How To Buy Discount Disneyland Tickets: 15 Cheapest Ways

Disneyland Resort in California is a truly magical place, a bucket list destination for many, and an investment. That’s why buying discount Disneyland tickets is essential. I’m a Disney Travel Agent and have the knowledge to show you how.

I only list legitimate Disneyland ticket discounts, special offers, and top deals so that you can save money and avoid invalid promo codes and coupons.

I understand that deciding which admission to buy can be overwhelming. I’ll walk you through five important factors to consider when selecting the right entry for your trip, what to be aware of before buying, and where to find the best cheap Disneyland tickets for your specific situation.

What to Know Before You Buy Disneyland Tickets

Read these helpful tips or jump to where to look for Disneyland ticket discounts.

Reservations Are Required — It’s Easy to Check Dates Before You Buy

If purchasing directly through Disneyland, you’ll choose a starting date and starting park when you buy your tickets online.

If you buy a sightseeing pass or ticket through an authorized seller, check the Disneyland availability calendar before buying tickets to ensure that your preferred date and starting park are both available.

Next, Link Your Tickets to a Disney Account

After purchasing Disneyland discount tickets, where you need to select a date and park to start in, you will need to link the tickets to your Disney account to access the reservation system. You can link your tickets online.

1-Day Tickets Are Rarely Discounted

It’s very rare to find discounted 1-Day Disneyland tickets. However, teachers, students, military personnel, and other groups may be eligible for discount 1-Day passes through various organizations.

Super steep discounts on authentic Disneyland Resort tickets, especially on 1-Day passes, do not exist. However, we have one hack below in #15.

Kids Ages 2 and Under Are Always Free

You do not need to purchase tickets for children ages 0-2 (they also do not need theme park reservations). Children ages 3–9 need a child ticket, while ages ten and older require an adult ticket.

Carefully Read the Terms and Conditions

Check expiration dates, refund and transfer policies, and how you’ll receive the theme park tickets after you buy them. For example, will you need to pick them up at the Disneyland ticket booths, can you go straight to the gate, or will they be snail-mailed?

1. Best Discounted Park Hopper and 1-Park Per Day Tickets — Promo Code

We have discounted tickets through a San Diego-based Disneyland Authorized Ticket Seller called aRes Travel where there’s no need for a membership or to belong to a special group. Anyone can buy them. They often have the best prices for discount tickets at theme parks across the United States.

aRes Travel is also known for excellent customer service as you can speak to an agent on a dedicated phone line that I have there. Tickets are delivered electronically seconds after your purchase. You can go straight to the gate with an e-ticket or printed ticket (your choice) and skip the ticket booth.

Jump to the Multi-Day Tickets You Need!

Below, we’ve organized your options by the number of days you need a ticket for. Or, you can browse now on your own (use promo code SAVE5 on non-promo multi-day tickets).

2. Combo Tickets With San Diego Theme Parks

You can possibly save more by bundling already cheap Disneyland tickets with tickets to theme parks in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego.

With so many Disneyland ticket options available these days, you may save a lot by separately purchasing discount tickets to other theme parks like Universal Studios Hollywood. This way, you can create your own package.

That being said, there are two combo packages worth considering right now.

3. Combo Tickets with Universal Studios Hollywood

If you plan to sightsee in the Los Angeles area during your Disneyland trip, this might be a good ticket bundle for you. The Universal Studios Hollywood Plus Pass includes either three or five attractions that include:

– Universal Studios Hollywood
– Academy Museum of Motion Picture
– Aquarium of the Pacific*
– Autry Museum of the American West
– The Grammy Museum
– L.A. Zoo
– Madame Tussauds Hollywood*
– City Sightseeing Evening Tour
– Starline City Sightseeing Los Angeles, Hop On â“ Hop Off
– Starline Celebrity Homes Tour
– Starline Hollywood Walking Tour
– Sofi Stadium Tour*
– TLC Chinese Theatre
– Warner Bros. Studio Tour*

Certain attractions marked with (*) require advance reservations which can be made in the App.

4. Magic Key Annual Pass Program

Formerly called Annual Passports, guests may choose from multiple tears of Magic Key passes.

No matter the tier, Disneyland annual passholders must make reservations to visit Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Only a certain number of reservations can be held at one time. And, what that number is depends on the pass type (and there are strict no-show rules you will not want to violate).

Before buying the new annual pass program, make sure to read all the terms and conditions, including blockout dates. Here are some key points for each pass.

Inspire Key

Price: $1,649

• Up to six park reservations can be held at a time
• 20% off select merchandise
• 15% off select food & beverage
• Theme park parking included
• No blockout dates. See the access calendar.

Believe Key

Price: $1,249

• Up to six park reservations can be held at a time
• 10% off select merchandise
• 10% off select food and beverage
• 50% off theme park parking
• Blockout dates include peak weekends and holidays (all of winter break, for example). See the access calendar.

Enchant Key

Price: $849

• Up to 4 park reservations can be held at a time
• 10% off select merchandise
• 10% off select food and beverage
• Blockout dates include most weekends, most summer dates, and holidays (all of winter break, for example). See the access calendar.

Imagine Key

Available for Renewal Only.
This annual pass is only available to Southern California residents in zip codes 90000–93599.

Price: $499

• Up to 2 park reservations can be held at a time
• 10% off select merchandise
• 10% off select food and beverage
• Blockout dates include most weekends, Fridays, most summer dates, and holidays (all of winter break, for example). See the access calendar.

5. Book a Disneyland Vacation Package With Tickets and a Hotel

6. Seasonal Disneyland California Resident Tickets

California residents can visit Disneyland at a discounted price on specific dates. These Disneyland California Resident Tickets are for sale only during certain times of the year. The most recent sale just ended, but rest assured, it will likely return in 2025.

