How to Cancel Disney World Annual Passes
Walt Disney World continues to release new details regarding AP refunds and monthly payment plan holds for Annual Passholders. In this post, we’ll cover the cancellation process, how to calculate your refund, and offer some commentary about the process. (Updated August 11, 2020.)
The policies and protocol for cancelling Annual Passes has “evolved” over the course of the closure and subsequent reopening. When the parks first closed, Walt Disney World was not allowing AP cancellations or any interruptions to payments. Unsurprisingly, there was mass outrage that garnered local media attention with stories of people who were laid off from their jobs yet still had to make their AP payments.
Consequently, Walt Disney World reversed course, pausing monthly payments, revealing options for cancellation, and more. Over the course of the last few months, new info has continued to trickle out, with the latest developments occurring in the last two days–just in time to meet today’s cancellation deadline…
Let’s start with the official word from the latest WDW AP emails and updates to Walt Disney World’s Annual Pass “Know Before You Go” page. We’ll follow with some commentary trying to make sense of all this, and offering our recommendations about what to do…
If you are an Annual Passholder who has paid in full, your options are as follows…
Option 1: Continue with your Annual Pass(es) and receive 30-day extension (no additional action required): Receive an additional one-month (30 days) extension to your pass(es).
- This additional month will automatically be processed and visible in your My Disney Experience account over the coming weeks.
Option 2: Cancel your pass(es). If you prefer, and in lieu of the additional one-month extension, you may choose to cancel your annual pass(es).
- Your pass will remain valid through August 11, 2020 and will be cancelled effective August 12, 2020.
- You will be refunded for the remaining usable value of your annual pass from July 11, 2020 through your pass expiration date (as extended, if applicable).
- Refunds to original form of payment can be expected by mid- to late September. If original form of payment is not available, you should expect a check by mid- to late October.
Partial Refund Eligibility/Calculation:
- The refund amount, if any, for each pass is unique and based on factors such as: new or renewal, refunds to date, and activation date.
- If the total amount that you paid for your pass(es) (minus any refunds already given) exceeds the “usable value” (see below) of your pass(es), that excess will be refunded to you.
- The usable value of your pass(es) equals the total sale price of your pass(es) multiplied by the number of days that you could have visited any park prior to March 16 and divided by the total number of access days to any park permitted under the pass(es) at pass activation.
How to take action:
- If you have already elected to cancel your Annual Pass, this will be automatically processed. You do not need to take any further action.
- If you have not selected any option and would like to cancel, please refer to the email from Disney Destinations on July 14, 2020 and use the personalized link available through August 11, 2020. Or, you may contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. We appreciate your patience as we answer all inquiries.
- If you previously took action to elect to continue with your pass(es) and now would like to cancel your pass(es), please call V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. We appreciate your patience as we answer all inquiries.
IF YOU’RE ON THE MONTHLY PAYMENT PLAN
If you are an Annual Passholder on the monthly payment plan, your options are as follows…
Option 1: Continue with your Annual Pass(es) and receive a 30-day extension (no additional action required). You’ll receive an additional one-month (30 days) extension to your pass(es).
- This additional month will automatically be processed and visible in your My Disney Experience account over the coming weeks.
- With this option, you may also be eligible for an automatically processed partial refund if your payments exceed the usable value of your pass(es).
- Refunds to original form of payment can be expected by mid to late September. If original form of payment is not available, you should expect a check by late October.
- Please note that the V.I.PASSHOLDER Support phone line is not able to provide a specific refund amount since each pass circumstance is unique and based on factors such as: new or renewal, down payment amount, refunds to date, future payments, etc.
Option 2: Cancel your pass(es). If you prefer, and in lieu of the additional one-month extension, you may choose to cancel your annual pass(es).
- Monthly payments will be stopped starting August 12, 2020. Your pass(es) will remain valid through August 11, 2020 and will be cancelled effective August 12, 2020.
- You may also be eligible for an automatically processed partial refund if your payments exceeded the usable value of your pass(es).
