anyone still hanging on to a SmartLink, though, August 31 is the last day to use it. PATH stopped selling new SmartLink cards and, for most customers, stopped allowing refills on May 31. After September 1, riders will be able to enter PATH stations by tapping a contactless credit or debit card, a smartphone or wearable with a digital wallet or a reloadable TAPP card. TAPP readers are already installed at all 13 PATH stations.
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And there is one notable difference between TAPP and the MTA’s OMNY system: PATH riders can still load traditional fare products onto a TAPP card. That includes discounted multi-trip fares as well as one-day, seven-day and 30-day unlimited passes. Reduced fares for seniors and riders with disabilities are also available through TAPP.
If September sneaks up on you with money still stranded on your SmartLink, riders who still have an unused SmartLink balance after the deadline can contact the TAPP Customer Service Center through February 2027 to request a balance transfer, according to the Port Authority. (TAPP cards can be purchased at vending machines at every PATH station or online.)
SmartLink’s retirement closes a chapter that began in 2007, when the reloadable tap-and-go card started replacing PATH’s old magnetic-stripe QuickCards. Before those came MetroCards and, for riders whose commutes stretch back far enough, good old-fashioned tokens.
Fare collection isn’t the only thing changing underground: PATH is also planning to replace all 341 of its existing standard and ADA-accessible fare gates with newer equipment. The system has already begun rolling out expanded service, including more frequent weekend trains and seven-day service on every line.
So if there’s an old SmartLink hiding in your wallet, consider this your reminder: use it now, transfer the balance later or keep it as a souvenir. Come September, that little turquoise card is just plastic.