Recharging Coca-Cola Freestyle Cups

[MIChessGuy]

I expect to bring my previously purchased Coca-Cola freestyle cup with me to Minions Cafe next month. Is it possible to re-charge it there via the app mobile ordering system they use? I see the re-charge option on the menu, but how do they do that in the context of mobile ordering? Don't they have to physically do something with the cup to make it valid again?

 

[AJA]

They may just give you a new one and toss your old cup.

That’s what one of the kiosks did for us last week. The cup they had didn’t need to be “charged” for the first use, they were all “on/charged” and ready to go.

 

[MIChessGuy]

Thank you. That sounds a bit environment-unfriendly, but it's not my place to judge Universal.

 

[reddog21]

We re-use our freestyle cups every year. You just have to go to a kiosk that supports recharge. If they try to recharge your cup and it doesn't work which happened to us for one of our cups, then it's a throw away and a new cup. There are NFC chips on the cups and sometimes they just go bad.

 

[AJA]

You mentioned doing mobile ordering. If you’re an AP holder and going before Passholder Appreciation is over, you can save at least 20% with mobile ordering. You get 10% off for the mobile order and then an additional 10% (or whatever your pass offers if it’s the top tier). During AP appreciation all tiers save on food. 20% was a great savings.

 

[MIChessGuy]

This will be the 2nd half of June, when I believe Passholder Appreciation will have ended. I will no longer be appreciated. However, I believe even the lowly seasonal AP (i.e., me) will get 10% off the freestyle recharge. Also I was pondering a trip out to one of the deluxe hotels for some food, as I think the food discount works there regardless of the calendar.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I have a follow-up to the above: I have failed to get the alleged $1 Coca-Cola Freestyle recharge discount that AP holders are supposed to get. Twice now, I have shown my AP to the refill person who just looks baffled and claims (contrary to the website and the Unofficial Guide) that there's no recharge discount for APs. And it was a different refill person both times. Rather than waste half an hour at Guest Services for a dollar, I decided to overlook it, but a third time will not stand. I am getting my dollar next month, as Gru is my witness.

 

[BuffaloJim]

I have a follow-up to the above: I have failed to get the alleged $1 Coca-Cola Freestyle recharge discount that AP holders are supposed to get. Twice now, I have shown my AP to the refill person who just looks baffled and claims (contrary to the website and the Unofficial Guide) that there's no recharge discount for APs. And it was a different refill person both times. Rather than waste half an hour at Guest Services for a dollar, I decided to overlook it, but a third time will not stand. I am getting my dollar next month, as Gru is my witness.

The extra dollar off may have only been for the “Limited Edition” AP Freestyle cup.

As an aside, I only have a Seasonal Pass so I’m not eligible for most discounts, but I’ve occasionally been given an AP discount at some kiosks. I don’t ask for it, but the cashier sees the pass or my AP lanyard and just gives me the discount.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I have seen no stated limitation on the $1 off. If it is restricted in some manner, I will ask them to correct their website.

 

[BuffaloJim]

I have seen no stated limitation on the $1 off. If it is restricted in some manner, I will ask them to correct their website.

On the website, the AP cup specifically mentions the discount but the regular cup does not.

 

[MIChessGuy]

On the website, the AP cup specifically mentions the discount but the regular cup does not.

Sorry, I stand corrected.

 

[orum]

I have a follow-up to the above: I have failed to get the alleged $1 Coca-Cola Freestyle recharge discount that AP holders are supposed to get. Twice now, I have shown my AP to the refill person who just looks baffled and claims (contrary to the website and the Unofficial Guide) that there's no recharge discount for APs. And it was a different refill person both times. Rather than waste half an hour at Guest Services for a dollar, I decided to overlook it, but a third time will not stand. I am getting my dollar next month, as Gru is my witness.

The only way they will fix this is if people complain. I tried this twice this week and both times I as not able to get the $1 off. The first day I tried to recharge right at the front of US at the dining reservations counter. The person working was a little rude even after I explained that I know I don’t get any discounts on food, but I do get $1 off Freestyle recharges. I waited until there was no line at guest services at the front of universal studios and then stopped in there. They were also confused but at least pulled up the web site and agreed with me it was a pass benefit. They gave me a gift card for my trouble.

On day 2, I recharged at Croissant Moon Bakery at IOA when we were getting breakfast. I asked the cashier if they knew how to ring up the $1 off recharge for seasonal pass holders. They did not and also reminded me that I don’t get discounts. He offered to get a manager who also couldn’t figure it out. I told him nevermind and I would go fix it again at guest services, but the manager was nearby and discounted an other item on our order and said he would follow up to figure out what was going on. He was also. It aware of this benefit but was going to look into it. I know it was only $4 across 2 days, but they should fix this if it is going to be a published benefit.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I am back to report...total failure. I recharged my Coca-Cola Freestyle cup at USF this morning. The TM initially told me no, power APs get no food discounts in the parks (which they always say reflexively, I've never not heard them say it). I said that the $1 off the recharge did apply, he actually scanned my AP, but nothing happened. No discount. Hours later I go to Guest Services and the person there agreed to type in my 'feedback' to some computer file they maintain; however, he didn't concede that anything was amiss and so nothing was done. I was standing there with the discount showing on the app, which I showed him, but he seemed to think there was some kind of fine print that cut out power APs from getting the dollar. When I replied, "Isn't fine print normally, you know, 'print' that you can read ahead of time?" He said something to the effect of 'maybe the database hasn't been updated' or some such rubbish. I guess the idea is that the website AND the app have been showing this phantom discount for years because something wasn't 'updated.' Very annoying.

I will say there was no rudeness involved, so I give them that. But the Guest Services guy was very invested in the idea that I wasn't entitled to the dollar off, even though his 'explanation' was total nonsense.

 

[MIChessGuy]

And I got the same treatment after recharging with no discount on Monday, the 17th. Pretty much the same deal: the TM recited his rote speech about Power APs getting no food discounts in-park, I show him the app where the $1 discount is listed across all categories of AP, then he says it must be the 'old' app (??). As I exit hours later, I stop in, again, at Guest Services but she also says it is probably a technical error that hasn't been updated yet. She will update my customer record with my feedback, but other than that, nothing can be done.

Just to rub this in, today I got that email from Universal telling me all about the wonderful benefits of being an AP holder. It then links me to the same thing where the $1 recharge discount is included in the benefits list. Somehow I feel like I'm trapped in an Ernie Kovacs sketch...