Disney World’s New Widely-Targeted PIN Code
After dropping the awful ‘Magic is Here’ promo and the awesome ‘Southerner Savings’ room-only discount earlier this week, Walt Disney World has quietly released another deal. This time, it’s a PIN or Unique Offer Code, targeted to select guests. In this post, we’ll cover details, offer commentary, and explain just what the heck a “PIN code” is and how to get one.
By way of quick recap, the discounts released earlier this week were a tale of two extremes. The awesome side of this was room-only savings of up to 40% off now through Christmas 2020. This included both off-season and peak season holiday travel dates, and is a more aggressive discount than the historic norm for these timeframes. Unfortunately, this discount is targeted and many guests are not eligible.
The ‘Magic is Here’ discount is the general public offer, which sounded decent on its face, with savings of up to $500 off. Unfortunately, that’s not a whole lot over the course of an entire trip when you’re paying $500+ per night for a hotel room plus tickets. Not only that, but the discount was only $100 for Value Resorts and $250 for Moderates. Again, these savings are for the entire package. This new PIN code is essentially a “gap-filler,” offering the great savings of the first deal to those previously only eligible for the second…
Before we get ahead of ourselves, we should probably explain what, exactly, PIN or Unique Offer Codes are for those who are new to the wonderful world of Disney discounts. PIN codes are the most exclusive of Walt Disney World discounts—they are targeted, non-transferrable discount offers sent to a limited number of recipients that offer deep-discounts for select travel dates or early booking of a special offer.
Not only are PIN codes exclusive, but they are elusive. Receiving a PIN code email or mailer can feel like the Golden Ticket landing in your hands. Honestly, part of the allure of PIN codes is the mystery and intrigue. We’ve tried to “demystify” the process with our Hacks & Tips for Receiving PIN Codes for Walt Disney World, which offers our battle-tested strategy for increasing your odds of receiving one.
None of that helped us here. While we normally receive several PIN code offers per year, neither of us received this one. Which is ironic, because this appears to be the widest PIN code release in recent history–if reports we’re hearing are any indication. Assuming Walt Disney World’s targeting system is reasonably sophisticated, the reason we didn’t receive one is simple: we are Annual Passholders and Florida residents who qualified for equal or superior alternatives.
Fortunately, our reputation in the PIN code community as deal-hounds precedes us. (Oh yes, there’s a community–but we prefer to think of ourselves as a ‘money-saving society!’) Six different readers emailed us details of this PIN code, and another two left comments on the blog. For a normal PIN code release, we’ll receive maybe one or two ‘heads up’ messages. (Big thanks to readers John C., Donna D., Charles J., Jane M., Emily W., and Seed S!)
Above is a look at the PIN code email that was sent out. While Disney’s Pop Century Resort is advertised, this offer is virtually identical to the ‘Rediscover the Magic’ offer sent to Florida residents.
Savings range from 25% to 35% off, depending upon the resort tier. That puts it squarely between the Southerner Savings and Annual Passholder deals that were just released. (For the same resort and room categories, this PIN code is 5% better than the Southerner Savings and 5% worse than the AP discounts.)
To reiterate, this is a targeted discount, so if you didn’t receive the email above, you’re not eligible. Probably.
It’s not uncommon for PIN codes to be caught by spam filters, sent to old email addresses, or just not received for one reason or another. So basically, just like all correspondence from Walt Disney World! That’s a big part of why we’re posting this–as a heads up so you can scour through all of your accounts to see if you received this but somehow missed it.
In the last few weeks, we’ve been critical about Walt Disney World’s reticence to release discounts and lack of aggressive offers. Accordingly, we have to give kudos on this one. It’s a really savvy move.
Between the Southerner Savings for guests within driving distance and this targeted PIN code for guests from other states who have previously visited Walt Disney World, exactly the right approach is being taken here. These are strong discounts, and they’re being strategically offered to those who are least likely to be first-time visitors.
We expect that plenty of Walt Disney World fans who do not live in Florida or other Southern states, are not Annual Passholders, and did not receive this PIN code will vehemently disagree with us. To be sure, it is unfortunate that some fans will still “slip through the cracks,” so to speak.
However, this targeted approach is infinitely superior to widespread general public discounts. This is for a multitude of reasons, including capacity and staffing. Most significantly, general public special offers would attract tons of first-time visitors who, in our view, really should be waiting until 2021 for the full Walt Disney World experience. (Clearly, Disney agrees with that perspective.)
Ultimately, we’d anticipate that Walt Disney World will continue fine-tuning its targeted approach. It’s like Disney will roll out more of this kind of discount as long as the parks are operating at lower capacity, with temporary safety measures in place, and without certain entertainment.
