COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives in New York City

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is easier than ever, and you may receive some special perks if you get vaccinated! We’ve compiled a list of New York’s vaccine incentives below.

New York’s “Vax & Scratch” program has been extended through Friday, June 4. In New York City, anyone who gets vaccinated at the Javits Center in Manhattan or the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens will receive a scratch-off lottery ticket worth up to $5 million.

Governor Cuomo has announced that 12- to 17-year-olds who get vaccinated through Wednesday, July 7 can enter a contest to win a 4-year full-ride scholarship to any SUNY or CUNY college. There will be 10 scholarships raffled off every Wednesday for the next five weeks – with 50 winners picked total.

Get vaccinated at Grand Central Station or Penn Station through Saturday, June 5 to receive a 7-day Unlimited Metrocard or two one-way Commuter Rail Tickets.

Visit the American Museum of Natural History to receive up to four admission tickets if you get vaccinated on-site.

If you visit a City-run site to get vaccinated, you are eligible to receive a number of incentives. Sign up for a vaccine appointment at Vax4NYC, you can choose one of the following incentives: free tickets to a Brooklyn Cyclones or NYC Football Club game; an NYC Ferry 10-ride pass; tickets to the Top of the Rock and Liberty Island; $25 gift card to NYC Public Markets; a Public Theater Annual Membership; or a two-week membership to Citibike; or a Snug Harbor family membership. Additionally, for everyone who signs up through the Vax4NYC site, people 18 and older can enter a contest to win big prizes that change on a week-to-week basis. And, if you get vaccinated at the following locations, you can get free tickets to that place (either for the same day or a future date) automatically: the Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Museum, New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and Lincoln Center.

Visit Yankee Stadium or Citi Field before a baseball game to get vaccinated and you will receive a one ticket voucher for a future game. If you’re more of a basketball fan, get vaccinated at Barclays Center to receive a complimentary Brooklyn Nets t-shirt. Or, on Tuesday, June 1 or Saturday, June 3, get vaccinated at Pennsy Food Hall outside of Madison Square Garden for a chance to win tickets to a later New York Knicks game.  

If you need help getting to your vaccine appointment, Lyft and Uber are both offering free rides to vaccine appointments.

And, if you have already been vaccinated, there are perks for you too! Through Saturday, June 12, get free Crinkle Cut Fries at Shake Shack by showing your vaccine card or Excelsior Pass before ordering. Anyone who shows their vaccine card at Krispy Kreme will receive a free Original Glazed doughnut. Crunch Fitness is offering vaccinated New Yorkers a free two-week trial gym membership.

New vaccine incentives are being announced regularly, so go out and get vaccinated!