#1 Guide to Getting Free Disneyland Tickets
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Park Savers has always been about saving people money on their theme park tickets and packages. For over 10 years we’ve made this our goal and have been very successful at it, having helped guests save over $1,000,000 on their vacations – and counting! Saving money with Disney is a big deal, but what if you could go beyond that? What if you could get free Disneyland tickets for your next vacation?
It is certainly possible to get free tickets, but every family has different circumstances. So while we say free, it could be free for a certain group out there, but it also means deeply discounted, more than you’ve even seen, for bigger groups. Keep reading and I’ll explain more about what this means. If you are not quite ready to purchase tickets today, that’s fine! We update this page frequently with the best ways to get free Disneyland tickets, so keep checking back.
The Proven Way for Free Disneyland Tickets
You might think we’re crazy for saying this, but this method is tried and true. I’m talking about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card. Hear me out. It’s THE best travel card on the market right now and currently has a welcome offer of 60,000 points, which is valued at $750 when you redeem them with Chase.
I know that looking at points can be confusing, so let me break it down. 60,000 points is worth $600 that can be redeemed as a statement credit or cash right to your bank account. However, if you use it with Chase Ultimate Rewards, you get 25% more in redemption which gives you $750.
I used this offer and decided to go with the $600 which paid for two of my Disneyland park tickets, leaving me with two free Disneyland tickets! This was for my wife and me, which I understand is a small group compared to the average family. However, getting two free tickets to Disneyland even for a group of 4 is a huge savings!
The process for getting your tickets for free is as follows
- Get approved and qualify for the welcome offer of 60,000 points.
- Purchase your Disneyland tickets at a discounted rate.
- Redeem your welcome offer of 60,000 points as a statement credit.
- Enjoy your free Disneyland tickets for two or more people!
This option works great when you are only going for one day because you’ll be able to get four or more tickets for free using this method.
My favorite part about this method is that once you have your new card, you’ll start to see savings for future travel build up. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card gives you 2x points on dining and travel which add up quickly. That way if you want to use future points for airfare, cruises, hotels and more. Plus you can always split the cost between points and cash if you don’t have enough points saved up.
I’ve been using this card for over a year now and absolutely love it. Of all the tried and true ways of getting free Disneyland tickets, this is the one a highly recommend.
Of course you can always put this money towards other things including free airfare which we also have a complete guide for.
Online Contests and Radio Giveaways
I believe some people have all the luck..which is why this method of getting free Disneyland tickets may work well for you if you are that person. There always seems to be contests going on where guests can win free tickets to Disneyland. While the odds can be against you, it can’t hurt to try!
My first place to start is by doing a Google search for “free Disneyland tickets.” There may be some websites that pop up advertising a chance to win. Be careful with websites that want you to complete offers in order to qualify. These sites seem never ending when at first all it asks for is your name and email. Then all of a sudden you’re far down a black hole of questions and other offers. The thing is that you never know if you’ve done enough to qualify or if you need to keep going.
Either way I would suggest avoiding those types of free ticket offers. The ones you really want to look for are going to be from Blogs online. Sometimes the best way to find these is to search Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the giveaway. What happens is that online influencers typically team up with another company and give a prize away. We’ve been full vacation packages to Disneyland, hotel and tickets, gift cards to use at Disneyland and more.
If you can land a $1,000 Disney gift card or a travel budget of a few thousand dollars, you’ve got it made! My nephew won a contest through the BSA organization from a sponsoring Travel Agency for $1,500 to use how he wanted (he put it towards the Aulani resort instead of Disneyland). So think outside the box but don’t go spending money to try and win it. That’s the opposite of what you’re trying to do here.
One of our partners, Undercover Tourist, always seems to be partnering with local groups to give a way Disney vacations. Be sure to check-out their website and see if they have anything going on in their blog.
Sometimes AAA will have promos for members so take a look at their current information and opportunities.
Lastly you can always tune in to local Orange County Radio Stations (or view their websites) to see if they have any giveaways for free Disneyland tickets. One time I won free tickets to a Jimmy Eat World concert through the radio…which is not the same thing but the idea is there. You can win!
Timeshare Presentations
It’s not my favorite idea just because some people can’t handle the pressure when it comes time to saying no, but it’s a viable option if you have the strength to sit through them and say no. Here’s what usually goes down with this option.
You sign up for the presentation online or over the phone. You actually have to qualify for a presentation so be ready with your annual income and travel experience. They want to make sure you’re a good fit for the program and that you can afford it.
Next you’ll show up on the day and time that you were assigned. There will probably be welcome drinks, maybe some snacks and friendly talk. Then you’ll most likely be given a tour of one of the units that can be used with your timeshare contract. Afterwards you’ll be taken back and told all about the program and how it’s a good fit for you.
