Fellow New Yorkers, we know.We know the last thing you want to do is add yet another MetroCard to the ever-growing graveyard of defunct tickets you’ve somehow managed to accumulate over the past few years or so. We get it, and that’s fine. But, consider this: What if one new MetroCard could get you not only to the lovely Union Square station at 14th street — but a free trip to Hawaii?And no, that’s not a rhetorical question. Because the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau (HVCB) launched a contest on Tuesday that will fly six lucky MetroCard holders (each with a plus-one) from NYC to Hawaii for a free vacation.Here’s how it works. From Tuesday, April 23, to Tuesday, April 30, participating MTA subway ticket vending machines will be distributing up to 250,000 Hawaiian-themed MetroCards. New Yorkers can purchase the Hawaiian-themed MetroCard, log on to www.hawaii.nyc and enter the 10 digit code on the back of the card to enter into the sweepstakes. Six winners will be selected randomly from the entrants, and the first drawing will take place on Wednesday, May 8.The Hawaii MetroCard itself, in Union Square —photo by TPGParticipating subway stations are listed below:72nd and Amsterdam (1, 2, 3)86th and Lexington (4, 5, 6)59th and Columbus (A, B, C, D)23rd and 8th (C, E)14th and Union Square (L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6)Broadway & Lafayette at Houston (B, D, F, M)Fulton Street (A, C, J, Z, 2, 3, 4, 5)Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr (B, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5)(Note: If you go to get your Hawaii MetroCard and the machine issues you a standard one — go to the ticket desk and ask to trade it. We went to test this out at the Union Square station and had to do this.)Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Although there probably is no bigger contrast than the one between a crowded subway at rush hour and the fresh, open air on a beach in Maui— the six entrants that are being sent off to Hawaii will also win some goodies from New York-based companies. For example, the winner of the first trip to Oahu in May will win a ticket to Governor’s Ball in 2020, and the winner of the trip to the Island of Hawaii in June will win a selection of Barry’s Bootcamp classes and merch. The rest of these partnerships include Molokai and Best Made (July), Maui and The Infatuation (August), Kauai and Saturdays NYC (September) and Lanai and Four Seasons Lanai (October).“New Yorkers use the subway to travel to different neighborhoods for their unique experiences, in a similar fashion each of the six islands of Hawaii provides a unique set of experiences,” Jay Talwar, chief marketing officer of HVCB, said in a statement. “The MTA brings New Yorkers to the places they want to go, and our goal is to remind New Yorkers that they can maintain this mindset when planning a vacation in the Islands of Hawaii.”
