Are AP price increases on the horizon?

[monkeyman200]

DianaSparrow- I just bought an AP yesterday. Redeem by date is Aug 31, 2017. So it must be one year from date of purchase.

 

[DianaSparrow]

DianaSparrow- I just bought an AP yesterday. Redeem by date is Aug 31, 2017. So it must be one year from date of purchase.

Thank you Monkeyman200! That's just what I wanted to hear!

 

[IDigDug]

I know this isn't supposed to work, but it did for us - we bought five-day PHs from ticketsatwork.com ($299 adult and $280 child, I think). When we took them to be upgraded to APs, the CM applied the full value of the five-day PH, rather than charging us the difference between the discount and the full-price ticket. That saved us more than $100 right there.

This happened to us when we got our AP's in Aug 2015. I wasn't expecting it, but it was a nice surprise.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

DianaSparrow- I just bought an AP yesterday. Redeem by date is Aug 31, 2017. So it must be one year from date of purchase.

Good to know. Thanks for sharing. Shorter than it used to be (depending on time of year bought).

 

[rms123]

Does anyone know - if I renew my passes (they expire in a week), do the new ones expire a year from now or a year from when we first use the new ones? We won't be back until November.

 

[ashley0139]

Does anyone know - if I renew my passes (they expire in a week), do the new ones expire a year from now or a year from when we first use the new ones? We won't be back until November.

If you renew you keep your original expiration date. That's why you get the renewal discount.

 

[minnieralyks]

Just gonna chime in on another way to work in a discount... I know people have discussed buying Disney gift cards at Target using the red card and getting 5% off. If you're a Sam's Club member, they sell $500 Disney gift cards for $474.98. We'll need 4 of those to buy the 5-day hoppers for our family of six. We'll save $100 and still have $20 left on one of the gift cards.

Have been lurking on this thread, just joined to say thank you for sharing this deal! Our local Sam's Club didn't have the $500 one, but we were able to get the 3 pack of $50 gift cards (adds to $150) for $142 and some change. We bought like 16 of those puppies for the tickets we are going to purchase for our trip. I had a heck of a time combining all 48 gift cards on their website but saved about $100.

Hey, that $100 will buy about 20 churros !

 

[TexasErin]

Why is it so complicated for me to get the derned tickets?? I combined the five $500 Disney gift cards from Sam's and the three $50 gift cards on the Disney gift card website, so we have two $1000 Disney tickets and a $650 Disney card.

Then I called Disneyland ticketing since you can't use more than one Disney gift card at a time online. I was going order three Deluxe passes and one Signature pass. I was asked when our trip is. I told them May and he told me I can't order them yet!!! I told him that I heard the passes have to be redeemed for the first time by August 31, 2017. He said they have to be redeemed by 12/31/16. After I got upset, he put me on hold to check with his supervisor. When he came back, he said he can send me a voucher for the passes..... Great, right???? Nope-----he said IF the price increases, we will have to pay the difference at the ticket booth when we exchange them for the passes in May at the ticket booth!! I started giving my information, but changed my mind and told him to forget it.

Anything I can do? What is the point of ordering the vouchers if I'm still going to have to pay more IF the price increases (like there's any way the price won't go up)? And I can't use more than one gift card online? Am I just screwed? I was already mad about not being able to use the DVC discount----and now this!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Why is it so complicated for me to get the derned tickets?? I combined the five $500 Disney gift cards from Sam's and the three $50 gift cards on the Disney gift card website, so we have two $1000 Disney tickets and a $650 Disney card.

Then I called Disneyland ticketing since you can't use more than one Disney gift card at a time online. I was going order three Deluxe passes and one Signature pass. I was asked when our trip is. I told them May and he told me I can't order them yet!!! I told him that I heard the passes have to be redeemed for the first time by August 31, 2017. He said they have to be redeemed by 12/31/16. After I got upset, he put me on hold to check with his supervisor. When he came back, he said he can send me a voucher for the passes..... Great, right???? Nope-----he said IF the price increases, we will have to pay the difference at the ticket booth when we exchange them for the passes in May at the ticket booth!! I started giving my information, but changed my mind and told him to forget it.

Anything I can do? What is the point of ordering the vouchers if I'm still going to have to pay more IF the price increases (like there's any way the price won't go up)? And I can't use more than one gift card online? Am I just screwed? I was already mad about not being able to use the DVC discount----and now this!

Well, you know, call again. Seems every time one talks to a different CM about the same subject, the answer changes. On the other hand, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Disney is finally taking some steps to close the loopholes that we who have sought to beat the annual or even twice annual price increases have used in the past. For one thing, whether the vouchers expire 12/31/16 or 8/31/17, both dates are still sooner than they used to be for purchasing a pass at this time of year. For another, I don't come across AP vouchers in my northern California grocery stores and Disney stores anymore, and they used to be marketed up here. Obviously Disney would prefer that we just pay whatever the annual pass price is at the time of first use, and they may be starting to fix up some of their policies and practices to make that happen.

 

[monkeyman200]

passes have to be redeemed for the first time by August 31, 2017

TexasErin - the AP I bought on August 31 has a redeem by date of August 31, 2017. I did not mean they all do. I have bought several and they all expire one year (in 2017) on the day corresponding to when I bought them. I had to buy 6, and with the price increase perhaps around the corner, I bought them staggered through the month of August. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[TexasErin]

TexasErin - the AP I bought on August 31 has a redeem by date of August 31, 2017. I did not mean they all do. I have bought several and they all expire one year (in 2017) on the day corresponding to when I bought them. I had to buy 6, and with the price increase perhaps around the corner, I bought them staggered through the month of August. Hope that helps a bit.

