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If you want to save money at Six Flags Theme Parks, get in line. Just kidding! My family loves Six Flags, but I always wish I had some Six Flags discounts — the costs add up and those lines are the worst.
I’ll show you how to avoid all the extra costs and find some Six Flags discount tickets and workarounds on season passes, general admin tickets, parking, line-skipping passes, food, drinks, lockers, and everything else you need to know.
Get ready to become a professional at outsmarting Six Flags so you and your family can enjoy your park visit without going broke!
Limited-Time Offer: Get a free upgrade to Platinum when you buy a Gold Spring Break Season Pass promo (Six Flags Great Adventure)
For a limited time you can get a free upgrade to a platinum season pass when you buy a gold season pass for Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey) when you use the code AZCIVCP5 during checkout. This Spring Break Pass sale is an email exclusive that can save you $25 and gives you a few additional perks skip the line access (only valid at theme park) and a free one-time use friend ticket (valid for select days April 10 – May 5, 2023). You can buy up to four passes with the Spring Break Pass promotion.
1. Six Flags increased ticket prices for 2022, and now Six Flags discounts are harder to find.
During the summer of 2022, Six Flags announced during an earnings call that they would be raising their prices. They no longer want to be seen as a “daycare for teenagers” and they want to “migrate away from attracting the Kmart, Walmart, and Target” crowd and instead attract customers who will pay full price.
What?
If you think this is discouraging, I am right there with you. Although a quick search for “how much are Six Flags tickets for Magic Mountain in California” shows that the online price of $65 is the same as it was last year, the price at the gate has gone up to $119 (from $89). We will have to wait and see what other changes Six Flags puts into place across the board, but you know we’ll keep you updated as we hear.
2. Get instant Six Flags discounts when you buy one-day passes online.
Ticket prices — and savings — vary depending on the particular day you want to visit, and which location you want to visit. Ticket prices for most of the Hurricane Harbor parks are the same at the gate or online, but you can save up to 58% on theme park tickets if you buy online.
Related: Keep your travel costs down low when you visit one of these cheap places to travel in 2023.
3. Create your own Six Flags discounts and save up to 60% by committing to a specific date.
General admission Six Flags tickets are between $44.99 – $89.99 (depending on location), and with those tickets, you can show up whenever. But buying tickets in advance online at SixFlags.com or in the Six Flags app for a specific day of the week can significantly cut down on your admission price.
I recently saw a $79.99 day pass to Six Flags Great America for $29.99. That’s like a $50 off Six Flags coupon — or 63% savings just if you picked a Thursday to go to the park. The downside is you commit to a certain day, and you can’t change it or get your money back.
Related: If you’re looking to save money at other parks, check out our ways to save big on your summer amusement park trip.
4. Save up to 60% on Six Flags tickets if you go early spring or fall midweek.
Six Flags ticket prices vary based on the day of the week and month of the. year. You can find cheap tickets online if you go to parks midweek in April, May, September, and October.
During the warmer months, you can also grab ticket deals on the weekend.
For example, you can get a ticket to Six Flags Magic Mountain Friday, Sept. 4, 2021, for $34.99 (reg. $55) and Saturday, Sept. 5 for $24.99 (reg. $65). That’s 36% and 61% savings.
TIP: Parks in cities with colder winters don’t tend to open until March or April.
5. Use the code COKE for 50% off general admission Six Flags tickets (when they’re not on sale).
Each year, Six Flags offers a Coca-Cola promo which requires you to bring a Coke can to save a few bucks on a one-day ticket. Before you go break up your six-pack, for the 2022 season you can save 50% on regularly priced one-day tickets when you use the code COKE online. While Six Flags says you can’t use the code at waterparks, I found a few that worked.
You can use the promo at the following parks:
- Hurricane Harbor, Concord, CA
- Hurricane Harbor, Los Angeles, CA
- Magic Mountain, Los Angeles, CA
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, San Francisco, CA
- Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta
- White Water, Atlanta, GA
- Hurricane Harbor, Chicago, IL
- Six Flags Great America, Chicago, IL
- Six Flags New England, Springfield, MA
- Six Flags St. Louis, MO
- Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ
- Great Escape/Hurricane Harbor, Lake George, NY
- Hurricane Harbor, Arlington, TX
- Six Flags Over Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Six Flags Fiesta, San Antonio, TX
- Six Flags America, Washington, DC
6. Save up to 50% per ticket when you go with a group of 10 or more people.
If you can’t get your hands on any other Six Flags discounts, call up friends, and go together as a group. You can get a group rate if you have 10 – 20 people minimum at most parks. Get your group tickets online.
Rates for a group of 10 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California will run $44.99 per person instead of $89.99 per person, saving you each $45.
7. Six Flags tickets for children under 2 years old are free.
Get this Six Flags discount with no proof of age required!
If you’re worried about not being able to go on all the rides, Six Flags offers a Kid Swap program that lets you and your partner swap looking after your kid while the other rides.
