Sunday Savings Series: Free Tickets With a “Catch”

I have talked quite a bit here at Disney Over 50 about ticket prices and scams. I have warned you not to trust places that advertise cheap or free tickets, and I have also advised that you check ticket prices against the Walt Disney World website to make sure that you are not overpaying. Believe it or not, I do know of a way that you can receive free tickets to Walt Disney World, and it does not involve contacting your second cousin because her best friend has a brother-in-law who may or may not still be a Cast Member. You can earn free tickets, and you just might have a good time while you are doing it.

As you might know, there are several races held throughout the year at Walt Disney World. These are put on through runDisney. It takes a lot of people to make a race successful, and runDisney relies on volunteers. (RunDisney is where the “catch” in the title comes in. I’m always up for a good…or bad pun.) Free tickets are the incentive to get people to volunteer. It works.

There are two ways that you can earn tickets through runDisney. The first is to volunteer a certain number of hours. Once you reach the correct number, a ticket will be mailed to you. You can also sometimes earn a full ticket in one shift by volunteering to help on race day. These spots go fast (another bad pun). You will not receive the ticket after you have completed your volunteer time, it will be mailed to you.

The tickets do not have Park Hopper, but you can add it if you would like and pay the up charge. Also, it will take at least 30 days for the ticket to arrive in the mail. There will be an expiration date on the back, and most likely the week between Christmas and New Year’s will be blacked out.

I’ve volunteered a few times to earn tickets for friends who live out of the area. It’s easy, but if you are volunteering for a race keep in mind that you will need to be there incredibly early. One thing that is kind of fun is that you might get to see a backstage area, depending on where you are assigned to volunteer. You will also receive snacks, and either a t-shirt or a lightweight jacket.

Volunteer spots go quickly, especially for the races. Sign up for the email list so that you will know when registration will open, and get on your computer the moment that registrations are allowed. I’ve met people while volunteering who will volunteer for several shifts so that they can earn as many tickets as possible. They then will take the whole family. You can find more information on volunteering for runDisney here.