Interesting AP experience this past weekend

[kelmac284]

I guess not only the fast passes use has changed but also how you use your AP discount. I know in the past they were pretty lax about it and I have had friends with a premium let me use their discount and when we went on group trips and had one big check they would take 1 pass but now it has changed and not in a good way if you ask me.

I have a premium and my mom wanted to buy herself and me a shirt at DTD and they wouldn't let her pay using my discount. Then she said fine I will just give you the cash and the lady said that we couldn't exchange cash in front of her either. I mean to me that is crazy because it is my mom not a stranger but then it got even worse when we ate. It has ALWAYS been that you could use your AP discount at meals for several people in your family well THAT was fine but then they wanted ME to pay! So I thought that was pretty stupid. If we are a family what difference does it make if my husband or mom pays???

Then my husband was going to pay for something and they wouldn't even let HIM pay and we have the same last name!

I think this is going to be a problem down the road when spouses can't even use the discount.

Anyway just my observation for those who have done it in the past. They are WAY stricter about it now!

 

[Malcon10t]

We have had annual passes for 12+ years, and for us, it has always been like this. It says very clearly that the discounts are only for the holder. When we have had family members who wanted to use our discount, we tell them to buy a gift card, then we use the gift card when they want something.

As far as restaurants, we've have been able to split checks using the discount, but the discount holder has had to pay for at least one meal.

 

[sonnyjane]

As the PP said, this has always been the policy, you've just been lucky with lax CM's. I don't see why they should give a discount to anyone but the AP holder?

 

[blackjackdelta]

I guess not only the fast passes use has changed but also how you use your AP discount. I know in the past they were pretty lax about it and I have had friends with a premium let me use their discount and when we went on group trips and had one big check they would take 1 pass but now it has changed and not in a good way if you ask me.

I have a premium and my mom wanted to buy herself and me a shirt at DTD and they wouldn't let her pay using my discount. Then she said fine I will just give you the cash and the lady said that we couldn't exchange cash in front of her either. I mean to me that is crazy because it is my mom not a stranger but then it got even worse when we ate. It has ALWAYS been that you could use your AP discount at meals for several people in your family well THAT was fine but then they wanted ME to pay! So I thought that was pretty stupid. If we are a family what difference does it make if my husband or mom pays???




Then my husband was going to pay for something and they wouldn't even let HIM pay and we have the same last name!

I think this is going to be a problem down the road when spouses can't even use the discount.

Anyway just my observation for those who have done it in the past. They are WAY stricter about it now!

This happened to us alot this last August. There was a clerk who let us get by with me paying, the rest we as described.

Jack

 

[kelmac284]

Because when we go as a FAMILY we usually just have one person pay for the meals. That would be great if I wanted to pay for EVERYTHING but sometimes my mom and I split it or she pays and we have NEVER had a problem before this trip. And I KNOW I am not the only one who does this. I have seen it done many times before. I can see if you are buying merchandise but when it comes to meals if they let you USE it for more than one meal I don't see what the difference who pays esp if it is a family or DEF if it is husband and wife. NOT all people have joint checking accts as is the case with my husband and I and I shouldn't have to pay for EVERYONE's stuff the entire trip just so we can use the discount. I know I am NOT the only one who does this. You shouldn't have to buy 5 premium passes so your FAMILY can get a discount on your meals. Again with merchandise I get it but even then if I am buying something for MY kids or MY spouse I don't see why the pass shouldn't be good for my OWN family.

I agree letting a friend use it is prob not cool and I have only done that once in the past because she offered. I was planning on just buying whatever it was and she offered but the meals to me is the big thing. I am on a really tight budget and my mom pays for a lot of our vacations but it is nice if she can get a discount on the meals. I really don't see what the difference is by me physically paying or her giving me the money and me paying for it???

 

[kelmac284]

And by the way we ALL do have passes so it is not like we are trying to get away with something. It's just they have deluxes and I have the premium. We purposely did it that way because we can't afford to ALL by a 500 ticket. In the past you could always use it for the entire group and I have NEVER had anyone say anything about who paid till this trip. Between the 5 of us we spent a couple thousand dollars on tickets alone and it is not like we go every other month so we are "taking advantage". We usually buy a pass and are lucky to get 2 trips a year in. If we KNOW we are not going to be able to go at least twice then we don't even renew the pass which was the case this past year. I have had a deluxe AP since 06 but I could not afford it this past summer when mine expired so I waited till this trip and am doing the monthly payments. Otherwise I could not afford the premium. Personally I think when you are spending thousands of dollars on the hotel, tickets, merchandise, food, airline tickets etc I don't see why they can't let your OWN family use the discount. It's not like I am letting a friend or stranger use it. ???

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

This is not new.

 

[Tiny Little Seed]

As others have stated, this has been the policy for quite a while, but I've noticed them tighten up on it over the past year or two. Once in a while, a CM will let a friend or family member use my discount, but this has become more the exception than the rule. My folks don't have APs, so when they join us to have a meal at DTD or one of the resorts, we all just bring cash so I can hand the CM the money with my AP. That has never been a problem.

 

[Huff]

I have a premium AP, my wife has a DLX AP. Typically she shops or picks out food and snacks for the kids. All I've ever done is show my AP and she pays. Year after year at every single shop or restaurant we've NEVER had a CM not allow the discount.

