Going to Walt Disney World in 2021? Don’t expect a complimentary Magic Band in the mail. Disney World announced earlier this year that it will no longer include Magic Bands with room reservations. So now what? According to Disney World, new features will be added to the My Disney Experience mobile app that will make the Magic Band practically unnecessary.

UPDATE December 19, 2020: Disney World provided an update regarding Magic Bands: Beginning on January 1, 2021, Guests who do not purchase a Magic Band can use a Key to the World card for hotel room entry, Theme Park entry and charging purchases to their hotel room. Key To The World cards will be provided at the Front Desk at no additional cost.

I have received a number of emails from clients who love Magic Bands and still want to use them on their upcoming trip. Good news! You still have options!

Purchase a Magic Band

Disney World isn’t discontinuing Magic Bands, yet, but they won’t be included for free with your reservation. You can purchase Magic Bands from several places like ShopDisney.com, Walt Disney World Resort retailers, and there’s even an option to purchase them in your My Disney Experience account when you link your hotel reservation. They range in price from about $12 to $35, depending on the design. 

Reuse a Magic Band From a Previous Trip

Magic Bands aren’t reservation specific, they simply point to the data you have in your My Disney Experience account. So if you have a new reservation linked to your MDE account, your old Magic Band will now work on that new reservation. Magic Bands have an internal battery that generally lasts for about 15-20 months. Just be sure your Magic Band is still listed as “active” in your MDE account. Unless you manually deactivated it, chances are it’s still ready to go. You can call Disney Internet Help to verify: 407-WDW-HELP

Use a Complimentary Admission Card

If you don’t have an old Magic Band and prefer not to buy one, you can ask for a complimentary key card. Cards work in a similar fashion, but physically resemble a plastic credit card or driver’s license.

Will Magic Band be Necessary in 2021?

According to Disney, starting in 2021 the new mobile app will feature  innovative new offerings. We still don’t know what those are but Disney World already has so many helpful features going through the app. For example, you can place a mobile order for food, make dining reservations, view park maps, unlock your hotel room door, and scan and pay for items in a store while you shop, just to name a few. There’s even talk of Disney adding its own version of Uber Eats where you would be able to have food delivered from select Disney World restaurants.

While you might still like the idea of a Magic Band, I think Disney World is headed in a very different direction. It could be that the Magic Band becomes obsolete, and in many ways, it already is. 

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