Upgrading an unused MYW ticket (value) ?

[trooper1917]

Hi-I have an unused 10 day MYW hopper with no expiration that I puchased last year during a free dining trip. It was part of the package so who knows exactly what I paid for it.

I'm considering buying AP's for the family this trip. I called Disney and they said I could apply the value of the 10 day to the annual passess but....the CM could not tell me what the cash value of the 10 day would be. She said you'll have to wait for guest services at the park to tell you.

Can anyone tell me the cash value for this exchange? I need to know to help decide if this is worth it it.
Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Hi-I have an unused 10 day MYW hopper with no expiration that I puchased last year during a free dining trip. It was part of the package so who knows exactly what I paid for it.

I'm considering buying AP's for the family this trip. I called Disney and they said I could apply the value of the 10 day to the annual passess but....the CM could not tell me what the cash value of the 10 day would be. She said you'll have to wait for guest services at the park to tell you.

Can anyone tell me the cash value for this exchange? I need to know to help decide if this is worth it it.
Thanks!

It's tricky. The "price" of your MYW ticket is locked in at what you paid for it as soon as you go through a turnstile. This also means that you lock in at the cost of an AP at the time you purchased the MYW ticket (unless this has changed since January).

I can't even remember the details now (brain dead), but I know that when we went in January, we had already purchased Park Hoppers, but had never used them. We were told to go into and right back out of the MK, then head to the ticket window and upgrade them to APs. That way we got the most cost-effective upgrade. I understand that if we had just taken the tickets to the window and upgraded them without having used them first, we would have gotten credit for the price we paid, but would have paid the difference up to the current AP price.

Something like that. Hopefully someone can refresh my memory on the logic...but this was the deal in January, I promise.

 

[trooper1917]

Does that mean that the value would be the current price of a 10 day ($551 according to mousesavers). That would mean it's worth more than the AP ($510). What would happen then with the difference?

 

[Rob562]

Edward's on the right track, but isn't quite correct about some of the details.

From what I've heard, there are two ways that a Guest Relations CM can upgrade an totally unused ticket. One way gives you a credit for what you actually paid for the ticket (meaning you don't get credit for any ticket price increases since you bought the ticket), the other gives you the current gate-price for the ticket. Either way, that amount is then put as credit toward the new ticket.

If you've *used* the ticket to enter a park, even if it's just once, as long as you're within the 14-day window from first use, the system can then only issue you a credit for the current gate-price for the ticket. It's simply a quirk of the system. (FYI, the No Expiration option does nothing to extend the available window to upgrade a ticket. It's 14 days no matter what)

As a side note, this process also applies to tickets purchased at a discount from an authorized ticket reseller like Undercover Tourist. One way of upgrading would only give you credit for the amount the *reseller* paid Disney for the ticket (i.e. the amount of money that Disney got for it) in which you'd lose the amount that the reseller marked up the ticket for profit; or you could enter the park first and then get more than what you paid for the ticket...

Unfortunately, the OP has stumbled into one of the few situations where there may be a problem, and they may get screwed in the transaction. The ticket they have is worth MORE than the price of an Annual Pass. As far as I know, they'll still exchange your ticket for an AP. *But* you may end up forfeiting the remaining balance. I'm 99% sure that there are no refunds in this instance. Plus, because ticket upgrades are on a 1-to-1 basis, you can't apply that excess balance toward another ticket.

So, you need to figure out what is a better use for that ticket... What's the amount of money you'd lose on the transaction? Is the trade worth it to you? Or is it better for you to outright buy a new AP, and then hold onto that ticket for the future so you can use it a few days at a time after the AP has expired? Who knows, perhaps you'll find that Guest Relations can work some magic and give you the balance on a gift card or something, kind of like a "merchandise credit" at a store...

Oh, and after you've gone to Guest Relations and asked, make sure to come back and let us know. It'd be good info to file away for future knowledge.

-Rob

 

[MissM]

I know I bought a AAA rate 3-Day Pass a few years ago and at the end of the three days decided to upgrade it to a Seasonal AP. I got current "gate price" for the 3-Day ticket instead of the discounted, AAA rate I bought it for. Super sweet bonus for me!

But I too do not believe if the ticket's current price is worth more than the AP that you'd get any of that back. Perhaps it might be worth it to apply towards a Premium AP or something to get the full value out of it? If you're thinking of doing that, then do use it to enter the park, then walk straight over to Guest Services to upgrade it. That way you'll get the current, going price for it.

 

[trooper1917]

......Perhaps it might be worth it to apply towards a Premium AP or something to get the full value out of it? If you're thinking of doing that, then do use it to enter the park, then walk straight over to Guest Services to upgrade it. That way you'll get the current, going price for it.

Thank you. With this new advice I may keep the ticket and purchase a new AP.

If I do the "enter the park then exit to guest services " option, wouldn't the value of the ticket then be devalued by one day? Hypothetically, subtracting $82 from the trade in value of the 10 day?

 

[Monty]

Thank you. With this new advice I may keep the ticket and purchase a new AP.

If I do the "enter the park then exit to guest services " option, wouldn't the value of the ticket then be devalued by one day? Hypothetically, subtracting $82 from the trade in value of the 10 day?

When you upgrade a used ticket to an AP within 14 days they ignore how much you've used it and give you its full value, but your AP start date becomes the first day you used the ticket you're upgrading. So, if you used your 10-day hopper on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then went to upgrade to an AP on Saturday, they would put the full gate value of the 10-day toward an AP that had a start date of the Monday you first used the 10-day ticket.

If they don't give change on the exchange, you'd only lose $15.97. An AP is $520.79 and your 10-day Hopper with no expire is $536.76 as of 2 August gate prices. An AP discount on almost anything will pay for that! :animwink: