Value of partially used tickets

[raytheyounger]

I recently purchased 8-day park tickets for my family. Something happened, and we are not all able to go, and those who can will only be going for 3 days. I called WDW, and they told me that I could use the first 3 days of the ticket and let the rest of the ticket expire. It would then be possible to apply the remaining value to a future ticket purchase. Does this sound correct? Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[nekonekoneko]

Unfortunately, once a ticket starts to be used, it will expire a set number of days from the first date it's used. There's no way to stop it. For an 8 day ticket, that is 12 days before it expires.

What you can do is purchase another, shorter ticket for them, and save the longer ticket for later. Then the longer ticket will expire, but the value will be left in their account, eligible to purchase another ticket in the future.

 

[raytheyounger]

Unfortunately, once a ticket starts to be used, it will expire a set number of days from the first date it's used. There's no way to stop it. For an 8 day ticket, that is 12 days before it expires.

What you can do is purchase another, shorter ticket for them, and save the longer ticket for later. Then the longer ticket will expire, but the value will be left in their account, eligible to purchase another ticket in the future.

That's what I thought also. The original intent of my call was to unlink my existing tickets prior to purchasing a shorter ticket. When I talked with the cast member, she told me that I could instead use part of the existing ticket, let the rest of it expire, and use what was left as a credit toward a future purchase. As long as it works, that would be my preference. I just had not heard that as a possibility, and I am skeptical.

 

[nekonekoneko]

As far as I know, she is wrong. Once a ticket is used, even for 1 day, any unused days are forfeited after the ticket expires.

 

[Leigh L]

That is my understanding as well. Years ago they did hold value (I had a 4 day ticket used 2 days in 2001 and 2 in 2004.) They stopped that a few years back.

The only exception I'm aware of is military salute tickets, but they expire mid December for days not used during the offer period each year.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Unfortunately the info the CM gave you us not correct.

 

[raytheyounger]

Thanks everyone for confirming my suspicions.

 

[lanejudy]

What you can do is purchase another, shorter ticket for them, and save the longer ticket for later. Then the longer ticket will expire, but the value will be left in their account, eligible to purchase another ticket in the future.

This is my recommendation as well. You cannot “unlink” the existing tickets, though you may be able to shift them to another profile you manage as a “holding” spot. Otherwise, make sure Guest Relations or a ticket window “prioritized” the shorter ticket to be used. And double-check MDE that it worked correctly; much easier to fix while onsite.

 

[_19disnA]

I think you got bad phone advice. Many of the Disney people are really good on the phone, but have also talked with some who seem to have -0- training and have NO idea how to be of assistance or don't want to take the time to look up something. They just fling out answers since they likely know you will never speak with them again. My understanding is that the clock starts ticking the first day you use it. You have a certain number of days to use up that ticket before it expires. If you call Disney again you will likely get someone else who can provide accurate information.

Tickets purchased MANY years ago work differently and could still have available days if you didn't use all of them during a prior trip. That wouldn't apply in your example since you indicated you just recently purchased them.

 

[DavidNYC]

Definitely call back. She is 100% wrong but they do have discretion to make some sort of accommodation for a future trip or find a way to adjust your tickets but that would have to be done now and not after (and no guarantees they'll do anything). I think because this happened pre-trip and you have other options they're not likely to do anything - usually you hear about this from people who have longer tickets and encounter some sort of emergency during the trip that causes them to have to cut short a trip. Being that you know this prior to the trip - I will second (or third) the other recommendations as to getting shorter tickets and just applying these to a future trip.

 

[IndyToThere]

This is my recommendation as well. You cannot “unlink” the existing tickets, though you may be able to shift them to another profile you manage as a “holding” spot. Otherwise, make sure Guest Relations or a ticket window “prioritized” the shorter ticket to be used. And double-check MDE that it worked correctly; much easier to fix while onsite.

Related to this, you can also transfer the tickets to someone else in your party if anyone happens to be going on a trip sometime in the future. They could pay you for the tickets and take them off your hands.

 

[_19disnA]

According the Disney website you can't reassign a ticket after initial use. Tickets also expire as mentioned in some prior comments a certain number of days after initial use.

 

[raytheyounger]

This is my recommendation as well. You cannot “unlink” the existing tickets, though you may be able to shift them to another profile you manage as a “holding” spot. Otherwise, make sure Guest Relations or a ticket window “prioritized” the shorter ticket to be used. And double-check MDE that it worked correctly; much easier to fix while onsite.

In MDE, I was able to shift the start date of the longer tickets to another date in the future. For now, I pushed the date out well past the date when we plan on going for the shorter trip. That appears to address my concern that the system would get confused and use the wrong ticket when I purchase a shorter ticket.

 

[supersnoop]

In MDE, I was able to shift the start date of the longer tickets to another date in the future. For now, I pushed the date out well past the date when we plan on going for the shorter trip. That appears to address my concern that the system would get confused and use the wrong ticket when I purchase a shorter ticket.

You can also create another person in MDE and transfer the tickets to that profile. I have "Mister," "Doctor," and "Kiddo" people in my MDE to hold our unused tickets. That way, you know for sure they won't be used.

 

[cartydog]

Oops post

 

[cartydog]

According the Disney website you can't reassign a ticket after initial use. Tickets also expire as mentioned in some prior comments a certain number of days after initial use.

View attachment 715511

If you do this, what happens to park reservations if you had them already? We are going on a trip, someone can’t go now, and I’m taking their place.

 

[Juventus]

I had 10 day tickets starting around March 5th or so, 2020. After using 5 days worth of tickets, on the Thursday morning before the parks closed down due to covid I tapped into DHS and went straight to guest relations and said I was ending my vacation due, in part, to safety concerns. All five in my party got 5 day complementary hoppers.

Not only that, I augured that I wanted 3 complementary fastpasses for each day of my next trip and the cast member at DHS said sure...so my next trip (last March) I had 3 recovery anytime Lightning Lane passes for each day of the trip.

My feeling is that conversation notes are made by just about any cast member that you talk with over the phone. If they promise you anything, it will be recorded (and you can tell them to make a note on your file), and with enough persistence you are able to hold them to whatever they say/promise.

 

[DavidNYC]

According the Disney website you can't reassign a ticket after initial use. Tickets also expire as mentioned in some prior comments a certain number of days after initial use.

View attachment 715511

They're not talking about after initial use. This is someone who knows in advance they're having tickets they they can't use which are freely and easily transferrable to people in your friends and family group.

 

[lanejudy]

If you do this, what happens to park reservations if you had them already? We are going on a trip, someone can’t go now, and I’m taking their place.

theme park reservations do not transfer with the ticket.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I had 10 day tickets starting around March 5th or so, 2020. After using 5 days worth of tickets, on the Thursday morning before the parks closed down due to covid I tapped into DHS and went straight to guest relations and said I was ending my vacation due, in part, to safety concerns. All five in my party got 5 day complementary hoppers.

Not only that, I augured that I wanted 3 complementary fastpasses for each day of my next trip and the cast member at DHS said sure...so my next trip (last March) I had 3 recovery anytime Lightning Lane passes for each day of the trip.

My feeling is that conversation notes are made by just about any cast member that you talk with over the phone. If they promise you anything, it will be recorded (and you can tell them to make a note on your file), and with enough persistence you are able to hold them to whatever they say/promise.

That was a very unique situation
Used tickets are not normally extended and had the parks not been closing due to a pandemic, I don't expect you would have gotten your tickets extended either.
People can't just decide to leave 5 days early and extend their tickets
If someone is there and an event occurs like a pandemic or hurricane, then sure, you can probably get some sort of compensation for unused park days.
But if you have to leave of your own accord, then not likely.

And what that CM told OP was flat out wrong. Many, many CM give guests wrong info. Sadly, you can claim it was told to you all you want. Wrong is wrong. Just because the CM said it, it won't make it fact. Not all the time. They simply make too many mistakes.

Now, I feel there is zero reason for a CM who works in ticketing to not know these things but that doesn't change the fact that they don't. They are not trained properly or given proper resources to gain the info they need. As someone who used to work a help desk such as this, there is software out there that operates off key words. If Disney used it, all the ticket desk CM need to do is enter key words such as tickets, unused, expiration, and the rules associated with it all come up and they can all read the same info to callers. No reason for any to ever give out the wrong info. That's how help desks normally work. Even those who use remote agents. Leave it to Disney to do something else.