End of an Era for MagicBands at Disney World.
It’s the end of an era for MagicBands at Walt Disney World. This discusses the decline of Disney’s MagicBands, what led to this, the absence of the OG MagicBands in the pre-arrival discount purchase program, why we don’t recommend first-timers purchase the wearable, and other thoughts.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t start in the same spot as several recent articles, retreading ground previously covered in Walt Disney World is Worried About Its High Prices and that progeny of posts. The company has internal concerns about Disney alienating the middle class, with growing fears about how price increases and unpopular decisions are angering fans and losing guest goodwill.
As we’ve pointed out, it’s not just price increases. It’s those coupled with corresponding cuts, nickel and diming, and other ways the guest experience has been diminished. Price isn’t the only, or perhaps even primary, concern. It’s the value proposition, which has taken hits in both directions.
There have been a few nails in the proverbial coffin of MagicBands at Walt Disney World. The devices were once ubiquitous in the parks because they were given away free to all Walt Disney World resort hotel guests. This on-site perk was eliminated in January 2021, and was one of several ‘soft resets’ to the guest experience that was announced in mid-2020 before the parks even reopened.
Walt Disney World retiring the complimentary MagicBand distribution program, and switching to a pre-arrival discount was announced in the exact same press release as the Disney Park Pass reservation system. This bombshell came only a couple of weeks after the retirement of FastPass+ and Extra Magic Hours, as well as the suspension of the Disney Dining Plan.
Suffice to say, it was a big news month between all of that and the phased reopening, and the end of free MagicBands was probably the least consequential news. There were plenty of fans who were–and still are–upset, but Disney flooded the zone with negative news, and it was difficult to be equally upset about all of it. (Although some fans tried!)
Walt Disney World sunsetting the complimentary MagicBand distribution program garnered the least backlash, by far. That’s in part because MagicBands would still exist, and for as cheap as $5 each when discounted for pre-arrivals.
The next big blow to MagicBands was the introduction of the MagicMobile service at Walt Disney World via the My Disney Experience app. This roughly coincided with the sunsetting of free MagicBands in early 2021.
MagicMobile can be added to your Android, iPhone, or Apple Watch digital wallet once enabled. It’s somewhat similar to a MagicBand, with most features working by simply holding up your smart device near an access point. It can be used to enter theme parks, connect PhotoPass images to your account, enter Lightning Lanes, and more.
MagicMobile didn’t have a seamless rollout, but has worked flawlessly for us in the last few years. As someone who already wears an Apple Watch, I typically don’t wear a MagicBand now because I don’t like two wearables on my wrist, and the MagicBand is mostly redundant to what’s offered by MagicMobile without needing a standalone device.
Possibly in response to this reality and wanting to distinguish MagicBands from MagicMobile, Disney introduced MagicBand+ a couple years ago.
From the time it was announced, our fear with MagicBand+ was that it was going to repeat the mistakes of the Made with Magic/Glow with the Show boondoggle. In a nutshell, that’s to say that Disney would invest a ton of money developing new wearable tech and push it as hard as possible to recoup those costs, only to see it flop with fans.
Judging by the thousands of MagicBand+ that were given away to Disneyland fans and how few of the devices we see in the WDW parks as compared to OG MagicBands only ~5 years ago, it’s safe to say that MagicBand+ has not been the success that Disney envisioned.
The newest generation of the device was probably the knockout punch for both the regular ole MagicBands (officially known as MagicBand 2.0).
When you take time passing by the technology, MagicMobile offering a suitable alternative to many guests for free, and MagicBand+ being met with an icy response from most fans, it’s not surprising to see fewer guests wearing MagicBands in the parks.
Of course, one big factor that cannot be overlooked is the cost. What was once free for everyone staying on-site now comes with a charge. The minimum is $25 and there are upgrade options costing as much as $45. If you want anything other than a plain color, the price is at least $35. You’re arguably better off just waiting for a sale at the Disney Store, which also has better selection.
That brings us to the main point of this post. Here’s the current selection of pre-arrival MagicBand discount upgrade options for on-site guests as of mid-February 2025:
As of mid-February 2025, there are 17 pre-arrival options, which is historically low. Last year, we saw 25-40 choices, on average. That was far fewer than the all-time peak of 82 MagicBands.
This is notable in part because there’s been very little turnover in new MagicBand+ options. About two-thirds of the designs above were also available when we last updated the list 6 months ago! And many of those were there 6 months before that. We’re seeing very little turnover, which is probably because MagicBand+ has flopped. Or because the pre-arrival discount has low uptake. Or a mixture of both.
