Go Oahu Card: Review and Coupon Codes

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From the gleaming streets of Honolulu to the majestic waves of the North Shore, Oahu is one fantastic vacation destination. With its natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and diverse selection of attractions, you’ll never have dull moment in Hawaii! While it can get a little expensive to spend a significant amount of time on this little island, the Go Oahu Card from Smart Destinations can keep your vacation on budget and help you save big on attraction visits. Whether you’re all about surfing, kayaking, and tanning, or are really looking forward to exploring amazing local museums and memorials, there is something to please everyone on Oahu!

Purchase the card at the Smart Destinations Website

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Top Included Hawaii Attractions

Polynesian Cultural Center
Hanauma Bay Snorkeling
Pearl Harbor Historic Sites
Wet n’ Wild Hawaii
All of Oahu Tour
Makani Catamaran Sail
Movie Sites Tour

See the complete list of attractions and tours in the sidebar.

How it Works

The Go Oahu Card is an all-inclusive attraction pass, featuring over 30 area attractions to choose from. It’s a digital pass (or physical card, depending on where you buy it) that provides admission to any of the participating attractions you want to visit during the active life of your card from 9 am – 5:30 pm. Purchase the card for a number of days (1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 days are the available options) and activate it when you visit your first attraction. The days can be used over a two-week period, after the first attraction visit. No need to choose attractions in advance, although in the case of certain attractions like cruises and tours, you may want to or be required to make reservations.

The Go Oahu Card also comes with a number of extra bonus options when you purchase a 3-, 5-, or 7-Day card, a collection of premium attractions from which cardholders can select one to visit during the life of their card. They’re typically attractions with expensive gate prices, making admission a great additional value for the product.

What’s Good?

The greatest strength of the Go Oahu Card is the sheer variety of available attractions. It’s not just the beach stuff (although there’s that, too) – there are also water parks, art museums, war memorials, mountain hikes, city tours, and much more.

The main reason people choose Smart Destinations’ products is because of the substantial savings on admission. For example, families who visited three attractions per day with the 3-Day Go Oahu Card saved over 50%!

The flexibility of this product is another big bonus. You can actually use the cards on non-consecutive days, making it easy to break for a beach day in between busier afternoons on a tour or at a museum. It’s especially nice because most people come to Oahu for a week, but don’t want to spend the whole time being active.

Because each person has his or her own card, families can split up and visit different attractions based on their interests. This provides valuable freedom in the event of bad weather or another change in plans.

The Go Oahu Card also offers extra special discounts at shopping and dining venues, as well as at jewelry stores and other venues that sell handcrafted wares. This allows you to save money on souvenirs and other additional expenses, which can really help you keep the whole vacation on budget.

The passes are also convenient and easy to use because of Smart Destinations’ exclusive digital delivery. Purchase the pass online and display it on a smartphone for admission. Travelers can also opt to print out the passes.

Lastly, the comprehensive guidebook included with the cards is an invaluable resource and can help visitors make the most out of their Go Oahu Card and their vacations. It includes maps, directions, contact information, and even some basic information about local transportation options.

What Could get better?

The Go Oahu Card has great bonus attractions, like authentic luaus, animal encounters, and even dinner shows, but they aren’t available on shorter duration cards, which can be a big bummer. If you’re looking for an authentic island experience and don’t want at least a 3-Day card, however, the Polynesian Cultural Center is a great substitute.

Get Your Money’s Worth

Generally speaking, you’ll get more value out of your Go Oahu Card if you visit more attractions. A good rule of thumb is to visit between 2-3 attractions per day to maximize your savings with the product.

However, for longer duration cards, you can actually get the same value by visiting fewer attractions per day. For example, you’ll only need to visit one or two attractions per day with a 7-Day Go Oahu Card to get your money’s worth.

You also maximize your savings by choosing some more expensive attractions in conjunction with some smaller ones. For example, extended island tours or sails will be more expensive than visits to historical sites or memorials, so combining the two is a great way make the most of your money while still seeing what you want.

Do also make sure to visit your optional bonus attraction – it will add tremendous value to the card, in addition to being a great local activity.

