Hello there Shauna,
Welcome to planDisney! Thanks for visiting us with your question. Oh, boy... you're going to be visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth in just a few short days. That's so exciting!
I just returned from a family trip to Disney World where we used a combination of new and old
MagicBands. While you can't transfer a MagicBand from one guest to another, you can absolutely re-use those old bands. They are likely still attached to your My Disney account, so let me walk you through where to check and how to make sure they are activated.
You can check on your MagicBands in a couple of locations. If you're doing so online from a computer, just log in to My Disney Experience and head to
MagicBands & Cards. You can select a guest name to view all previously linked MagicBands, as well as their current status of either Active or Inactive. If a MagicBand you wish to use is currently Inactive, just click the "Activate" button. If you are uncertain, the serial number listed is also printed on the back of your MagicBand. You can view MagicBands for yourself and any guests that you manage. If any in your party manage their own plans, they will need to log in to their My Disney account and take these same steps.
If you're using the
My Disney Experience app, just head to the main menu icon "☰" in the lower right corner, then scroll down to Account - MagicBands & Cards. This view separates your bands by tabs for MagicBand+, MagicBand, and Admission Cards... so don't panic if you don't see yours on the first screen! You'll find the same functionality here, the ability to check if your band is active or even link a MagicBand if you do not see it listed.
Note that you can absolutely still use older MagicBands, and they will work at any touch points like Disney Park entrance gates, charging purchases if you're a Disney Resort guest, or tapping into Lightning Lanes. However, the battery in older MagicBands may no longer have sufficient range to be picked up on ride photos... so if there is a viewing station after fun attractions like Space Mountain, be sure to find your photo and claim it by tapping your MagicBand under the right capture!
One last tip that may or may not apply to you, but can be helpful! My young adult daughter was on my most recent Disney World reservation, and wanted to use her previous, adorable Dumbo MagicBand+ on our trip. However, that band was linked to her old child account that I used to manage. In this case, as long as it's for the same guest you can call
MagicBand Support and they can transfer those previous MagicBands to the new Disney account. She was very excited!
Shauna, I hope this helps! I'm sending pixie dust your way for next week and I hope you have an absolutely wonderful time at Walt Disney World! Please visit us again at planDisney if we can ever help with your questions.
See ya' real soon,
Tami