Discount Pre-Arrival MagicBands & MagicBand+ at Disney World (Fall 2023)
Discounted MagicBand designs are available for pre-arrival Walt Disney World hotel guests and Annual Passholders. This buying guide covers the upgrade purchase process, inventory shortages, international issues & errors, Magic Band+ styles, and new options. (Updated October 13, 2023.)
To upgrade your Magic Band, use the My Disney Experience app or DisneyWorld.com, which allows you to choose from a variety of colors and designs inspired by characters, resorts, attractions, nighttime spectaculars, and more. The styles rotate with regularity, and there are dozens of MagicBand choices at discounted prices.
Walt Disney World typically offers dozens of MagicBand upgrade options, with new looks added as others sell out. As discussed below, the “new looks added” part of that has not been happening as much lately. Pricing varies, with options starting at $9.99 and costing as much as $34.99. We update this regularly with screenshots of the new MagicBands, plus info, and troubleshooting tips for what has proven to be a frustrating process.
Let’s start with all of the updates, as much has changed since this program launched. Last year, Walt Disney World eliminated the complimentary solid-color MagicBands that were sent to guests pre-arrival. Disney also stopped offering free MagicBands to Annual Passholders.
This means that all MagicBands now cost money–you don’t get free ones with resort reservations or for being an Annual Passholder. Upgrading to these designs, buying MagicBands in the parks, or via shopDisney.com is your only option.
As always, MagicBands are not required at Walt Disney World. For room entry, park admission, Lightning Lanes, and charging privileges to the hotel room, Walt Disney World offers plastic Key To The World cards. This can be provided at the hotel front desk, and is how things worked prior to the debut of MagicBands several years ago. Alternatively, guests can receive standard ticket media and use that for park entry or using Lightning Lanes.
Additionally, MagicMobile service is available at Walt Disney World via the My Disney Experience app. This can be added to your Android, iPhone, or Apple Watch digital wallet once enabled. This works just like 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 Disney PhotoPass images to your account, enter Lightning Lanes, and more. Here’s how MagicMobile compares to MagicBands.
MagicMobile and Key to the World cards are two of four ways to access these features. The other options are the MagicBand+ and the regular ole MagicBand 2.0, as we’ll discuss below. MagicBand+ is the newer of the two, having debuted last year.
Our brutally honest MagicBand+ Review: Good, Bad & Ugly should help you determine whether it’s for you. If you’re really excited about the MagicBand+ and have already ordered one for each member of your family, you might not want to read that. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
For those wondering how MagicBand+ and MagicMobile compare to the original MagicBand, above is a handy chart. We’d recommend consulting that, trying out MagicMobile, and reading the above resources to determine whether upgrading to the MagicBand+ is worth it for you.
The latest update as of Fall 2023 is that international guests can no longer order MagicBand or MagicBand+ via the pre-arrival system. This is different from the previous policy, which was simply that orders could not be shipped internationally. Now, guests cannot even purchase pre-arrival MagicBands for pickup at the resort upon arrival unless they have a United States mailing address.
There were previously workarounds to this, such as using a VPN. It’s our understanding that you still might be able to circumvent the system. Now officially, we’re not recommending that you do that. But we did just tell you what the requirement is for qualifying for a pre-arrival MagicBand purchase, so do with that information what you will and act accordingly. (If you need further assistance, read the comments and/or ask others for advice there.)
As for the why of this, it’s probably not because Walt Disney World hates international guests. Although it might seem that way on this one particular issue, Walt Disney World actually loves guests from outside the United States. They’re more of a captive audience, have higher per guest spending metrics, and typically do longer stays. This is why we routinely refer to British guests as Walt Disney World’s “whales” (non-derogatory).
While Walt Disney World has not offered an official explanation (and probably never will), our best guess is that it’s a matter of intellectual property law. As mentioned in our Guide to DisneyBand+ on Disney Cruise Line, the name change was made there for that reason. We’ve since heard more about the issue, and it sounds like it’s more significant than previously reported–that Disney cannot use the MagicBand name at all in certain international markets.