7. AAA Disneyland Tickets

Disneyland Resort offers special discounts to AAA members, such as discounts on 2, 3, 4, and 5-day tickets. Ticket prices offered by other methods on this list might be more advantageous so you’ll want to crunch the numbers.

8. Military Discounts

There are several substantial, special Disneyland military discounts for active and retired U.S. military personnel. The current offer includes significant discounts on rooms at all three Disneyland Resort hotels. You can also check your U.S. military base ticket office, as what they offer might be less than what you can buy directly through Disneyland.

9. Costco Disneyland Tickets

The cheap Disneyland tickets Costco sells aren’t available anymore when shopping online or in stores. Instead, they only offer Disney vacation packages that bundle hotels and tickets together.

10. Group Ticket Discounts

Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park offer discounts for groups of 15 or more from qualified nonprofit organizations. You’ll need to call to secure the discount.

11. Discount Disneyland Tickets for Students

College students can check with their Student Union to see if there are Disneyland ticket discounts available to them. College students can sometimes receive small savings on 1-Day Disneyland tickets depending on the university.

The Disney Imagination Campus Program also offers discounts for groups of kids ages 3-22 tied to themed educational programming. Check their site for application information.

We have done this with my daughter’s Girl Scout troop. The kids spent about three hours behind the scenes with Disney chefs, learning about the culinary side of Disney California Adventure. They then spent the rest of the day enjoying rides and attractions as if they had a 1-Day 1-Park Per Day ticket. Parent chaperones also received a Disneyland tickets discount even though we didn’t attend the class.

12. Teacher Discounts

Check with your state’s education association to see if you can get discounts on park tickets. These tend to come and go. For example, the California Teacher’s Association will occasionally offer Disneyland ticket deals for its members.

13. AARP Discounts for Seniors

You can save up to $35 per ticket using a senior AARP discount. To access it, log into your AARP account and search for Disneyland tickets. You’ll be redirected to a special page on the park website through which you can select the date and type of tickets to buy. Using our promo code is usually better as most of the discounts per ticket that I saw are small, but crunch the numbers to be sure.

14. Credit Card Rewards Programs

Occasionally, major credit card companies allow people to use points to purchase Disneyland tickets and vacations. Some people have reported that you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards to buy them. As a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, I can tell you this offer hasn’t been available in some time. The same goes for American Express Platinum, another of my favorite travel credit cards.

You can buy discounted tickets with your AMEX Platinum card and then choose to use points to pay for the purchase. However, I personally think this method is not particularly efficient.

However, frequent Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort visitors may want to consider a Disney Premier Visa Card. Cardholders earn Disney Rewards with purchases that can be redeemed for Disneyland tickets and vacation packages. Be sure to read the terms and conditions to understand how to earn and redeem points for these Disney offers.

15. Target Redcard Hack

Target RedCard credit and debit holders receive a 5% discount on store purchases. Target sells gift cards redeemable for specific Disneyland tickets at gate prices, as well as general Disney gift cards.

We’ve crunched numbers and can’t find a circumstance where 5% off is cheaper than discounted tickets through authorized sellers, with one exception — 1-Day tickets.

If you save 5% on a general Disney gift card, you can apply the gift card toward a 1-Day ticket purchased through Disney. As we’ve mentioned before, these tickets are rarely discounted so this is one way to save money on them.

Note: You can only use one gift card per ticket transaction. If you have more than one gift card to use, consolidate them first online at Disney Gift Cards where you can transfer balances to one card up to $1000 total.

Find the Right Ticket by Answering These Five Questions

Before buying Disneyland tickets, some decisions must be made, especially if this is your first time visiting these West Coast theme parks.

Do you know which ticket to buy? Jump to cheaper Disneyland ticket options.

Special Disneyland Resort Experiences: Upgrades & Holidays

VIP Packages

For those looking for a VIP experience, Disneyland Resort offers various packages, including a concierge to plan park itineraries, priority ride access, reserved seating, and more.

Holiday Celebrations

One of the best times to visit Disneyland Resort is during the holiday season, including Halloween. Several rides, including the Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise, take on a Christmas or Halloween theme. Special treats become available throughout the Disney parks, and much more.

Early Entry

If staying overnight in Anaheim on a Disneyland vacation, I am a big advocate of choosing a Disneyland Resort hotel when your budget permits.

One of the main reasons is Early Entry. On select days, registered guests of the Disneyland Resort hotels enter Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park 30 minutes before the parks open to the general public.

See also: Theme Park Luxe: Disney’s Grand California Resort and Spa and Top Disneyland Tips

This means that if you’re staying one night, you’ll enjoy Early Entry on the day you check in, and the day you check out. Select rides, dining, and attractions in one park per day are open for Early Entry.

I advise checking the calendar before booking a hotel so that you know which park is open early on which day. Star Wars: A Galaxy’s Edge is not available for Early Entry, but again, you’ll already be in the park when it opens to the public, so you will have a head start on other guests.

See also: 10 Reasons to Visit Disneyland Resort During the Holidays

Tips for Disneyland Parking

Various parking options are available for guests visiting Disneyland Resort and you can purchase parking in advance. At the time of this writing, the fee for self-parking a standard car for the day is $35, and preferred parking (closer to the elevators and escalators) for a standard car is $55.

If you change your mind and would like preferred parking, you can upgrade your pre-purchased parking at a parking lot toll booth and pay the difference.

FAQs About Buying Disneyland Tickets

These questions about discount Disneyland tickets and park happenings land in my inbox the most. Further plan for your trip by reading about park experience updates and what to expect.

How do you buy cheap Disneyland tickets? Be sure to read my full Disneyland Resort Guide.

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