Annual Pass Vouchers

[Buckeye Bob]

I have a question about annual pass vouchers and how far in advance you can purchase them before redeeming them. Last June, when I learned that ticket prices would be increasing I purchased four annual passes using my DVC discount and received the confirmation numbers to be redeemed when we arrive at the park. We are not planning on visiting the WDW until late July and was wondering if the vouchers will still be honored or if I will need to pay the difference from what I paid in early June 2011 and whatever new price will be in late July 2012.

Thanks in advance for any insight and advice you can provide me on this question.

 

[disneynutz]

If you paid for a voucher, you don't pay the difference, you keep the savings.

We have some AP exchange certificates and non expiring 10 day tickets that were purchased a few years ago before price increases. Once paid for, Disney doesn't increase the price.

Bill

 

[Disneycouple99]

I have a question about annual pass vouchers and how far in advance you can purchase them before redeeming them. Last June, when I learned that ticket prices would be increasing I purchased four annual passes using my DVC discount and received the confirmation numbers to be redeemed when we arrive at the park. We are not planning on visiting the WDW until late July and was wondering if the vouchers will still be honored or if I will need to pay the difference from what I paid in early June 2011 and whatever new price will be in late July 2012.

Thanks in advance for any insight and advice you can provide me on this question.

You would not need to pay anymore. A voucher is good until it is redeemed and no price increase.

 

[Buckeye Bob]

If you paid for a voucher, you don't pay the difference, you keep the savings.

We have some AP exchange certificates and non expiring 10 day tickets that were purchased a few years ago before price increases. Once paid for, Disney doesn't increase the price.

Bill

Bill,
Thanks for the information and for clarifying this for me! This is the first time we've purchased AP's and we're excited that we'll be able to visit WDW three times within the next 12 months.

 

[Buckeye Bob]

You would not need to pay anymore. A voucher is good until it is redeemed and no price increase.

Thanks - that's great news!

 

[ELMC]

If you paid for a voucher, you don't pay the difference, you keep the savings.

We have some AP exchange certificates and non expiring 10 day tickets that were purchased a few years ago before price increases. Once paid for, Disney doesn't increase the price.

Bill

Keep in mind that this applies to WDW and not Disneyland. I'm pretty sure that Disneyland annual passes need to be activated by December 31. Not sure what would happen after that.

ETA: Here's a different take from mousesavers.com:

Even if the price goes up after you purchase it, your exchange certificate/voucher is valid for 12 months without paying any extra: after that time you may be required to pay the difference in price if annual pass prices have gone up.

They say "may" which means maybe not as well. Good ole Disney consistency and clarity.

 

[Buckeye Bob]

Keep in mind that this applies to WDW and not Disneyland. I'm pretty sure that Disneyland annual passes need to be activated by December 31. Not sure what would happen after that.

ETA: Here's a different take from mousesavers.com:

Even if the price goes up after you purchase it, your exchange certificate/voucher is valid for 12 months without paying any extra: after that time you may be required to pay the difference in price if annual pass prices have gone up.

They say "may" which means maybe not as well. Good ole Disney consistency and clarity.

Thanks for the different perspective from Mousesavers.com. Worst case scenario is that we have to pay the difference, which is possible but not likely, and since we paid for them a year ago, it won't hurt the pocketbook too much. Thanks for the information! As I said, we're excited that we might be able to get in three trips within the next year!

 

[ShockMonkey3]

I just asked a similar question on the Moms Panel. Here is my question and its reply:


We are DVC members planning our Thanksgiving 2013 trip. We will be buying 5 DVC annual passes this time and I would like to soften the financial blow by buying in advance one at a time. How long do we have to redeem our vouchers for actual passes?

- Asked by Terri from MI on 5/14/2012

Category Member Benefits

Purchasing your Annual Passes using your Disney Vacation Club Member discount is a great idea; it's a smart way to save money by getting another trip to Walt Disney World in on the same pass. Smart move!

Believe it or not, when you purchase your DVC discounted Annual Pass, you can activate it at any time. You'll receive a voucher in the mail that you can then take to any ticketing window at the parks; they'll activate your AP based on that date and will print your AP at that time. I know that some folks actually purchase their DVC Annual Passes prior to even needing them so that when ticket prices increase, they don't have to worry about the added expense. That voucher will last until you decide to activate your Annual Pass.

While I don't think that this Disney Vacation Club Member discount will be going away, you should keep in mind that we're always told that DVC Member Perks are subject to change at any time and can be removed at any time.

Again, I think that your idea of spreading out your purchase to soften the financial blow is a great one. Be sure to put those vouchers in a safe place as you plan your spectacular Thanksgiving visit to Walt Disney World! (Don't forget to have your DVC Membership card, and be sure that each adult in your party brings a photo ID with him or her, proving that that person resides in the same house as the DVC Member.)

Send more questions as you're planning, too. I'd love to help!

 

[Buckeye Bob]

I just asked a similar question on the Moms Panel. Here is my question and its reply:


We are DVC members planning our Thanksgiving 2013 trip. We will be buying 5 DVC annual passes this time and I would like to soften the financial blow by buying in advance one at a time. How long do we have to redeem our vouchers for actual passes?