That’s probably an unsatisfying explanation, but it’s likely the reason why. This would also mean that, despite claims from some Cast Members, this problem will not be resolved anytime soon. That is, unless it’s viewed internally as enough of an issue that the company opts to change the name of MagicBands to DisneyBands. (And honestly, it could make sense to do that along with a soft relaunch of the product as DisneyBands.)
Disney Legal is very conservative when it comes legal liability, and they’ve probably advised Walt Disney World not to market or sell MagicBands internationally in any capacity to avoid litigation exposure. Again, all of this is unconfirmed but we’ve heard enough to believe that this explanation is highly credible. The upshot is that Disney doesn’t care if you jump through a few extra hoops and manage to make a pre-arrival order even while residing in Canada or the United Kingdom or wherever.
In any case, here’s a current look at MagicBand 2.0 and MagicBand+ inventory for the pre-arrival program as of October 13, 2023:
There are currently 69 pre-arrival options. This is far more than last year at the same time, but about average for 2023.
Numbers really improved with the launch of MagicBand+ last summer, and continued growing into the holiday season. Since then, we’ve seen inventory range from around 60 to 80 MagicBand+ and regular MagicBand styles.
Of the 69 styles, 55 are MagicBand+ and the rest are regular ole MagicBands (officially known as MagicBand 2.0). Honestly, there’s not much worth discussing when it comes to the regular MagicBand. The only noteworthy options are the ones based on “A Guide to the Magic Kingdom” that feature retro artwork from original 1970s park maps. We previously covered those in this post.
With that said, the good news is that the number of regular MagicBands has actually increased. Last time we shared an update, there were only a handful of MagicBand 2.0 designs. Now, there are 14. Our big fear was that Disney would end production of the MagicBand 2 in favor of the MagicBand Plus, which would be a mistake given how much of a misfire the ‘plus’ version is. That still might be happening–these could be inventory that was newly discovered, stuck in supply chain purgatory, etc.
Personally, I would love to see more regular MagicBand styles released. From my perspective, MagicBand+ is largely a flop–I’d rather pay less and stick with tried and true MagicBand 2. Here’s hoping that lower-than-anticipated sales of the MagicBand+ causes Disney to rethink its approach.
When it comes to MagicBand Plus, there are a handful of new designs. Some recent highlights include attraction specific MagicBand+ designs for roller coasters, plus a new Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for the Disney100 celebration, plus Disney Parks 2023 designs.
Other recent additions here include characters like Winnie the Pooh and Stitch, Baby Groot, Mickey & Friends, Star Wars characters, and more. There are also a number of new princess styles for Tiana, Moana, Little Mermaid, and more.
For me, the highlights of the recently-released designs are Fantasmic and TRON Lightcycle Run.
These follow the return of the reimagined Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios last fall, and the debut of TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom earlier this year.
There’s also the Disney100 MagicBand+ in honor of the 100 Years of Wonder celebration, which is now underway at EPCOT.
The MagicBand+ already interacts with the Wondrous Journeys fireworks and World of Color – One at Disneyland, and should similarly integrate with the new nighttime spectacular at EPCOT for Disney100 once that debuts. (This should be true of all MagicBand+ styles, not just the Disney100 ones.)
If you don’t like any of these designs–or there isn’t something for everyone in your party–there’s no harm in waiting until you arrive at Walt Disney World to purchase your MagicBand. The only downside is that you won’t be able to immediately use your MagicBand to open your hotel room door, enter the parks, etc–but the actual process of buying a MagicBand and linking it to your My Disney Experience account is simple and easy.
Speaking of which, you could walk into a Walt Disney World gift shop right now and find shelves and shelves of MagicBands. There is ample availability in the parks & resorts…but these are not the same product lines and the logistics of delivering to the parks is different than the fulfillment center for these MagicBand upgrade options. (A more resourceful company might figure out a way to reallocate supply, but Disney is no Amazon!)
