Cities & Destinations · October 2, 2026

Lets Go to NYC! Tips for Saving Money in The Big Apple!

Tips and tricks for saving money in New York City.

New York City has a reputation for being one of the most expensive places in America to visit—and it certainly can be.

But NYC also has something most expensive destinations don't: an enormous number of things you can do for free or very little money.

The key is getting the big expenses—your flight and hotel—under control first. After that, you can use the subway, attraction passes, discounted Broadway tickets, free TV tapings and free sightseeing to experience New York without spending a fortune.

Start by Trying to Get Your Flight for Free

Before paying cash for a flight to New York, see whether a travel credit card welcome bonus could cover it.

One card worth checking is the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card.

Depending on the current welcome offer and where you're flying from, the bonus miles could potentially cover your round-trip flight to New York.

See the current Delta Gold offer here.

If Delta isn't the best option from your home airport, compare the other travel credit cards listed on IDoLetsGo.

The important rule is the same one we recommend throughout IDoLetsGo:

Don't spend extra money to earn a welcome bonus.

Put expenses you were already planning to make on the card, pay the balance, earn the bonus and use those rewards toward your trip.

Hotel Points Can Save You a Fortune in NYC

After airfare, your hotel will probably be the biggest expense.

A basic Manhattan hotel room can easily cost several hundred dollars per night once taxes and fees are included. That's why NYC can be a particularly good place to use hotel points and free-night certificates.

Check the hotel cards on our Travel Credit Cards page before paying cash.

Major hotel programs such as Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt and IHG One Rewards all have properties in the New York area.

And don't automatically assume you need to stay in Times Square.

Look at hotels in areas such as Long Island City, Downtown Brooklyn and Jersey City. If you're close to a subway or PATH station, you may be able to save significantly while still getting into Manhattan quickly.

Always compare the total price and transportation time before booking.

Saving $75 a night isn't much of a bargain if you're spending two hours every day getting back and forth.

Don't Rent a Car

If you're spending your vacation primarily in New York City, you almost certainly don't need a rental car.

In fact, a car can become an expensive inconvenience.

You'll have the rental cost, parking, tolls and the headache of driving in Manhattan.

NYC has one of the best public transportation systems in the country.

Use it.

Learn How OMNY Works

New York's subway and bus system uses OMNY, which lets you tap a contactless credit card, debit card, phone or other compatible device to pay your fare.

You don't need to buy a special tourist transportation pass just to ride the subway.

Even better, OMNY has a weekly fare cap. Once you've paid for enough eligible rides with the same payment method, additional eligible subway and local bus rides during the applicable seven-day period are free.

As of 2026, the regular subway/local bus fare is $3 and the weekly OMNY fare cap is $35.

That can make the subway dramatically cheaper than taking Uber everywhere.

Important: Everyone traveling together should use their own payment method if they want to take advantage of their own fare cap.

Save Uber for When You Actually Need It

There are times when Uber or Lyft makes sense—late at night, with luggage, when you're exhausted or when several people can split the fare.

But don't make rideshare your primary transportation around Manhattan.

Take the subway most of the time and save Uber for situations where it actually makes your trip easier.

If you have the Delta Gold card mentioned above, remember to check whether you're eligible for its monthly rideshare credit after renewal and enrollment.

A $10 credit isn't going to pay for your NYC transportation, but it can help offset one of those rides when you really need it.

Go City Can Be Extremely Useful in New York

Go City New York is definitely worth investigating if this is your first trip and you want to see several major attractions.

The current New York lineup includes more than 100 attractions and experiences, including:

Empire State Building
Top of the Rock
Edge
One World Observatory
9/11 Memorial & Museum
American Museum of Natural History
Museum of Modern Art
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry
Circle Line sightseeing cruises
Big Bus tours
Central Park bike rentals
Madison Square Garden tours
Rockefeller Center tours
Yankee Stadium tours

Some of those attractions are expensive individually. For example, Go City currently lists regular prices of up to $57 for the Empire State Building, $69 for Edge and $65 for Top of the Rock.

But don't buy an attraction pass just because it says you'll save money.

Make a list of what you actually want to do, total the individual admission prices and then compare that amount with the pass.

Also pay attention to reservations. Some popular Go City attractions—including the Empire State Building, Edge, Top of the Rock, the 9/11 Museum and Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferry—currently require advance reservations through the pass system.

Check Groupon and LivingSocial

Before paying full price for an attraction, tour, restaurant or activity, check discount sites.

Groupon and LivingSocial are particularly worth checking in a city with as many competing attractions and businesses as New York.

We've collected these and other resources on the IDoLetsGo Travel Savings page.

Check them when you start planning and check again right before the trip because deals change.

And always compare the discounted price against the business's own website before purchasing.

Broadway Doesn't Have to Cost $200+

Seeing a Broadway show is one of those quintessential New York experiences, but don't assume you have to pay full price.

If you're flexible about what you see, look for TKTS discount booths operated by the Theatre Development Fund.

TKTS sells discounted same-day and next-day tickets to participating Broadway and Off-Broadway performances.

The trick is flexibility.

Instead of deciding that you absolutely must see one specific show on Saturday at 8:00, make a list of several shows you'd be happy to see and look for the best deal.

Also check individual shows for:

Rush tickets, lotteries and standing-room tickets.

You may be surprised at how cheaply you can get into a Broadway theater if you're flexible.

Get Free Tickets to a TV Show

This is one of my favorite NYC money-saving tricks because you're not just saving money—you're getting an experience most tourists overlook.

New York is home to numerous television productions.

Check audience-ticket websites such as On Camera Audiences and the official audience pages for individual shows before your trip.

Depending on filming schedules, free audience tickets may be available for talk shows, game shows, late-night programs and special productions.

Tickets don't guarantee that a particular show will be filming during your vacation, and some tickets are distributed through lotteries or have age restrictions.

But they're worth checking.

Instead of paying $100 per person for entertainment one afternoon, you might get into a TV taping for free.

Take the Staten Island Ferry

Want an inexpensive way to see New York Harbor and get great views of the Statue of Liberty?

Take the Staten Island Ferry.

The ferry itself is free.

You won't get off at Liberty Island, but you'll get excellent views of the harbor, Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty without buying a sightseeing cruise.

For someone trying to experience New York on a budget, it's one of the best deals in the city.

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

Another iconic NYC experience costs exactly $0.

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Start in Manhattan and walk toward Brooklyn, then explore DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

You'll get some of the best skyline views in New York without purchasing an observation-deck ticket.

If you're trying to save money, combine several free attractions into one day rather than scheduling a paid attraction every few hours.

Central Park Can Fill Half a Day for Free

Central Park isn't just somewhere to walk through for 20 minutes.

You can easily spend several hours exploring it without paying admission.

Pack food, walk through the park, take pictures, people-watch and explore some of its famous landmarks.

That can replace an entire afternoon of paid attractions.

And that's one of the biggest secrets to doing NYC cheaply:

Don't feel like every hour needs a ticket attached to it.

Walk the High Line

The High Line is another excellent free NYC activity.

It's an elevated public park built along a former rail line on Manhattan's West Side.

Combine the High Line with Chelsea Market, Hudson Yards and a walk through the surrounding neighborhoods.

Just remember: Chelsea Market is free to enter. The food inside definitely isn't.

Times Square Is Free

Yes, it's crowded and touristy.

You should still see it at least once.

Walk through Times Square at night, take your pictures and enjoy the insanity.

You don't need to buy anything.

That's another free New York experience checked off the list.

Don't Overpay for the Statue of Liberty

Be careful when searching for Statue of Liberty tickets online.

If you want to actually visit Liberty Island and Ellis Island, compare options carefully and use the authorized ferry operator rather than assuming every "Statue of Liberty tour" you find includes access to the island.

If you simply want to see the Statue of Liberty, the free Staten Island Ferry may be all you need.

If visiting the island is important to you, Go City currently includes a Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry option among its attractions.

Eat Like a New Yorker Instead of a Tourist

You can spend an unbelievable amount of money eating in NYC.

You don't have to.

One of the best parts about New York is that some of its iconic foods aren't particularly expensive.

Grab pizza by the slice.

Try a bagel shop.

Eat at a deli.

Visit Chinatown.

Find a neighborhood restaurant away from the biggest tourist areas.

And don't assume the restaurant overlooking Times Square is giving you the authentic New York experience.

Sometimes the $5 slice and drink while sitting on a bench is more memorable than the $150 dinner.

Look for Lunch Specials

If there's an expensive restaurant you really want to try, check its lunch menu.

Some restaurants offer substantially less expensive lunch menus than dinner.

You can have the restaurant experience you wanted in the afternoon and then grab something inexpensive for dinner.

Also check restaurant websites before making reservations. Happy hours, prix-fixe menus and weekday specials can significantly change the cost.

Visit Museums Strategically

Don't automatically pay the first admission price you see.

Before visiting a museum, check its official website for:

Free admission days
Free evenings
Pay-what-you-wish periods
Student discounts
Military discounts
Senior discounts
Children's admission policies

Eligibility varies considerably, and some "pay what you wish" programs are restricted to New York residents.

Do the research before your trip rather than discovering the discount after you've already bought tickets.

If you're planning several museums, compare the cost with Go City as well. Its current NYC lineup includes major museums such as the American Museum of Natural History and MoMA.

Don't Pay for Five Different Skyline Views

New York has several spectacular observation decks.

You probably don't need to pay for all of them.

Empire State Building.

Top of the Rock.

Edge.

One World Observatory.

They're all different experiences, but admission adds up quickly.

Pick the one or two that interest you most and get the rest of your skyline views for free from places such as Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Staten Island Ferry.

If you're buying Go City anyway, multiple observation decks can make more financial sense because several are included.

Walk More

This sounds obvious, but it's one of the easiest ways to save money in New York.

NYC is an attraction in itself.

Walking through Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Wall Street, DUMBO or the Upper West Side isn't just transportation.

That's part of the vacation.

Instead of taking an Uber from attraction to attraction, build your itinerary geographically.

Do three or four things in the same part of the city on the same day.

You'll save money and spend less of your vacation sitting in traffic.

Don't Buy Bottled Water All Day

A small expense multiplied by an entire family over five days becomes a big expense.

Bring a reusable water bottle.

The same principle applies to snacks.

Stop at a grocery store, pharmacy or neighborhood market and buy some drinks and snacks for your hotel room and backpack.

You don't need to pay tourist-attraction prices every time someone wants a bottle of water.

Look at Your Credit Card Benefits Before the Trip

Before buying anything, open the benefits page for every credit card you already have.

You may already have travel credits, hotel benefits, dining credits, rideshare credits or other perks that can be used during your trip.

People sometimes sign up for cards because of the welcome bonus and then completely forget about the benefits they're already paying for through the annual fee.

Use them.