TKTS Booth NYC: Broadway Discounts, Hours and Payment

How TKTS works

TKTS is a set of booths, not a website. You join the line, read the boards listing which shows are selling that day and at what discount, and buy at a window. TDF's FAQ is blunt about it: the app shows availability, but you cannot buy online or in the app.

The rules from TDF's pages, checked 19 October 2026:

• Discounts are 50%, 40%, 30% or 20% off full price, and each show sets its own figure each day.
• The booths sell same-day performances and next-day matinees (TKTS Live).
• A service charge of $8 per ticket goes to TDF and is included in the posted price.
• You cannot choose your seats. The system pulls the best available seats the show has released.
• Six tickets per person, and no refunds or exchanges, so check your tickets and change before you leave the window (TKTS tips).

Shows often release more tickets during the day, up to curtain time, according to the FAQ. A show missing from the board at 3 p.m. can appear later.

Booth locations and opening hours

Two booths operate in New York, and TDF's FAQ says both offer the same shows and discounts.

Hours from TKTS Live, checked 19 October 2026.

Times Square is at Broadway and West 47th Street. TDF's FAQ places it on West 47th between Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

Lincoln Center is in the David Rubenstein Atrium, 61 West 62nd Street. Since TDF says it sells the same shows at the same discounts, it is the better bet on a Tuesday afternoon, when Times Square does not open until 3 p.m. It closes at 6 p.m., though, and on Sundays and Mondays it does not open at all.

TDF also offers a Fast Pass lane at Times Square: come back within seven days with your TKTS ticket stub or receipt and you skip to the front. Veterans and active-duty military can use it with qualifying ID. The separate Play Only line is currently unavailable.

What you actually pay

TDF's tips page says each show on the board lists its percentage discount and the final price including the $8 fee. On top of that, the FAQ warns of two possible extras: theatre facility fees of $1 to $2.50 per ticket, and $2 per ticket for shows whose producers belong to The Broadway League.

An illustration with a hypothetical $150 full-price seat:

Add up to $4.50 per ticket if both the facility fee and the League charge apply. At 20% off, the $8 fee eats much of the saving on a cheaper seat, so compare the board's final price with the show's own box office price before you buy.

Payment: cards, cash and gift cards

All TKTS locations take Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, Visa or Mastercard debit cards, cash and TKTS eGift Cards, with no extra charge for credit cards (TDF FAQ). A few Off-Broadway shows are cash only. If an eGift Card does not cover the full amount, the difference must be paid in cash; you cannot split between a gift card and a credit card.

Travelers Cheques are no longer accepted. TDF also warns against buying from people on the street who claim to sell tickets, since they are not affiliated with TKTS.

For the wider picture on what lands on US bills beyond the posted price, see US sales tax and the real price.

TKTS or the theatre box office?

TKTS is not the only way to pay less. The Broadway League's guide to last-minute tickets describes three other options:

• The box office at the theatre itself, where you can talk directly to a ticket agent.
• Rush or lottery tickets, which some shows offer on the day of the performance, with policies that vary by show.
• Standing room, which some theatres sell for spots at the back of the main level or the mezzanine and which may be available when a show is otherwise sold out.

The League's page gives no prices for these, and each show runs its own rules, so check the show's official site for its rush or lottery terms.

If you are taking the subway to the booth, check OMNY with a foreign card before you tap. With an hour to spare before curtain, the observation deck comparison covers Top of the Rock at 50 West 50th Street, a few blocks from the Times Square booth.