The 6 Best Ways to Buy Discount Universal Tickets

Universal Destinations & Experiences, which is the theme park arm of NBC Universal, powers some of the most beloved theme parks in the world, including Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Beijing Resort.

And the Universal theme park portfolio is only getting bigger, with its highly-anticipated Epic Universe set to open in Orlando on May 22, 2025.

For Epic Universe, at least, discount tickets are hard to come by. But especially for the other parks, there are multiple ways to save on admission, plus those extra costs you'll face like hotels and food.

NerdWallet poured over the best way to buy discount tickets to Universal's two U.S. resorts: both Universal Studios Orlando in Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood on the opposite coast in California. Here’s your ultimate guide to scoring discounted Universal tickets.

Universal tickets aren't cheap, typically hovering in the same price range as Disney tickets.

Before diving in to saving money on Universal tickets, here's an overview of how much they actually cost:

Universal Orlando Resort ticket prices

Tickets start at $119 per day for Universal Studios Florida or Universal Islands of Adventure, granting you access to one of those parks of your choice for one day. Though, Universal employs a variable pricing strategy, where high-demand days like weekends and holidays cost more.

From there, Universal sells add-ons, like the ability to hop between parks on one day. You might also buy a Universal Express Pass, which allows you to bypass the standard line in favor of a (typically) shorter line.

Universal also sells multi-day tickets, which are a higher net price, but amount to a lower price per day.

Universal Orlando versus Walt Disney World ticket prices

Universal Orlando Resort ticket prices are almost exactly in line with ticket prices for Walt Disney World, the competing theme park empire located not far away. There, ticket prices also start at $119 per day. But not only does Disney charge different prices per day, it also charges different prices per park.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, which was already one of the smaller parks, is undergoing a massive construction effort that's left it with even fewer rides than before. Though the construction is set to bring more stuff to do in the park down the road, including attractions themed to popular franchises including "Encanto" and "Zootopia." Tickets to Animal Kingdom often go for that lower $119 price point. Meanwhile, tickets to Magic Kingdom Park (the most popular of Walt Disney World's four parks) rarely drop below $139.

Universal Studios Hollywood ticket prices

Universal's California counterpart (which entails just one theme park) is actually slightly cheaper, with tickets starting at just $109.

Again, Universal's variable pricing strategy means high-demand days cost more. Like the Florida parks, you can also purchase add-ons like the Universal Express Pass.

Universal Studios Hollywood versus Disneyland Resort ticket prices

On some days, tickets to either of the two parks at the Disneyland Resort in California are actually slightly cheaper than Universal, with tickets starting at $104.

Again, though, prices vary by day, and add-ons like Lighting Lane (Disney's version of Universal Express Pass) can quickly balloon your overall cost.

With that in mind, here are some ways to save on Universal tickets:

Universal regularly runs its own ticket promotions — which almost always occur during off-season or shoulder season.

Particularly ahead of the Epic Universe launch, Universal is running a bunch of ticket deals at its Orlando parks to drive attendance before the mega rush that's anticipated throughout summer 2025.

Here are the best Universal ticket deals that come straight from Universal:

Universal Orlando Resort ticket deals

Dining cards for eligible stays: Certain packages (meaning a hotel and ticket purchased together) are eligible for a dining promotion, where you could get as much as $1,000 in dining credits to use across the property.

The value of the credit varies, but spending more on hotels and staying longer results in a bigger dining credit.

To get the credit, you must book before Feb. 12, 2025 and travel before April 10, 2025. There are also a few other stipulations, such as that you must stay at least four nights.

Buy two days, get two days free: If you buy a two-day ticket under this promo, you'll actally receive a ticket valid for any four calendar days during a seven consecutive calendar day period.

Save 30% on 4-night stays or longer at Universal's new hotels

As part of the Epic Universe opening, Universal is opening three new hotels. The first, Universal Stella Nova Resort, opened on Jan. 21. Another, Universal Terra Luna Resort, will open on March 25. The third, Universal Helios Grand Hotel, will open with the new park on May 22.

For stays at Stella Nova and Terra Luna, you can save if you arrive before April 10. Four-night stays or longer are eligible for a 30% discount. To get the deal, you must book by April 5, for travel on eligible nights before April 10, 2025.

Universal Studios Hollywood ticket deals

Universal Studios Hollywood currently does not have any deals on its site open to the general public. But, it is offering $50 off annual passes purchased online before April 23, 2025.

Authorized Universal ticket resellers can sell you tickets — and often for a cheaper price than whatyou'd get from shopping directly on the Universal ticket website.