This is where you’ll need to make your decision. They are going to pressure you from all angels to get you to sign right then and there. If you’re genuinely not interested just keep saying no. If you are, great, go for it!
Either way once you’re done you’ll receive your free Disneyland tickets or hotel stay or whatever it is you were promised. There may be some terms and conditions that follow so be sure to ask before leaving.
My brother did this whole process for free Walt Disney World tickets and it worked great for him and his wife. They got free 5-day-tickets after the presentation and enjoyed the parks using them. Finding these types of presentations may be easy or hard as timeshares tend to change up what’s being given away.
Who Do You Know?
This method may be the hardest one to pull off but if you can it’s 100% and can save you the price of 3 one day tickets. If you happen to know someone who works at the parks as a Cast Member then there’s a decent chance they may be able to do what’s called a sign-in. These sign-ins allow the Cast Member to take themselves and 3 other people into the parks for the day.
Each guest will receive a Park Hopper ticket at entry and is valid only for that day. There are a few stipulations with this method. First, don’t ask around to find a Cast Member and offer to pay them. If you don’t personally know a Cast Member, move on from this method. Cast Members aren’t allowed to accept anything for sign-in’s and they can be fired for it.
Second, Cast Members typically have to stay with the group during the day so you’ll need to work out a day where they are also free from work to accompany you.
Third, sign-in’s are limited with each Cast Member receiving 16 for the calendar year (some are less and some are more but that’s the average). So depending on where your Cast Member friend is at they may or may not be willing to do it.
Lastly, Cast Member, like some annual passes, are blocked out from signing guests into the parks. You’ll need to let them know the dates ahead of time so they can check if they are open or blocked out. If they are blocked out there’s nothing that can be done. Typically weekends, holidays and many summer days are blocked out so keep that in mind.
This is the simplest method for free Disneyland tickets if you do know someone. Again, don’t go begging for a sign-in from someone you don’t know. Ask family members if they know of anyone who works at the parks. Who knows, you may have a long lost aunt who does!
Anaheim Conferences
If you work like most people do, you may have the opportunity to attend conferences. Some people love these and some people don’t. I like visiting the cities but sometimes classes just get boring. So if you find yourself attending a conference in Anaheim you may be able to score some free tickets to Disneyland.
The best thing to do is talk with your employer to see what the agenda is. A lot of times if your conference is at the Disneyland Resort using their conference rooms, they provide packages that include park tickets. Most of the time because you’re in meetings during they day the tickets they provide are for evening times only, around 4pm till close.
If your conference is at the Anaheim Convention Center then you may or many not get free tickets but most of the time you can purchase deeply discounted tickets for yourself and your family. What happens here is that your company and Disney work out a group rate for tickets and hotel rooms. A special link is provided for you to purchase what you need.
Conclusion
Our tried and true method for free Disneyland tickets is Chase Sapphire Preferred Card which offers you up to $750 as a welcome bonus for new card members. You can use the 60,000 points as a statement credit against your purchase of Disneyland tickets to make them free or for bigger groups, really, really cheap.
While I understand applying for a credit card can be a “hassle”, this offer only takes about 4-5 minutes and you could be on your way to free tickets. I personally use this card everyday and when I applied I received the welcome offer and put it towards tickets. It got my wife and I into the parks for free.
Online contests and giveaway are the second best way to try and score some free tickets to Disneyland. You’ll need to do some internet and social media searching but I’m confident that you’ll find something to enter. Remember, it doesn’t have to be tickets that you search for. It could be travel credit or gift cards too.
Timeshare presentations take commitment and will power. They may be hard to find as well so you’ll have to do some online searching. There’s also some qualifications before hand. Based on how often you travel and your annual income you may or may not qualify; and it doesn’t end there. If you’re really not that interested you’ll have to be good at saying no. Otherwise you may end up with a 40 year commitment.
If you know someone who works at the parks and can sign you in for a day or two, that can save you a lot of money and of course is free. There are going to be some restrictions so be sure to check with your buddy beforehand.
Lastly, conferences held in Anaheim typically involve Disney so if you’re attending one be sure to check with your works organizer to see what options are available to you. There may be some free tickets to Disneyland or deeply discounted one’s for you and your family.
I personally have used three of these methods and they work. While I may not have all the luck to win free travel the option is open to anyone. If you’ve enjoyed reading this guide be sure to see my entire series on free and deeply discounted travel using many available methods. Of course if you’re just looking to save on your tickets to the parks you can see our partner Get Away Today.
Park Savers has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Park Savers and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
