How to Choose the Best New York City Pass to Save Money

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New York City is expensive, and finding ways to save money can make a huge difference in how much you’re able to experience. Attraction passes offer discounted access to major sites, but choosing the wrong one can actually waste your money. We've helped thousands of visitors to New York City answer questions like "is the New York Pass worth it", "Which New York City Pass should I buy for my trip" and "Can I save money with the New York City Pass". 95% of the time, visitors purchase the wrong pass and they spend too much money. On average we're able to save visitors to New York $340!!! when we take them through our process.

What's most important is to focus on what you want, and build your itinerary without the stress & distraction these passes create. After doing this so many times, we know our process is solid and I'm writing content to share it.  Our process involves a collaboration with a local NYC expert, who uses our platform to help visitors build their ideal itinerary. That does give customers reassurance knowing that their itinerary is extremely tight. You can read some of our customer comments here. If you're doing this on your own, it may take more time than our customers but if you follow our process it will save you money.

At Khonsu, we connect visitors to locals to share insider tips online. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process we use to help travelers pick the right attraction pass—so you can save money and maximize your time in NYC.

If you’d like to collaborate with our team, create a travel profile and get matched within 24 hours. 

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The Three Main New York Attraction Passes

It may seem like there are a lot of New York City Pass options, but there are three:

✔️ New York City PASS

✔️ Sightseeing Pass

✔️ New York Pass by GoCity

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Each pass has two ticketing options: all-inclusive / day pass (unlimited attractions within a set time) or per-attraction (pay for a set number of attractions). The naming differs by company, but the structure is the same.

Here’s an insider tip: The per-attraction ticket is always better than the all-inclusive option. The all-inclusive pass is designed to make you pay for more than you can realistically use.

When you’re deciding which pass to purchase, follow these 3 easy steps.

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Step 1: Remove the Stress

Many travelers buy attraction passes under stress—either at the last minute or on-site without research.

Key facts about passes:

❌ They do not make reservations for you.

❌ They do not include VIP or premium experiences.

❌ They do not sell out

Take a breath, remove the pressure, and make a smart decision instead of an impulse purchase.

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Step 2: Make a List

Before choosing a pass, write down everything you want to do in New York.

Group your activities into three categories:

✔️ Attractions 

✔️ Local Experiences 

✔️ Food 

Here’s an example from a recent customer. You’ll see they did not name everything they want to do, just described it like “hot dogs”, “live music” and “sports game”. It’s really important to write these items down, even if you don’t know the exact name because it will keep you focused on whats most important and help you avoid wasting money on things that don’t matter.

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If you’re looking for a list of things to do in NYC, we publish content based on questions we receive from customers. You’ll find the 21 most popular in NYC based on visitors requests, our ultimate guide to NYC museums, things to do on a rainy day with kids and our guide of interactive museums. If you’d like tips for your trip, our team of local Experience Designers provides 1:1 assitance. Create a travel profile on this page and get matched within 24 hours to start a collaboration. 

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Step 3: Compare Your List to the Passes

Once you have your wish list, compare it to what’s included in each pass.

I’ll include links here so you can evaluate the passes with our wish list as an example. 

The CityPASS is just focused on attractions and is the easiest one to compare. Click here to review the list of attractions for the New York CityPASS. The New York CityPASS includes 3 of the items on our list. It includes the Empire State Building, Museum of Natural History and Top of the Rock. 

The New York / Go City Pass has attractions, tours and experiences but the experiences are more expensive when you try to do them with a pass. It’s always cheaper to do them through locally. Click here to review the list of attractions for the New York Go City Pass. The Go City Pass includes 4 items from our list:  Empire State Building, Museum of Natural History and Top of the Rock & Gospel tour. 

The last pass to review is the New York Sightseeing Pass. This also has attractions, tours & experiences. Click here to review the list of attractions for the New York Sightseeing Pass. The Sightseeing Pass includes 3 items from our list: Empire State Building, Museum of Natural History, and Harlem Gospel Tour.

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Which Pass Wins?

When we look at the totals, it’s easy to see which pass wins. 

✔️ New York CityPASS includes 3 Empire State Building, Museum of Natural History, and Top of the Rock.

✔️ New York Pass includes 4 Empire State Building, Museum of Natural History, Top of the Rock, and Harlem Gospel Tour.

✔️ Sightseeing Pass 3 includes Empire State Building, Museum of Natural History, and Harlem Gospel Tour.

In 2024 57% of travelers chose the New York Pass, however price have changed in 2025 and the Sighseeing pass is becoming more popular. To figure out which pass is right for you, make sure to follow the 3 steps

Final tips:

✅ Avoid all-inclusive tickets; choose per-attraction instead.

✅ Follow the 3-step process: Remove stress, make a list, and compare options.

✅ Look beyond the pass; some attractions are cheaper when booked separately.

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At Khonsu, we help travelers plan their trips their way. We also connect visitors with locals for personalized travel advice. If you’d like to collaborate, our team connects visitors with a local Experience Designers within 24 hours of creating a travel profile. Create a travel profile on this page.

Enjoy your trip and save some money!

If you'd like to watch this, watch the video here

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