New England Aquarium gives free admission to Massachusetts Teacher Association (MTA) and Boston Teachers Union (BTU) card holders, and the offer stops there. The Offers and Discounts page says card holders receive free Aquarium admission for themselves when they show their MTA or BTU card for the current academic year at the ticket booth.
If you teach in Boston or belong to the MTA, the Aquarium is free for you. If you don’t carry either card, this isn’t your offer, and we’d rather say so now than send you to the booth with only a school ID, since the page asks for the card. Below is what the page covers, what it leaves out, and the smaller savings a New England teacher can still use.
How To Get The New England Aquarium Teacher Discount
Take your MTA or BTU card for the current academic year to the ticket booth and show it. The page words the offer as free admission for the card holder themselves and doesn’t mention guests. It also says the offer can’t be combined with other offers or coupons and isn’t valid for movie or whale watch tickets.
Timing is the part to plan around. Guests who buy at the box office are admitted at the next available timeslot, and the page says immediate entry isn’t guaranteed. For guaranteed entry at a specific time, it says to reserve in advance by calling 617-973-5206.
Who Counts As A Teacher
The offer follows the card, not the job title. The page names MTA and BTU card holders and no other teacher category, and that entry is the only place the page mentions teachers. A teacher in another state, or a Massachusetts teacher whose union is neither of those two, isn’t named, and the page lists no teacher appreciation day or other educator rate.
The Membership Discount
A year of visits is a different decision, and the membership page has a line for you: Massachusetts teachers in the MTA or BTU unions and military receive a 15% discount on membership. It only applies to memberships bought in person at the Aquarium, where you show your MTA or BTU card, so it can’t be used when you join online. The page also says membership benefits may not be used in conjunction with school or group trips.
If You’re Planning A Class Trip
If you’ve booked a class visit, the Field Trip Guide has its own note for you. It says that if you want to come to the Aquarium beforehand to plan, you’re welcome to, and that teachers may present their field trip confirmation letter to gain free admission. The guide also says chaperones are admitted to the Aquarium free of charge.
If You Don’t Hold A Card
A teacher who lives in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont can use the New England resident rate, which the Offers and Discounts page lists as $5 off standard Aquarium admission or admission plus a movie. It can’t be combined with other offers or coupons, and it isn’t available during weekends and on holidays in summer.
Cash Back Routes We Checked
Fluz lists 1.5% cashback at New England Aquarium with a Fluz virtual card. We didn’t test whether the Aquarium’s ticketing accepts a virtual card, so check that before you count on it, and check the rate on Fluz before you pay. We didn’t find a TopCashback page for the Aquarium, and Rakuten’s address for it loads a general page instead of a store page.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The Offers and Discounts page doesn’t say whether substitutes, retired members or teachers in a different union can use the MTA or BTU entry, and it doesn’t say whether a card holder can bring guests at a reduced rate. For questions, the page lists Reservations at 617-973-5206.
Q&A
Do all teachers get free admission at the New England Aquarium?
No. The page limits free admission to MTA and BTU card holders and names no other teacher category.
What do I show at the ticket booth?
Your MTA or BTU card for the current academic year.
Does the free admission cover my family or my class?
The page words it as free admission for the card holder themselves. For a booked class trip, the Field Trip Guide says chaperones are admitted free of charge.
Can I use it for a movie or a whale watch?
No. The page says it isn’t valid for movie or whale watch tickets and can’t be combined with other offers or coupons.
Is there a teacher discount on memberships?
Yes, 15% for MTA or BTU members, and only on memberships bought in person at the Aquarium.
How do I guarantee my entry time?
The page says to reserve in advance by calling 617-973-5206. Guests who buy at the box office are admitted at the next available timeslot.
I teach somewhere else in New England. Is there anything for me?
The New England resident rate is $5 off standard admission, except during weekends and on holidays in summer.
More Information:
The details above come from the New England Aquarium’s own Offers and Discounts, membership and Field Trip Guide pages, and from Fluz, Rakuten and TopCashback, as they loaded when we checked. Offers change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
