Tip Tuesday: To renew or not

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!


This week's Tip Tuesday is a work in progress -- in that I'm undecided whether this is a good tip to follow or not.


So here's the "stich:"


It's time to renew the ol' annual passes (a total of five). The problem is my next WDW trip won't be until January, unless I hit the lottery soon. Now if someone's got some sure-fire numbers they could give me.... but I digress.


So if I renew now (at a total cost of about $2550), I'll lose out on at least 3 months of the AP, though I will save around $47 per pass ($235 total savings). I'll still be able to use the APs for Marathon weekend and a summer 2012 trip, though they will expire at the end of Sept. 2012.


If I decide not to renew and purchase all new passes in January 2012 (about $2765 total), I'll spend $235 more total, but I'll have a full 12 months to use the passes, including for Marathon weekend in Jan. 2012, a summer trip and the possibility for a trip in December 2012 with an expiration date in early Jan. 2013.


So here's the tip in all this: Do the math! Just because it's time to renew doesn't mean you should or need to renew just yet. It may be a better over all "value" to not renew and purchase new annual passes so you can best take advantage of the 12-month window.


Some additional elements to consider: If you let your annual pass expire, you're no longer eligible to book AP discounted rooms until you purchase your new AP. This is a big consideration and something you must take into account before deciding to let the annual pass expire. This is one of the major factors I'm keeping in mind as I decide which route to take.


I'd like to hear your thoughts -- post a comment!!