If anything, our expectation is that Disney will accelerate discounting and get more competitive with pricing as it becomes increasingly clear that travel is going to take a while to rebound. While 35-40% off hotel rooms is fairly unprecedented for this time of year, the underlying rack rates are still very pricey and Walt Disney World is coming nowhere near its occupancy targets for weeknights (or even non-holiday weekends) right now.
If you did not receive this PIN code and aren’t eligible for the other good room-only rates, consider the following alternatives for saving money:
- Priceline Express Deals for Walt Disney World Hotels
- Renting DVC Points (only do this if absolutely certain you will not be cancelling)
- Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels (walking distance of Disney Springs)
- Swan & Dolphin Resorts (walking distance of EPCOT and DHS)
- Other Best Third Party Hotels Near WDW
- Vacation Home or Airbnb Rentals Near WDW
We understand the allure of being in the Walt Disney World “bubble” and the top 2 options above definitely offer that. The next 2 arguably do, as well. The last one doesn’t, but is probably the very best option in terms of bang for buck.
As we discuss in our “Temporary Abnormal” 2020 Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide, we strongly recommend renting a car right now, so driving to the parks not really an issue. Additionally, the more on-site perks are all temporarily suspended—there’s no Disney Dining Plan, Extra Magic Hours, or FastPass+, so no disadvantage in staying off-site.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Did you receive this PIN/Unique Offer Code discount? If so, do you reside outside the South? Do you “normally” receive PIN codes, or is it rare/unprecedented? If you booked this, what did your savings end up being? Happy with the available rates, or hoping for better deals to come? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
So I got the email with the pin code although it looked a little different to what was posted above. However when I click on the link and I put in my last name and ZIP Code it says it doesn’t match their records yet I’m pretty positive I have my last name and ZIP Code correct. I need to call them next week after the holiday weekend. I’m curious to see how good the discount is compared to the annual passholder discount.
I can save you a lot of time on hold. The AP deal at 50% off is better!
Sorry, 40%…
I finally received the elusive pin code after many visits and many years of trying all the tricks.
Problem is, I’m already booked on a fantastic deal through UT, which was supposed to be standard view AKL at 40% off . Which was amazing, but…. AKL isn’t opening. So I got moved by Disney to Contemporary TPV for no change in price.
So this pin is useless to me bc there’s no way they can beat that deal. But if I don’t use it, do I them get resolved from the secret pin code promo list?!?!
Aargh!!
“But if I don’t use it, do I them get resolved from the secret pin code promo list?!?!”
I wouldn’t worry about that. There’s long been speculation that visiting too often or using PIN codes too much actually decrease your odds of receiving them in the future. I don’t think anyone truly knows, though. Such is the “magic” of Disney’s PIN code algorithm. (Congrats on the great deal and upgrade, regardless!)
I keep checking, but still no PIN…and I don’t know what I’d do if I got it. Due to various reasons, the only time to do it would be maybe mid-December, right as prices jump.
If we were back in “Normal Land” (and don’t we all miss that theme park!) about what time would the 2021 discounts be expected to drop?
I received a pin and tried several different dates. The “deal” wasn’t available for any of them. It doesn’t look like it will work for prime dates when school is out. For reference I tried to book for Fall Break in October and the week/weekend before Thanksgiving.
Received a pin and was able to book CBR in mid December. Weren’t planning on going this year at rack rates and are not eligible for the Southern states promo but this changed everything. Need a getaway after cutting our travel this year and Disney seems the safest choice.
Same here. Had all but written off this year but this was a GREAT way of enticing us back for a mini break. CBR, SEE you in December.
I receieved a pin code in my email. The only things that is different is I am having to pay for the entire reservation when booking. In the past, I have only had to put $200 down to secure a reservation even with a pin code. Anyone have any input?
That’s strange. I booked mine with a PIN code (called the number because the zip code was our old one) and still paid the $200 deposit.
If it’s booked as a “package” (you add tickets or anything else) there is a $200 deposit and the balance is due 30 days in advance. If it’s booked as “room only” the deposit is the full cost of the first night and the balance is due at check in.
Tom,
Saw your post and read about the PIN discounts. Got excited so I scrolled through my email – there it was – the Golden Ticket! Curious, I started playing around with dates. I’d never seen Contemporary at $350/night. When availability was still open during Thanksgiving week, I decided to make the responsible choice to visit then rather than take my kid out of school (as we usually do) to visit during a less crowded time. Ended up booking 5 nights at Contemporary – theme park view – and saved 35% with the PIN code.
Try any last name of people you manage on your account plus any zip code that has ever been associated. It took trial and error but my pin code required my parent’s last name plus my zip code. Online I was still able to book the room under my current last name without any difficulty even though it is not the same as the offer last name.
This is like the 3rd or 4th time we have received a “special code”. We live in Illinois and usually visit once a year. If I remember correctly, the one time we went to use one of the codes the Disney Vacation Planner was able to “beat” the package price, booking everything separately. Its still not a bad deal compared to just booking everything on the website and gives you an idea of what kind of costs you are looking at to compare. We want to go so badly this year but usually drive with 2 other families and have put off anything until 2021. One thing we have never gotten was a bounceback offer, even in a year we went twice.
I am ALWAYS the person who books and pays for my trips. Somehow though, other people in my party are ALWAYS the recipients of PIN codes. My Mom and Husband both received the PIN codes yesterday, but I did not. Guess Disney knows I’ll be back regardless. haha
We live in Ohio and got the pin code yesterday morning. My wife and I had said if we get a good offer we would book something for early December so we could see Disney around Christmas (even if it’s not like it normally is) and hopefully low crowds. Anyway, called twice. Booked the hotel stay in the morning for longer than we could go because we had to check work schedules before we could finalize, got quoted on what adding tickets to the package would be for the five days we planned on staying if we booked right at that time, but didn’t book the tickets. Called back later in the evening after we had our vacations approved and booked flights to modify hotel reservations to the time we could go. Asked about adding tickets to the package because we were told in the morning if we did we could cancel if need be and get a full refund even on the tickets. That evening when trying to add tickets to the package prices went up to over 1k higher than quoted in the morning. We didn’t buy the tickets as we will just get them through third party…the person on phone couldn’t explain but he said yes even if we bought them separately and not as a package through Disney we would save over $1,000. Do they really mark tickets up even higher in a package? First time booking through Disney (we usually stay off resort, but we wanted to try on resort) so never experienced that before it just seemed crazy to us if add the tickets in a package the tickets end up costing significantly more than if buying them separately, even if through Disney. I guess they have to try to recoup the hotel discount somehow and probably add charges for The convenience of being able to cancel the tickets as well.
I am DVC member and I often book a cash room to fill in point voids or for a Club level splurge. I was very excited to get the PIN yesterday since I have exceeded my borrowed points for the year and there appeared to be decent availability for the 2nd week in November. Now if only our governor will ease the iron fist on travel restrictions I might be able to pull off a birthday trip for my kids.
Dvc and AP and got it. But I hadn’t scrolled to see it was PIN versus an ad for general discounts. Now I’m wondering if I have received PIN before because I usually just delete the discount emails without reading all of it since we already have our trips planned out in advance. Hmmm. So curious if I have received a PIN before and just always assumed I had not!
I live in California and am not a pass holder, and got this e-mail! Unfortunately, there’s “no availability” for Pop Century for my birthday week. I guess I could go the following week…
I receieved a pin code in my email. The only things that is different is I am having to pay for the entire reservation when booking. In the past, I have only had to put $200 down to secure a reservation even with a pin code. Anyone have any input?
I got the PIN code email, surprising me since I’m a DVC member. But I had a very short non-DVC stay planned, specifically to ride Rise of the Resistance, which I cancelled during the closures, so my suspicion is that put me on the list as someone likely to rebook given an offer. I assume that’s Disney’s guide to picking who gets these targeted offers.
Mine gave me a better discount than AP discount (for same resort, same room type), early December dates.
Louisiana, and no email. I was hoping we were back in the offer zone when we received an update from Disney Destinations Travel Service back in June, and we get the occasional mail but no luck so far. We’ve usually gotten these via snail mail, so…? (crossing fingers)
I was booked for Wilderness Lodge for Christmas, which of course isn’t open. I hadn’t received any emails notifying me to modify my reservation. I ended up calling the day of the discount drop (figures!) I qualify for the southerner discount. But they ended up moving my reservation to the villas, which admittedly is a higher priced category than my original reservation. But should I also be able to get the southerner discount?
I’m currently considering a short trip in December and we are looking at staying at Pop century. It’s 147 for the AP discount. I was expecting better however I’ve never stayed at Pop century before so I assume this is a good deal. I guess with Disney starting to roll out more targeted discounts we should probably go ahead and book sooner rather than later.
Why the heck are the AP and southern states discount only good for Pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach?! Surely those regular rooms aren’t filled up at rack rate?!
CBR is staying pretty “full” these days for a few reasons. They moved a lot of the closed resort reservations there. It’s also the only available moderate until CSR opens up, and it’s on the Skyliner which is a popular way to avoid the buses during these times.
I received a PIN code, but I am a DVC member. I currently have two trips booked, but unless APs resume sales, I will be canceling one, which is incredibly disappointing.
I received the Pin code. I’m not DVC or AP and live in Indiana. I was affected by cancellations for my June reservation though, so wondering if they have targeted some of us whose reservations were cancelled. I’ve received pin codes before but it has been years since the last one.