More notably, for the first time ever, there is not a single regular ole MagicBand 2.0 available via Walt Disney World’s pre-arrival discount program.
While the writing has been on the wall for a while due to a dearth of new designs, this more or less confirms what we’ve long suspected: the OG “dumb” MagicBand is dead.
A quick search of the Disney Store would seem to confirm the same. There are plenty of MagicBand+ designs for $35 to $65, but zero regular ole MagicBands. It’s been even longer since I’ve seen the regular MagicBands being sold in one of the gift shops at Walt Disney World.
This is unfortunate. Not only does the MagicBand 2.0 appear to be dead, but these price points are only going to accelerate the demise of MagicBands, period, at Walt Disney World. While I’m sure there are some collectors who still purchase them, the same could’ve been said for Vinylmations or any number of now-extinct product lines that once had loyal fan followings.
The high cost make the MagicBand+ cost prohibitive for many guests, especially on top of every other expense.
If you have a budget when visiting Walt Disney World, tough choices need to be made when spending on splurges. If you have to choose between MagicBand+ designs for everyone in your party, or using MagicMobile (and regular ole Key to the World Cards for kids or older guests without smartphones/watches) and buying Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the decision should be a no-brainer.
MagicBand+ is a minimal value-add, whereas LLMP is hugely advantageous. The story is the same with just about any upcharge–or even other random souvenirs. I can wear a sweatshirt, t-shirt, or hat in the real world. Ditto coffee mugs and Tervis cups. MagicBand+ is dead weight at home.
Not only that, but MagicBand+ is minimally useful in the parks. The mini-games are somewhat enjoyable (although perhaps more so from a people-watching perspective thanks to all the arm-flailing), but they’re arguably a poor use of limited vacation time. And the decreased utilization rate of MagicBands all but ensures that Disney won’t throw good money after bad by investing more resources into creating new ones (hopefully).
I’m honestly surprised that Disney even bothered to roll out MagicBand+ at Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line. Or that they continue to add effects into shows and elsewhere. Maybe this is a matter of the company knowing more than me, and MagicBand+ being a quiet success story?
I doubt it. More likely is that they want to recoup/spread out some of the development costs, committed to the expansion years ago when they expected it to be a big hit, or are still somehow holding out hope it’ll gain traction. I don’t know why–technology doesn’t exactly get better with time.
Again, this has shades of Glow with the Show. Despite that flopping internationally and finding limited success when it was unveiled stateside, Disney kept trying to make it a “thing” for years. In so doing, they dedicated/wasted valuable retail space to promote a product that was DOA.
The good news is that, in light of all of the above, MagicBand+ will probably continue to be sold for at least the next few years. And as with the OG MagicBand, the devices will likely continue to be supported long after that. Just as you can still use a MagicBand 2.0 from ages ago, you’ll probably still be able to use a MB+ from launch in 2030.
That’s great for fans who already own MagicBands, but we nevertheless recommend that most new guests do not buy MagicBand+ devices.
This is especially aimed at first-timers who don’t have any sentimentality for the wearables, and might otherwise be swayed by fans who have outsized nostalgia for the devices. That is based largely on perceptions of MagicBands from over 5 years ago, not a clear-eyed cost-benefit assessment of the wearables today.
As of 2025, MagicBands simply are not worth the high prices. The free alternatives function nearly as well, and the opportunity cost of allocating a portion of your vacation budget to MagicBand+ as opposed to something else will seldom make sense. It’s for this reason that MagicBands made our list of the Worst Wastes of Money at Walt Disney World. That’s why I’ve bought my last MagicBand, no matter how much I might like that Figment design above.
All of this is bound to be controversial or unpopular with longtime diehard fans, and I get that. It breaks my heart just a little bit to write this. We started used MagicBands since the original pilot program over a decade ago, and have a lot of nostalgia for the wearables and the simpler times they represent.
I was even excited for MagicBand+ and was hoping it would reinvigorate the devices. Instead, it did the opposite. MagicBand+ just isn’t a good device, and it was the death knell for the OG MagicBands.
To be clear, we’re not suggesting that no one should use MagicBands. If you already own one, more power to you! I have an OG MagicBand from a decade ago that’s still going strong. What we’re saying is that very few people should purchase new ones given the $25 to $65 cost and limited functionality over the free MagicMobile. Even if you’re tech-averse, there’s also the free Key to the World card, which is literally just a piece of plastic.
Honestly, I can’t even fault Walt Disney World for this one. We’ve been staunch critics of the end of Disney’s Magical Express, and recently reaffirmed our take that eliminating it was a colossal mistake. That was an unforced error, and an instance of Walt Disney World making a short-sighted decision as opposed to playing the long game.
Sunsetting MagicBands is almost the opposite of that. Time passed them by years ago.
MagicBands were arguably obsolete within a year or two of first being released, and if not by then, once smartphones gained greater market share among Americans and, specifically, Walt Disney World’s core demographics. The biggest thing that kept MagicBands relevant until 2021 was Walt Disney World distributing them to so many guests for “free” (or building them into the cost of rooms).
It’s understandable that many guests, especially technology-averse ones, would disagree with this. It likewise makes sense that fans push back on all cost-cutting, nickel & diming, etc., as a matter of principle–if we give Disney an inch, they’ll take a mile. I certainly don’t like losing perks.
At the same time, we’re now several years removed from the decision to end free MagicBands, so I should be able to “safely” admit that I think it was the right call. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and providing a MagicBand with every on-site hotel stay was incredibly wasteful on balance.
If anything, I think the truly wrong call here was throwing good money after bad and making the MagicBand+, as I’m highly skeptical that’s even managed to recoup its development costs and it was a worse product than its predecessor. If Walt Disney World is only going to offer one style of MagicBands, it should be the cheaper and dumber ones. Basically, they’ve retired the wrong version of the product!
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
Do you still purchase or use OG MagicBands or MagicBand+ at Walt Disney World? What do you think about decline of wearables at WDW? Do you think the MB+ is worth the money, or are there better ways to allocate limited vacation budgets? Think Disney made a mistake by sunsetting the free MagicBands for on-site stays, or was it the right call? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!
I use both the OG and my MB+ still-I’m already using my phone for so much. As long as they still support them…that’s all I want to hear. For us Android users, it is smart to not rip away their use. But I’m equally happy to hear for the newcomers to the parks, they don’t have to purchase them and can easily use their Apple product to hold everything…
I love all my Magic Bands!!! I don’t ever want them to go away! Say it isn’t so! I will use them as long as I can. I love the scanning of it to enter parks, my room and for purchases. Don’t take them away…
Allow me to join the magic band fan chorus. One time we forgot our magic bands and let me tell you, digging key cards out of my sling bag to scan them one at a time at each and every ride (though admittedly, maybe more annoying for us than most, because we have DAS so we had to do it in a specific sequence and have each person identify themselves one at a time) got old really fast. With the bands we barely even have to slow our pace as we tap and walk through to the ride. It’s very seamless. Also love at the hotel that the kids can get between the swimming pool and the restrooms without having to have a grown up go with them with a keycard to open the gate–they just tap their band and the gate unlocks. Plus, the kids all love the glowy effects–such a simple thing, but I have to admit when we walked into WebSlingers and the bands lit up red and blue for Spidey, that was pretty cute. That said, OMG, the selection to pre-order is soooooo bad. I know I could buy them at the disney store, but it baffles me why they don’t show all the available options at the resort order screen and just list full price for the ones that aren’t on discount.
Magic Bands were one of the best things Disney ever did to make the ticketing system functional for families. We first took the kids when our youngest was five, and we just put those bands on in the morning and everyone got to scan in with no issues. If we split up, everyone had their MB with them. The cards are clunkier that way (one of my few quibbles with Universal is that we had to keep pulling out the cards).
And Magic Mobile is basically a non-starter for me. I don’t have a passcode on my phone, so I can’t use it with my Apple Wallet. Having everyone’s ticket and ride entry system on one phone is way too annoying and time consuming for me. Magic Bands (Plus or otherwise) are the way to go, and I will continue to use them as long as they’re available and supported.
We LOVE our OG MagicBands and use them every trip 6-7trips/yr. Hope they stay forever. Easy and convenient to use!
Yes, they definitely retired the wrong MagicBands. Besides lighting up occasionally, which the kids get a kick out of, MagicBand+ adds nothing to the experience. They are bulkier to wear and charging them is a pain.
But, I LOVE MagicBands! I do not have an Apple Watch and do not want the hassle of using my phone as a replacement. Neither my parents, husband, or kids have a device they would use. Without MagicBands I’d have to scan everyone’s LL’s on my phone, or get everyone cards and mess around with those every time we needed them. The kids love using them and running ahead and opening our hotel door on their own. Not to mention swimming in the hotel pool. Just wear your MagicBand and no worries about your phone or cards!
