New York Pass: options, rules and how to tell if it pays off

The New York Pass is sold by Go City, which offers three options in New York: the All-Inclusive Pass (unlimited access for the number of days chosen), the Explorer Pass (a number of activities of your choice, to use within 30 days) and the Essentials Pass (one observatory and two other must-sees). More than 100 activities are offered. Public transit is not included. The pass becomes worthwhile if you pack several paid attractions into each day.

This page relies solely on Go City’s website and terms and conditions, and on the MTA’s official OMNY contactless payment site for transit. Pass prices vary by duration, date and promotions: we do not copy them, but we give the method for checking whether it pays off for your itinerary. See also our New York guide, when to go to New York and the ESTA page for entering the United States.

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What the pass covers, according to Go City

Among more than 100 activities, Go City highlights: the observatories of the Empire State Building, Edge, Top of the Rock and One World Observatory, the Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the American Museum of Natural History, MoMA, Madame Tussauds and Circle Line cruises. The list changes: check that a specific attraction is included on the issuer’s website before you buy.

All-Inclusive Pass

You choose a number of days; during those days, you can enter as many attractions in the program as you like. It is the option for short, packed trips.

Explorer Pass

You buy a number of activities. For a pass bought after 1 April 2025, you have up to 30 consecutive calendar days after activation to use them. It suits travelers who already know what they want to see and prefer a relaxed pace.

Essentials Pass

A short option: one observatory of your choice from four, plus two other activities chosen from a selection of must-sees, valid for 30 days after activation. It is aimed at first-time visitors who want the essentials without a packed schedule.

What the pass does not cover

• The subway and buses run by the MTA (only sightseeing buses are among the activities).
• Free or pay-what-you-wish venues, which add no value to the pass: check their admission terms on their official websites.
• Broadway shows and most one-off events.

Activation, validity, reservations: the rules to know

According to Go City’s terms and conditions:

• Activation window: at any time within 12 months of purchase (24 months for purchases before 1 April 2025). The pass activates on first use.
• Calendar days: the All-Inclusive pass runs for the number of consecutive days purchased from the day of first use, whatever the time. Activated at 5 pm, the first day is almost lost.
• Reservations: reserving an attraction in advance counts as activation, and the pass is then no longer refundable. For the New York Pass, the reservation must fall on a day when the pass is (or will be) active. For Explorer and Essentials, a reservation counts as one of your choices.
• Refunds: for purchases from 1 May 2026, an unactivated pass can be canceled and refunded within 90 days of purchase (30 days for purchases up to 30 April 2026).
• Named pass: non-transferable and not resalable; using it for several people is treated as fraud.
• Format: sent by email, usable in the app or printed.

Is the New York Pass worth it? The 4-step method

Rather than a general answer, here is the method. It relies only on official prices that you look up yourself on the day of purchase.

1. List the paid attractions you really want to do, day by day, and remove those you would not do without a pass.
2. Look up the adult ticket price on each attraction’s official website, for your date and time slot (observatories often charge different prices depending on the time).
3. Add up each day, staying realistic: the observatories, the Statue of Liberty ferry and the big museums each take half a day or more once you factor in waiting and travel.
4. Compare with the price shown by Go City for the matching option and duration. If the gap is small, choose individual tickets: you keep the freedom to change your plans.

Your program	Most logical option	Why
3 or more paid attractions a day, over a few days	All-Inclusive	The cost per visit falls with the number of daily entries.
4 to 6 major attractions over a week	Explorer	30 days to use your choices, no imposed pace.
One observatory and two must-sees	Essentials	A short option designed for this itinerary.
Mostly neighborhoods, parks, free venues	No pass	Free venues add no value.
Arriving late in the day on day 1	Activate the next morning	Days are calendar days, not 24-hour blocks.

Transit: the 7-day OMNY cap

Since the pass does not include transit, the real practical question is how to pay for the subway and bus. The MTA has rolled out OMNY contactless payment: you tap with a contactless bank card, a phone or an OMNY card. The official OMNY site describes a fare cap: once you have spent $35 on subway and local bus rides within a seven-day period, which starts at your first tap, further rides in that period are free ($67 if you use express buses). The page gives the example of a $3.00 ride; amounts checked on 27 October 2026.

An essential condition: always tap the same way, with the same card or the same phone linked to the same card. Group rides and transfers do not count toward the cap. If you are traveling in a group, each person must use their own payment method to benefit from the cap. Also check your bank’s foreign transaction fees if you pay in dollars from abroad; our currency converter helps estimate amounts.

Buying the New York Pass

The pass is digital: you buy it online and show it in the Go City app. You can buy it on the issuer’s website or from an authorized reseller. Before paying, check: the option (All-Inclusive, Explorer or Essentials), the duration or number of activities, the issuer’s name (Go City), the refund terms, and whether the attractions that matter to you are in the program.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Activating an All-Inclusive pass in the afternoon of your arrival day.
• Reserving an attraction « just to see »: the reservation activates the pass and removes the right to a refund.
• Counting free venues in the value calculation.
• Planning too many attractions per day: the city is big and getting around takes time.
• Thinking the pass covers the subway.
• Confusing the New York Pass (Go City) with other New York passes sold by other companies, such as CityPASS, which have different rules.

If you are comparing with other cities, our London Pass and Lisboa Card pages apply the same method.

Frequently asked questions

Our sources

• Go City, « New York » page (gocity.com), consulted on 27 October 2026.
• Go City, terms and conditions (gocity.com), consulted on 27 October 2026.
• OMNY (MTA), « Fares » page on fare capping, consulted on 27 October 2026.
• Our methodology

Updated October 2026. Options, included attractions and prices may change: check Go City’s website before you buy.