Everything you need to know about MagicBands.

[hiroMYhero]

I've read through this whole thread and haven't seen this question...(it seems like such an obvious question, that I probably missed it somehow-sorry if I did)...Is the Magic Band waterproof?

Yes.

 

[SgtTibbs]

I've read through this whole thread and haven't seen this question...(it seems like such an obvious question, that I probably missed it somehow-sorry if I did)...Is the Magic Band waterproof?

From personal experience, Yes. They are waterproof.

 

[Accident]

I've read through this whole thread and haven't seen this question...(it seems like such an obvious question, that I probably missed it somehow-sorry if I did)...Is the Magic Band waterproof?

Yes. It's also hypoallergetic and those allergic to latex do not need to worry. When I'm back home i'll find the official page for this info and get it added.

 

[Accident]

That will be good for guests.

Can the pre-pay be aligned with specific MagicBands and separate pins?

I was at CSR last weekend and paid for the balance of my room-only at check-in using a giftcard. The CM didn't offer to open a cash fund so I didn't know that was even an option.

I was able to talk to the front desk and wow that was a long confusing conversation.... The short is "there is a lot of ways to do this'... Let me try to spell out the recommendations and suggestions they went over with me...

1: Put a hard limit on the room charges so you can prepay with a gift card without risk of auto-charging.
2: each magic band can have a different hard limit "charging" to the same card/folio fund.
3: A folio fund can be opened without a credit card using cash or a gift card
4: they would really prefer you just walked around with the gift card or paid it off using a credit card to activate room charges.
5: express checkout is on by default, you can disable it to check out at the front desk to pay that final amount as you leave instead of the night before with something other than a credit card.
6: you can have a folio fund with a credit card backup for overages.
7: If you have a hard limit with no backup fund it will come up as money due at the time of purchase.
8: if you had a hard limit added with a credit card you can quickly raise it over the phone while out and about but cash funded folio funds you need to do at the front desk and you'll need to have the difference when your out spending.
9: you can disable bands from charging anything to the room.
10: you can have different credit cards or folio funds for different people or groups of people (extended trip with many people in the same suite for example)
11: the bill is itemized by what band charged what.

I don't think I missed anything but they stressed there is a lot of ways to achieve exactly what you need or want to do and happen at the front desk.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I was able to talk to the front desk and wow that was a long confusing conversation.... The short is "there is a lot of ways to do this'... Let me try to spell out the recommendations and suggestions they went over with me...

1: Put a hard limit on the room charges so you can prepay with a gift card without risk of auto-charging.
2: each magic band can have a different hard limit "charging" to the same card/folio fund.
3: A folio fund can be opened without a credit card using cash or a gift card
4: they would really prefer you just walked around with the gift card or paid it off using a credit card to activate room charges.
5: express checkout is on by default, you can disable it to check out at the front desk to pay that final amount as you leave instead of the night before with something other than a credit card.
6: you can have a folio fund with a credit card backup for overages.
7: If you have a hard limit with no backup fund it will come up as money due at the time of purchase.
8: if you had a hard limit added with a credit card you can quickly raise it over the phone while out and about but cash funded folio funds you need to do at the front desk and you'll need to have the difference when your out spending.
9: you can disable bands from charging anything to the room.
10: you can have different credit cards or folio funds for different people or groups of people (extended trip with many people in the same suite for example)
11: the bill is itemized by what band charged what.

I don't think I missed anything but they stressed there is a lot of ways to achieve exactly what you need or want to do and happen at the front desk.

Very cool! Lots of info!

After reading through, I'll continue using my gift card, Disney Visa Reward points, and maybe use my MB for charging.

 

[Accident]

I just checked the make you own band and tigger is NOT one of them.

 

[mickeygirl78]

How long are the limited edition bands typically out/sold for? are they usually out for a certain period - 1 year, 6 mo??

 

[hiroMYhero]

How long are the limited edition bands typically out/sold for? are they usually out for a certain period - 1 year, 6 mo??

Limited Editions usually sell out quickly so they aren't out for long.

Limited Release will be for sale for a designated time period. Magicbandcollectors.com will have the most up to date info.

 

[Accident]

How long are the limited edition bands typically out/sold for? are they usually out for a certain period - 1 year, 6 mo??

as PP mentioned, they last as long as they take to sell out. For example the grey haunted mansion bands seemed to take awhile but the purple version when they switched seemed to disappear overnight.

 

[Accident]

I have adjusted the posts with recent feedback and my discoveries..

Nothing magic, just room charge information, what you need cash for, room charging options and waterproof/allergy information.

 

[bumbershoot]

1: Put a hard limit on the room charges so you can prepay with a gift card without risk of auto-charging.

3: A folio fund can be opened without a credit card using cash or a gift card

The last couple years, from what I've read, NO ONE has been able to set up a GC for room charging *up front*. You set it up with a CC/debit card, and then once there are charges you put a GC down, but I think that CM steered you wrong, there's no way that I have EVER seen to set any sort of hard limit other than hitting it and being called to put more money down.

express checkout is on by default

Express checkout is what you're partially signing up for when you do room charging.

 

[Accident]

The last couple years, from what I've read, NO ONE has been able to set up a GC for room charging *up front*. You set it up with a CC/debit card, and then once there are charges you put a GC down, but I think that CM steered you wrong, there's no way that I have EVER seen to set any sort of hard limit other than hitting it and being called to put more money down..

I did it last week to test if you could.. Disney calls it a Folio account.

 

[Accident]

Purple has been added to the list of available magic bands.. See http://www.disboards.com/threads/purple-magic-bands-now-an-option.3489789/ for a longer thread on this announcement.

 

[Angeliki19]

This is a great thread! Thank you. I have a question... I tried to read through everything so hopefully it wasn't answered already. Apologies if I missed it!

We are going to be attending MVMCP this year. I saw on the Disney Store website a few weeks ago they had some Christmas-themed Magic Bands on clearance so I bought them for my kids. I just assumed I would be able to link them to MDE. Here are my questions:

1) I read what you wrote about "link it later" and how some bands do not work this way. I don't think these are official MVMCP bands.. they are just Christmas themed. Do you think I will have a problem using them?

2) I am afraid that even though my kids approved the bands, they will still want to wear their regular "free" bands. Is there a way to just link the MVMCP ticket to the Christmas bands and then use the other bands for our MYW ticket?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Robo]

I am afraid that even though my kids approved the bands, they will still want to wear their regular "free" bands. Is there a way to just link the MVMCP ticket to the Christmas bands and then use the other bands for our MYW ticket?

If you create an additional set of "fake names" for everyone in your MDE, and only link the party tickets and Christmas MBs to those fake names, that would work.

However, if you link the party tickets and Christmas MBs to your REGULAR names in MDE,
everyone can CHOOSE to wear ANY MagicBand for the party or regular admission.
Everybody could use any MB that was linked to them for any time during the trip.

 

[Angeliki19]

If you create an additional set of "fake names" for everyone in your MDE, and only link the party tickets and Christmas MBs to those fake names, that would work.

However, if you link the party tickets and Christmas MBs to your REGULAR names in MDE,
everyone can CHOOSE to wear ANY MagicBand for the party or regular admission.
Everybody could use any MB that was linked to them for any time during the trip.

Ohhh ok. So if I have multiple magic bands linked in MDE, we can interchange them throughout the trip without having to have cast members deactivate and reactivate them?

 

[siskaren]

Ohhh ok. So if I have multiple magic bands linked in MDE, we can interchange them throughout the trip without having to have cast members deactivate and reactivate them?

Correct. Nothing is "on" a Magic Band - they're just keys to access what's on your MDE account.

 

[Accident]

Ohhh ok. So if I have multiple magic bands linked in MDE, we can interchange them throughout the trip without having to have cast members deactivate and reactivate them?

as PP mentioned, yes all bands will work for everything.

You actually activate/deactive them on your own in mde or hte mde app. A cast member only deactivates the band if you report it lost. The purchasing a new band is adding a new band and linking it to a person in mde and not technically the same thing.

 

[Angeliki19]

Ok this is good to know. Thank you! We are also doing a split-stay so I understand we will get two sets of bands to make things even more complicated! But sounds like everything is linked to the MDE account, not a particular band, and you can have multiple bands "active" at the same time so they should all link back correctly to MDE.

 

[Accident]

I added a note under how to use your band for fastpass about some attractions only have 1 scan point during a trial disney is doing. See http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/fastpass-change-at-select-walt-disney.html for more information if your interested.

I'm also in the process of looking for places to clarify that all magicbands on the account work at the same time unless you deactivate or report any as lost.