- Refunds to original form of payment can be expected by mid- to late September. If original form of payment is not available, you should expect a check by mid- to late October.
Partial Refund Eligibility/Calculation
- The refund amount, if any, for each pass circumstance is unique and based on factors such as: new or renewal, down payment amount, refunds to date, activation date, etc.
- If the total amount that you paid for your pass(es) (minus any refunds already given and any payments waived, returned or not collected) exceeds the “usable value” (see below) of your pass(es), that excess will be refunded to you.
- The usable value of your pass(es) equals the total sale price of your pass(es) multiplied by the number of days that you could have visited any park prior to March 16 and divided by the total number of access days to any park permitted under the pass(es) at pass activation.
- If you made a payment between July 11, 2020 and August 11, 2020 or a payment between March 14, 2020 and April 4, 2020 that was not already refunded, your refund will be at least the amount of any such payment(s).
How to take action:
- If you have already elected to cancel your pass(es), this will be automatically processed for your pass(es). You do not need to take any further action.
- If you have not selected any option (no action) and would like to select this option to cancel your pass(es), please refer to the email from Disney Destinations on July 14, 2020 and use the personalized link available through August 11, 2020.
- If you previously took action to elect to continue with your pass(es) and now would like to cancel your pass(es), please call V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277.
- Please note that the V.I.PASSHOLDER Support phone line is not able to provide a specific refund amount since each pass circumstance is unique and based on factors such as: new or renewal, down payment amount, refunds to date, activation dates, etc.
Important Note:
While Walt Disney World is encouraging all Annual Passholders to call the V.I.PASSHOLDER support line, several readers on the monthly payment plan have advised that they have had better success (and shorter wait times) calling Passholder Payment Services at (888) 701-4100, and selecting Option #3.
We have no firsthand experience with this, but hopefully some readers can leave a comment speaking further to this.
AP Cancellation & Refund Commentary
I won’t lie: math is not my strong suit. It’s a good thing we are not cancelling our APs, because my eyes glaze over when looking at the “usable value” and refund calculation factors. I feel like I need to pull Donald in Mathmagic Land up on Disney+ for a quick refresher before continuing to write this post.
I’m not even going to run a sample calculation or offer an example as I’d probably just mess it up. You’re either on your own in doing that math, or you’ll have to wait for your refund to arrive before finding out its amount. (Even if you do the math, don’t be surprised if Disney’s determination varies from yours.)
With that said, we have confirmed that past usage is not a factor in the refund amount. Unfortunately, Walt Disney World will not disclose how much of a refund you will receive until you actually submit the refund request—and once that’s made, it cannot be undone. If you do request and receive an Annual Pass refund, please share the details (amount of refund, level of pass, how much time you had remaining, etc.) so we have more data points that could be helpful to other readers.
For those of you who still have unanswered questions or issues with your APs, try the ‘Chat Here’ feature (blue button on the right side of the page) on this page. It’s worth noting that wait times both online and on the phone are over 4 hours, and that’s if you can even get through in the first place and don’t just get an “all circuits are busy” message.
If you’re going to cancel, you’re much better off simply using the link you were emailed, and hoping for the best or fixing whatever other issues might exist at a later date. It’s unlikely that anyone at the call center is going to provide you with any more information than is detailed above, so unless you have a unique problem, calling is just going to be a frustrating exercise in futility.
Perhaps cynically, we think that Walt Disney World wanted to deliberately add a bit of friction and confusion to the process, making it less likely that as many people would request refunds. Sort of like back in the day when cancelling a Columbia House membership meant sending in a fax, using a courier pigeon, or jumping through other hoops. (For those of you too young to get that reference, it’s like trying to cancel AMC A-List…although that too is now probably also obsolete.)
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you cancelling or keeping your Walt Disney World Annual Pass? If you’re canceling, what’s the reason: Park Pass availability, reduced hours, scaled back entertainment, health concerns, a variety of reasons, or something else? If you called, how long did you wait on hold? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? 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 didn’t get a email been trying to call got disconnected once and then wait time 20 min wish i could do on line
Does anyone know if there is an option to cancel it now? We decided to keep them when they reopened but have been unable to use them with the new reservation system. We did have a couple of reservations but decided to not go with the wait times being what they are and no fast passes.