Price and the new style are my issues. We have old MagicBands we use. The only issue to navigate is on ride photos as the old MagicBands no longer remotely link. So, we purchased the new MagicBand+ for our kids so they can access the sounds and we ensure to get on-ride photos of them.
If Megatron ever gets a chance to use a MagicBand, I bet she’ll love it and we’ll see how your opinion changes.
I 100% agree with you and came here to say everything you just said. Our first trip, we tried ONE DAY with the plastic cards. Terrible experience with the kids misplacing them, constantly searching pockets, backpacks. The bands make park days SO MUCH easier with families. Resort days, too. I might buy a few and keep them packed in our Disney supplies bin for future trips. All best!
Thanks for this article, too bad this is one more reason not to return to WDW for us in the future. We always loved going there with our children and more recently our grandchildren. We did go twice in 2024 with grandchildren and were so disappointed with all of the little perks that were gone. We stayed on property both visits, no magic bus, no free magic bands, no package delivery to our rooms, the list is so long and sad. Sadly, we may never return between these things and the jump in costs, (think LL) people cutting lines and being told it was okay by the cast members, etc. we were turned off big time.
Will Disney ever support wearables other than Apple products? Anyone know if this is in the wors?
Apparently they seem stuck on the inferior brand who has less than 20% of the world market for phones, but a lot of fanboys here in these USA. It is irritating! I do not need to see a bunch cases for that ‘stuff’ hogging up valuable space in shops. But nothing is as bad as the fools holding their ipads up and blocking the view of fireworks or parades, as if it was actually a good camera and they are more important than others. News flash, it’s not. Samsung has the best mobile device cameras by a long, long way. Well, them and Sony of course. But Sony doesn’t seem too interested in actually trying to market their phone stuff.
I like the MBs just for ease of park entry and the check stations for FP/LL/etc. It still didn’t eliminate the usual crowds of rank amateurs at park entry who never seem to have their ‘stuff’ together and hold up the whole line though.
I have a kind of silly but very valid (to me) reason for loving MB and MB+. Women’s clothing typically has useless pockets. Seriously. My pockets are not a safe place for anything important like a phone, credit card, or room key. Fishing around in my bag at a turnstyle or tap-in for LL, or food stand is annoying. Having a wearable on my wrist that does all those things quickly and seamlessly is amazing. If they would make the Apple Watch features work as quickly and seamlessly, I’d consider ditching my MB, but so far it’s a terrible and frustrating user experience. Also, my Apple Watch is older and the battery doesn’t last from early entry rope-drop all the way through the end of EEH and it’s not easy to charge mid-day. Sure, I’ll eventually upgrade but for now I’m happy with my $35 alternative.
I hope you’re right that Disney will continue to sell Magic Bands for at least a few years to come and continue supporting them long after that.
OG magic bands when you have kids with you are amazing. No struggling with the app or juggling multiple cards. Plus tweens and teens can do stuff themselves without worrying they will lose their card. The cost of the new bands is out of reach though sadly. Coming from Canada need to add 30% onto the $40. More than $50 CAD per person is just not affordable for a family 🙁
We are WDW regulars but went to DL a couple of years ago and I felt like the lack of magic bands was a real impediment to the LL lines. Everybody had to stop and pull up the app on their phone, then scan for multiple people. We would breeze through with our magic bands.
They also give me an additional sense of security that if my kid gets lost, a cast member can scan their band and know who they are. And possibly know where I am to find me.
In short, I think they are great, and Disney is ruining them by charging too much for them.
Visited last week, last visit 2019. I didn’t want to buy Magic Bands+. I didn’t need the features, didn’t like the colors, miffed to have to pay for them. If our original Magic Bands didn’t work, I planned to use room cards. But, the 2018 & 2019 Magic Bands still worked.
I didn’t want to use MagicMobile. This trip required too much phone time as it was. If Disney discontinues Magic Bands, I will not be using Magic Mobile.
Magic Band home delivery as well as the Magical Express letter set the mood for every visit. Loved the letterhead. As so many have noted, the Magical Express was an important part of each trip. Reduced the stress of traveling and the videos were so enjoyable. Used Mears without issue, but it’s not the same as the checking bags feature at the resort was invaluable.
Our visit overall was less than magical. While planning, I tried to adjust my expectations lower given all the changes. We have visited every year from 1998 to 2019. I have never been so stressed in planning a vacation. I had to be on my phone so much more than in past trips. I’m not sure that we will return.