 

[kelmac284]

Exactly Huff that is what I mean. We all had deluxes up till this past year and many times at meals we would just grab whoevers AP out of our lanyard. Sometimes we put my daughter's pass. It was just the idea of any pass from our family and then either myself or my dh would pay. In fact I was just there in Jan and my kids always bring some spending money and many times they would pick something out and go up to pay and I would show my pass. That was JUST last month.

But this time they wouldn't even let my mom give ME the money to pay. CRAZY! I totally get that they don't want you giving your discount to every random person and prob giving to even "friends" is not a good idea but I guess to me not being able to use it for your family seems a little ridiculous esp since we all DO have passes it's just I have the better discount since I spent the extra money.

Anyway no big deal. I just know for me personally as well as many of my friends we have never had a problem and this was new to me this trip. So I thought I would let others know who have never had this problem.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Technically the pass holder is the only one entitled to the discount. Yes you can use it to buy your families food, but then the pass holder has to pay since they are the only ones that can get the discount. They've tightened up on this since they removed the pictures from the APs. There was a thread on mouse planet awhile back about CMs demanding IDs from kids to use their AP discount. And not letting mom give them a few extra dollars if they happen to be short on their purchase. It sounds like management is really cracking down on their CMs to only give discounts to those with the APs and making sure only AP holder is the one paying.

 

[maberlyne]

I've held annual Premium passes for about 5 years now and I've always noted them checking that the actual passholder pays. I know sometimes when we've ate at restaurants they will be nice and give the passholder discount to the whole group, even when we have separate checks, but I don't expect it. I wouldn't expect them to give the discount to a spouse, even with the same last name... they're not the passholder. When we try to purchase something for someone else we just do some cash switching, if possible. If not, no huge deal. You still can let your "own" family use the discount that way, you just have to follow their rules, especially if they are cracking down.

 

[ArchOwl]

Yeah, my husband and I both have premium passes and it has been this way for awhile. Once I used my pass to buy something at Star Trader's and then my husband started to give the CM cash to pay. The CM made me use my credit card and wouldn't take my husband's cash. My husband showed him his premium pass and the CM said if my husband wanted to pay, he would have to ring it up under his premium pass not mine. I just used my card, but I thought that was so silly.

This has happened a few times across the Resort, including Cafe Orleans and the Emporium. But they have me trained now, if I am using the discount I am paying with my own money. When we have a group, I just have others bring cash. Works just fine. I understand why they do it, but sometimes they go a tad overboard IMO. But they trained me now, so I guess they win!

 

[mouseymommy]

So we will probably be getting AP this year. I was going to get a Premium, and the rest of the family are getting Deluxe. If we go to eat, we can use my discount as long as I am the one paying, right? They will give me the discount on the entire meal, as long as I pay right? Does anybody know about the parking? If my DH is driving, can I still get free parking as long as I am in our vehicle?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

So we will probably be getting AP this year. I was going to get a Premium, and the rest of the family are getting Deluxe. If we go to eat, we can use my discount as long as I am the one paying, right? They will give me the discount on the entire meal, as long as I pay right? Does anybody know about the parking? If my DH is driving, can I still get free parking as long as I am in our vehicle?

Yes, if you are paying for the whole meal, use your AP to get the discount. Yes, if your are in the vehicle then your AP will work for the parking.

 

[mouseymommy]

Yes, if you are paying for the whole meal, use your AP to get the discount. Yes, if your are in the vehicle then your AP will work for the parking.

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[Davids-Coco]

We experienced the same with ours... but have known no different either. We always match the credit card name to the AP being used (or use a GC). My parents also travel with us and we just figure it out when we get home.

 

[pixiewings71]

This isn't new, it's been this way for us every year we've had AP's. This year only DBF has the PAP, the girls and I have DAP's so he's had to pay for everything. The money is joint money so that doesn't matter, he just dislikes having to pay every time.

 

[nunzia]

I agree that yes, it's pretty clear the discount is only for the passholder..not the family, not a Mom, etc. I've had this happen a few times..my daughter took my DGD to BBB, and when we realized there was an AP discount, I gave them my card and my daughter tried to give her CC to pay..they told us the name on the CC had to match he AP name..that's fine, so I gave the cashier my CC and my daughter paid me back later... no biggie. If everyone else in your party has a Deluxe AP and you don't want to pay for everything and be reimbursed later, then the rest of your party can get the Deluxe discount instead of the Premium. Since you can't afford for everyone to get Premium APs then maybe everyone should just have Deluxe. I really don't know why people get upset when rules that had previously been broken for them are now being followed.

 

[redboxcar]

While I think we all are on the same understanding that the POLICY IS CLEAR - I completely understand what the OP is saying.

I have been a passholder for a many years now. Between myself, my family, and my friends, we have every level of pass they offer. We have never ONCE (not once!) been questioned about the use of the discount matching the name of the person paying.

We have bought countless merchandise, eaten tons of food (for a group, we would use the Premium pass to apply the discount to the check, then whoever pays, pays), I have even given my pass to my mom to use for Mickey & Friends and she was never questioned about free parking... On top of that, they have never made it seem like we were "going around the rules" or "making an exception" for us... they just seemed like they didn't care.

While I wouldn't be upset if they denied us this privilege (rules are rules), I WOULD be shocked... because I've never once had a CM care about who paid and what pass we used.

I appreciate that the OP said "Just letting you guys know - they are WAY stricter now"... I don't like to look stupid, or look like I'm trying to get away with something sneaky. In my eyes, it's never been an issue in the past. Now I know.