Another saving idea from Connections

[disneyrhap]

If you are going to buy your new annual pass this year, I have an idea to save about 10% by using the Connections ticket. First join Connections and purchase a 7-Day Hopper Plus for $292.90 (incld. tax and shipping), then go to the ticket office at WDW to upgrade your PHP to an annual pass. They will credit the regular amount of 7-day PHP, NOT the amount you pay Connections, i.e. you will get $307 plus tax credit toward your purchase of annual pass. So you will need to pay an extra $349 - $307 = $42 plus tax for an annual pass upgrade.

How's that save you money, let look at financial analysis

1. The total cost you pay for this annual pass by using Connections ticket credit is $292.90 + $42 +$42*0.06 (6% tax) = $337.42

2. The amount you have to pay at disney store or ticket office for an annual pass is $349 + $349*0.06 (6% tax) = $369.94

3. You save $369.94 - $337.42 = $32.52 or 8.8% discount

PS. For DC member, you have to pay $354.04 for an annual pass, so this Connections is still a bargain. If you can combine this DC discount and Connections ticket credit, you will get even more discount.

 

[FoodLover]

Great idea, except that the actual amount paid for the pass is encoded on the magnetic stripe.

I have previously purchased discounted Hoppers and then applied them to a more expensive pass. I was only credited the actual cost.

Mary
MouseSavers.com

 

[disneyrhap]

Mary, I think Connections is not a discount ticket as offered in many websites, because we have to pay the $79 annual fee in order to purchase the cheaper ticket. The fee should somehow manage to cover the cost difference. I don't know about the price encoded in magnetic strip, but on the back of my ticket shows the regular price ($307), not the discount price.

 

[Humpbacks1962]

L O L

It does not save anyone money to buy discounted Hoppers anywhere if you intend to swap them for APs. Whether it is Ticketmania.com or Floridaorlandotickets.com or Connections, Disney has encoded the value of the ticket in the magnetic strip. At the time of the swap for APs, the value of the ticket will be determined in the price you paid, and you'll have to make up the difference.

The $80 Connections annual fee charge has nothing to do with those Disney passes. It is their profit charge. It is not meant to even out the value of Disney tickets.

This was told to me by a CM at Guest Services who indeed confirmed that they sell discounted tickets to authotized resellers and although the price of the ticket is printed outside, the value is encoded in the magnetic strip and is to be determined before they exchange them for APs.

They were way ahead of us.

Wanda

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

As I previously posted about this same subject, this may be true in theory but in actuality our experience was different. Just last month, we bought 7-day PHP from Connections. Five days into our trip we took them to the Guest Services window at Epcot to upgrade them to APs as we decided to return for another trip in January (not something we had planned on when buying the PHPs). The CM at Guest Services punched in a bunch of info (don't know what exactly) but we were given FULL credit of $307 + tax toward our APs (which we did get our DC discount on also). Our TOTAL price to upgrade BOTH AP's was $57.20 which meant our APs cost us about $321 each.

Now, I fully realize I may have gotten quite lucky but I would say that it could happen to someone else too. If you are going to upgrade anyway, you would have nothing to lose by trying this as worst case scenario you would end up paying the normal price anyway.

Also, although the CM told us the passes would be backdated to the date of the first use of our PHPs they were not - they were dated on the day we upgraded so we also go 5 "free" days admission.


Rhonda

 

[DMRick]

We have upgraded our passes bought through the employee plan at General Electric and gotten the FULL Disney price, toward the new ticket...not the discount we paid (and it's a really good discount)

 

[msr709]

I tried this, and they swapped the ticket through the computer and would only credit me with the purchase price, not the regular price. I guess it is all luck!