Cheap amusement park tickets
How to find amusement park discounts
Theme park season is almost upon us, and the frugalsphere is buzzing with tips to help you find cheap amusement park tickets. These include using the Magic Your Way ticketing program for Disney World to save more on tickets the longer you stay. ReviewAtlas.com tells us Six Flags Great America in the Chicago area holds online promotions where all visitors can buy tickets for the kids' price. And Coney Island Cincinnati slashes prices on combination tickets and gives half-price discounts after 4 p.m.
This is a good start, but there are even more ways to find cheap amusement park tickets this summer. Here are our suggestions...
Buy online
While you'll see many sites pedaling cheap theme park tickets, you can save time and money by just going to the theme park's site directly. Guests are often rewarded for purchasing their tickets online. For instance, you can save $30 off the ticket price at Universal Studios when you buy online. Theme park sites also frequently offer discounted tickets to local residents. Here are links to some of the major parks' ticket info and special offers pages:
Six Flags, Disney World, Sea World, Disneyland, Busch Gardens Virginia
Book with Kijubi
Even though the park websites are best, experience "aggregator" Kijubi seems to be the site with the most concentrated discounts on parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios. Head to the site's theme park section to sample all the deals.
Get a Go card
Both San Diego and Los Angeles offer Go Cards to save on several attractions in those areas. You can save up to $55 on more than 50 attractions, such as Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Wild Rivers Waterpark.
Check your cans
For Six Flags coupons, hoard your soda cans. Companies like Coca-Cola offer $20 off when you bring a soda can to Six Flags. Other coupons may appear on cereal boxes.
Go shopping
Find cheap amusement park tickets through some grocery store programs in addition to wholesale clubs like Costco or Sam's Club. Chains like Dunkin' Donuts also sometimes offer printed coupons to Hershey Park or Dorney Park in Pennsylvania.
Use your employment
Depending on what you do for a living, you may be able to find cheap amusement park tickets. Active and retired military members can get up to six Disneyland discount tickets through Sept. 30 of this year. Eligible members include U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reservists. Options include 3-Day Park Hopper Tickets for $99 each.
Also, any active or retired union member or the wife, husband, widow, widower, or child of a union member can get discounts to many theme parks around the country. The discounts range from $3 to $26 off each ticket or $12 to $104 off a vacation package. Parks include Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in PA (discounts up to $9.49), Hershey Park in PA (up to $12.45), and Six Flags Theme Parks (up to $41 per ticket).
Pull out the card
If you belong to AAA, AARP, or some other groups, you may be able to find cheap amusement park tickets as part of your membership. Also check for deals tied into your credit card, as some companies have partnerships with theme parks (Visa and Disney, for example).
Grab up Group-buying bargains
You might be able to score big off rides, games, and other activities with smaller amusement park discount tickets from sites like Groupon. In the Orlando deals section, for instance, families can get $10 at Happy Days Family Fun in Kissimmee, a venue for bumper cars and laser tag.
How do you find cheap amusement park tickets?
