Advantages to buying tickets early?

[JayMass]

I'm curious. I'm planning a trip to WDW in August 22. I usually use the ticket finder over at Touring Plans and purchase tickets through one of the sites they find.

Is there an advantage to buying tickets now in November over (say March or April) next year?

 

[DavidNYC]

You'll likely avoid a price hike of which there's sure to be one before then buying now and can make reservations when you have your tickets (although you're unlikely to see parks sold out in August far in advance if ever). Those are the two main advantages as long as you don't mind being out the money earlier.

 

[jimmymc]

Not really. The only time you would need to make early reservations would be for a holiday.

 

[georgina]

You'll likely avoid a price hike of which there's sure to be one before then buying now and can make reservations when you have your tickets (although you're unlikely to see parks sold out in August far in advance if ever). Those are the two main advantages as long as you don't mind being out the money earlier.

I was thinking of buying early to avoid a price hike, but am unsure if I want 4 or 5 days or a hopper. Do you know what happens price-wise if I try to upgrade a ticket while there, if the price has gone up since I purchased the original? Will I have to retroactively pay the higher price for the whole ticket?

 

[Meglen]

I was thinking of buying early to avoid a price hike, but am unsure if I want 4 or 5 days or a hopper. Do you know what happens price-wise if I try to upgrade a ticket while there, if the price has gone up since I purchased the original? Will I have to retroactively pay the higher price for the whole ticket?

yes they make you pay the difference

 

[DavidNYC]

I was thinking of buying early to avoid a price hike, but am unsure if I want 4 or 5 days or a hopper. Do you know what happens price-wise if I try to upgrade a ticket while there, if the price has gone up since I purchased the original? Will I have to retroactively pay the higher price for the whole ticket?

Yes - usually the price is the difference between what your ticket cost and the current price of the ticket you want. So you're not in any worse shape by buying in advance but you may lose the benefit of having bought early. You can also keep an eye out for sites like UT who sometimes have a buy 4 day with 1 extra free etc. so keep an eye out for those especially as we approach black Friday.

 

[gharter]

You'll likely avoid a price hike of which there's sure to be one before then buying now and can make reservations when you have your tickets (although you're unlikely to see parks sold out in August far in advance if ever). Those are the two main advantages as long as you don't mind being out the money earlier.

Agree, that's probably the only 2 benefits. If it were a busy time of year, I would be more worried about getting the park reservations early.

 

[Shughart]

I already have our 12/2022 tickets and have for months. Probably avoided two price increases.

 

[Robo]

And, in general...
The former practice (by some forward-thinking guests) of buying a "stock" of tickets to hold for use on trips "well into the future" is no longer a cost-saving plan.

 

[shawthorne44]

You do keep the discount from the third party, though, if you upgrade. I bought tickets from a third-party discounter, linked them and then months later but before any price hike, I changed the tickets to one week later. The new tickets were slightly more expensive but I only paid the difference between the two tickets based on Disney's prices.

Another reason to buy now rather than later is if you are going to add G+ to the tickets. They announced $15 as the "introductory price". Meaning the lowest ever price. I calculated that if they raised the price to $20, adding 7 days of G+ the morning-of would cost roughly the same as adding G+ to the 10-day tickets.

With the third-party tickets, my original plan was to not get park hoppers and add them while there if they seemed handy. But, the majority of the discount was on the park hopper tickets. The park hopper tickets were $50-ish (after tax) more than the base tickets. Adding hoppers in the park would have been $70 plus tax (memory is fuzzy) So, I went ahead and added park hoppers.

 

[georgina]

I decided on a hopper since DH has a non-expiring hopper. Five days is not that much more than 4, so will probably do that. We will certainly not be using G+ more than a day or 2, so not adding that on now. UT has a 4 day + 1 ticket but it is the same price as a 5 day? The website did advertise black Friday specials so I will wait and see what they offer then.

 

[Robo]

UT has a 4 day + 1 ticket but it is the same price as a 5 day?

Are you comparing the total price including TAX on both tickets?

 

[georgina]

Are you comparing the total price including TAX on both tickets?

Yes, UT has both a 4 day +1 and a 5 day hopper, starting on May 13, both say 586.89, tax included.

 

[Robo]

Yes, UT has both a 4 day +1 and a 5 day hopper, starting on May 13, both say 586.89, tax included.

I wonder how they justify THAT situation.
If that's the case, it would seem that they'd have to be claiming that the "4-day" price is higher than it actually is.

 

[Patrick N]

There is one other factor that hasn't been mentioned in these responses. Every Disney ticket sold today comes with an expiration date attached to it. It can't be used after that date, it can only be exchanged for a new ticket with the price you paid applied as a credit. I'm not 100% clear on how you determine the expiration date. I had an expired ticket that I exchanged for a new one, and they did not give me the full price I paid, even though I still had the receipt, and it was bought from AAA which I believe is an authorized reseller. It was no big deal, I lost about $25 on the transaction.

So if you do decide to buy your tickets now for August 2022, see if you can determine the expiration date before you buy. I think the general policy is that any ticket you buy will not expire until the end of the following year, but I don't think Disney states that clearly anywhere.

If it were me, I would wait until January to buy. Presumably that ticket would not expire until the end of 2022, and more likely 2023. And since Disney has usually jacked up their ticket prices in February, you could possibly avoid that. Of course these days, Disney seems to increase any price any time it suits them, so either way, it's a bit of a gamble.

 

[Robo]

There is one other factor that hasn't been mentioned in these responses. Every Disney ticket sold today comes with an expiration date attached to it. It can't be used after that date, it can only be exchanged for a new ticket with the price you paid applied as a credit.
1. I'm not 100% clear on how you determine the expiration date. I had an expired ticket that I exchanged for a new one, and
2. they did not give me the full price I paid, even though I still had the receipt, and
3. it was bought from AAA which I believe is an authorized reseller.
4. It was no big deal, I lost about $25 on the transaction.
5. So if you do decide to buy your tickets now for August 2022, see if you can determine the expiration date before you buy.
6. I think the general policy is that any ticket you buy will not expire until the end of the following year, but I don't think Disney states that clearly anywhere.
If it were me, I would wait until January to buy.
7. Presumably that ticket would not expire until the end of 2022,
8. and more likely 2023.
9. And since Disney has usually jacked up their ticket prices in February, you could possibly avoid that.
10. Of course these days, Disney seems to increase any price any time it suits them, so either way, it's a bit of a gamble.

1. That can be found out when you buy a ticket. If it is not clearly stated, you can contact the seller.
2. If that is the case, (and this was a greater than 2-day ticket) you were treated incorrectly and unfairly.
3. Yes.
4. None the less, see #2 above. A remedy would still be possible. You could present all receipts (old and new) and ask nicely for a refund.
5. Agreed.
6. In some cases, that is true. The end of a calendar year is NOT always the expiration date of all tickets issued by all sellers.
7. Maybe. Not always the case.
8. I don't automatically assume that to be the case.
9. Another assumption that is far from having always been true.
10. True enough. And, that HAS been the case for many years, even long before the pandemic closure.

 

[Patrick N]

Good answer. Your points at items 6, 7, and 8 show how this feature of Disney is frequently (and probably deliberately) vague.

As for point #2, it was a 3 day hopper that I had bought a year or two earlier. I went in late February this year, and Disney applied a $337 credit to my new ticket which was also a 3 day hopper I don't have the receipt now, I threw it away after I got my replacement ticket. But I recall paying about $350 for it.

I'm certainly not griping about a disagreement over $25.

I always respect your knowledge about ticketing practices.