Do you plan on buying one of GA's new Membership plans?

[Yoshi]

20 minutes ago, Matt Kaiser said:

 

According to Jenn McGrath's interview with SFNEonline, you will be blocked from reserving parking for 30 days if you reserve and don't show up.

 

http://sfneonline.org/2018/03/09/six-flags-membership-passes-q-six-flags-new-england/

That's good to hear, 30 days is probably enough to get people to really think about if they are going to use the spot or not. I wish Hershey would do something similar with their season pass lot where it is blocked off, someone is controlling access and could reserve a spot online. There is really nothing stopping a non pass holder from using the lot.

[Lemur]

Just now, Yoshi said:

That's good to hear, 30 days is probably enough to get people to really think about if they are going to use the spot or not. I wish Hershey would do something similar with their season pass lot where it is blocked off, someone is controlling access and could reserve a spot online. There is really nothing stopping a non pass holder from using the lot.

 

As opposed to the folks who just drive around the barriers to get to the preferred/handicap area?  The parking lot is like Thunderdome some days.

 

(My other favorite, the handicap placard holders who make their own spaces in the van accessible areas.  Awesome.)

[SAM527]

On 3/11/2018 at 7:45 PM, Matt Kaiser said:

 

The incentive is the larger discounts and expanded benefits. If you don't see the value in those higher tiers, then simply don't upgrade.

 

The $70 credit for pass holders is because we already paid for 2018 in advance. It's a refund on that purchase so we aren't being charged double for 2018. You haven't paid for 2018 yet since you pay as you go, so there's nothing to refund you.

 

Based on what the page says for the season pass holder credit, it sounds like they will not be giving credit for season dining passes, and they will only transfer your already purchased dining pass to the new membership. (which is BS because that's still robbing me of $35)

 

I really don't know what I should do, upgrade now or wait until 2019. Their rolling out of nearly anything is almost always a mess and not well thought out and I've seen a lot in the 43 years I've been going to the park.

 

I'm not expecting to get anything credit wise for something I haven't paid for, my main complaint is upgrading and not seeing the discount for the dining pass that's already paid for while others are seeing a credit for something that they already paid for. Woohoo, they won't charge me another processing fee, that's pretty much an insult. Another thing that could have been a good idea would have been automatically upgrading the combo gold memberships since they aren't selling those anymore to the gold plus level membership. 

[The Master]

3 hours ago, Yoshi said:

That's good to hear, 30 days is probably enough to get people to really think about if they are going to use the spot or not. I wish Hershey would do something similar with their season pass lot where it is blocked off, someone is controlling access and could reserve a spot online. There is really nothing stopping a non pass holder from using the lot.

 

Usually Hershey has security guards checking drivers for SPs before allowing them into the SP parking lot. But it still fills up fast. 

[Lemur]

10 hours ago, SAM527 said:

Another thing that could have been a good idea would have been automatically upgrading the combo gold memberships since they aren't selling those anymore to the gold plus level membership. 

 

Yeah, but then there's no incentive to go Platinum or higher.  If the average person is paying the basic $10 and change (because they didn't call and threaten to cancel), the $7.10 for a Gold membership is losing $3 of revenue per pass (except for those who have negotiated a lower rate).  They want Gold Combo holders will automatically go for Platinum or higher just to retain their value.

[hollyferry]

Has anyone successfully upgraded their membership  (not pass!)

GA just called me back, and the rep really had no clue. All she kept saying was "follow the instructions on the upgrade page".

What I gathered: 

When you so the upgrade, it gives all the new options and dining. You can also put multiple order # into 1 "order" now so everything is together. (When I first got our memberships, my youngest didn't need one. Once he did, I was unable to add him to my current membership. Same thing with the dining. So I currently have 4 pmts each month: 4 memberships,  4 dining plans, 1 membership, 1 dining plan.)

Just watch for those who have a current membership and plan on upgrading. She said the first pmt will come out immediately. Since I just had my current pmts come out a few days ago, she suggested that I wait until closer to the best pmt date before upgrading so I don't end up paying twice in the same month.

She did say I'm not the first person to complain about lack of notification . 

[29yrswithaGApass]

On 3/9/2018 at 5:28 PM, Matt Kaiser said:

 

The real question: Are you becoming 39yrswithaGApassand1yrwithaGAmembership?!

