However, if your card doesn't have a contactless indicator (a wave-like symbol on the front), you may want to open a contactless card and benefit from tapping to pay. Below, CNBC Select rounds up ...

You can tell whether your card is contactless by looking for a small logo on it which consists of four small curved lines, similar to the wi-fi symbol. The logo is also displayed on payment terminals ...

Ending MetroCard sales will help the agency to make a full switch to a fully contactless tap-and-go payment system.