Received 77 credit but used pass 18-20 days from out of town in Chicago. I’m disappointed it wouldn’t even pay for one day this year.
I got my refund but I understand I am from Australia and didn’t use it once.
It’s October and refund was expected by end of September. Anyone receive it yet? We canceled through their email back in July and received a confirmation email, but still don’t see that refund in my bank account. Anyone have better results?
Nothing for me yet, but I’m expecting a paper check.
I received mine yesterday but as I said below I did call them to confirm on the VIP passholder line.
I had 108 days left on my past – I had already gotten the partial refund and it was correct to the cent the amount I got back.
I didn’t get a email been trying to call got disconnected once and then wait time 20 min wish i could do on line
Is there another way to cancel a Pass besides calling the phone number that just keeps you on hold? Paid in full on purchase date.
It’s October and refund was expected by end of September. Anyone receive it yet? We canceled through their email back in July and received a confirmation email, but still don’t see that refund in my bank account. Anyone have better results?
Sorry posted on this reply by accident.
Well, here it is September 28 and still no refund from Disney! We cancelled nine passes and according to the email we received mid to late September to receive refunds. We paid in full when we purchased. Tried to call the VIP line and was hold for over an hour before I gave up…and I thought calling the cable company was brutal! One of (if not THE worst customer service I’ve experienced. Disney…you can’t blame everything on COVID!
OK, it’s mid-September. Has anyone seen refunds yet? Since they said mid to late September, we should start hearing about them starting to trickle in. Please let us know how much you get back if you cancelled, with info on the type of pass and its start date for perspective. Still scratching my head as to why they had to take out a July payment for passes that were cancelled waaaay before July, only to then have to return the payment to us (interest on the money paid for thousands of cancelled passes perhaps, or did they think we’d change our mind?).
So I havent received my refund yet – but I called the VIP Passholder line to confirm I was receiving it.
Anyway long story short I put in the refund request on the 17th of July and it was somehow missed. When I called they processed the refund on the phone and I actually refreshed my tickets and saw the passes disappear. So now I am just waiting for the money to come back into my account….
As I am an international passholder they always miss me – I never get the emails, newsletters on invites to openings/ events.
But it maybe worth checking that they have processed the refund.
I received mine but as I said below I did call them to confirm on the VIP passholder line.
I had 108 days left on my past – I had already gotten the partial refund and it was correct to the cent the amount I got back.
Got a check last week and a phone call that they messed up and are sending the rest out.
If you’ve canceled, and not yet received a refund, are you still able to see your pass in your My Disney Experience?
I just looked in My Disney Experience, and although I canceled both my AP and my husband’s, his still shows, while mine does not. However I have not received a refund yet.
I cancelled mine in July, and they just removed the pass from the app last week. Still no sign of a refund.
We cancelled 4 passes my wife’s mine and my two son’s. Today in the mail my oldest son received a magnet from disney thanking him for being a pass holder. LOL why? His pass has been cancelled. I know when I get my refund it will be screwed up. Im lawyering up. Have you seen disney stock? All they care about is the money. I will find a lawyer that likes money more then them.
Only one person in my family received the email to request a refund, and if you tried to use it for someone else’s pass, it gave you an error. So we only got to request a refund for that one specific pass. We never could get through the phone lines to cancel the rest, after trying 3 or 4 times with hour waits, we gave up.
Call them today and explain that to them. Say that you tried to call but the wait was too long. I called later last week bc the wait was too long as I was out of power in the house until Thursday.
At this time we need to find a lawyer and file a class action suit. This is bullshit
I’ve actually contacted law firms for class action suit against Disney. No luck so far
I called today 8/13 to cancel. I’ve been out of power since Monday and 2 hour phone call would not work for me. Pass paid in full.
I cannot risk going this month to the parks.