 

Good question.  I am still undecided.  The biggest benefit for me with the upper tier memberships is the merchandise discounts to keep my memorabilia collection up to date.  I would be more sold on the idea if they had an annual payment option where  you could pay all at once.  I am not a fan of recurring charges.

[Lemur]

21 minutes ago, 29yrswithaGApass said:

 

Good question.  I am still undecided.  The biggest benefit for me with the upper tier memberships is the merchandise discounts to keep my memorabilia collection up to date.  I would be more sold on the idea if they had an annual payment option where  you could pay all at once.  I am not a fan of recurring charges.

 

So set up a Paypal account to fund your membership.  Deposit the monthly payment X 12.  

[SAM527]

9 hours ago, hollyferry said:

Just watch for those who have a current membership and plan on upgrading. She said the first pmt will come out immediately. Since I just had my current pmts come out a few days ago, she suggested that I wait until closer to the best pmt date before upgrading so I don't end up paying twice in the same month.

She did say I'm not the first person to complain about lack of notification . 

 

That's really good to know, and no credit or refund...not surprising. My payment comes out the 5th of each month so my best payment date will be the 4th lol. This will give me more time to think about it. I'm also waiting to hear what other people with memberships experienced during upgrading. I really don't want to do anything yet, or maybe even at all this year if I'm just going to put out even more money without being able to use all of the benefits.

[Matt Kaiser]

1 hour ago, SAM527 said:

 

That's really good to know, and no credit or refund...not surprising. My payment comes out the 5th of each month so my best payment date will be the 4th lol. This will give me more time to think about it. I'm also waiting to hear what other people with memberships experienced during upgrading. I really don't want to do anything yet, or maybe even at all this year if I'm just going to put out even more money without being able to use all of the benefits.

 

I'm not sure if this counts for "upgrading", but for canceling, you need to give 2 weeks notice before the desired final payment date. So you may need to cancel/upgrade by March 21st in order for April 5th to be the last payment.

But like I said, not sure if that counts for their convoluted "upgrade" process. 

 

https://feedback.sixflags.com/membersupport/cancelyourmembership.aspx

 

Quote

You must submit your cancellation request at least 2 weeks prior to your final desired payment (for example, if your regular billing day is the first of the month and you want your Membership to end May 31 you would need to submit your cancellation request April 15 (two weeks prior to your May 1 payment).

 

[hollyferry]

4 hours ago, Matt Kaiser said:

 

I'm not sure if this counts for "upgrading", but for canceling, you need to give 2 weeks notice before the desired final payment date. So you may need to cancel/upgrade by March 21st in order for April 5th to be the last payment.

But like I said, not sure if that counts for their convoluted "upgrade" process. 

 

https://feedback.sixflags.com/membersupport/cancelyourmembership.aspx

 

 

I asked that, 3 times, and she told me no,  it's not cancelling. They actually are rolling them over to the new payment date.  So say your billing date is 4/1, but you upgrade on 3/25, the 25th is your new billing date.  If your currently billing date is 4/1, and you upgrade on 4/5, the 5th becomes your new billing date... but you have now paid twice for that same month. I'm going to upgrade mine at the end of the month, so I'll let you guys know what happens lol

[Matt Kaiser]

7 hours ago, hollyferry said:

I asked that, 3 times, and she told me no,  it's not cancelling. They actually are rolling them over to the new payment date.  So say your billing date is 4/1, but you upgrade on 3/25, the 25th is your new billing date.  If your currently billing date is 4/1, and you upgrade on 4/5, the 5th becomes your new billing date... but you have now paid twice for that same month. I'm going to upgrade mine at the end of the month, so I'll let you guys know what happens lol

 

Gotcha, so it's "canceling", but not "canceling."

[Matt Kaiser]

Update:

The system for 2018 season passholders to upgrade to the new memberships, which was supposed to be available March 15th, has been pushed back to March 19th.

[Matt Kaiser]

Final Update:

 

As of today, the upgrade button is now available for 2018 season pass holders in the season pass portal: https://mypass.sixflags.com

I haven't done it yet, but as previously announced, you get the amount you paid for your season pass in Bugs Bucks to use at your home park for food and merchandise. Any existing dining plan or season flash pass will be transfered to your membership at the park.