Those opting for a pre-arrival purchase should know that the system works the same as before, and as described in the remainder of this article. The only difference is that the MagicBands upgrades now start at $10 each, as opposed to free.
Whether you should pay to purchase a MagicBand pre-arrival is a personal decision, but there’s one big upside in that it makes the vacation experience seamless and streamlined. You can bypass your hotel’s front desk, don’t have to hassle with separate payments, keys, etc. So there’s definitely an element of convenience for on-site guests.
Note that you have until 10 days before your arrival at Walt Disney World to customize and order your MagicBand if you want to have the MagicBand shipped to your home. If you order in under 10 days, you’re eliminating two of the biggest advantages in buying MagicBands.
Due to postal service delays, we recommend placing your order at least 14 days in advance to play it safe. Anecdotally, we’re also hearing of more guests having their orders delayed or cancelled completely, so even ordering far in advance doesn’t guarantee that your MagicBands will arrive on time–or at all.
With that said, here are our troubleshooting tips and the step-by-step process for ordering. (Just keep in mind that this was written when supply chain disruptions were not a thing–so you’re going to see a lot more inventory n the screenshots below that is NOT currently available!)
TROUBLESHOOTING
It’s hard to believe, but the MagicBand upgrade option went live a few years ago. Part of the reason that it’s hard to believe is because MagicBand inventory remains hit or miss. The system is also frustratingly glitchy, with problems requiring private or antiquated browsers, plus errors throughout the process–even after submitting payment.
We assumed the kinks would’ve been ironed out by now, but sadly, that is not the case. (How naive of us given the constant issues with My Disney Experience years after its launch.) Unfortunately, beyond this troubleshooting advice below coupled with persistence, there’s no good resolution. If reader reports are any indication, contacting Disney is unlikely to yield favorable results. (We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!)
We cannot stress enough that this system is still having a tremendous amount of problems. If you’re having trouble completing the selection process, or getting this to work, we’d recommend using the desktop site instead of the My Disney Experience app or mobile site.
Additionally, if the desktop version of DisneyWorld.com won’t work for you, try private browsing, incognito mode, or a different browser entirely. Usually, we first try private browsing on Chrome, and that resolves the issue. However, a couple of times we’ve received a message that we do not have access to a certain page, or that our payment couldn’t be processed–both of those issues can be resolved by time-traveling back to Y2K and using Internet Explorer. (Don’t worry, you won’t have to use AOL or dial-up, too.)
We’ve found that this process gets hung up on several different pages, including on the selection and checkout process. Having a ‘clean’ browser will often resolve these issues. It’s not foolproof, but if you’re finding that things become unavailable right after you select them, that’s one explanation as to why.
If you’re having issues with inventory…there’s no great solution to that. We’d recommend watching the site, checking each morning at around 8 am for the day’s restocks, and ordering your MagicBands when you see a ‘good enough’ selection of MagicBands that appeal to you. Additionally, people are reporting issues with their orders actually shipping, but this seems to be a sporadic problem.
If your Walt Disney World vacation is not in the near future, we’d recommend being patient and waiting for a design you actually want. Now that Disney has a more accurate understanding of demand, they are (hopefully) more likely to increase the inventory to an adequate level to satisfy the incredible demand.
While we aren’t huge into Magic Bands, this will undoubtedly have collectors and character fans excited, as it means acquiring a new design for what amounts to $15 off. If you liked unique designs and already have a drawer full of the ‘standard’ colors from past Walt Disney World trips, jumping at the up-charge certainly makes sense.
Personally, I’ll probably just stick to the single, solid blue MagicBand that I’ve been using for the past several years…which itself replaced a different blue one that had to be “retired” because it was too dirty.
Not that you care about that. Anyway, here’s how the process works…
After clicking the “My MagicBands and Cards” link below the My Disney Experience drop-down on DisneyWorld.com or the “Choose MagicBands” button on your resort reservation, you’ll see the above screen.
As you can see, there’s a message on the screen indicating that the new upgrade options can be shipped to guests’ homes (U.S. addresses only) if ordered 11 or more days ahead of arrival. They can be personalized if done so at least 6 or more days ahead of arrival.
Once you click the “Choose My MagicBands” button, the above screen appears…once.
I started this on my phone and continued via desktop (where I didn’t see it again), which is why it’s the only mobile screenshot here.
This is what appears next, and once you hit “Select” the screen scrolls down on the same page, revealing all of this:
Through the magic of Photoshop, I combined every single page into a single view, so you could see each character and attraction-themed MagicBand.
Above is closer look at a single page, along with what you see when you hover over the MagicBand you want to select.
No Country Bear Jamboree, but ya can’t win ’em all. Hopefully, over time new designs will be added as part of special promotions, seasonal events, and that sort of thing. (I presume the ‘best’ designs that Walt Disney World believes will sell to collectors and enthusiasts will remain exclusive to stores, where they can be sold at full price.)
If I were going to order anything, it’d be this Spaceship Earth design. It goes nicely with my collection of ~372 grey Magic Bands.
Once selected, you arrive at this complete purchase screen where you can change your name. From there, you’ll enter payment info, a shipping address, and finish the checkout. Assuming the system works!
In addition to these MagicBands, we’ve seen a variety of other options coming in and out of stock. On a “good” day, there are around 30 options in stock. These include it’s a small world, Disney Vacation Club, Haunted Mansion, and a variety of other movie and attraction designs. If you don’t see options you like and you have plenty of time before your Walt Disney World trip, keep checking back!
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
What do you think of the new MagicBand upgrade options? Will you be paying the premium for one of these colors or themed designs? Any specific design catch your eye? Do you cynically think this is just a lame cash-grab? 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 wish they at least also had a watch face. I’m not wearing a watch and a magic band, so I would still have to get my phone out all the time to check the time! and I’m not an iPhone user.
At one time Disney sold a watch add-on that attached to the side of the band. However, I have not see it since they went with the newer style.
Disney told me there was a legal reason why they couldn’t sell magicbands internationally at the moment. Ordered ours from a popular seller on eBay and they arrived in the UK no problem. More expensive but I’m glad I didn’t have to wait and buy them there.
This is the first site that I have even seen an attempt to explain why Canadians can no longer preorder MagicBands It is also interesting to note that on the Disney World Canada page MagicBands are now referred to as DisneyBands. Perhaps this is an indication that in the near future Disney will allow Canadians to preorder these DisneyBands. Personally, I don’t care what they call them if we can preorder them.
Hi ! I’ve been told the issue will be resolve in a ‘near future’ (maybe months…) for international guest, I too would have love to get a gift card to buy bands at our arrival. We are a party of 16 person in December… I have confirmation that it is a legal issue, but no idea on the details. Yes band will be called DisneyBand in the futur for everyone. It’s already that on DCL.
Tom,
Quick question for you? We are going next August 2024 – staying at Boardwalk and planning on the Halloween Party. Wanted to get the boys Halloween Magic Bands obviously lol. Have you seen them drop the price of them after Halloween has passed when purchasing as a resort guest thru My Disney Experience app? I also have a 20% coupon for shopdisney cuz its my bday month that expires end of October so was wondering if I should take advantage of that as well. Thoughts?! Thanks!
We recently visited Disneyworld, staying at Saratoga Springs. Visiting from Canada, we originally pre ordered discounted magicbands for me and my husband. Family members decided to join us, and when I
tried to preorder magicbands for them, the system told me that International guests can no longer pre order bands. I called Disney and they confirmed the system has changed.
Pre Covid, Disney offered discounted tickets to the Canadian market, to account for the US $ v Cad $. Post Covid, all those Canadian ticket offers disappeared.
It’s really starting to feel like Disney don’t value out of Country visitors.
I did however find a way around the Magic band pre order restrictions. I changed my delivery address on the MDE app to Saratoga Springs resort and the Magic bands were waiting for us on arrival at the resort.
I tried this as well but still recognized me as international. Did you do it under your profile? Did you still have to use a vpn?
I didn’t havemy VPN switched on when I did it. On the MDE app, i just created the order for the bands and entered the delivery address as Saratoga Springs.
Maybe, their tech people have found a way to stop people using this route.
From Canada and my guess is CM time wasted and guest recovery costs also weigh in. For my September trip, I booked last January and ordered and paid for my basic magic band also last January to be delivered to the resort front desk as WDW won’t ship bands internationally. When I arrived in September, my magic band was missing and front desk CM told me it was likely returned as was sitting in a drawer since January. She searched for over 30 mins while I waited and other CMs joined in the search. I was given a guest recovery voucher to be used in any gift shop in a park or resort to replace the band I had purchased but didn’t receive. I used it in a park gift shop as greater choice available there than in my value resort shop but wasted another hour plus using it as the CMs in the shop believed it suspicious and had to call and double check the voucher was genuine. I and the CMs likely wasted over an hour and a half in the process. Sure I’m not the only international guest to have this unfold. Now we just can’t buy the discounted bands at all. ps I have heard from other Canadians that CMs at the front desk of their resorts did manage to find bands ordered months in advance. So a game of chance but a real time waste. Not sure how to fix it. Blocking international guests from the pre-arrival discounted bands isn’t a good look and adds to guest frustration. Possibly providing international guests with a modest e-voucher for the equivalent pre-order discount available to domestic guests so they can purchase their discounted magic band onsite might work.
That’s definitely possible, but we’ve had this exact same scenario play out at the front desk. (Well, not exact same–ours was a much tighter timeline!)
Regardless of the reason for the change, I absolutely agree with your solution. Not advertising it in advance (assuming it’s a legal issue), but offering international guests a $10 off (or whatever) coupon for MagicBands would be a nice touch that I’d imagine would go a long way in making the big-spending international “whales” feel appreciated.
That’s the kind of little touch that Walt Disney World definitely would’ve done even ~5 years ago. Now they just throw their hands up in the air and don’t try anything.
Hello from Canada. I just experienced this yesterday – literally yesterday. And after hours on the phone with guest relations, and numerous transfers here and there, they were able to offer me an e-card for the total value of the discount i would have received if I had pre-ordered them at the time of booking. In my situation, I booked my trip in early September could have pre-ordered them at the point of booking but chose to wait to have everyone in my family choose their own. Well, lo and behold, a month later – I am blocked! None of the workarounds worked for me. We should have at least been grandfathered in! I hope they fix this because as someone said, Not A Good Look!
Hi Tom, I’m in Australia, and I purchased magic bands back in April for our trip Nov/Dec 2023. I did this thinking what we wanted unavailable. I’m hoping they will honour the product I have already purchased! I want the names engraved on the back. I want to be able to use it to open the hotel door when we get to Disney World. If not, oh my, be a touch cranky! just for being super organised
I live in Canada and going to WDW in Dec 2023, staying at the Riviera Resort. I booked back in May, and had options to preorder MagicBands for delivery to the resort up until September. I held off to wait for some Holiday themed bands to come out. Now I cannot even access the magic band page, just blank. When I use a VPN to use a US location, it’s says due to my region I cannot preorder bands. Are Canadians unable to benefit from this resort stay perk?
Hi Thomas, same issue for me and same here from Canada. I have done everything to go beyond the white page. I called Disney and they explained the pre-arrival deal is no longer available for guests outside the US. I’m pretty upset about this, I had already made my selection did not complete the check out. I think in order to work we would have to change our address to US. and then complete the purchase from the US. Apparently they just changed this policy. Instead of using the VPN (if you are getting the white page) you can just change the region manually to United States (English) in the wdw site. I couldn’t even see my current magic bands!
Super disappointing, I’m sure there is a reason behind it, but feels like they don’t care for international guests as much. Doesn’t say anything about this new policy on their website either. Might consider staying offsite now since there are barely any perks anymore. I used to be super impressed with Disney and their customer care. Not sure what happened, but customer and care don’t seem to go hand in hand anymore as this is not the only issues I’ve come across.
Disney’s IT went to crap as soon as they outsourced it, and it has never been fixed. Not a surprise to most of us. The search function in Shopdisney is still horrible when trying to see if they have something you want to buy but not lug around with you in the parks or luggage.
On my recent trip it seemed like the app worked a little better, but is still glitchy and kept crashing for several of us. I was able to get in the virtual queue for Guardians and Tron twice each, so that at least worked.
Super disappointing, I’m sure there is a reason behind it, but feels like they don’t care for international guests as much. Doesn’t say anything about this new policy on their website either. Might consider staying offsite now since there are barely any perks anymore. I used to be super impressed with Disney and their customer care. Not sure what happened, but customer and care don’t seem to go hand in hand anymore as this is not the only issues I’ve come across.
I’m staying at the Beach Club this coming fall and was shocked to find out these are no longer free, especially to someone dropping $700+/night on a room.
Luckily we have older MB from a few years back I just hope the batteries in them still work. Between charging for parking and this, come on Disney …
Well, the good news is, no charge for parking again.
I’ve used the original MBs from what, 8 years ago? The “battery” thing is mostly nonsense. they will work just fine for everything except the automatic ride photos being linked to your MDE account which doesn’t matter if you aren’t paying for photo packages anyway.
Maybe if Disney stopped making movies no one wants to see they wouldn’t have to gouge their theme park customers.
Walt Disney would be sad at all this greed.
I am an annual passholder. When I go to My Disney Experience, sign in, and click on My Magic Bands and Cards I only have the option to go offsite to shopdisney.com to buy Magicbands at full price. I do not have an option to purchase Magicbands on the My Disney Experience site. Any thoughts on what is going on?
Have you already redeemed your one entitlement for a discounted Magic Band with your Annual Pass?
I discovered that because my annual pass has not been activated yet, I am not able to view the Annual Passholder discount MagicBands. Once I do my first park visit on my pass then the bands will show in My Disney Experience. Seems kind of silly, it would be nice to have our bands for our visit. Oh well.
I’ve been checking the MyDisneyExperience app almost every day since this article posted and have been unable to find any regular Magic Bands. They only offer Magic Band+ for pre-arrival orders.
John , when you look using the grid view you will see a handful at the bottom. They are usually priced at 14.99 for the ones that are themed (Mickey with stripes or Liberty Square) or plain color at 10.99.
Hi Jeff, thanks for trying to help but I just can’t see what you’re referring to. I go to My Disney Experience, sign in, and click on My Magic Bands and Cards. I then click on “Shop Magic Bands” and that takes me to a screen showing 47 Magic Bands in what I would say is a “grid view”. (I don’t see any other views available.) I go all the way to the bottom and all the bands depicted there are the expensive Magic Band +. Maybe they don’t offer that to people living outside Florida? (I live in California.) I’m perplexed.
John, I wish I could attach a picture but the Magicbands that are at the bottom and cost $9.99 for the plain colors and $14.99 (or $24.99) for the ones with designs. I was looking today and saw them. Those are the old Magicbands that don’t light up. For what it’s worth, I live in Germany and use a VPN with either Atlanta GA or Charlotte NC as my location so you should be seeing the same thing that I am..
Thanks Jeff. I sent an email to Disney Customer Support but I don’t have high expectations. I talked to someone on the phone a few days ago and that particular person had no knowledge of the basic Magic Band. He said I would have to buy a Magic Band+. Anyway, thanks for trying.
FYI, I called Disney World Guest Services the other day and they told me that basic pre-arrival Magic Bands are NOT available. They only offer the over-priced Magic Band+.
Perhaps they weren’t aware that the regular Magicbands can be bought and shipped ahead of time via the MyDisneyExperience app.