This is an amazing money saver, but you definitely need to understand how it works and use it wisely to take full advantage of it. Just to give you an idea of how much you can save, I bought a 7 day pass for $300. When I calculated how much money it would've cost me based on the full ticket prices of everything I did, I would have spent $883.49. Below are some of the things I learned while using this pass:
First, be sure you research all the attractions. There's no way you will be able to do everything the pass offers, so pick out the things you really want to do, then maybe note some things you might want to do to fill in gaps in your schedule.
Second, take time to plan out a schedule. I began by mapping out the schedules for the tours since some of them only operate certain days of the week. I created a schedule for myself that allowed me to hit all the tours I wanted to do. Then I back-filled the free time with non-scheduled attractions like the museums, memorials, buildings, etc. Remember to give yourself breaks, because you will do a LOT of walking and standing around.
Third, take advantage of the free meals. There's 3 Buffalo Wild Wings locations and you can use all 3. There's Planet Hollywood, Buca Di Beppo and Bella Napoli, these are all great locations to eat at. B-Dubs and Bella give you free meals while the others give you $15 off your meal. That's just more money you get to keep in your pocket.
Fourth, some things must be scheduled, but I suggest scheduling everything you can as far in advance as you can. Particularly with things like The Ride, they only allocate so many slots for pass-holders like this, but that isn't reflected until you try to schedule. So to avoid missing that window, it's best to schedule well over a month in advance. Just be sure you can actually show up, because some of the tour companies won't let you reschedule, then you'll have to pay if you don't show up, which leads me to.....
Fifth, BE SURE TO SHOW UP AND CHECK IN FOR RESERVATIONS!!!!! I can't emphasize this enough. Everywhere you have made a reservation, you will need to find a person from that company who will scan your Sightseeing Pass to verify you showed up. If you don't show up, they will charge your credit card on file for the price of the tour because if you don't show up, they don't get paid by the Sightseeing pass. You don't even have to stay for the whole tour, you can literally show up, check in, then walk off, but make sure you do check in.
Sixth, avoid peak times. I saw some people complaining in reviews that they had to stand in two lines to get into attractions. For the most part, I avoided peak times, but even the few places I did have to stand in line, I only had to stand in the same line everyone else was. The only exception was for the 9/11 Memorial Museum, where pass-holders had to stand in their own line and it was waaaay longer than regular ticket holders, about a 30min wait. Always be sure to ask someone to make sure you're in the correct line so you don't wait around unnecessarily.
Seventh, consider buying a 7-day unlimited ride Metro pass at the subway. It's about $33 but if you plan to do a lot of moving around, it could save you a lot of money. It works for local buses too, but I avoided the buses because most of the time I could walk faster than the bus could get me somewhere, at least around Times Square. If you're intimidated by the subway, watch some videos on YouTube and do some research to understand how the routes work. Plus you can always ask someone, most people are pretty friendly and willing to help out.
Things to Avoid & Misc Tips:
-After doing research, it seemed to me that the LOL Comedy Club/Magic Show was a total tourist trap.
-Also, the Grayline Bus Tours got pretty bad reviews, so I didn't even bother getting on those.
-If it's hot, I would absolutely avoid the Top Bus tour, you will be fried by the end of the day.
-The St. Patrick's Cathedral was free when I went, I didn't even need the pass.
-The Bronx Zoo is also free on Wednesdays, and super busy.
-The pass has a '$40 Product Voucher' that they make sound like you can use for anything, but it was trash, I didn't even use it because it's just a buy in to more really expensive things like helicopter rides. I hoped to use it towards a Broadway show but they only have a limited pool of tickets you can purchase. Maybe if you got it waaaaaaaay in advance, you might be able to get a Broadway ticket with it, but I wouldn't count on that as part of my value.
It should be noted that the customer support is pretty inflexible. If you buy a pass and decide you want to cancel it, they won't budge at all. If you have ANY fear that you may need to back out of it, buy the insurance that let's you do that when you purchase the card. But, the pass is good for a year from the date of purchase, the days start counting down from the first day you use it and it expires on midnight of the last day. So keep that in mind that for a 3 day pass, you don't get 72 hours, you get 3 days and it ends on midnight of that third day.
Other kudos is the Sightseeing Pass has a pretty nice website that lets you schedule your events, shows you events in close proximity to certain areas, and more. One word of warning though, always double-check the addresses because some of the addresses, particularly the meeting spots for tours, are incorrect on the Sightseeing Pass website. When in doubt, always refer to the website of the actual venue.
Long review, but that's the extent of my experience with them. I was doubtful in the beginning but if/when I go back to NYC, I'd seriously consider using the pass again.