15 Best TIPS TO SAVE IN NEW YORK 2023
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Have you started calculating the budget to travel to New York and you see yourself surviving on hot dogs ?
As New Yorkers, we know how expensive the city can be , but we also have several strategies to pay off the bills and invest in souvenirs (and donuts , why kid ourselves!).
And, since good things have to be shared, here are 15 tricks to save in New York!
TIPS AND TRICKS TO SAVE IN NEW YORK
SAVE THE TIP IN RESTAURANTS WITHOUT SERVICE
We start with one of the strategies to save in New York that will have the most impact on your trip.
If you eat at a restaurant with table service, be prepared to add around 18 – 20% tip to the bill, as we told you in the New York tipping article.
To avoid this convention, look for restaurants without table service, where tipping is not customary.
And no, you don’t have to eat only pretzels from street carts: here we suggest restaurants where you can eat cheap in New York without sacrificing quality!
REMEMBER THAT WATER IN NEW YORK IS FREE
The tap water in New York is not only drinkable, but it is also served to you for free in all restaurants .
In most, they give you a pitcher of water for free before you even ask for it. But, if they don’t and ask if you want a drink, just say Some tap water, please.
In addition, during the meal they will refill it as many times as necessary. Even in places without service there is usually a water tank and glasses for customers to serve themselves.
Taking into account that a soft drink in a restaurant can cost you around $3-$4; a beer, $8-$10, and a cocktail, $15 or more, your wallet will thank you for choosing New York water!
USE THE METRO AND SAVE WITH A PASS
The MetroCard is New York’s transportation card and an essential tool for getting around the Big Apple (walking is always the best option, but sometimes your feet aren’t enough!).
You can load money on it and use it for any metro or bus and, in this way, pay a little less for each trip than if you bought the tickets separately.
And much less than if you took a taxi or Uber , of course!
Also, if you plan to take several subways or buses a day, there is a MetroCard modality that offers you unlimited travel for 7 days or 30 days .
Calculate how many journeys you will make: if you move a lot and pay it off, you can save a lot!
Keep in mind that, from 2023, the MetroCard will gradually disappear in favor of OMNY, the contactless system for paying for the New York subway (with your mobile, for example).
It is already installed in all stations, and it also allows you to save, as we told you in the OMNY guide, although it still does not have unlimited passes like the MetroCard.
BOOK A HOTEL IN ADVANCE (AND KEEP OTHER DISTRICTS IN MIND)
As we always say, accommodation is the biggest expense of a trip to New York. Whatever you choose, it will be expensive compared to other destinations.
The only way to save in New York in this sense is to travel in low season (especially in January or February ) or, since we cannot always choose the dates, booking trips well in advance when you travel.
Plus, also check out other boroughs like Queens, with good connections to Manhattan but lower prices.
- Here you can find a hotel in New York for your trip
- Here we recommend hotels in Queens well connected to Manhattan
- Here are hotels in Brooklyn that are well connected to Manhattan
SUPERMARKET TO SAVE IN NEW YORK? TRADER JOE’S!
If you’re staying in an apartment and want to load up on supplies to cook at home, or if you want to buy fruit and snacks for your trip, we recommend going to Trader Joe’s, one of the best supermarkets in New York .
Almost everything is their own brand, the food is of quality, there are sea of original products… And, best of all, the prices are reasonable given how expensive the city is.
In addition, they have many supermarkets , so surely you always have one nearby.
The only drawback? All New Yorkers know the secret and, at rush hour, there are very long lines to buy. To save in New York without going nuts, go first thing in the morning or before closing.
BUY A TOURIST CARD (AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR DISCOUNT)
In New York there are several tourist cards that allow you to save if you plan to visit several paying places.
For example, if you want to visit several observatories (which are among the most expensive attractions in the city), with a card you can save a lot.
In addition, for being a reader of A Nueva York, you have exclusive discounts on some of the cards. The most famous are:
- The Sightseeing Pass. More than 100 attractions with a tourist bus, observatories, museums, tours… It has two modalities: in one you choose the number of attractions you want to visit (2-12) over 30 days and in another you choose a number of consecutive days (1 -10 days) to visit as many attractions as you want.
- The New York Pass (exclusive discount). More than 100 attractions with observatories, museums, tours… You can visit as many as you want on the days you choose (1-10 days).
You have an extra 10% discount with the code ANUEVAYORK19 (written in capital letters) when buying it from the official website . - The New York City PASS. 6 must-see attractions (you can choose from a list of 9 attractions, such as the Top of the Rock, the Empire State or the Statue of Liberty) that you can visit over the course of 9 days.
- The Go City New York (exclusive discount). More than 90 attractions with observatories, museums, tours… You choose how many you want to visit (2-10), and you have 30 days to do so.
You have an extra 10% discount with the code ANUEVAYORK10 (written in capital letters) when buying it from the official website.
It is essential that you make calculations , since, as we always say, the cards have to adapt to your trip, not the other way around. If you don’t intend to visit most of the places they include, they certainly won’t compensate you.
But, if you want to get the most out of New York and discover its essential attractions, with them you can save a lot.
BYE-BYE LATTES AND FRAPPUCCINOS
Eating a giant Starbucks drink for breakfast every day or a latte with a perfect little heart in the foam is tempting, yes…
But a latte, a cappuccino or any drink from the most famous chains will cost you around $5-$6.
If you add some pastries, also for the same price, a breakfast costs $10 .
On the other hand, if all you are looking for is a shot of coffee to start the day, to save in New York you can order a Coffee or an Americano, very long filter coffees, which in coffee shops cost about $2.5-$3 and, in carts on the street or in delis, even less.
In all cafeterias there are free jugs of various types of milk (cold, yes) so that you fill the glass yourself as you like, so you can prepare a coffee with milk for much less than a latte.
FIND OUT WHEN MUSEUMS ARE FREE
One thing we love about New York institutions is that they try to make culture available to everyone .
For this, many museums are free one day a week or offer suggested admission, so you can donate what you think is appropriate.
But, even if the entrance is suggested, try to contribute something whenever you can: the city’s museums are well worth investing a few dollars (which we can save elsewhere) in them!
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE FREE ACTIVITIES IN NEW YORK
In addition to museums, there are many other attractions in the Big Apple that offer free visits and experiences.
Here’s what to do for free in New York, from kayaking down the Hudson to hopping on the Staten Island Ferry.
IF YOU EAT OUT, BETTER AT NOON
Man does not live on fast food alone! If you feel like eating in a good restaurant, keep in mind that, at lunch time, the dishes are cheaper than at dinner time (dinner).
Another advantage of eating out at lunchtime is that some restaurants offer fixed-price menus, called lunch specials or prix fixe menus.
It is not as common a practice as in other places, but if you walk through an area with several restaurants, you will surely find one with a menu.
See Also:
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HAPPY HOURS
In a city where a beer can cost you $10 and a cocktail $15 or more, happy hours will become your best friends .
Happy Hour is a period of the day during which bars and restaurants offer drinks at a discounted price . For example, $5 beers, $7 glasses of wine, $10 cocktails…
And sometimes $1 or $2 oysters too, which is very typical for New York.
It is usually in the early afternoon , when the workers leave the office, more or less from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. But each bar has its hours and, in some, they extend it until late at night.
A good way to save in New York without giving up having a drink around during your trip. Chin Chin!
ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH INSURANCE
There is no use saving a few dollars on coffee or transportation if, in case you need to go to the doctor during your trip, you have to shell out hundreds (or thousands) of $$ .
And it is that traveling to the Big Apple with good insurance is not only essential: it is the most important investment of the trip, since any routine or emergency visit in the city costs a lot of money.
Although the best thing, of course, is that you do not get to use the insurance… But you will have the peace of mind of not having to pay an exorbitant bill in case you do!
TRAVEL IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY
Can you choose at what time of the year to ask for a vacation? January and February, low season, are the best months to save in New York.
To encourage tourism after Christmas and before spring, the city launches many offers, such as Broadway Week (2×1 Broadway tickets), Restaurant Week (menus at a good price in the most famous restaurants), Must -See Week (2×1 tickets to the attractions), bargains in hotels…
The only drawback is the cold, but nothing that a good coat and a happy hour cocktail can’t fix!
BUY DISCOUNT BROADWAY TICKETS
Broadway tickets can get so expensive ($150 per person, for example, isn’t outlandish).
But, luckily, in New York theaters there are also tricks to save money, from lotteries for the most famous musicals to last-minute tickets at the TKTS box office.
BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES
As much as we insist, for example, that to see the Statue of Liberty you can take the free Staten Island ferry , perhaps you are very excited to see it up close and prefer a paid cruise.
And, vice versa: another person would prefer to invest in a Broadway musical and not visit the Statue of Liberty, go up to a rooftop instead of the Empire State Building …
From A Nueva York we try to provide you with all the information so that you can decide what is a priority for you .
Because, whatever you choose, if you do it convinced and knowing the options… it will surely be worth it!
Have you put into practice any of these tips to save in New York? What other tactics do you recommend?
Reference
See Also:
- 15 Best TIPS TO SAVE IN NEW YORK 2023
- The best 10 places in Toulon in 2023
- The best 10 must-see places in Carcassonne in 2023
- Top 10 New Year’s Eve hotels and programs in Istanbul in 2023
- Best Visa-free routes for a budget holiday abroad in 2023
This is an amazing article.!
I think you should visit the official site of new york official travel site. It has a lot of information
https://www.nycgo.com/
I am planning a a visit to new york. thank you for this guide
Thank you for this guide
I suggest The halal guys, it has an amazing meals
I love new york
YaaY!!
How about going to liberty statue?
Good Idea
I love New york because i love shopping
Me too