A note before we start
This article was originally written in June 2019 and reflects prices from that era. We’ve updated key figures where possible, but Jordan Pass pricing has changed since then — prices went up significantly after 2020. For current 2024-2025 pricing and a fully updated analysis, see our dedicated guide: Is the Jordan Pass worth it?
What follows is the original 2019 analysis, which remains useful as a framework for thinking through the math — even if the specific numbers have shifted.
The Jordan Pass: what it is
The Jordan Pass is a tourist bundle sold by the Jordan Tourism Board that combines:
- A Jordanian entry visa (normally 40 JOD for a single-entry visa on arrival)
- Entry to Petra (the biggest single expense in any Jordan itinerary)
- Entry to 40+ other attractions including Jerash, Wadi Rum protected area, Ajloun Castle, Kerak Castle, Madaba archaeological sites, and more
The Pass was sold in 2019 at three tiers, corresponding to how many days you spend in Petra:
- Jordan Wanderer: 70 JOD — includes 1 day in Petra
- Jordan Explorer: 75 JOD — includes 2 days in Petra
- Jordan Expert: 80 JOD — includes 3 days in Petra
The critical catch: you must stay in Jordan for at least 3 consecutive nights to use the visa-waiver portion of the pass. If you’re doing a day trip from Israel, for example, you’ll still pay the visa fee separately.
The 2019 math
Let’s break this down for a typical week-long trip.
Without the Pass:
- Visa on arrival: 40 JOD
- Petra entry (2 days): 50 JOD/day = 100 JOD
- Jerash entry: 10 JOD
- Wadi Rum protected area entrance: 5 JOD
- Kerak Castle: 2 JOD
- Ajloun Castle: 2 JOD
- Total: 159 JOD
With the Jordan Explorer Pass:
- Cost: 75 JOD
- Savings: 84 JOD
That’s a significant saving — just over half price for the combined package. And this is the scenario for a reasonably active traveler hitting three or four sites beyond Petra.
For a more minimal visitor — say, someone doing Amman plus Petra for two nights and skipping the secondary sites:
Minimal trip without Pass:
- Visa: 40 JOD
- Petra (1 day): 50 JOD
- Total: 90 JOD
With Wanderer Pass (1 Petra day):
- Cost: 70 JOD
- Savings: 20 JOD
Still saves money — though the margin is smaller.
When the Pass is NOT worth it
The calculation flips in a couple of scenarios:
If you’re entering via Aqaba: The Aqaba Special Economic Zone has historically offered free or reduced visa fees for certain nationalities, and entry via the Aqaba port or airport sometimes works differently from the main Queen Alia Airport in Amman. In 2019, some nationalities could enter Aqaba visa-free for a short stay. In that case, the visa value of the Pass effectively disappears, and you’re paying 70-80 JOD for attraction entries that might total 60-65 JOD. Marginal.
If you’re only visiting for 1-2 nights: The 3-night minimum for the visa waiver means short itineraries don’t benefit from that component. You’ll pay the Pass price AND the visa fee.
If your Jordan trip is genuinely Petra-only: Some people visit Jordan specifically for one day in Petra while routing between Israel and Egypt. In that case: single-day Petra entry (50 JOD) plus visa (40 JOD) totals 90 JOD. The Wanderer Pass at 70 JOD still saves 20 JOD, but only if you’re staying the required 3 nights.
How to buy it in 2019
The Pass was purchased online at jordanpass.jo before arrival — not available at the border. You needed to activate it within 6 months of purchase, and it was valid for 2 weeks once activated. A QR code on your phone was the standard method for site entry.
One important note from experience: some site staff in 2019 hadn’t fully updated their scanning systems, and entry occasionally involved showing the code and waiting while someone called a supervisor. This has improved steadily with each visit.
Which sites are included beyond Petra?
This is the part most comparison articles skip. The Jordan Pass in 2019 included entry to 40+ sites, and the value of those inclusions depends entirely on which ones align with your itinerary.
High value inclusions (sites you should visit anyway):
- Jerash: 10 JOD regular entry. One of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, consistently underestimated.
- Ajloun Castle: 2 JOD. The twelfth-century Islamic fortress overlooking the northern Jordan Valley. Half-day excursion from Amman.
- Kerak Castle: 2 JOD. The most dramatic of the King’s Highway Crusader castles, partially intact and very much worth the detour.
- Wadi Rum protected area entrance: 5 JOD. Required even if you’re just transiting through on the way to a camp.
- Madaba Archaeological Park: 3 JOD. The site of the famous mosaic map, which is not the same as the church entrance (the church is free; the park has additional mosaics).
- Baptism Site (Bethany): 12 JOD. The UNESCO-listed archaeological area of Jesus’s baptism is more expensive than most people expect.
Lower value inclusions (worth visiting but low entry fees anyway):
- Mount Nebo: 3 JOD.
- Um ar-Rasas: 2 JOD (another UNESCO Byzantine mosaic site, rarely visited, genuinely excellent).
Sites that are free regardless (not in the Pass): Madaba’s Church of Saint George (the famous mosaic map church itself), most mosques, the Dead Sea public beaches, the Amman Citadel viewing terrace.
Adding the mid-value sites to the savings calculation:
Without Pass (5-day itinerary covering all of the above): Visa (40) + Petra 2 days (100) + Jerash (10) + Wadi Rum entrance (5) + Kerak (2) + Ajloun (2) + Bethany (12) + Mount Nebo (3) = 174 JOD
With Explorer Pass: 75 JOD — saving 99 JOD. At that point it’s not a close call.
How to buy and how it works
In 2019, the Pass was purchased exclusively at jordanpass.jo — not available at borders, not at airports. Credit card only. You received a PDF with a QR code.
The QR code was scanned at each site — sometimes a handheld scanner, sometimes a phone. The system was reliable at major sites (Petra, Jerash) and occasionally required patience at smaller ones. Keep the PDF downloaded and offline; mobile signal in some site areas is poor.
The Pass activates at the first site you scan it. From that point, validity is 2 weeks — enough for any Jordan itinerary.
The broader case for the Pass
Beyond the math, the Pass has a secondary value: it removes the friction of cash transactions at each site. In a country where ATMs are occasionally unavailable in rural areas, arriving at Jerash or Ajloun and simply scanning a code rather than fumbling for the right notes is a genuine quality-of-life improvement.
It also removes the temptation to skip secondary sites. Once you’ve paid for Jerash in advance via the Pass, you’re going to Jerash. And Jerash, as it turns out, is extraordinary — a complete Roman provincial city with colonnaded streets, temples, and an oval forum still intact enough that you can almost hear the market. Travelers who skip it purely because of the entry fee are missing something significant.
The same logic applies to Bethany. At 12 JOD, the baptism site entry is expensive enough that budget travelers might skip it. With the Pass, you’re going to Bethany. And Bethany — the UNESCO-listed archaeological area where John the Baptist worked, excavated since the 1990s — is a genuinely moving site that deserves more visitors than it gets.
Our 2019 verdict
Buy the Explorer Pass (2-day Petra + visa) if you’re visiting for 5+ days and covering at least Petra, Jerash, and one or two other sites. The math is clear and the margin of saving is meaningful.
Buy the Wanderer Pass (1-day Petra + visa) if your itinerary is tight but you’re staying 3+ nights. Still saves money.
Skip the Pass if you’re entering via Aqaba with a free visa, visiting for fewer than 3 nights, or doing a single day trip from Israel.
For 2024-2025 pricing: see our updated guide at /guides/jordan-pass-guide/. The Jordan Pass remains available but prices have been revised upward since 2019. The framework for evaluating it remains the same; the specific numbers differ.