- Asked by Terri from MI on 5/14/2012

Category Member Benefits

Purchasing your Annual Passes using your Disney Vacation Club Member discount is a great idea; it's a smart way to save money by getting another trip to Walt Disney World in on the same pass. Smart move!

Believe it or not, when you purchase your DVC discounted Annual Pass, you can activate it at any time. You'll receive a voucher in the mail that you can then take to any ticketing window at the parks; they'll activate your AP based on that date and will print your AP at that time. I know that some folks actually purchase their DVC Annual Passes prior to even needing them so that when ticket prices increase, they don't have to worry about the added expense. That voucher will last until you decide to activate your Annual Pass.

While I don't think that this Disney Vacation Club Member discount will be going away, you should keep in mind that we're always told that DVC Member Perks are subject to change at any time and can be removed at any time.

Again, I think that your idea of spreading out your purchase to soften the financial blow is a great one. Be sure to put those vouchers in a safe place as you plan your spectacular Thanksgiving visit to Walt Disney World! (Don't forget to have your DVC Membership card, and be sure that each adult in your party brings a photo ID with him or her, proving that that person resides in the same house as the DVC Member.)

Send more questions as you're planning, too. I'd love to help!

Thanks for sharing this with the group. In my case, I decided to not spend the money to have the vouchers sent to me but rather I have the confirmation number which will, in addition to my DVC Membership Card and a Photo ID, allow me to redeem my annual passes. Thanks for the information and enjoy your Thanksgiving trip in 2013!

 

[mikey13v]

Our family bought new DVC AP's 7 years ago right before a price increase, and haven't redeemed them yet. We keep doing the free dining which requires the purchase of 2 day MYW tickets (used to be 1 day), so we'd apply those to each years renewal. It's nice to know that someday.. we'll use these old AP vouchers, and have a seemingly less expensive Disney year.

Mikey

 

[bigtony777]

Can anyone tell me if you are able to buy an annual pass voucher while on site or do they only sell them online or over the phone?

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Can anyone tell me if you are able to buy an annual pass voucher while on site or do they only sell them online or over the phone?

You can only buy an activated pass at a ticket window or Guest Relations location. The only way to get a voucher is online or by phone.

 

[bigtony777]

You can only buy an activated pass at a ticket window or Guest Relations location. The only way to get a voucher is online or by phone.

Thank you for the quick answer.

 

[vek239]

We have DVC APs that expire in September. Instead of renewing, we want to wait and purchase new APs to activate in December. We'll be at WDW next week and could purchase them while we're there...but am I reading it correctly that we'd need to purchase the certificate online if we don't want to activate until December?

 

[disneynutz]

We have DVC APs that expire in September. Instead of renewing, we want to wait and purchase new APs to activate in December. We'll be at WDW next week and could purchase them while we're there...but am I reading it correctly that we'd need to purchase the certificate online if we don't want to activate until December?

You can not buy the certificate at Disney, only online or by placing a phone order.

Bill

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

We have DVC APs that expire in September. Instead of renewing, we want to wait and purchase new APs to activate in December. We'll be at WDW next week and could purchase them while we're there...but am I reading it correctly that we'd need to purchase the certificate online if we don't want to activate until December?

You are reading that correctly. If you're wanting to buy a voucher now to avoid a possible price increase before your December trip, doing it through Member Services or the link from the DVC Web site is your best bet. Another alternative would be to get 6-day MYW hopper tickets from Undercover Tourist and upgrade those to your AP in December.

 

[luckyman_apd]

So, if I'm reading this correct....I could by an AP voucher at today's price with the DVC discount, and not activate until I'm ready to use it. So if I kept the voucher in a safe, and didn't activate it until the summer of 2014 (next trip after Disneyland and BLT this year) I basically get a 2014 - 2015 AP for the 2012 price?

Sounds like a decent savings as I'm sure by 2014 trip, the price will have gone up for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 summer increases. I could avoid 3 price increases by buying them now.

 

[Missyrose]

So, if I'm reading this correct....I could by an AP voucher at today's price with the DVC discount, and not activate until I'm ready to use it. So if I kept the voucher in a safe, and didn't activate it until the summer of 2014 (next trip after Disneyland and BLT this year) I basically get a 2014 - 2015 AP for the 2012 price?

Sounds like a decent savings as I'm sure by 2014 trip, the price will have gone up for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 summer increases. I could avoid 3 price increases by buying them now.

You've got it!

 

[Grumpy Grandma]

So, if I'm reading this correct....I could by an AP voucher at today's price with the DVC discount, and not activate until I'm ready to use it. So if I kept the voucher in a safe, and didn't activate it until the summer of 2014 (next trip after Disneyland and BLT this year) I basically get a 2014 - 2015 AP for the 2012 price?

Sounds like a decent savings as I'm sure by 2014 trip, the price will have gone up for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 summer increases. I could avoid 3 price increases by buying them now.

I bought myself one that I will activate in Jan 2013 but I'm really starting to think that maybe I should also by another one just to put back for the future. I know I'll use it .... right?