How did you buy them? Over the phone or online? Did they send you a voucher? I thought about calling back and saying our trip is next month. I just need them for May 26-June 5, 2017. Sorry so many questions....I'm just afraid of either being sent real APs that say must be initially used prior to 12/31/16 or vouchers that either say the same thing or have to pay a price difference when redeemed.

 

[monkeyman200]

I bought each one separately online. I bought one in May and one in June - those had a redeem by date of Dec 31, 2016. The other 4 bought throughout August all have redeem by dates of one year from date of purchase. Our trip isn't until Feb, but with so many to buy and our exchange rate so poor, I was trying to spread out the expense. I do not know what I will have to do with the ones that expire Dec - guess those I will have to pay any increase on at the time we go the gates.

 

[minnieralyks]

Why is it so complicated for me to get the derned tickets?? I combined the five $500 Disney gift cards from Sam's and the three $50 gift cards on the Disney gift card website, so we have two $1000 Disney tickets and a $650 Disney card.

Then I called Disneyland ticketing since you can't use more than one Disney gift card at a time online. I was going order three Deluxe passes and one Signature pass. I was asked when our trip is. I told them May and he told me I can't order them yet!!! I told him that I heard the passes have to be redeemed for the first time by August 31, 2017. He said they have to be redeemed by 12/31/16. After I got upset, he put me on hold to check with his supervisor. When he came back, he said he can send me a voucher for the passes..... Great, right???? Nope-----he said IF the price increases, we will have to pay the difference at the ticket booth when we exchange them for the passes in May at the ticket booth!! I started giving my information, but changed my mind and told him to forget it.

Anything I can do? What is the point of ordering the vouchers if I'm still going to have to pay more IF the price increases (like there's any way the price won't go up)? And I can't use more than one gift card online? Am I just screwed? I was already mad about not being able to use the DVC discount----and now this!

We purchased ours last night and they had an expiration date of August 31st, 2017 (it said "valid through"). I bought them online.

I don't think they can make you pay the difference if the price goes up. You're paying for a voucher, so as long as they're paid for you should be good to go to redeem for an annual pass. That's why we purchased our last night, just in case the price goes up we're good to go. Sounds like that cast member didn't know the correct information.

 

[TexasErin]

Okay, so I called back and the CM didn't even ask me about our dates. She was very friendly and we chatted about our favorite attractions while she processed the order. About ten minutes after the phone call, I received an email with my order number and an invoice. No expiration dates mentioned. I guess I just use my order number; for delivery method, my invoice shows hold. Hopefully I'm all set.

 

[MikeRx]

I renewed today via phone because I was "down grading" from a Premier to a Signature. I was able to get the $50 discount and my effective date of my new pass is October 4th.

I purchased my Premiere pass on October 3rd last year....yes the day before the $500 price increase...thank you DISboards for the heads-up...We arrived on a busy Saturday afternoon and I could have waited to upgrade until the next morning, but because of the rumor of the price increase I hoofed it through Epcot from the Beach Club and waited in a long. long, hot line to get my "gold card"...so glad I did!

Mike

 

[SMD]

How did you buy them? Over the phone or online? Did they send you a voucher? I thought about calling back and saying our trip is next month. I just need them for May 26-June 5, 2017. Sorry so many questions....I'm just afraid of either being sent real APs that say must be initially used prior to 12/31/16 or vouchers that either say the same thing or have to pay a price difference when redeemed.

Have you checked the blockout calendar for those dates? You can activate on May 26th, then the 27th, 28th and 3rd are blocked. If you're only planning on 8 park days, it would be cheaper to buy tickets.You could save a little more if anyone in your party is under 10, and if you did a 5 day PH and 3 day non-PH and plan 3 days without hopping during the trip.

 

[TexasErin]

Have you checked the blockout calendar for those dates? You can activate on May 26th, then the 27th, 28th and 3rd are blocked. If you're only planning on 8 park days, it would be cheaper to buy tickets.You could save a little more if anyone in your party is under 10, and if you did a 5 day PH and 3 day non-PH and plan 3 days without hopping during the trip.

Yeah, I did see that several of our days are blocked. We will get there the evening of the 26th, so we won't go into the parks that night. Then we'll activate on the 27th, so we can go in that day. Then we'll have to buy 1-day tix for the three deluxe APs for the 28th. The 3rd will be a swim/DTD day (maybe catch a movie at AMC). I do appreciate your advice, but our youngest will be 14 then, so adult prices I'm afraid.

Do I just give my order number to get my annual passes at the ticket booth? Am I correct that we can do that the evening that we get there, but not activate it until the next morning when we go through the turnstiles?

 

[SMD]

Once you walk away from the ticket booth with an AP, it's active whether you enter the parks or not. Also, you have to tell them when you're getting the APs that you're going in the park that day. They print a paper exception pass that you have to show at the gates each time you park hop.

 

[TexasErin]

Once you walk away from the ticket booth with an AP, it's active whether you enter the parks or not. Also, you have to tell them when you're getting the APs that you're going in the park that day. They print a paper exception pass that you have to show at the gates each time you park hop.

Good deal! Thank you for telling me since I would hate to mess up our plans!

 

[agamble]

DianaSparrow- I just bought an AP yesterday. Redeem by date is Aug 31, 2017. So it must be one year from date of purchase.

Last year many people said tickets bought after the price increase at Disney Store were good until December of 2016. I asked a CM online last week and I was told they currently expire at the end of 2017.