Price Bridging for an AP

jnomalaika

Earning My Ears
Joined
Feb 19, 2020
Hi all!

A friend and I are seriously considering buying a Disney Annual Pass (Platinum since we are out-of-state) during our November 2020 trip that we are currently planning. After finding an excellent article about price bridging, we are looking into purchasing a "To be determined"-day park hopper ticket through our local AAA discount, and then doing the price bridge at the parks when we're there.

With the recent ticket price hikes again, our local AAA said their ticket prices will rise again after Feb 27, so we're hoping to buy before then. I'm trying to run the numbers and compare the still current AAA numbers compared to the new Disney gate prices and figure out which park hopper to purchase so we get the most bang for our buck when it comes time to price bridge to the annual pass in November.

Would it be smartest for us to pay for the largest PH there is, the 10-day PH, with the belief that it'll save us the most money in the long run? -- or am I missing something and we should buy a lesser PH?

AP Platinum (w/taxes)
(before 2/27/20 - prices go up after)new prices$1,272.68
Ticket Start Dateincl. taxesincl. taxes
11/9/20AAADisney GateDifference
5-day PH$518.47$609.53$91.06
6-day PH$527.25$626.83$99.58
7-day PH$537.52$643.99$106.47
8-day PH$549.42$668.16$118.74
9-day PH$562.89$687.91$125.02
10-day PH$576.85$705.64$128.79


If you're willing to check my thinking, I'd appreciate the second opinion and your Disney wisdom! Thank you so much!!
 
It sounds like AAA is still selling "old stock" tickets; WDW raised ticket prices last Tuesday and authorized resellers have a period of time to sell out their "old stock" before they have to change their prices. Buy whichever one offers the greatest savings based on WDW online prices before last Tuesday. When you upgrade, you will pay the difference anyway - the "older" ticket will not bridge to current prices for an upgrade, but you will retain the original discount.

Unfortunately, I don't have a resource to show that those ticket values were. AAA may be able to tell you the savings? I know that UT lists the savings on their tickets.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
Hi @lanejudy - thank you so much for your response! Yes, AAA still has some tickets at the pre-Feb 11 prices and they'll switch over to the updated prices next week (Feb 27), so we're going to try and buy before then. Based on your explanation, Disney can tell at what price bracket we purchase our AAA tickets at when we go to upgrade to an AP? They don't just take the value of it and apply their current gate price to the AP balance? I thought that was the benefit of purchasing at a third-party seller like AAA. At least, that was my understanding from The Points Guy article on price bridging (published back in Feb 2019) we looked into.

Thank you!!
 
At one time that was true, but obtaining “gate price” value (or even current WDW online price) hasn’t been possible for a couple of years or so. I’m sorry an article had wrong info. You do retain the discount from the reseller, but you don’t avoid a price increase in an upgrade. The benefit of purchasing from an authorized reseller like AAA is any discount they offer.

Enjoy your vacation!
 


I am very confused....

I bought a 6-day park-hopper from UCT the day after the most recent price increase so it was still at the "old" price. I paid about $535 for it, including tax. The current price on the WDW website for a 6-day park-hopper is about $630 for the same dates (IIRC...the site is currently down). I am planning on upgrading to the Gold AP ($719 + tax) when I get there and I was planning on paying the difference between the current WDW price of the 6-day PH and the AP. So am I to assume that I will actually have to pay the difference between the $535 and the AP? The price increase had already gone into effect when I bought my ticket so I should simply be able to retain the discount, right? It's just a bigger discount because it was sold at the "old" price.
 
So am I to assume that I will actually have to pay the difference between the $535 and the AP? The price increase had already gone into effect when I bought my ticket so I should simply be able to retain the discount, right?
What you bought was "old stock" tickets, minted prior to the price increase on Feb. 11, 2020. They will be valued as such. The reseller should have made clear they were selling older stock and not current value tickets. You will retain the actual discount that was the difference between the ticket you bought and the WDW value for tickets minted prior to Feb. 11th; the price increase won't carry forward as a discount.

It's kind of like buying an older model phone. Even though iPhone 11 is available, you can still buy a new iPhone 8 for less - but it won't have the newer features.

Buying "old stock" tickets is a great deal if you don't plan to upgrade at all.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
What you bought was "old stock" tickets, minted prior to the price increase on Feb. 11, 2020. They will be valued as such. The reseller should have made clear they were selling older stock and not current value tickets. You will retain the actual discount that was the difference between the ticket you bought and the WDW value for tickets minted prior to Feb. 11th; the price increase won't carry forward as a discount.

It's kind of like buying an older model phone. Even though iPhone 11 is available, you can still buy a new iPhone 8 for less - but it won't have the newer features.

Buying "old stock" tickets is a great deal if you don't plan to upgrade at all.

Enjoy your vacation!
Hi again @lanejudy ! Oh, so if we are planning to upgrade to an AP level, we might as well just wait for the AAA tickets to increase a little with the new stock of tickets, to get the most value when it comes time to price bridge for an AP in the fall? (Sorry for all the questions - thank you for your wisdom!!!) :)
 


Hi again @lanejudy ! Oh, so if we are planning to upgrade to an AP level, we might as well just wait for the AAA tickets to increase a little with the new stock of tickets, to get the most value when it comes time to price bridge for an AP in the fall? (Sorry for all the questions - thank you for your wisdom!!!) :)
I can't say what discounts AAA may offer next week. My local AAA doesn't offer discounted WDW tickets; I believe some in the southeastern part of the country may. You can also check out other resellers. But the point I was trying to make is you'll only retain the actual discount off the ticket you buy vs the WDW stated value of that ticket at the time it was minted. For someone who plans to use the tickets as-is, buying "old stock" tickets can be a significant savings; for someone who plans to upgrade to AP (or add days, etc.), you will still be on the hook for any price increases (the one last week, and any future increase that may come between now and your trip).

If the tickets currently claim a savings of $50 and you feel that is a good savings, buy it now. Next week might only be a savings of $25, or next month it could be $75. You just have to be comfortable in the price you paid and recognizing the expected cost to upgrade. There is no right or wrong answer and unfortunately none of us has a crystal ball to know what is to come.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
I was under the impression that they will be on the hook for the higher AP cost, but will also get the current value of the ticket. Last year I got my tickets before the price increase but got the full value when I went to upgrade. I also just recently upgraded my mom's undercover tourist ticket to add an extra day and a PH and that also was bridged. I got the full value of a 7 day base ticket and only had to pay the price difference. I would buy the tickets now just in case they can be bridged and if not oh well, nothing lost.
 
I can't say what discounts AAA may offer next week. My local AAA doesn't offer discounted WDW tickets; I believe some in the southeastern part of the country may. You can also check out other resellers. But the point I was trying to make is you'll only retain the actual discount off the ticket you buy vs the WDW stated value of that ticket at the time it was minted. For someone who plans to use the tickets as-is, buying "old stock" tickets can be a significant savings; for someone who plans to upgrade to AP (or add days, etc.), you will still be on the hook for any price increases (the one last week, and any future increase that may come between now and your trip).

If the tickets currently claim a savings of $50 and you feel that is a good savings, buy it now. Next week might only be a savings of $25, or next month it could be $75. You just have to be comfortable in the price you paid and recognizing the expected cost to upgrade. There is no right or wrong answer and unfortunately none of us has a crystal ball to know what is to come.

Enjoy your vacation!
Thank you so much for your thoughts and advice --- and taking the time to answer my question!!
 
@SG131 - ouu interesting! Thank you for jumping in and adding that - especially since you've recently done it with UT tickets. You're right about nothing too much being lost in the long run if I'm going for the AP - going to be on the hook for that cost anyways. Just pinching pennies where I can if possible :) Thank you again!!
 
I am very confused....

I bought a 6-day park-hopper from UCT the day after the most recent price increase so it was still at the "old" price. I paid about $535 for it, including tax. The current price on the WDW website for a 6-day park-hopper is about $630 for the same dates (IIRC...the site is currently down). I am planning on upgrading to the Gold AP ($719 + tax) when I get there and I was planning on paying the difference between the current WDW price of the 6-day PH and the AP. So am I to assume that I will actually have to pay the difference between the $535 and the AP? The price increase had already gone into effect when I bought my ticket so I should simply be able to retain the discount, right? It's just a bigger discount because it was sold at the "old" price.
I'm hoping your scenario is right @kristenrice !! That's what we were banking on but I guess we'll see!
 
FYI, the UCT savings amount that they show on their website is based on the Disney "Gate Price" and when Disney bridges it is based on the website price which is like $20 less so the savings they show is a bit inflated by that difference. Also, if you want to save even more don't forget that you can use discounted Disney gift cards to pay for the upgrade at the park.
 
The only thing I can add here is that if you do buy the tickets and then upgrade to APs, make sure that before you do this you have accurately determined what the price difference should be. There's a ticket sticky on the TPAS thread by @Robo where there's detailed information about this.

I upgraded my PH 2 years ago and knew that the price they charged me was incorrect, however, even after going back to guest services again, I wasn't able to get a refund for the overcharge. I had to wait until I got home, when I called the dedicated WDW ticket phone # (also on the sticky--sorry, I don't have the info handy) and they refunded me the difference. It wasn't an insignificant amount, so I was willing to work for it.
 
Well, if I will NOT get the CURRENT price (which is what the price was at the time I PURCHASED the tickets), then I will probably return them and simply buy my AP with discounted gift cards since there would be no discount. The date that is printed on the back of the ticket is 6/20/18 so it was "minted" WAY before the expiration dates were introduced.

If I paid $535 for a 6-day park hopper and that is the amount that I will receive towards a Gold AP, then I have not "saved" anything, right? I will still have to pay the between what I PAID and the cost of the AP.

$535 + $230 = $765 (cost of AP incl tax)

If I use gift cards from Target, I can buy $750 in gift cards for $712.50 and save $37.50. It's not much, but it's something.
What am I missing here?
 
Well, if I will NOT get the CURRENT price (which is what the price was at the time I PURCHASED the tickets), then I will probably return them and simply buy my AP with discounted gift cards since there would be no discount. The date that is printed on the back of the ticket is 6/20/18 so it was "minted" WAY before the expiration dates were introduced.

If I paid $535 for a 6-day park hopper and that is the amount that I will receive towards a Gold AP, then I have not "saved" anything, right? I will still have to pay the between what I PAID and the cost of the AP.

$535 + $230 = $765 (cost of AP incl tax)

If I use gift cards from Target, I can buy $750 in gift cards for $712.50 and save $37.50. It's not much, but it's something.
What am I missing here?
@kristenrice--I'm not sure how this is all calculated right now, but if you post on the thread here, then Robo will help you. @Robo knows all and is extremely helpful.
 
Well, if I will NOT get the CURRENT price (which is what the price was at the time I PURCHASED the tickets), then I will probably return them and simply buy my AP with discounted gift cards since there would be no discount. The date that is printed on the back of the ticket is 6/20/18 so it was "minted" WAY before the expiration dates were introduced.
The challenge is defining “minted” - essentially the date WDW sold that ticket to UT. The printed date on the back is likely not what we mean as “minted” pertaining to the value of your ticket. You WILL retain the discount UT advertises, but you will not avoid the price increase.

If you bought a ticket for $535 but WDW sold that same ticket for $585, you will receive credit of $585 towards your upgrade - which is still a $50 savings.

Enjoy your vacation!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top