[rj1972]

If anyone opts to convert their season pass to a membership this year, I'd be curious what their rationale is. It's tough for me to wrap my head around receiving a $67 Bucks credit in order to purchase a membership for $85.20, $109.20, $145.20, or $217.20. With that said, once 2018 is over, I can see the logic in making the switch.

 

I'm sure some will switch as a result of Six Flags marketing, and the emotional aspect of jumping to Diamond Elite, but other than for the preferred parking, I just don't see the logic at this time of the year.

 

On a different note, If membership rates are truly going to remain fairly stable (no big Labor Day sale), I'm wondering how they are going to handle the price for the Season Flash Pass, Photo Pass, and so on. I paid $199 for my season flash pass, but it's now at $399. Of course, one could argue that it's still only $199 with the Diamond Elite membership 50% savings.

[gafreak]

Im going to wait to update my membership til later in the season, i see no reason to spend the extra cash earlier for the pass as its not busy, nor is a lot of the food stands open.

 

[Matt Kaiser]

5 hours ago, rj1972 said:

If anyone opts to convert their season pass to a membership this year, I'd be curious what their rationale is. It's tough for me to wrap my head around receiving a $67 Bucks credit in order to purchase a membership for $85.20, $109.20, $145.20, or $217.20. With that said, once 2018 is over, I can see the logic in making the switch.

 

 

So the main things I want from Diamond Elite membership are below, with my thoughts on each:

• member-only entrance:  hopefully it's adequately staffed
• preferred parking: more of a nice to have, but I will gladly use this to its fullest
• 50% off food and merch: I don't usually buy that much, but I will probably buy some more merch with this discount. Plus I may use this to eat at Panda more often.
• Member-only appreciation days and ERT: I'm not expecting much from these, but I'll list them. Sort of a FOMO thing.
• Two skip the line passes per visit: Possibly the biggest seller for me
• Fright Fest Wristband every visit: This is like a $45 value. I'm just hoping there's some option to cheaply upgrade to Express for when I need it
• Premium Show seating? Maybe? Could be nice? Not really until Fright Fest, though...

On the question of "do I need it now?" -  I would definitely like most of these benefits this year. Could I wait a few months without them? Maybe, but then the season pass "refund" gets pro-rated, so it's still losing money. (They don't say how much it will get pro-rated, just that it's based on the number of times you visit the park. So If I visit too much in spring... I may just lose out on that $67, potentially effectively spending more for the first 2-3 months than I would have with a Diamond Elite Membership.)

 

It's also worth noting that I'm only paying for myself, and not a whole family, so I don't consider it that expensive. It's still less than Cedar Fair, but has way more benefits/perks. (quantity over quality, I guess, but not necessarily a bad thing)

 

In closing, the only thing holding me back from upgrading right now is the dining pass. They won't "refund" it like the season pass and will just transfer it to the membership. That sounds fine and great, except for the fact that I paid $85 for it, and the same service actually only costs $52 per year for Diamond Elite members,  so I am still being overcharged. Plus, even if I give in and absorb that $33 scam, it will be a nightmare to add-on dining membership next year due to Six Flags' absurdly broken "work-arounds" to do simple actions like upgrading your membership level or adding anything on. They have to do some work manually, make you cancel your current membership, buy a new membership, and re-enter a new 12-month contract because of "technical limitations". So, I could potentially lose out on the current rates for both the membership itself and the membership dining.

Edited March 21, 2018 by Matt Kaiser

[rj1972]

Nice run-down of the perks that are enticing you, Matt.

 

The perk that I really value is the preferred parking. The 50% off food is a non-issue with the dining pass. The two line skips are definitely nice, but I can’t see visiting Six Flags without a Flash Pass. $199 for an all season flash pass is a no-brainer, given how inexpensive everything is at Six Flags. I’m not one to stand in a 90 minute line for a run-of-the mill coaster. 

 

In terms of the Fright Fest perks, we don’t do the mazes and such, so again, not a selling point for me, but likely for many other people.

 

 I am intrigued by the member entrances; however, they also have season pass entrances, and we can see how well that works. 

 

 My plan is to do nothing until the end of 2018. We may then revert back to Disney World season passes for a year, and take a hiatus from SixFlags, which is the pattern we generally follow. 

 

Again, thanks again for your thoughts. 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2018 by rj1972

[Matt Kaiser]

2 hours ago, rj1972 said:

 I am intrigued by the member entrances; however, they also have season pass entrances, and we can see how well that works. 

