New AP expiry date

[monkeyman200]

I just purchased a new Deluxe AP today for our trip in 2017. I had phoned and talked to a CM before buying to make sure I would be able to use it then. In printing it out, however, it states in larger letters that it must be redeemed by Dec 31, 2016. Is this normal, or did I receive incorrect advice from the CM?
Thanks everyone for your clarification. My heart is beating just a little too quickly right now....!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

You mean you purchased it now but were not planning to actually activate/start it until 2017?

 

[monkeyman200]

Yes, that is correct. I have quite a few family members going and am trying to spread costs out over the remainder of this year. I will need to buy an AP every month. We will not be entering the parks until Feb 2017.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I believe the CM might have misunderstood you. We use online vouchers for our APs, and they always have a date at the bottom (12/31/xxxx) by which the voucher must be redeemed. Instead of trying to purchase each AP month by month, you could put the money on Disney gift cards (one card per pass, for example). Then you could use the cards at a ticket booth to buy all the APs when you make your trip. If you can budget and put all the money needed on one gift card, you could use it to buy all the passes online in Jan. 2017, so the voucher expiration date would be 12/31/17.

 

[monkeyman200]

Unfortunately, I am in Canada and have no retailers that sell Disney gift cards....otherwise I would definitely go that route!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Can you find them at a Disney Store near you? Perhaps one of the many Canadian Disers can share where to find the gift cards.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I mean, you can USE it in February, but you can't START it in February. If you asked if you could use it then, they probably misunderstood, unfortunately, thinking, yes, this AP that you're starting will be good through next February.

Is there a reason you can't just set aside money in a savings account? I guess I'm having trouble thinking that purchasing one AP per month is the best move here...

 

[smartlabelprint]

You can buy gift cards at target online.

 

[disneychrista]

What I have heard happen in cases like yours, where you have an AP VOUCHER that expired before it was redeemed, is they will take the value of what you paid toward the current cost of the AP. So you shouldn't be out the money. But I would not risk buying more now. Simply put the money away until next year.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Can you find them at a Disney Store near you? Perhaps one of the many Canadian Disers can share where to find the gift cards.

There isn't anywhere in Canada to buy Disney parks gift cards

 

[kristabelle13]

I guess I'm having trouble thinking that purchasing one AP per month is the best move here...

One reason might be hedging against the dollar. I have been LOVING when I pre-pay a portion when the dollar is low. It's been a 12% difference on some trips. Which is a huge amount when you're paying ~30% premium on everything to begin with.

 

[wench]

I'm almost positive that the expiration date on that is more of a price guarantee expiring. If you don't activate the pass before Dec 31st, then it's no longer valid for the price you paid. I believe that when you get to the parks, you'll actually need to go to guest services outside the park (aka: a ticket booth) & get a new AP. You should be able to apply the value of the one that you have towards that new AP. But then you'll also have to pay the difference between what you paid & what an AP is selling for at that time.

 

[monkeyman200]

Kristabelle13 is correct - that is exactly what I was trying to do. 8 AP's are a lot to buy at once and if I wait, thinking the exchange might get better, then I could be doing more damage to the pocketbook. I guess I will call Disney and ask what the consequences are, and not buy any more until the expiry changes. Anyone have a guess what part of the year that could happen? Thanks to everyone for your input. I knew this was the place to ask.

 

[sherilaine]

Kristabelle13 is correct - that is exactly what I was trying to do. 8 AP's are a lot to buy at once and if I wait, thinking the exchange might get better, then I could be doing more damage to the pocketbook. I guess I will call Disney and ask what the consequences are, and not buy any more until the expiry changes. Anyone have a guess what part of the year that could happen? Thanks to everyone for your input. I knew this was the place to ask.

No one knows for sure when APs or tickets will increase in price but considering the last increase was in the fall there is a very high possibility prices will increase again before February.

 

[monkeyman200]

Thanks. I phoned Disney and the current value of the AP will be applied against any future AP, so I will have to pay the difference. I am fine with that, just did not want to be out hundreds of dollars. I think I will stick with my plan of purchasing one per month, hedging the exchange, and hope there is not a huge increase this fall. I expect they will go up before our trip, but much of the expense will have been spread out this year. Thank you again to all who helped ease my anxiety. I did read very carefully prior to hitting the "buy" button and am quite sure there was no indication it would have an expiry, other than the AP would expire one year from first entry into the Park.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Thanks. I phoned Disney and the current value of the AP will be applied against any future AP, so I will have to pay the difference. I am fine with that, just did not want to be out hundreds of dollars. I think I will stick with my plan of purchasing one per month, hedging the exchange, and hope there is not a huge increase this fall. I expect they will go up before our trip, but much of the expense will have been spread out this year. Thank you again to all who helped ease my anxiety. I did read very carefully prior to hitting the "buy" button and am quite sure there was no indication it would have an expiry, other than the AP would expire one year from first entry into the Park.

I was curious about this after reading your posts. I too looked over all the fine print I could find and could not find any indication of when the AP vouchers expire. Ticket purchases online are listed in the fine print as use by Dec. 31, 2017, so maybe that's how you got bad info from the CM. My recollection was that online tickets and AP vouchers used to share the same expiration date, but your experience indicates that is not the case currently.

 

[GatorChris]

When I bought mine for our trip later this year, all the tickets said I needed to activate them before 12-31-16. I expect that because I expect a ticket price increase sometime this year and the next and the next.... If I held onto this ticket, Disney couldn't get the proper value and people would order a ticket for now and a ticket for a year from now to save some money.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

When I bought mine for our trip later this year, all the tickets said I needed to activate them before 12-31-16. I expect that because I expect a ticket price increase sometime this year and the next and the next.... If I held onto this ticket, Disney couldn't get the proper value and people would order a ticket for now and a ticket for a year from now to save some money.

People do this all the time for WDW where there are no use by dates on the tickets.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

@OP: I don't know the exact date that the voucher expiration date extends to the next year, but I remember reading reports that vouchers purchased toward the end of the current year had expiration dates at the end of the following year. This makes sense to me because so many vouchers are purchased as holiday gifts and might not be activated by 12/31 of that same year.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

What happened to saving?? Just put that much aside every month??

MG