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The Disneyland Magic Key is the name for the Disneyland annual pass program. People have soooo many questions about the Magic Key at Disneyland, including pricing, benefits, park hopping and on-sale dates. The local frogs are experts on the Magic Keys at Disneyland (as well as all Disneyland tickets). We can help you decide if a Magic Key makes sense for you or if you are better off hopping on other ticket deals throughout the year. Our larger family does a little of both. Here is everything you need to know about Disneyland Magic Keys.
Overview of Disneyland Magic Key Passes
The Magic Key is an annual pass at Disneyland. We'll go over everything about the Magic Key, including types of Magic Keys and their benefits, prices, and whether you are better off with a Magic Key or regular theme park admission. We'll also cover park hopping, extra perks and how to make theme park reservations.
Most people are surprised to learn there is no physical Magic Key card. You'll find the digital Magic Key in My Tickets & Passes in the Disneyland app. You can also link your Magic Key to a MagicBand+. We suggest taking a screenshot and storing your number in a safe space or with a loved one in case your phone breaks or the Disneyland app malfunctions. That way, you have a backup. Some people have taken a screenshot and printed it out. Grandma Frog is not comfortable with technology, so that's what we do for her, whether it's a Disneyland ticket or a Magic Key. We also gave her a MagicBand+ to which we assign her tickets or a Magic Key, so she just has to present her wrist to get into the park.
Sometimes, it can take time to pull up the key, so we take a screenshot and save it to the home screen of our phones. It makes it so much easier to have it available at the parking booths, park entrance and to receive discounts at restaurants and stores. Sometimes, the signal is weak in stores, and it can take time to pull up. On rare occasions, a cast member asks us to pull it up in the app, which we'll hoppily do. But having it ready to go saves so much time for most interactions!
Magic Keys do not give you access to separately ticketed events such as Disneyland After Dark parties or Oogie Boogie Bash. You can, however, buy tickets to them before they go on sale to the general public. Since these popular events can sell out early, it's a nice time-saving perk to beat the crowds to the ticket sales.
How Old Do You Need to Be to Get a Magic Key at Disneyland?
Children 2 and under do not need a Disneyland ticket or Magic Key. You can just bring them with you; however, the front gate attendant may note you are bringing a child under two on your account. Starting at age 3, tadpoles need theme park admission. You can get your children a Magic Key when they turn 3. But there are some tricks to it if Magic Keys are not on sale when they have a third birthday. You have 60 days from when they turn 3 to get them a Magic Key. Even if passes are not for sale, kids turning 3 are grandfathered into getting a Magic Key if their parent has one. Bring their birth certificate to the ticket booth to get them one. But don't wait too long!
Unlike theme park tickets, which may be a different price for ages 3-9 versus everyone else, Magic Keys cost the same no matter how old the Magic Key holder is.
When Are Magic Keys on Sale at Disneyland?
This is a big question we see a lot because Magic Keys are not always on sale. Sales are limited, so Disneyland pulls them off sale from time to time. In January 2025, they went back on sale. By early April, they were completely off sale. Disney usually announces once they return to being on sale.
Magic Keys have been off sale during holidays and summer months in recent years. You can keep track by following Disneyland Magic Key on social media or by signing up for email alerts. Some Magic Keys sell out faster than others. If a pass is sold out, it's still available for renewals — just not new sales.
How Much Do Magic Keys at Disneyland Cost?
There are four types of Magic Keys. Each has a different price and down payment. (Prices were from the most recent sales period, January to April 2025.)
- Inspire Key: $1,749 ($130 monthly for 12 months after $189 down payment)
- Believe Key: $1,374 ($98.75 monthly for 12 months after $189 down payment)
- Enchant Key: $974 ($65.42 monthly for 12 months after $189 down payment)
- *Imagine Key: $599 ($34.17 monthly for 12 months after $189 down payment)
*For SoCal residents living in ZIP Codes 90000-93599 only and must be logged in see and to purchase.
Each has a different price and down payment. You can pay for the Key in full or make a monthly payment for 12 months.
You must purchase the Magic Key online. There are some exceptions for sales at the ticket booths. If you have multiple gift cards to apply to the purchase, you can purchase at the booth. If you have a 3-year-old who needs to join the family as a Magic Key holder during a time when the Magic Key is off sale, then you would need to go to the booth.
Are Magic Keys Refundable?
Unlike Disneyland tickets purchased through Undercover Tourist, Magic Keys are not refundable for any reason.
Magic Key Renewals
Even if Magic Keys are off sale for new buyers, people with Magic Keys can still renew. In fact, be sure to renew before it expires, or you could be out of luck. You'll have to pay the deposit again if making payments.
