How to Get Cheap Universal Studios Tickets – NerdWallet

If you’re traveling to Florida or California soon and like amusement parks, you may want to spend time at Universal Studios.

As you begin to outline your trip itinerary, it’s a good idea to research trip expenses and set a vacation budget — theme parks can be expensive these days.

The good news: Getting discounted tickets for Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood is possible. Here’s how.

If you’re in town for a short visit, Undercover Tourist sells one-day Universal Studios park tickets at a slight discount.

While the savings are minimal, this could be a good option if you’re traveling as a group and need to buy multiple tickets. Here’s what you can expect to pay:

• One-day, one-park ticket: Adult ticket prices begin at $105, compared to the starting price of $109 when buying directly through Universal Studios. 

• One-day, one-park ticket: Child ticket prices begin at $101, compared to the starting price of $104 when buying directly through Universal Studios. 

• One-day, park-to-park ticket: Adult ticket prices begin at $159, compared to the starting price of $164 when buying directly through Universal Studios. 

• One-day, park-to-park ticket: Child ticket prices begin at $156, compared to the starting price of $159 when buying directly through Universal Studios. 

• A one-day adult ticket begins at $101, compared to the starting price of $109 when buying directly through Universal Studios. 

• A one-day child ticket begins at $95, compared to the starting price of $103 when buying directly through Universal Studios. 

You can save money on ticket costs by purchasing multi-day admission. If you’re visiting for several days, this is an excellent way to get the best deal on Universal Orlando Resort or Universal Studios Hollywood tickets.

If you’re planning to visit more than one park and will be staying for several days, you can save money by taking advantage of Universal Orlando Resort’s two-free-days promotion. If you pay for a three-day visit, you’ll get two more days for free — that’s a five-day visit for a pretty attractive price.

Here’s what you can expect to pay for a park-to-park pass to visit Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure (You can visit both parks each day):

• Two-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Child tickets begin at $291.

• Two-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Adult tickets begin at $301.

If two parks aren’t enough for you, you can add on access to Universal’s Volcano Bay for an additional $35 per day. Visit all three parks each day. This would bring your ticket totals to the following prices:

• Three-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Child tickets start at $326.

• Three-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Adult tickets start at $336.

If you’re only interested in visiting one park per day, your ticket prices will be even lower:

• Two-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Child tickets begin at $231.

• Two-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Adult tickets begin at $241.

• Three-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Child tickets start at $266.

• Three-park, three-day ticket with two free days (five days total): Adult tickets start at $276.

If you’re visiting Universal Studios Hollywood, you can save money by purchasing a two-day admission ticket. Here is the lowest price you can expect to pay:

• Two-day admission ticket: Adult tickets begin at $149. 

• Two-day admission ticket: Child tickets begin at $143. 

You can also save money on park admission by purchasing vacation packages through Universal Studios.

You can create a package that includes airfare, admission tickets and your hotel or choose only a hotel-and-ticket combination. Packages typically include additional perks like early park admission, free ground transportation and special themed souvenirs.

These packages are sold directly on the Universal Studios website for both the Florida and California parks.

Florida residents can take advantage of a special discount on Universal Orlando Resort tickets. If you live in Florida, you save money by purchasing two-day and three-day ticket packages.

The following discount tickets are available to Florida residents:

One-park-per-day tickets:

• Two parks: Child tickets begin at $165.

• Two parks: Adult tickets begin at $173.

• Two parks: Child tickets start at $213. 

• Two parks: Adult tickets start at $220

• Three parks: Child tickets begin at $245.

• Three parks: Adult tickets begin at $253.

One-park-per-day tickets:

• Two parks: Child tickets start at $186.

• Two parks: Adult tickets start at $193.

• Three parks: Child tickets begin at $218.

• Three parks: Adult tickets begin at $225.

• Two parks: Child tickets start at $234.

• Two parks: Adult tickets start at $241.

• Three parks: Child tickets begin at $266.

• Three parks: Adult tickets begin at $273.

There are fewer discounts for California residents wanting to visit Universal Studios Hollywood. Occasionally Universal will offer residents one- or two-day discount tickets on its website, so always check there before purchasing tickets from somewhere else.

California residents can also purchase the California Neighbor Pass if they want to visit the park multiple times throughout the year.

If you intend to visit the parks several times a year, consider investing in an annual pass or a season pass. This could be a good option if you live in a neighboring city or state or have family or friends who live near the parks.

The following annual passes are available for Universal Orlando Resort:

• Two-park annual passes begin at $324 per guest for Florida residents. 

• Three-park annual passes begin at $424 per guest for Florida residents. 

• Two-park annual passes begin at $424 per guest for non-residents. 

• Three-park annual passes begin at $524 per guest for non-residents.

The following annual and season passes are available for Universal Studios Hollywood:

• Platinum Annual Pass: no blackout dates and is available for $619 online or $629 at the gate. 

• Gold Annual Pass: includes 325+ non-blackout days and is available for $319 online or $329 at the gate. 

• Silver Annual Pass: includes 275+ non-blackout days and is sold for $229 online or $239 at the gate. 

• California Neighbor Pass: a nine-month season pass with 150+ days of availability and is sold for $179 online or $189 at the gate. 

Payment plans are available in both locations.

In addition to booking hotels, airfare, rental cars and cruises, eligible Chase cardholders can book activities, including tickets to Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Another way to save money on Universal Studios tickets is to redeem cash earnings from a cash-back credit card to cover the cost of tickets. Doing this can essentially “erase” recent travel purchases.

Here are a few cash-back credit cards that allow you to redeem your cash-back earnings for a statement credit, which could save you money on your ticket purchase:

You can also save money by redeeming rewards from travel credit cards to cover the cost of airfare or hotel stays and make your trip less expensive.

Here are a few travel credit cards that allow cardholders to use miles or get statement credits for travel purchases charged to their cards:

While these may not offer the best redemption value, it could make your Florida or California vacation more affordable.

Calculating the redemption value before using credit card points or miles to buy Universal tickets is good practice. Then you can decide if it’s a worthwhile redemption based on your goals.

Active and retired military members and their spouses can save on admission costs by purchasing tickets ahead of time at participating military ticket offices.

Universal Orlando Resort: Two- and three-park Military 2023 Freedom Passes are available for eligible service members. Prices start at $199 per adult ticket. Up to six tickets at this promotional price can be purchased, though keep in mind that blackout dates apply. Universal Studios vacation packages are also available for eligible military families.

Universal Studios Hollywood: Discounted military tickets are also available for Universal Studios Hollywood. These tickets aren’t sold at the box office. Instead, eligible personnel must purchase tickets in advance at a participating military ticket office.

Another option to get cheap Universal Studios tickets is to put your AAA membership to use. In addition to 24/7 roadside assistance, members can enjoy benefits like entertainment discounts.

AAA sells tickets for Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.

You could score discounted Universal Studios tickets if you belong to a warehouse club like Costco, Sam’s Club or BJ’s. While warehouse clubs charge yearly membership fees, a membership could help you save money on everyday living expenses and travel costs.

Check to see if your local warehouse club has Universal Studios tickets available to members in store or online before you buy tickets elsewhere.

Now that you know where to find the best Universal Studios deals, you can begin planning your theme park adventure.

A trip to Universal Studios on either coast can be an incredible vacation. If you’re on a budget, there are ways to save money on the cost of admission.

Take advantage of ticket discounts like the ones mentioned above to have fun without feeling the added weight of financial stress.

(Top photo courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood)