2
Walt Disney World Resorts Guests have been using MagicBands for a variety of reasons for years now.
MagicBands can be used to unlock their hotel rooms, sync Park tickets, link Photopass photos, and connect their debit or credit cards. In the past, Guests were given free MagicBands of a select variety before their stay. In 2021, Walt Disney World decided to stop providing MagicBands to their Guests, instead either making them buy a MagicBand in advance or using the My Disney Experience app (now Genie+) to unlock their rooms.
In 2022, both Disneyland and Walt Disney World unveiled the MagicBand+, the new and improved version of the MagicBands that work as your park ticket and easy payment system. This marked the first time Disneyland would utilize MagicBands, previously using paper tickets or the app only. Unlike at Disney World, the MagicBands at Disneyland have fewer uses, as they are unable to be used as a room key, instead requiring Guests to use the Disneyland app or receive a physical room key.
Guests at Walt Disney World are able to use their MagicBands to make purchases throughout the resort by linking a credit or debit card. At this time, the MagicBands at Disneyland are unable to be used this way. Instead, Guests were able to link their hotel room key to a form of payment, eliminating the need to carry around extra cards or money.
Starting Feb. 28, DLR hotel guests wanting to charge items to the room must use the app. Hotel room keys will no longer be accepted for charges. In app, you must link your hotel reservation, select "charge to room" and pull up a barcode that can be scanned at select locations. pic.twitter.com/Wfq8UNYes6
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) February 24, 2023
As of February 28, this will no longer be the case. Rather than using their room key, Guests will now have to use the Disneyland app and scan a barcode. Without the option to link payment to a MagicBand+, this requires Guests to either carry some form of payment on them at all times or be on their phone more consistently and having to be aware of the battery life.
More and more, Disney is pushing Guests to use their app, disregarding the fact that there may be some older or international Guests who don’t quite understand how it works. For some Guests, having to use the app more may make things slightly more chaotic. Now they have to be responsible for their phone, a charger, money, their hotel key, and a MagicBand+ if they have one.
This does feel like a slow move to push guests towards buying a MagicBand+. Although there’s no news as of yet if they will ever be an option to Guests as a hotel key or form of payment, it seems inevitable that they will eventually be an option for both.