You can renew up to 30 days before your Key expires. If your renewal is approaching, you cannot make park reservations past the expiration date of your current Magic Key. Once you renew, you can make reservations before the expiration with your current Magic Key and the same number of reservations with your new Magic Key up to 90 days in advance. So, for that one-month period, you can hold double the number of reservations. For an Inspire Key, that would be 12 park reservations: 6 in the current month and 6 for after the renewal date.
Magic Key Activation
When you buy a new Magic Key, you have one year to make your first visit. Your expiration date will be one year from the first date you used your Key to enter a theme park or use its benefits, such as fully paid parking (as comes with an Inspire Key). However, using the pass for a discount on parking will not activate the Pass. If you renew, your new Key is activated right away whether you used it or not. If you do not activate the pass within the year, it expires. You cannot get refunded. You can only apply the money spent on that Magic Key to a new Magic Key as long as it is equal or greater than the amount paid for the original Key.
Types of Magic Keys and Their Benefits and Blockout Dates
Here are the benefits of having a Magic Key, by each pass level. All Magic Keys get periodic special experiences, discounts and more. This may be a free pin, button, gift at After Dark parties, special photo ops/Magic Shots and other giveaways. You should get a magnet in the mail six to eight weeks after purchasing your Magic Key. Sometimes, there are exclusive Magic Key popcorn buckets/sippers or refillable popcorn bucket deals. There are also special foods just for Magic Key holders to purchase. Magic Key holders and their guests can dine at the Magic Key Terrace (food costs extra) and get a free souvenir while there. During festivals that have a Sip & Savor Pass, Magic Key holders get a discount and special lanyard for the Sip & Savor Pass.
Inspire Key
- Free parking (except on blackout dates, and using this benefit activates the pass)
- Can hold up to 6 park reservations at a time
- 15% off dining
- 20% off select merchandise
- Can purchase After Dark/Oogie Boogie Bash tickets before anyone else, including lower-tiered Magic Key holders
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass Digital Downloads
- 25% off Lightning Lane Multi Pass when you use your pass for park admission
- The fewest blockout dates
Believe Key
- 50% off parking (except on blackout dates)
- Can hold up to 6 park reservations at a time
- 10% off dining
- 10% off select merchandise
- Can purchase After Dark/Oogie Boogie Bash tickets about a day early
- Unlimited Disney PhotoPass Digital Downloads
- 25% off Lightning Lane Multi Pass when you use your pass for park admission
- Blockout dates during spring break, holidays and select Saturdays and Sundays
Enchant Key
- 25% off parking (except on blackout dates) at Toy Story Lot only
- Can hold up to 4 park reservations at a time
- 10% off dining
- 10% off select merchandise
- Can purchase After Dark/Oogie Boogie Bash tickets about a day early
- 25% off Lightning Lane Multi Pass when you use your pass for park admission
- Blockout dates on most Saturdays, some Sundays, during spring break, much of summer in June and July and holiday periods
*Imagine Key
- 25% off parking (except on blackout dates) at Toy Story Lot only
- Can hold up to 2 park reservations at a time
- 10% off dining
- 10% off select merchandise
- Can purchase After Dark/Oogie Boogie Bash tickets about a day early
- 25% off Lightning Lane Multi Pass when you use your pass for park admission
- Blockout dates on all Saturdays and Sundays, some Fridays, during spring break, much of summer in June, July (and some of August) and holiday periods
While Imagine Key holders can hold only two reservations at a time, those midweek days usually are the easiest to book, even last minute.
You can still use your Magic Key discount even if you enter the park with another type of admission.
Who Can Use Magic Key Benefits?
To use the parking benefit, the Magic Key holder must be in the car. Discounts are just for the Magic Key holder. Do not share your Magic Key discount with anyone else. Disney has been cracking down on that, and you could lose your Magic Key. Do not share screenshots of your pass or of unused Lightning Lane Multiple Experience Passes on social media for others to use. You might think you are being nice, but the QR codes are linked to your pass. Others can wreak havoc on your reservations or try to use your Magic Key.
Also, be careful which people you link your pass to. Only link to people you trust. When using Lightning Lane Multi Pass, it's common to link all the tickets and passes to at least one person to manage the group more easily. If someone links your pass to their app, they have your pass and can see (and modify) your reservations. They can see your Lightning Lanes and other plans in the app. They could try to use your pass to get parking benefits or discounts, and that could get you in trouble and put your pass in jeopardy. You can always go to Guest Relations to remove yourself from their account if you need to.
Stay Up to Date with Magic Key Offerings
Don't miss out. You can find out any current offerings by visiting the Magic Key Portal in the Disneyland app or the Extras Unlocked page. Follow @disneylandmagickey on Instagram and Disneyland Magic Key on Facebook to stay in the know.
How to Make a Magic Key Disneyland Reservation
Magic Key holders use the same park reservation system as everyone else but may have a more limited selection of days when booking, compared to other tickets. Weekend days, festivals and holidays fill up quickly for Magic Key holders, so reserve early (up to 90 days in advance). It can be challenging to find same-day reservations, even during the week at peak times. Park availability changes frequently. If you don't see what you want, just keep checking, especially the night before and the middle of the night.
Disneyland Magic Key holders can reserve up to 90 days in advance. Sometimes, you need to plan ahead to make a Disneyland Magic Key park reservation, especially for weekends and holidays.
Each Magic Key has a different number of reservations a key holder can hold at one time.
Magic Keys have a different pool of availability. That means that sometimes ticket holders have reservation availability, but Magic Key holders cannot find a reservation. For the most part, if Magic Key holders are diligent and keep checking, they'll eventually get their dates. We have good luck the night before a park visit when people cancel their reservations if they can't make it the next day.
To use a Magic Key pass:
- Access the calendar. Make sure your pass is valid the day you want to visit up to 90 days in advance and that the park has availability.
- Go to the reservations page and log in to your Disneyland account and make or modify a reservation the same way other ticket holders reserve their days. You can make reservations for one park, choosing the park you want to visit first if both parks are available. All Magic Keys are park hoppers. You can hop back and forth after 11 a.m. Park hopping guests can enter either park, no matter the reservation, if arriving after 11 a.m.
- Review and confirm your visit by checking the Terms and Conditions box. (Do not froget to scroll down and complete this step. That's another big mistake people make.)
Don't froget! You can now simply modify your park reservation to your new date or park without having to cancel the reservation first.
If you hoppen to have both Magic Keys or regular tickets in your account, you will see all of your reservations and tickets/passes in the same place. When you link friends or family members to your Disneyland account or app, you'll also see their reservations. We have found that hopful in coordinating plans and starting theme parks.
Penalties for No-Shows
Unlike people with 1-day and multi-day ticket reservations, Magic Key holders face penalties for no-shows. Key holders can cancel or modify a reservation without penalty up until 11:59 p.m. the night before the reservation. But Magic Keys cannot cancel same day. So if you fall sick, you'll get penalized for not showing up. If you do not show up three times in 90 days, the ability to make new reservations will be suspended for 30 days. Existing reservations are not deleted at that time. In comparison, if regular ticket holders do not show up, they can simply make a new reservation. To avoid a Magic Key no-show, a Key holder should cancel or modify by the night before or enter the park before closing on the day of the reservation.
The good news is that Magic Key holders can now see if they have any no-shows when they go to make a reservation. When you select a person to make a reservation for, you'll see the number of reservations available as well as the number of No-Shows. Click View Details to show the history with the date of the violation.
Managing Reservations Through the Disneyland App
You can initiate the management of your theme park reservations through the Disneyland app. There are two ways to start the process. Tap the "+" sign and then Make a Park Reservation. The other way, you will tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom of the home screen, then scroll down to Future Plans. Tap any of the plans to be sent to the site to modify or check plans. You'll need to sign into your Disney account and follow the same steps you would follow for the site. Don't froget to scroll down to tap the Terms and Conditions box to finalize the reservation.
How Does Park Hopping Work with a Magic Key?
All Magic Keys have park hopping every day starting at 11 a.m. When you make a park reservation, you choose the starting park. But that only applies if you arrive before 11 a.m. If you arrive after 11 a.m., you can just start out in either park.
So, let's say you want to go Disneyland in the afternoon, but the only available park when you reserve is Disney California Adventure. No big deal. Reserve DCA, and when you arrive in the afternoon, you can go straight to Disneyland Park. Before 11 a.m., you can only access the park you reserved, but then you can hop after 11 a.m.
Should I Get a Magic Key or Buy Disneyland Tickets?
Well, that depends. Believe it or not, this is different for each member of the frog family. For some people, it makes sense to have a Magic Key. For much of our extended family with school and sports commitments, it makes more sense to take advantage of promotional and seasonal ticket deals and not get a Magic Key.
You need to assess your budget, lifestyle, work hours and how frequently you can visit the parks. Consider the tadpoles' sports/activity schedules and how many times you plan to park a car at Disneyland Resort. You might consider how much you spend on food and merchandise to see if a Magic Key discount is worth having.
If you live locally and can limit your visits to when there are amazing deals for Kids Special Promo Tickets and SoCal or Summer ticket deals, then that might make more sense for you.
If you live farther away and visit frequently, but you stay in hotels and don't need parking, then you might not need a Magic Key and the park discounts.
Get a Magic Key if:
- You can make frequent visits.
- If you have small children who only spend a few hours in the park at a time. (It's so nice to not stress about leaving the park when the tadpoles get tired.)
- You live locally or close enough for frequent visits.
- You buy a lot of food and merchandise and can take advantage of those discounts.
- You love park hopping.
Stick to Disneyland Tickets if:
- You make one or two trips a year.
- You have a condition where you might need to cancel your visit same day.
- You can visit on the cheapest days or take advantage of great ticket deals (such as kids for $50 or SoCal Resident deals or Summer Promo ticket deals).
- When you visit, you can generally complete your park visits within 13 days.
- You like to stick to one park per day.
- You like to visit during blockout periods for many Magic Keys (such as summer or around the holidays in late December).
Is a Disneyland Magic Key Worth It?
It's hard to answer that question since it is based on how often you'll use the pass. Here is when each Magic Key breaks even, compared to buying Tier 0 Park Hopper Tickets, which costs $169:
- Inspire Key: 11 visits
- Believe Key: 9 visits
- Enchant Key: 6 visits
- Imagine Key: 4 visits
That's going by the cheapest park hopper day. If you were to visit during a holiday period or on a Saturday, a one-day park hopper ticket could run as high as $281 per visit. which means the Magic Key will pay for itself much faster.
If you are a frequent visitor, the perks of a Magic Key are toadally worth it! We recommend comparing the costs of any trips you'll take in a year versus buying an annual pass. It's always great to get to the point where your trip to Disneyland is "free."
If you visit the parks a lot, the $35 parking fee is going to add up quickly. Getting a pass to cover your parking or part of that expense will save you a lot of money in the long run. If you go to Disneyland once a week for 50 weeks of the year (like some frogs you might know), you'd pay $1,750 in parking alone. But the Inspire Key is $1,749, which means the pass covers parking, and (by our froggy calculations) all your visits to Disneyland are "free!" That's a no-brainer to a frugal frog. If you visit less often, it might not be as "worth it" to you.
Upgrading Your Theme Park Ticket to a Magic Key
If you buy tickets from Undercover Tourist and later decide you need a Magic Key after all, you can upgrade your park admission to a Magic Key from the Tickets & Passes screen in the Disneyland app (as long as Magic Keys are on sale when you visit). You can upgrade after you enter the park and before your ticket expires. You'll see a message appear under your ticket in the app with a link to upgrade once you have entered the park.
- 1-day tickets – upgrade by midnight on the day of your visit to the Disneyland Resort.
- Multi-day tickets – upgrade by midnight on or before the last valid day of your ticket.
If you have a multi-day ticket, we suggest choosing to upgrade on your last day if park reservations are limited or the days you want to visit are blocked out for that Magic Key. Consult this blockout calendar to decide when to upgrade. When you upgrade, you will lose any park reservations you made. You would have to make new park reservations with the Magic Key. However, you do get discounts on food and merchandise once you upgrade, so keep that in mind. Your Magic Key expiration will be backdated to a year from the first day you entered the park with your park ticket.
Upgrading Undercover Tourist tickets is one way to save on Magic Keys, actually. You can buy discount tickets through Undercover Tourist. But when you apply your ticket purchase to upgrade to a Magic Key, you get the full value of those tickets (as if you had purchased full-price from Disneyland) applied as a credit to the price of the Magic Key. However, you cannot guarantee Magic Keys will be on sale when you visit. We looked at upgrading a 3-day SoCal ticket to a Magic Key. We paid $371.49 for the 3-day Park Hopper with Lightning Lane Multi Pass through Undercover Tourist. Disney would apply $385 to the Magic Key purchase! We'd save $13.51 on our Magic Key!
Another loophole, if you want to visit on a blockout day but also want a Magic Key, is to purchase tickets and reserve during what would be a blockout period for the Magic Key. Then, upgrade at the end of the trip. Keep in mind, for the past few years, Magic Keys were not on sale during the holidays or summer. So it's not working the way it did pre-pandemic when most passes were available year-round. You have no control when passes go off sale.
When you upgrade to a Magic Key, the Magic Key must cost more than the ticket that you are upgrading to the Magic Key. You can upgrade one Magic Key for a higher level, but you cannot downgrade, except at renewal time. The person who used the park ticket is the person who gets the Magic Key. You cannot transfer ownership.
If you have a wholly unused, expired ticket, you can upgrade it at any time. You must visit an onsite ticket booth in order to make this upgrade. Wholly unused tickets cannot be upgraded to Magic Key passes online or on the Disneyland app.
If you decide that Disneyland tickets are the way to go, you can save some green when you buy discount multi-day Disneyland tickets from Undercover Tourist. Getting a ticket loaded with Lightning Lane Multi Pass guarantees the cheapest price for that service. You can also book hotel rooms at or near Disneyland to save even more with your froggy friends.
Related: How to Save Money on Disneyland Tickets
Related: Everything to Know About Park Hopping at Disneyland Resort
Keep hopping!