 

 

What they've had for the past few years are just some loosely labeled lanes. The new member entrances should have much better visibility, separation, and enforcement (based on photos I've seen from SFMM).

I'm hoping there's member entrances at both security and the main gate, otherwise it's a bit of a bust.

 

This also just reminds me how much of a gamble upgrading right now is. There are so many unknowns about how SF will implement and execute many of these perks, that many of them are probably going to end up being too good to be true.

[Lemur]

I think the biggest stumbling block, other than dealing with transferring dining plans, will be the functionality of the skip-the-line passes.  If people need to stand in line to get them, there is no point.  Which could potentially lead to the park interpreting the relatively low number of vouchers picked up as the perk being unpopular and not the victim of people not wanting to stand in line for what they paid for.  They must find an effective and efficient way to deal with this perk that doesn't include people standing in line for more than 10 minutes.  It defeats the purpose otherwise.

[Matt Kaiser]

Also, you need to choose which rides you want to skip when you pick up the skip-the-line passes. (That's how Texas is currently doing it, and how Great Adventure handled the skip-the-line pass for people who purchased during the Flash Sale)

[SAM527]

I'm going to wait to upgrade my membership partly because of the dining pass issue. I'll let that run out at the end of the year and then go from there. I also think it's going to take them some time to work out the kinks that are bound to happen and everyone understanding the different levels on top of the pass confusion. Especially with Gold, if I'm right there's a Gold pass, Combo Gold membership and a Gold Plus membership. Anyone that has Gold is going to think what they have applies to them. Signage should be crazy and trying to explain it. 

 

I'd be happy if they really do what they say this time with a member entrance, in the past that hasn't worked too well. I also have a Discover card and with all the times I went last year, it was only open one time that I saw. The preferred parking entrance will really need some work now, it takes only one car to back up everyone else in that one lane, which I was in that line more than once. 

 

I'm looking forward to a new season starting....whenever that will be!

[Matt Kaiser]

40 minutes ago, SAM527 said:

I'm going to wait to upgrade my membership partly because of the dining pass issue. I'll let that run out at the end of the year and then go from there. I also think it's going to take them some time to work out the kinks that are bound to happen and everyone understanding the different levels on top of the pass confusion. Especially with Gold, if I'm right there's a Gold pass, Combo Gold membership and a Gold Plus membership. Anyone that has Gold is going to think what they have applies to them. Signage should be crazy and trying to explain it. 

 

They do not sell Gold memberships any more, just as a season pass. I am interested to see how they handle that issue with grandfathered regular & gold members not being able to use the member-only entrance. If they let them use the member-only entrance then they also need to let season pass holders use it for this year since they had sold these passes for months with the selling point that they have the same benefits as their equivalent memberships.

 

To clarify about the dining pass issue: because of the increasing dining discounts, the issue is the worst with Diamond Elite, but not as bad with Platinum. (Deluxe Dining comes to $78 per year with a Platinum membership, compared to $52 per year for Diamond Elite membership)

If you only want Gold Plus, it's actually cheaper! Premium Dining is $108 per year with Gold Plus, so if you only paid $85 for your Premium Dining Pass this year, you're actually making out with a $23 discount on dining! That would come out to $170 ($85 Gold Plus + $85 Pr.Dining) for the first year of Gold Plus and transferred Premium Dining.

[Lemur]

On 3/21/2018 at 8:10 PM, Matt Kaiser said:

Also, you need to choose which rides you want to skip when you pick up the skip-the-line passes. (That's how Texas is currently doing it, and how Great Adventure handled the skip-the-line pass for people who purchased during the Flash Sale)

I can see how that may bother someone who's there to do all the coasters in one day.  I'm a planner, so this works for me, and I'm there often enough that I rarely have any have-to-do rides.  I even opt out of the safari after the third or fourth visit.

[owtoty]

On 3/23/2018 at 8:57 AM, Lemur said:

I can see how that may bother someone who's there to do all the coasters in one day.  I'm a planner, so this works for me, and I'm there often enough that I rarely have any have-to-do rides.  I even opt out of the safari after the third or fourth visit.

But you can probably just pick them up later in the day right? Maybe after a few rides you realize you want to do the Safari and kingda ka which both have long waits, so you pick them up then. I really wish you could do it all in the app though.