Magic Band Question(s)

[littlelamb70]

Hello DisBoard friends! I am planning a trip for Nov 2016, and while I am not new to Disney itself, I am new to the Magic Bands (haven't been since 2011). I have tried searching for answers to my questions but I'm coming up with nothing, so I've come to you all for help! I do know that once my reservation is linked thru My Disney Experience I will be able to choose Magic Bands for everyone, but my question is, when will they send them to me? Does my trip have to be paid in full before I receive them? Or will they ship them once I've chosen them for my family? Also, we will be traveling with a 13 y/o and a 5 y/o, am I correct that they won't have charging privileges, will they? Only if I set it up that way? I'm thinking about buying them each a $100 gift card as their "allowance" for the trip, gives them a bit of freedom, but saves mom and dad from going broke on souvenirs! Thank you for any help/knowledge you can give to me!!

 

[uccats97]

Your trip has to be paid 30 days prior to check-in. Your MagicBands will arrive about 3 weeks prior to check-in. If you choose to link a credit card to your MagicBand, you will have to set a 4 digit pin that has to be entered to make charges back to your room. Your kids can only charge with the MagicBand if you give them permission to do so through My Disney Experience. I buy Disney gift cards for my kids too. They love having their own money to spend. Have fun!

 

[littlelamb70]

Awesome, thank you!!

 

[Hootch]

Just to clarify a couple of things.

There are package and room only reservations for onsite guests. The package option has to be paid off by 30 days prior to arrival. (It was 45 days last year.) The room only reservation requires the first night's payment. The remainder appears to be charged at check-in based on our last bill.

Magic bands have been recently ordered 30 days prior to arrival whether they were room only or package deals. It seems that they are produced and shipped from Memphis. The distance from Memphis will determine the few days of transport. You should get an email informing you the data was sent about 30 days out.

There is various information on the internet about the age for charging privileges. We were told at the resort that a 13 year old was given charging privileges unless specified not to by the parents. The usual age I saw posted was 11. I know 1) the internet is often wrong and 2) CMs are sometimes wrong and 3) Disney sometimes changes policy. Ours were 15 and 11 then. We wanted the 15 year old to have charging privileges as we were giving him much more leeway on moving around the parks and resorts. There was no need for the 11 year old to have charging privileges. I would double check with the front desk.

BTW - with individual magic bands, you can see who charges each item. It allows people sharing a room automatically split between credit cards or to see who charged what if they are splitting the bill.