This question comes from Shelly, who asks: “Where can I get a Disney Pin code.”
Shelly, thanks for your question and for reading Chip and Co. Ahh, the elusive pin code. Just so everyone reading this knows, pin codes are special discount codes given out by Disney. They can be for packages, free dining, and resort-only discounts. Many times, although not always, these codes are precursors to general public discounts that are available later, but because you received yours ahead of time, your chances of getting the rate you want when you want it are greater. Pin codes are specific to the addressee so you can’t give them away to your friends and family; we’ve even heard of people not being able to use a code that was emailed to them that had the wrong home address on it. To get a pin code, go to the official Disney site and sign up and then wait. If you’re one of the lucky ones, a pin code will show up in your email inbox soon after, but if you’re like most people, you’ll wait for a while. We’ve heard reports of frequent travelers never getting a code.
We think there are probably ways to increase your chances of getting a code but Disney isn’t telling, so all we have to go on is anecdotal evidence we’ve read on message boards or heard from our Disney-obsessed friends. Here’s a few things that seem to work:
1. Order a Disney vacation planning DVD (pictured above). This seems to be one of the most common ways people try to get a pin.
2. Have your spouse or partner sign up. In fact, have anyone you travel and plan on sharing a room with do this. So, if you’ll be travelling with a friend, have her sign up, that way you’ll both have feelers out for pin codes. When one of you gets one, that person makes the reservation in her name for both of you. If you normally do the vacation planning in your household, have your spouse sign up at the Disney site. In our house, I book all our vacations, so everything from resort reservations to dining reservations is in my name. For several years, I didn’t get a pin code. As an experiment, I actually signed my husband up just to see if I would get an offer. Within a week or so, I received a free dining pin code in my husband’s name.
3. Play with some travel scenarios on the Disney website. I did this several times over April and May. In one case, I was checking out prices for a Disney newbie friend of mine. In another, did some comparisons for a Chip and Co article. The last one was for me, because I was trying to add on an extra day to a trip that’s already booked. In the last three weeks, I’ve received three pin codes. One thing I’ve done differently in recent months is filling out the survey that pops up when you go to leave the site (without booking) and leave an actual comment in the box saying that I’m waiting for discounts. I don’t know if that made a difference, but I don’t normally get pin codes so something must be working.
4. Keep your profile updated at Disney.com.
5. Enter contests on the Disney website.
6. Sign up for a Disney Visa rewards card.
Finally, don’t forget to check your spam folder to see if your emails are going there. Also, when you call Disney to make a reservation, ask if there’s a code attached to your name in case you missed it. Cast members aren’t allowed to pass current codes onto you if you haven’t been mailed one, but if there’s one attached to your name, they will honor it even if you can’t provide the number yourself.
Good luck and let us know if this helps!
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We get guests that call us all the time with these special pin codes. We are happy to look them up and book their vacations for them with the pin code deal and also help plan their trip. Lately the current Disney deals we are already offering or already have the guest booked at is much better than the pin code deal they got in their email. We just had a guest today, that we already booked a Disney World vacation for, that got a pin code in her email. We compared the deals and the deal we had already found for her was over $900 better than the pin code offer. This is not always the case, but this is another reason to use an agent that does nothing but Disney travel. We are always checking our currently booked guests to see if we can move them to a better deal.
We get guests that call us all the time with these special pin codes. We are happy to look them up and book their vacations for them with the pin code deal and also help plan their trip. Lately the current Disney deals we are already offering or already have the guest booked at is much better than the pin code deal they got in their email. We just had a guest today, that we already booked a Disney World vacation for, that got a pin code in her email. We compared the deals and the deal we had already found for her was over $900 better than the pin code offer. This is not always the case, but this is another reason to use an agent that does nothing but Disney travel. We are always checking our currently booked guests to see if we can move them to a better deal.
We get guests that call us all the time with these special pin codes. We are happy to look them up and book their vacations for them with the pin code deal and also help plan their trip. Lately the current Disney deals we are already offering or already have the guest booked at is much better than the pin code deal they got in their email. We just had a guest today, that we already booked a Disney World vacation for, that got a pin code in her email. We compared the deals and the deal we had already found for her was over $900 better than the pin code offer. This is not always the case, but this is another reason to use an agent that does nothing but Disney travel. We are always checking our currently booked guests to see if we can move them to a better deal.