How to save money on Radio City Christmas Spectacular tickets

Even for the most hardened Scrooge, the holiday season in New York City is special.

You have everything from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center to the 5th Avenue window displays and the Union Square and Grand Central holiday markets — plus a ton of other affordable activities for families. If you want to get into the holiday spirit, there is definitely one activity among all the others that you will not want to miss: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes — especially since the show didn't run last year.

Just make sure to be aware of the current COVID requirements in regards to vaccines, testing and masks.

You can see the 36 Rockettes, with their 1,100 costumes and approximately 160 kicks each per show, perform the Christmas Spectacular almost daily between Nov. 5, 2021 and Jan. 2, 2022, with up to four shows per day. While the Christmas show is impressive for every age group, tickets do not come cheap. Fortunately there are a few ways to save money on Radio City Christmas Spectacular tickets.

Related: Best NYC holiday activities with a family

Ticketmaster

Since the Rockettes took last year off due to pandemic restrictions, there are unfortunately not as many Radio City promotion codes through Ticketmaster for this year. But, there are still some ways to get less expensive tickets through the site.

You'll notice that tickets get more expensive post-Thanksgiving and that weekday shows and off-peak times (such as the 11 a.m. show) will give you better pricing. If you want the absolute best pricing, go the first week of the show when you can snag a seat for only $49 per person. Although the last week of the show also still has reasonably inexpensive tickets as well. Just make sure to buy your tickets as early as possible; it will increase your chances of getting a better seat at a lower price.

While you will not find Ticketmaster on any of the airline shopping portals, there are a few cash-back portals that will give you a slight kickback. Currently, TopCashBack, Mr. Rebates, Swagbucks and uPromise are all offering between 0.5%–1.5% cash back on regular ticket sales. Depending on your ticket price, this might only end up being a few bucks saved, but something is better than nothing.

When making your ticket purchase, also remember that the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card awards 4% cash back on entertainment.

The information for the the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: The best credit cards for entertainment

TKTS tickets

If you are willing to roll the dice, you might be able to find discounted tickets at New York City’s TKTS location in Times Square. TKTS sells same-day tickets for shows that still have seats available at a 20–50% discount. You can track shows for sale through the TKTS Live site and even check the days leading up to your visit to see average pricing. Since the show doesn’t start until Nov. 5, we can’t track TKTS tickets pricing yet — or even know if they will be available. But, it's worth a try.

Broadway Box

The third-party ticket site BroadwayBox.com could actually be the best place to secure a discounted ticket in advance. Although the pricing seems to be the same as if you were to purchase the tickets through Ticketmaster, the taxes and fees are about half the price, making your total cost less.

The only slight downside is that you can only purchase up to 20 tickets in a single transaction, whereas Ticketmaster will allow you to purchase up to 25 tickets. If you have a large party, purchasing tickets together will guarantee you'll be sitting together.

Receive special access with Chase

If you use your Chase debit or credit card you can receive "Chase CardMember Preferred seating." You must purchase tickets no later than seven days before the day of the show and there's a 25 ticket limit.

Related: The best chase credit cards

Bottom line

The Radio City Christmas Speculator in New York City should be on every holiday-loving family’s radar. While there's not nearly as many coupon codes or discount sites as we've seen in the past, there are a few ways to still make the ticket price more palatable. With some advance planning, you may even be able to use points to stay at these family-friendly NYC hotels. Since it’s pretty easy to navigate NYC with kids, the Big Apple is a terrific vacation.