Use unused April 2020 Magic Bands or get new ones?

[Jen81NYC]

I received 4 magic bands back in late March/early April 2020 for a trip that obviously didn't take place. I was planning on using them for my trip next month but now i'm getting nervous about battery life dying or them not working as well or something like that. I haven't been to Disney since I was a kid so have zero experience with how they work--should I shell out the cash and get new ones or will the free 2020 ones work just fine? They'll be used by a family of 4, including two kids under 10. Thanks!!

 

[gatorlisa]

They will be fine. The battery is only needed for long range functionality (ride photos for the most part). Tapping in at park entry, for lightning lanes, to open your room, and to pay doesn't require the battery. And even then, the bands are only two years old. I've used ones 3-4 years old and everything has worked just fine.

 

[Cakes]

Don't spend the money to get new ones, they'll work just fine! Enjoy your trip

 

[scrappinginontario]

I wouldn't spend the money. What I would do is after your first day, check your pictures to see if they're being picked up on rides. If not and you want them, purchase a single colour band but other than that I wouldn't purchase.

 

[Jen81NYC]

I wouldn't spend the money. What I would do is after your first day, check your pictures to see if they're being picked up on rides. If not and you want them, purchase a single colour band but other than that I wouldn't purchase.

Ah okay thanks! I started wavering when i saw the Poly and Birthday magic bands, lol, but glad the board has snapped me out of it because I definitely need all the savings i can get!!

 

[DaviVascaino]

You don't even need battery anymore for long range ride photos because now, if you have my Disney experience app installed and the Bluetooth on, it will link to your phone, so the band is not needed for that purpose anymore. My band died and I still got the ride photos on my account because of my phone.

 

[glocon]

If you want a new band as a souvenir, I say go for it! Some of them are so cute and you can reuse it next time you go back. It’s a relatively inexpensive souvenir and so exciting to get in the mail. For us the bands bring joy from the minute we get them in the mail so very worth it.

 

[scard192]

we have bands from a cancelled April 2020 trip and plan to use them next month. I ordered custom ones for my 2 grand daughters and they love the design and don't want new ones.

 

[Nutmeg2016]

Hope it's okay if I piggyback on this thread. .

I'm planning to use old magic bands from our 2019 trip during our trip next month. However, while I was booking everything on the Disney site (hotel, tickets, etc ) I was having trouble with my daughter's profile (for some reason) so I ended up creating a new one for her; in other words, her magic band is tied to her old profile, not the profile I used for the upcoming trip.

I'm assuming this means I'll need to buy her a new one, but thought I'd check-in here for insights. . ?

Thank you!

 

[mocame]

Is there still an option to purchase plain colored or inexpensive magic bands? I looked on the shop Disney website and they are all around $25 and above.

 

[CarolynFH]

Hope it's okay if I piggyback on this thread. .

I'm planning to use old magic bands from our 2019 trip during our trip next month. However, while I was booking everything on the Disney site (hotel, tickets, etc ) I was having trouble with my daughter's profile (for some reason) so I ended up creating a new one for her; in other words, her magic band is tied to her old profile, not the profile I used for the upcoming trip.

I'm assuming this means I'll need to buy her a new one, but thought I'd check-in here for insights. . ?

Thank you!

You could buy a new one to link to her new profile. I might call the IT folks at 407-939-4357 and ask them to merge the two profiles, to avoid future complications caused by her being listed twice in your F&F list.

 

[MidnightMeeko]

You could buy a new one to link to her new profile. I might call the IT folks at 407-939-4357 and ask them to merge the two profiles, to avoid future complications caused by her being listed twice in your F&F list.

This is a good idea, to have the two merged, or the old one dropped. You can always reassign a magic band to a different account. If possible, delete it from the old one then reassign it to the new one with the number on the back of the band.

 

[RileyJames]

We always get new ones. We like to save the old ones.

 

[CarolynFH]

This is a good idea, to have the two merged, or the old one dropped. You can always reassign a magic band to a different account. If possible, delete it from the old one then reassign it to the new one with the number on the back of the band.

Once assigned to someone in MDE, a MB cannot be transferred to another person - even if that other person is a duplicate of the original person. Unless the profiles are merged by Disney IT, MDE will always view those two profiles as separate people.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Is there still an option to purchase plain colored or inexpensive magic bands? I looked on the shop Disney website and they are all around $25 and above.

If there are any in stock yes. What's on the Shop Disney site and what's on MDE through the resort reservation is not necessarily related in any way. Just click through your resort reservation MB option on MDE and check. If there aren't any now there could be some before your trip, depending on when it is of course. If it's soon, what you see is all there will be. If it's months away, you have time to wait.

 

[scard192]

You could buy a new one to link to her new profile. I might call the IT folks at 407-939-4357 and ask them to merge the two profiles, to avoid future complications caused by her being listed twice in your F&F list.

if you have to call, I would recommend late at night. Had a problem with my reservation last Saturday, called at 10:15PM and got through in about 15-20 minutes.

 

[2Lunds]

Hope it's okay if I piggyback on this thread. .

I'm planning to use old magic bands from our 2019 trip during our trip next month. However, while I was booking everything on the Disney site (hotel, tickets, etc ) I was having trouble with my daughter's profile (for some reason) so I ended up creating a new one for her; in other words, her magic band is tied to her old profile, not the profile I used for the upcoming trip.

I'm assuming this means I'll need to buy her a new one, but thought I'd check-in here for insights. . ?

Thank you!

You could buy a new one to link to her new profile. I might call the IT folks at 407-939-4357 and ask them to merge the two profiles, to avoid future complications caused by her being listed twice in your F&F list.
[/QUOTE]

YES. This will be a huge pain, waiting on hold etc... however as someone who has tried to plan a trip with a friend who had multiple profiles - it can totally ruin your planning.

 

[mocame]

If there are any in stock yes. What's on the Shop Disney site and what's on MDE through the resort reservation is not necessarily related in any way. Just click through your resort reservation MB option on MDE and check. If there aren't any now there could be some before your trip, depending on when it is of course. If it's soon, what you see is all there will be. If it's months away, you have time to wait.

Great! That is just what I needed to know. Thank you!