If you do buy tickets from a site that's not Universal itself, just look for that important word — authorized. That indicates it's a Universal-approved ticket seller. Otherwise some scam sites might try to sell you tickets that aren't actually real.

Here are a couple Universal authorized ticket resellers that NerdWallet recommends:

AAA

AAA famously offers benefits on everything from hotel stays to restaurants around the world. It also sells discounted Universal tickets to members in certain locations.

In order to buy the tickets, you must be an AAA member (which incurs its own fees). But, it may be worth signing up for AAA, especially if you can take advantage of other discounts besides your Universal vacation.

Undercover Tourist

Undercover Tourist is one of the most popular websites for discount Universal tickets.

Ticket deals are generally a few dollars less than what you'll find on Universal's own website. For example, Undercover Tourist currently offers three-day ticket packages to Universal Orlando, which includes one day at the new Epic Universe park once it opens in May for $487. The same package is $491 on Universal's own website.

The savings aren't much, but at least — unlike AAA — no membership is required to shop with Undercover Tourist.

» Learn more: How to travel to Orlando on points and miles

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 and complimentary shuttles between hotels and theme parks. These packages are sold directly on the Universal Studios website for both the Florida and California parks.

For example, Universal Orlando has offers on vacation packages for stays between between May 22, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2025 that are booked between now and Dec. 10, 2025. For short stays, the savings are slim — just a $5 discount for two-night stays booked alongside a three-day ticket package. The longer you stay, the more you save. Seven-night stays at a Universal hotel bundled with tickets get you a $200 discount.

» Learn more: The best Universal Orlando hotels

Universal regularly offers deals for travelers who fit certain criteria, such as local residents or first responders.

Free tickets for first responders

In response to the Los Angeles wildfires, Universal Studios Hollywood is giving away what it calls First Responder Heroes Tickets.

All eligible active U.S.-based first responders are entitled to one complimentary general admission ticket, plus a 50% savings on up to three additional tickets. Tickets must be redeemed between now and April 10, 2025.

Universal defines eligible first responders as current paramedics/emergency medical technicians, firefighters, police officers/Sheriff’s deputies and National Guard members, with valid proof of identification.

Florida resident discounts for Universal Orlando Resort

Florida residents can take advantage of discounts on Universal Orlando Resort tickets and annual passes.

Right now, Universal is running a deal where Florida residents can get two additional days free after buying a two-park, one-day ticket online.

Tickets must be used before April 30, 2025, and there are a few other stipulations including that you must show valid identification showing you live in Florida.

There's also an offer where Florida residents can save $100 on any Florida resident annual pass.

Military discounts

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 2025 Military Freedom Passes are available for eligible service members. Prices start at $210 per adult ticket. Up to six tickets at this promotional price can be purchased, though 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, though the savings aren't huge (typically $4 off standard tickets and Universal Express tickets). Additionally, these tickets aren’t sold at the box office. Instead, eligible personnel must purchase tickets in advance at a participating military ticket office.

» Learn more: 3 ways to score military discounts

Warehouse clubs 

You can sometimes score discounted Universal Studios tickets if you belong to a warehouse club like Costco, Sam’s Club or BJ’s. Sure, warehouse clubs typically charge yearly membership fees, but they may be worth it — particularly if you're using your membership to buy more than just Universal tickets.

For example, you can currently buy a Universal Studios Hollywood Season Pass from Costco for $170.

We've mentioned season passes a few times above, and they can be worth it if you visit multiple times a year.

The cheapest Universal Studios Hollywood annual pass available to the general public, called the Silver Pass, costs about $200, meaning it can be worth it after roughly two or more visits. Just be aware of limitations, such as blackout dates.

For ultra-frequent visitors who also spend more on other in-park expenses, the Platinum pass, which has no blackout dates, could be worth it. It costs about $600, but includes other benefits including 15% discounts on food and merchandise inside the parks and free parking.

The cheapest Universal Orlando pass is a heftier $425. But, annual passes are in high demand this year, as annual pass holders are currently the only people eligible to purchase one-day tickets to Universal Epic Universe.

You can redeem your credit card rewards for Universal Studios tickets. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, you can redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for travel purchases through Chase's travel portal.

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:

Terms apply.

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 at least make for a way to spend your points — so you can save your cash.

» Learn more: How to purchase theme park tickets with points

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

Check out our guide to the best Universal hotels. Weigh the pros and cons of a Universal Express pass. And, start thinking about your first visit to Universal Epic Universe.

(Top photo courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood)