Resolving a Blocked Benepass Card on OMNY and Setting It Up Again
When using your Benepass card for transit on OMNY (e.g., in New York City), specific issues such as declined fare recovery attempts can lead to your card being blocked within OMNY’s system. Follow these steps to resolve the issue and enable smooth functionality again.
Understanding the Issue
OMNY automatically blocks a card if a fare recovery attempt is declined. This happens even if your account balance is sufficient, as OMNY no longer attempts transactions on a blocked card. To use OMNY again, there are a couple of options.
How to Fix the Issue
Option 1: Contact OMNY to Unblock Your Card
You can reach out directly to OMNY and ask them to unblock your card:
Phone: 877-789-6669 (7 days a week, 6 am–8 pm)
Online: omny.info/contact
If OMNY cannot unblock your card, follow Option 2 below to replace your virtual and/or physical card(s).
Option 2: Replace Your Virtual and/or Physical Card
Log in to your Benepass account.
Navigate to the Cards page and locate the card associated with your OMNY account.
Select Report card lost or stolen and select Create card to issue a new virtual card.
To order a new physical card, select Order card.
Remove the old card(s) from Apple Wallet.
Add the new card(s) to your Apple Wallet.
Turn on Express Transit for the new card in Apple Wallet.
Create or log into your OMNY account and add your new Benepass card as your “travel card.”
Reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Expenses
If you had to pay for eligible transit fees with a personal payment method while resolving this issue, and if reimbursements are permitted on your benefit, submit for reimbursement through your Benepass account. Ensure the expenses comply with your transit benefit plan eligibility criteria.