Purchase the card at the Smart Destinations Website

Insider Tips

The Go Oahu Card is good for a number of days after activation, and is activated by the first attraction you visit. To make the most of the life of your card, be sure to visit your first attraction at or around 9 am each day (when the card is eligible for use).

While the card is only usable until 5:30 pm each night, you can stay in the attractions as long as they are open after admission. So if you’ve found an attraction you want to see that’s open until 7 pm, for example, plan to get there a little before 5:30 to make the most of your card.

If you choose Hanauma Bay snorkeling as an attraction option, go first thing in the morning, as it does get very crowded.

If you plan well and are aware of the included extras – at restaurants, for example – you can save a lot of money on dining or drinking. However, you should be aware that some places will scan your card in order to process the discount, which will activate the card, so be sure to use the card for discounts on days you will be visiting attractions.

Coupon Codes

Buy the Pass Now

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Where to Buy It

The Go Oahu Card is available at many outlets. You can buy it at travel or retail sites like Expedia, Costco, Orbitz or Travelocity. You can also opt to buy it at certain physical retailers once you get to Oahu, but those locations can occasionally be tricky to find and are occasionally out of the way.

The best place to buy the card is on the Smart Destinations website. They offer the most reasonable pricing and frequently have promotions that give you discounts on purchases over a certain amount. They also have a great return policy, allowing you to return unused cards for up to a year after purchase.

7 thoughts on “Go Oahu Card: Review and Coupon Codes”

  1. If i buy the 3 day card and get the bonus attraction, Must I do the bonus attraction within the 3 day period or do i get an extra day to use my bonus attraction. thank you

    Reply
    • Yes. The bonus attraction needs to be done on one of your days. For this reason, I recommend Germaine’s Luau or the Polynesian Cultural Center. Germaine’s Luau happens at night, so you can get in a full day of sightseeing before having them pick you up at your hotel. The Polynesian Cultural Center is an all day affair and includes the special nightly show, “Breath of Life”.

      Another popular option is the rental car. If you have a family of four and you buy four cards, you can get the equivalent of a 4 day car rental.

      Have a great trip to Hawaii!

      Reply
  2. What would you recommend? Purchasing three, five or seven days. Staying in Waikiki and would like to see all the tourist attraction. I will be visiting family, shopping and relaxation. I have two adults and a six year child. My stay in Hawaii will end on June 9. What would you recommend?

    Reply
    • Sounds like you are already in Oahu so you have 9 1/2 more days. I’d recommend the 5 or 7 day pass as the extra days over a 3 day pass amount to less than $20 per day. You could have a mix fun filled days visiting lots of tourist spots and other days where you spend half a day at the beach and go to one tourist attraction in the afternoon. You should still get a lot of value this way without burning out. I have a six year old too and would slightly lean towards to 5 day card.

      Remember that the card does not have to be used on consecutive days so you can spread the “tourist attraction days” over your whole stay.

      Reply
  3. I just booked a vacation in Oahu for my husband and I and got the go-card option. How do we go about making our reservations for things like the Pearl Harbor and City tour and the Polynesian Culture center with the Breath of Life Dinner Show?

    Reply
    • Hi, Glad you got some cards. Most things you will do with the card do not require reservations. In the included guidebook, each attraction has it’s own page. At the bottom are a bunch of symbols. The one with an “R” is one that lets you know if you need to make reservations. You can also check each attraction page on the Smart Destinations website for reservation instructions if needed.

      The Polynesian Cultural Center does not require reservations. The Pearl Harbor tours does. I think you just need to call them at (808) 971-4323. Have a great trip to Hawaii!

      Reply
      • Hi, I just did some follow up to your question. I read through the Polynesian Cultural Center copy on the Smart Destinations website and it looks like it is a bit confusing so I clarified it with them. General admission is offered on all Go Oahu Cards (which does not need a reservation). The Breath of Life is only available to purchasers of 3, 5 and 7 day cards. I’m assuming you have one of those cards. Call the reservation line at (800) 367-7060 and mention your Go Oahu Card.

        Remember the time difference. If you are calling from the US you need to wait till the afternoon to call them.

        Reply

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