Disney Gift Card with new AP purchase.

Hi
It has been 30 days since I purchased my APs and received confirmation. I don't see any emails with the GC and I checked my spam folder. Where would the email have come from or a subject line I can search for?
Did you purchase new APs or did you renew existing APs? The GC is only for new AP purchases.
 

Remember that you can buy now and start using it up to a year later. We are going to buy in late September for a binge year that will start next September. AP prices usually rise in October, so buying in late September is a win if you are planning to go anytime before October 2026.
 
Remember that you can buy now and start using it up to a year later. We are going to buy in late September for a binge year that will start next September. AP prices usually rise in October, so buying in late September is a win if you are planning to go anytime before October 2026.
I'm giving myself a mindfluff. I'm going in March for 4 days, $631.74/ticket. I'd like to go in November or December 2026. I didn't think about buying now and not activating until March. Is that really a thing? I was fine before I read this post. Now, I am massively confused on what I should do. Will it sit in my app unactivated? Does it activate when I use it for the first time in March?
 
I'm giving myself a mindfluff. I'm going in March for 4 days, $631.74/ticket. I'd like to go in November or December 2026. I didn't think about buying now and not activating until March. Is that really a thing? I was fine before I read this post. Now, I am massively confused on what I should do. Will it sit in my app unactivated? Does it activate when I use it for the first time in March?
That's right. Buy it now, and it sits there inertly until you go to the parks for the first time. Your 365 days start counting on that first visit.

You're going to need to call to get the Sorcerer's Pass as a DVC member rather than a Florida resident, so you can confirm on that call. Remember that (if you are buying multiple) you can buy all but one, wait to get the gift card(s), then call back and use that gift card on the last one.
 
Can you purchase the annual pass with gift cards you get from Target to save 5%?
Yes. At least online, you can use one gift card and then a credit card, so you combine gift cards up to $1000, use that and put the rest on a credit card, and buy them one at a time so you can use $1000 in gift cards per AP/transaction.
 
Remember that you can buy now and start using it up to a year later. We are going to buy in late September for a binge year that will start next September. AP prices usually rise in October, so buying in late September is a win if you are planning to go anytime before October 2026.
To clarify, my understanding is that you can buy the APs now and you have a year to activate them. You activate them by going to one of the parks (I think there's a place at Disney Springs that can also activate them). Once you activate, you have 365 days to use them. Out of curiosity, is there a way to activate them without being on site?

I learned this just a couple days ago, and it's so clutch because we want to buy passes, but we know we won't use them for a couple months at least. So we can still get the gift card promo. Hooray for discounted dues!
 
Yes. At least online, you can use one gift card and then a credit card, so you combine gift cards up to $1000, use that and put the rest on a credit card, and buy them one at a time so you can use $1000 in gift cards per AP/transaction.
If you call in to get the Sorcerer's pass as a direct DVC member, do you call the Annual Pass sales office or the DVC member services line? If you use giftcards, can you do that over the phone too?
 
If you call in to get the Sorcerer's pass as a direct DVC member, do you call the Annual Pass sales office or the DVC member services line? If you use giftcards, can you do that over the phone too?
I called DVC member services. I was able to make the purchase using gift cards, it just took a bit of time (maybe 20 minutes) for the cast member to process multiple gift cards.
 
To clarify, my understanding is that you can buy the APs now and you have a year to activate them. You activate them by going to one of the parks (I think there's a place at Disney Springs that can also activate them). Once you activate, you have 365 days to use them. Out of curiosity, is there a way to activate them without being on site?

I learned this just a couple days ago, and it's so clutch because we want to buy passes, but we know we won't use them for a couple months at least. So we can still get the gift card promo. Hooray for discounted dues!
What you’re actually buying is a certificate or voucher. You activate them by entering a park, and then you have 365 days of use. So there’s no way to activate them without being on site, and no reason to do so, either.
 
If you call in to get the Sorcerer's pass as a direct DVC member, do you call the Annual Pass sales office or the DVC member services line? If you use giftcards, can you do that over the phone too?
As above, call DVC MS. I used DGCs too. Since you can’t have more than $1,000 on a single DGC, I used one DGC per AP.
 
To clarify, my understanding is that you can buy the APs now and you have a year to activate them. You activate them by going to one of the parks (I think there's a place at Disney Springs that can also activate them). Once you activate, you have 365 days to use them. Out of curiosity, is there a way to activate them without being on site?

I learned this just a couple days ago, and it's so clutch because we want to buy passes, but we know we won't use them for a couple months at least. So we can still get the gift card promo. Hooray for discounted dues!

Why would you want to activate them, and thus burn time on your annual pass, without being at the park? Ideally you don't want to activate your pass and start the clock ticking until the moment you tap in to your first park of your next trip, whenever that is.
 
Why would you want to activate them, and thus burn time on your annual pass, without being at the park? Ideally you don't want to activate your pass and start the clock ticking until the moment you tap in to your first park of your next trip, whenever that is.
I was mostly just curious, but also thinking about the possibility that you buy them, but then somehow don't manage to make it to the park within a year to activate. Would the pass expire? Or is there a way to activate it at that point and trigger your full year of use?

Obviously, you would never plan on that.
 
I was mostly just curious, but also thinking about the possibility that you buy them, but then somehow don't manage to make it to the park within a year to activate. Would the pass expire? Or is there a way to activate it at that point and trigger your full year of use?

Obviously, you would never plan on that.
If you don’t activate it within a year of purchase, the amount you paid becomes a credit on your account. You can apply it toward the purchase of another ticket, including another AP.
 
If I have a current annual pass expiring next month, can I still buy (but not activate) a new annual pass now, or will the system force me to renew since I'm currently an AP?
 
If I have a current annual pass expiring next month, can I still buy (but not activate) a new annual pass now, or will the system force me to renew since I'm currently an AP?
You can buy new and activate it whenever you want, within a year of purchase.
 













New Posts





DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom