Discount Pre-Arrival MagicBand+ Designs at Disney World (Fall 2025)
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 August 3, 2025.)
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 $24.99 and costing as much as $44.99. 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. Walt Disney World has 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. Our brutally honest MagicBand+ Review: Good, Bad & Ugly should help you determine whether it’s for you.
For those wondering how MagicBand+ and MagicMobile compare to the original MagicBand, below 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:
Unfortunately, there really isn’t much pointing in comparing the MagicBand+ to the OG MagicBand, as the latter is no longer available online. You might still be able to find older inventory in gift shops at Walt Disney World, but that’s a challenge. In End of an Era for MagicBands at Walt Disney World, we detail the tragic downfall of the wearable devices.
Not only is the MagicBand 2.0 dead, but the higher price points of the “plus” device 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.
In any case, here’s a current look at MagicBand+ inventory for the pre-arrival program as of August 3, 2025:
MagicBand+ Upgrade Designs – Fall 2025
There are currently 35 pre-arrival options, which is a sharp spike as compared to this winter through early summer! The three previous times we reported availability–in February, April and June–there was a low of 15 options and a high of 19. Having 35 choices, many of which are actually good, is a huge improvement.
It’s still fewer than shortly after the new MagicBand+ launched, when the options peaked at a high of 82 MagicBands. Part of the reason for a lower number since is undoubtedly that Walt Disney World is phasing out the regular ole MagicBands (officially known as MagicBand 2.0).
Personally, I still hope that Walt Disney World reverses course and makes more regular MagicBand styles. I’d rather pay less and stick with tried and true MagicBand 2. Here’s hoping that lower-than-anticipated sales of the MagicBand+ cause Disney to rethink its approach. Regular MagicBands are cheaper to make, which also means they wouldn’t need to be sold at such astronomical price points.
It’s also possible that there’s a lot less interest in MagicBand upgrades among guests. What started as a free program became paid, but was still a pretty good deal with $10 MagicBand options. Now, the minimum is $25 and there are upgrade options costing as much as $45. You’re arguably better off just waiting for a sale at the Disney Store, which also has better selection.
There’s also 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. You can also buy from DisneyStore.com, where there’s a perpetual selection of MagicBand+ designs on sale.
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!)
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!)
MagicBand+ Upgrade Troubleshooting Tips
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 errors throughout the process.
One thing we’ll start by noting is that international guests can no longer order MagicBand or MagicBand+ via the pre-arrival system unless they have a United States mailing address. If you’re locating outside the U.S. and are having problems, that’s not a bug of the system.
There are possible workarounds for this, which should allow you to order and pick-up at the resort–but it requires a lot of extra legwork. In our view, it’s not worth the effort. Just buy a MagicBand when you get to Walt Disney World…or not at all.
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.
Disney Legal is probably erring on the side of caution and preventing Walt Disney World from marketing or selling 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.
Otherwise, there are still intermittent issues with the pre-arrival upgrade system. 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!)
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. 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 $10 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.
This is what appears next, and once you hit “Select” the screen scrolls down on the same page, revealing all of this:
No Country Bear Jamboree, but ya can’t win ’em all. New designs are constantly being added, designs sell out, are restocked, etc. Options change as part of special promotions, seasonal events, and that sort of thing. The ‘best’ designs that Walt Disney World believes will sell to collectors and enthusiasts remain exclusive to stores, where they can be sold at full price.
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. Good luck!
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 find the stock thing is very disingenuous and it can’t be the real reason at all for three reasons.
1 – You can’t tell me that they don’t have stock of magicbands, every shop in every resort and park has hundreds of them.
2 – If I order today for the end of October, they are not going to put them aside at a warehouse somewhere for me and then dig them out in October and send them to the resort. No retailer works like that, storage space is expensive and I really can’t see them putting aside 10’s of thousands of magicbands for what could be months or even more than a year in some cases.
3 – All of the “premium” magicbands are in stock and available to buy at full price on shopDisney, for example:
https://www.shopdisney.com/toy-story-land-magicband-2-1475051
So what is the real reason? No idea, but I do not believe it is “stock”.
Disney is not going to pull $25 Magic Bands off store shelves to sell to guests for $10. It would be counterproductive for a company well known for raising prices across the board to be willing to lose $15 a pop for the many thousands of guests who seemingly want these premium bands. They should have offered them first to those with vacations booked in the very near future, and then, as inventory was replenished, to those with late fall and winter trips.
As the owner of a slew of free bands, I decided (prior to Disney’s $10 announcement) to purchase a themed one for my late October trip. The ones I have are all still active, so it would be wasteful to order more just because they’re free. I will, however, keep my fingers crossed and continue to check online for that $10 bargain band. Enjoy your trip Andrew!
Maybe I didn’t explain myself fully, the reason it is “disingenuous” to say it is stock is because they have stock, what they have done, maybe, is allocated particular stock to this programme and then run out of that stock, but that is not how they are explaining it, they are not being completely clear and transparent about it.
Also, that doesn’t explain why their online system doesn’t work when they do apparently have stock, like now. They have the bands me and my family would like, but we still can’t order them, it just brings up an error message every time we try to either select the band or complete the order.
Clearly, there is more going here than just “stock”, I just wish companies could be open and straightforward about things. Why they feel the need to hide what is really going on is beyond me. People respect honesty.
Is this valid for Canadians too? Can we pick up this band at our Disney Resort?
I live in Canada and have had these new magic bands show up as “available” for $10 USD for my upcoming trip. So yes, if you can manage to complete a checkout (I haven’t ever been able to complete one yet but that doesn’t seem to be an uncommon problem), they should be in the box when you arrive! Of course, they won’t ship them to your home.
If Disney was forward thinking, they would release the Magic Bands people whose trip was in the next month and each month extend it to the next month. That would help with the supply issues. I figure if I can get them for our trip this fall, cool, but if not, I am still going to Disney.
It makes too much sense. They must have had their “goofy” head on when thinking this out. I’ve talked to their personnel in tech services and all they say is that decision was made by other people and that it is first come first serve. Can you imagine doing this for their timeshare’s (points). it would be a free for all.
Best thing to do is have guests sign up for the premium bands and then email them when they can start selecting. Such an easy concept but this was evidently put together by someone with very short foresight. The lack of planning this is giving Apple a run for the money on bad decision making.
I’m getting very annoyed when I’m looking at the magic band upgrades because I keep trying to get The nightmare before Christmas magic band and it’s never available. I don’t know if it’s sold out or what the deal is.
Just checked my Disney. There is a Figment Graphic Magic band 2! Available only in stores though.
I just tried (7:45 PM east coast time) to put my Olaf magic band purchase through and while in the process of completing the order, they sold out. I went back to make sure and saw they were no longer offering Olaf bands. I called and the wait time was at least 45 minutes, so I hung up. I believe it may be less stressful to just buy it at full price when I get there.
When I was finally able to check out, the band for my son wasn’t included, and it was the only one I really wanted! Now it says order is processing and I don’t see any option to edit. If I buy one online at full price can I personalize and add it for my son? Or should I just give it some time for it to be editable? First timer here ha! Thanks
You can buy one at full price and link it or you can change the pucks so his name is on it.
You can also wait more will come you just have to check daily.
Does anyone know how the online process works for Annual Passholders? I have an AP in my account on My Disney Experience but my pass will not be validated until September 3, when I arrive at WDW. Do I still have an opportunity to purchase an upgraded Magic Band prior to arrival?
this is honestly the most asinine sytem i have ever seen. it would have made so much more sense to only allow people access who had the closest trips. give people checking in between two dates a window of a few days to choose their bands- if they don’t choose then they forfeit and have just the solids. then, the next window of booked trips gets their days, etc. start with those closest. but no, let’s just cycle new bands through every hour while the site continues to overload and crash and bands you had in your cat suddenly vanish because it won’t let you check out????
i FINALLY at 1:54pm central time friday was able to check out, though i had only been trying since i got tom’s email this morning about this post. i tried getting my husband the pirates since it matches a shirt he has, but it kept showing it as able to pick it but wouldn’t let me actually check out with it. then it was the birthday mickey mouse for my youngest, kept letting me choose it but not let me check out with it. thankfully my oldest gets her captain marvel, she will flip. my youngest will have to settle for belle, which is too bad since mickey and minnie are the only ones she recognizes by name, but oh well. i kept choosing everything that was disappearing- dole whip (was that pink or orange background?), then sorcerer mickey, then villains. wound up with toy story in the end, which i liked better than the others.
but ugh, what a stressful nightmare this process is. it’s clearly not working right. is this what we can expect for SWGE opening at hollywood studios? no real plan or organization in place to control the chaos so everyone jams up the system and everything crashes?
They must be updating these periodaclly. 12:24 Central and there are 27 options. Captain Marvel, Donald Duck, Thanos, Villians amongst others.
As of 12:30 they were all sold out. Just spoke to representative on the phone.
more were back after that time, i was just able to check out, after trying all day
Thanks for the heads up. I was able to upgrade 2 bands of 5 for our upcoming trip. As of 11:45 EST, there were only 8 premium options left (goofy, pirates, minnie, vadar, thanos, groot, spaceship earth and HM wallpaper).
Thank you for posting about the updated availability! I got the Spaceship Earth one, my 8 year old daughter (she marches to her own beat) wanted Thanos, and hubby always personalizes his on his own (he spent hours making an amazing Art one a few years ago), so he just got gray. It does suck that they all have to be done at the same time.
I checked yesterday and they were still showing sold out. Glad I got your newsletter this morning. Just ordered the Pirates one. Many you show are already gone
Oh wow, I just checked the inventory again and it’s totally different than what I saw an hour ago. Looks like more are coming back into stock!
Can you buy them for a trip that hasn’t been purchased yet? I know it’s an odd question, but I was just wondering if it is possible for purchase them and connect them to their first trip at a later date?
I lucked out yesterday! It was my last day to pick and miraculously all the ones we wanted were available. Although I really wanted the snack one I settled for my second choice with Minnie. It was Disney magic!
Thank you!! I saw the email and just ordered ours! At 10 am, sorcerer Mickey wasn’t available, but the Epcot spaceship earth, Darth Vader, groot, thanos, and pirates were still available, and that was it. Luckily we only wanted Epcot and Vader–serendipity! Trip is early August and complimentary bands were shipping in less than two weeks, thought we had missed out. I’ll still be crossing my fingers until they come in the mail, based on the previous rollout, but I’m hopeful!!! Thanks again!!
I don’t get it! I’ve been trying all day to customise our magic bands for our August holiday! After being on hold to guest services for an hour (we are in London uk) we were told there wasn’t anything they can do!! Just carry on trying and hope you are lucky! So how? HOW? Are you all getting yours done and paid for??? It’s 23.51pm bst and I’m done! I’m not sure if I can be bothered to keep up this hope of a magic band with Minnie Mouse on! It’s been the same since Disney rolled out these bands! One big fat headache with the occasional toilet break that would win a place in the Guinness book of world records for speed pee-er! I’d gladly shake anyone’s hand who have managed to achieve magic band hierarchy. But for me and my poor regular family of 2.4 children, we will proudly wear our plain colour bands with grumpy pride! Big loves and pixie dust wishes from London baby
at least three times today i had a similar problem. the site kept letting me select a couple particular bands, but when i tried checking out, it wouldn’t let me, and when i hit retry, it removed the bands in question. finally i just had to select new ones and it took me right to check out. so it seems like some of these do in fact sell out but aren’t being removed from the screen.
After unsucdessfully trying to upgrade and my wife and I spending 5 hours plus on this, there are some glitches in the software and documentation on their site. They don’t mention this, but everyone on the reservation must have a magic band selected, even if you are planning on using one that you may have purchased earlier. When you set reservations up, you can set yourself up to use a prior magic band as my wife did. But when I went to upgrade for myself and 1 of my kids, it would not finish the process because my wife had no band. I was done with the order but couldn’t complete it. And lost the upgrades on the site. There is nowhere on the site that says all individuals must have a band selected. I spent 2+ hours waiting on hold with dropped calls, transferred to the wrong department, etc. to learn this. And the worst part is, is that Disney took no ownership of the problem. Very disheartening. This experience with Disney took a lot of the magic out of our planned trip. Keep looking and make sure, everyone in the party has a band selected.
Disney should let those of us having a trip coming up soon to purchase the magic bands first. I only have a few days left to select our magic bands and they are still sold out/website isn’t working correctly/long wait times on phone. Arghhhhhh.
Keep trying…seems every 30 mins, there are diff ones available. =)
i completely agree with this, and it would be easy enough for them to do. those checking in between this date and this date can pick bands over a few days, then when that window passes, the people checking in between the next set of dates, and so on. only allow those reservations into the system, very simple. and if you miss your window, you just have the solids colors. it would be the most fair way and also not keep overloading the system constantly, and it keeps guest services from getting overwhelmed. but people here are wanting to buy bands for trips not even booked yet, so when you have everyone trying to get in, it crashes. three times today i tried checking out with bands it kept letting me pick but wouldn’t let me actually check out with, so, when it let me, i kept having to choose replacements. ugh, there must be a better, less stressful way.
what stinks about this is not being able to order one or two at a time when they’re available. right now i would get one of my kids the minnie mouse, but there’s nothing for the other, and of course i can’t get for one and not the other. the one kid a would want will probably be gone by the time there is something for kid b. they way they are rolling these out really make no sense.
I know! I need Thanos and Stitch and only Thanos is up!
both of those are up right now, 1:55 central time
Unfortunately it will not allow me to complete my order but thank you!
it did that to me at least three times over the course of the day. i wanted pirates for husband, it kept letting me choose it but not check out. same with birthday mickey and one other one. once i got to the checkout screen i didn’t want to hesitate and then have these sell out and not be available again before our trip.
I think there might be a stitch one out there now at least there was earlier.
I just checked and only 6 themed bands showed up to select from. I will wait and hope we get a larger selection in the next couple of months.
I just went on the site and there’s some new magic bands out there to purchase.
Are you charged right away or are you charged when it ships?
I ordered 4 bands at 4:15 yesterday. Card was charged right away and the bands have already shipped
I ordered mine yesterday but I dont know if they have been shipped. Did you get tracking info?
Yes I got a tracking number for usps and the bands are showing linked to my account
Thanks for the update! Unfortunately I only saw about 6 “premium” bands on the websites but was hoping for ones that you had in your post. That was on my mobile web browser, does that make a difference?
You saw different ones than what’s pictured at the top? I just checked again and am still seeing the same ones.
Which designs did you see?
I am seeing different ones too! I don’t have most of the ones you have, but I have Toy Story, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, etc. It is June 21 at around 11.30am ET.
the snack one is different too…only the pineapple dole whip showing. not sure if they replaced it.
…oops, i never noticed you had the dole whip one listed…never mind. =/
Update. As of now, ably 6pm est they had multiple options available. Two in my party preferred solid standard colors but I got my darth Vader, daughter got Minnie, and son got Groot.
Some bands are up there! Finally got the Disney bands! I’ve literally checked every day 50 times a day. Today was last day to finalize so they ship to us and all the sudden a few came up. Everyone’s first choice but mine lol but I still got a Minnie one