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.

authorized-disney-vacation-planners

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.)

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

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!

118 Responses to “How to Cancel Disney World Annual Passes”
  1. Kelly J Kropf October 26, 2020
  2. DCole October 4, 2020
  3. BChicago October 3, 2020
    • Montell Burnett October 3, 2020
  4. Deb October 3, 2020
    • Heather K October 3, 2020
    • Montell Burnett October 3, 2020
    • Kelly J Kropf October 26, 2020
  5. Patricia W McDonnell September 29, 2020
    • Deb October 3, 2020
    • Deb October 3, 2020
  6. J R September 28, 2020
  7. Former passholder, tired of the whole mess September 15, 2020
    • Montell W September 27, 2020
    • Montell W October 3, 2020
    • Heather Kaden October 26, 2020
  8. Heather K September 9, 2020
    • Sue September 9, 2020
    • Teresa A Marcum September 25, 2020
  9. The Boss September 1, 2020
  10. Nicole August 17, 2020
    • BChicago August 17, 2020
  11. Anthony August 13, 2020
    • APfromoutoftown August 14, 2020
  12. BChicago August 13, 2020

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