Thanks Tom for your blog. Reading about Disney got me through the first two years of Covid. Your tips helped me navigate LL. Your review of Boardwalk Inn changes helped me adjust my expectations. Boardwalk Inn rooms have lost their charm and whimsy. After seeing the rooms in person, some of the changes did not seem so incongruent. However, the new wall prints do not replace the Carousel painting and while functional, the counter space does not compare with the desk/table/Minnie lamp. The floor and cabinet color (gray/green) are awful. I don’t get the choice of the hexagon trim on the drawers. Our room, 5276, had the sink in the bathroom. I had to hang over the sink counter to turn on the water as the sliding shower door limited access. On the positive, the closets are more functional, the headboard and furniture colors are fitting.
We have been using MagicBands since the first, free itineration and have bought many MB2 versions over the years. We put them on when we leave for the airport and don’t take them off until the end of the trip. Just getting them in the cute box with our names on them was exciting and signified that “it’s all happening.” They never fell off and none were lost, even with little kids. Such beautiful simplicity that set a trip to WDW apart. I’m definitely old-school and not looking forward to the MB+ charging and other nonsense but would gladly pay $40 for the basic MB2.
I wish they would still allow purchase of the old “dumb” ones. We will be going with out 3 year old this spring and I think he would enjoy having some sort of magic band. He would be so happy walking around with Mickey on his arm and being able to open the room door or make Mickey light up when he is checking in somewhere. But he doesn’t need a smart one with all the features, and I cannot justify paying $35-45 for one when all he is doing is opening a door and checking in to the park. Its a shame. If they had the old ones discounted for guests to maybe $10-12 I would definitely buy one.
I like the dumb version, esp with it being waterproof and use at the Disney resort pools. Bring these back!
The latest version is useless to me. It vibrates here and there and that’s about when I notice it. I never look at it when it syncs to a fireworks show, etc. Interacting with a 50th statue works about half the time. (And once you’ve done it, you’ve done it.) My biggest gripe besides price…I hate that I have to charge the darn thing, especially when I am using valuable charger cords for our phones and battery banks.
FYI: If you don’t charge the MagicBand+ they still work, just like the old MB2. And yes, I, too, prefer the old “dumb” version.
But then they won’t capture the on-ride photos.
I’m always a little amused at the uproar over magic band costs. Sure it all adds up, but compared to everything else it’s a puny / one-time expense that can be used on multiple visits. And it’s not mandatory as described already.
Over the years, there are only a few (Disney) purchase decisions I regret, and MB+ is not among them. They are great for my kids, at least when they were younger. They enjoyed interacting with statues and were excited when they responded to fireworks. For me it’s the convenience of everyone tapping into parks and LLs without fiddling with phone or tickets. I also appreciate everything that builds the Disney bubble. All in all I would buy them again. But we also didn’t have any usable old magic bands so it was not much of decision to make when we bought them.
I still have like 5 different ones and I like to use them. I think the big selling point for these will be parents to their children. Maybe adults will opt to use their apple watch instead, but most people don’t buy their kids smart-watches
‘Free’ Magic bands were part of my late 2024 package. To be collected at Disney Springs. This was problematic in itself as we had to park walk to planet holywood and find a small cash. Point with no signage. We were given four plain bands and sent on our way.
With no instructions whatsoever we assigned each band to a party member and duly wore them on our trips to the parks. Result nothing worked we got a photo of our first ride and that was it. Never have discovered what they were supposed to do?
Not a problem for 2 members of our party as they required MOBILITY SCOOTER hire only room in vehicle for one scooter and although visiting first 3 weeks in December never managed to hire a scooter and after keep dropping off other party members to enter park and secure a scooter this never happened and 2 of our 14 day tickets were only able to be used two days.
So along with DAS refusal for one party member our bargain tickets/fun filled/accessible trip to Disney was an epic failure.
Just a thought we had were these bands meant to be charged in anyway as said no instruction or charging method was ever given
did they give them to you in a box? if so there are instructions on the box. if they were just a clear bag then no instructions. when we picked up our bands at our hotel (we booked a package and are from Canada) the clear bag had no instructions but came with a charger in the bag.
Disney themselves doesn’t do packages with free bands so I’m assuming you booked with an agency and are maybe from the UK.
My very first Magic Band from November 2013 still works and I still use it.
I like the MagicBands and still use them. Other commenters have given good reasons for this, including the easy functionality, pool usage, and the ride photos. But one aspect that is more sentimental is that MB’s are part of the Disney bubble. It’s is something the whole family can wear and use just on a Disney trip. It would be hard to separate the MB from the FastPass reader “ding” sound.