8. Buying a 2022 Six Flags Season Pass online is like having 70% off Six Flags discounts.
For the 2022 season, you can score Six Flags season passes for about what you’d pay for general admission when you buy them online. Instead of paying $99.99 – $199.99, you can buy a season pass for as little as $49.99.
At the beginning of the season, Six Flags New England, Massachusetts sold their $179.99 regularly priced season pass for $49.99. That’s the same price as a one-day admission if you bought it at the park!
9. Buy next year’s season pass in the fall and use it this year.
Six Flags starts selling their 2023 season tickets the last week of August in 2022. For an extra $10 or $20 (depending on the park) you get next year’s season pass with parking and can use it for the remainder of the current year. Check these prices out:
- Buy a Hurricane Harbor, Phoenix, AZ 2022 season pass for $49.99, or pay an extra $10 for a 2023 season pass, parking included!
- Buy a Six Flags Great America, Chicago, IL 2022 season pass for $59.99, or fork over another $20 and get a 2023 season pass with parking and start using it immediately.
10. Buy the cheapest Six Flags season pass near you and use it for all U.S. theme parks.
via Facebook
Depending on where you live, you can save some bucks when you buy a season pass online for a Six Flags park, even if it’s not your home park. For example:
If you live around Six Flags Magic Mountain or Hurricane Harbor (LA), buy a season pass at Magic Mountain for $79.99, and you can use it at HHLA, plus all the other Six Flags theme parks in the U.S.
If you make the mistake of buying your season pass at HHLA for $49.99, you have two options: be happy with your one-park season pass and don’t visit Magic Mountain or any other Six Flags parks, or buy a two-park season pass that allows you to visit MM and U.S. parks, but it’ll cost you $90, an extra $10. So, why would you do that? Buy it at Magic Mountain.
Here’s the catch: You have to visit the park that you bought the pass for and physically activate it there. So, if you live in Arizona and bought a season pass online for Magic Mountain, time for a road trip! But then again, why would you do that when you can buy a $54.99 season pass for Hurricane Harbor AZ and use it at Magic Mountain, saving you $30 over the Magic Mountain season pass?
11. Buy the Season Parking Pass for about $65 to $80 if you’re a season pass holder.
The Season Parking Pass costs about $65 to $80 per year (compared to $25 – $35 per day to park). You have to have a Season Pass before buying a Season Parking Pass, but the parking pass will pay for itself after two or three trips to the park. If you’re only planning on spending two days at the park the whole year, skip the pass.
- Hurricane Harbor, Phoenix, AZ suspended
- Hurricane Harbor, Concord, CA suspended
- Hurricane Harbor, Los Angeles, CA $65
- Magic Mountain, Los Angeles, CA $65
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, San Francisco, CA $75
- Six Flags Over GA, Atlanta n/a
- White Water, Atlanta, GA suspended
- Six Flags Great America, Chicago, IL $65
- Hurricane Harbor, Chicago, IL suspended
- Hurricane Harbor, Rockford, IL n/a
- Six Flags New England, Springfield, MA suspended
- Six Flags, St. Louis, MO $79.99
- Hurricane Harbor, NJ n/a
- Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ suspended
- Six Flags Darien Lake, NY n/a
- Great Escape/Hurricane Harbor, Lake George, NY n/a
- Frontier City, Oklahoma City, OK suspended
- Hurricane Harbor, Oklahoma, OK suspended
- Hurricane Harbor, Arlington, TX n/a
- Six Flags Over Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth n/a
- Hurricane Harbor Splashtown, Houston, TX suspended
- Six Flags Fiesta, San Antonio, TX n/a
- Six Flags America, Washington, D.C. n/a
12. Save 30% – 50% when you use your AAA card for Six Flags discounts.
I got a Six Flags Discovery Kingdom general admission ticket (any day) for $29.99. That’s 57% off a ticket at the gate.
13. Students, military, and other professionals can save up to 60% on regular Six Flags ticket prices with ID.me.
ID.me offers students, military, and other professionals discounts to theme parks like Six Flags. Register and verify your credentials on the ID.me website to save over 50% on tickets. I recently found a Six Flags Great Adventure (NJ) one-day pass for $29.50, regularly priced at $79.99. That’s 63% savings!
The best part about buying them through ID.me, on top of the savings, is you don’t have to pick a specific date to get the deal. I found expiration dates for tickets to be several weeks out, giving you plenty of time to visit.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind having to pick a date to visit, be sure to check Six Flags online prices against ID.me before you buy, as it may cost you more than if you buy it off the park’s website. For example, you can buy a one-day pass for Six Flags Great America Chicago, IL through ID.me for $32.99 (60% off reg. price), or you could buy the same ticket on the park’s website for $3 less.
14. Buy a Six Flags Membership — it’ll get you Six Flags discounts for in-park experiences.
While a season pass gets you into Six Flags, membership is all about in-park experiences for all you die-hard Six Flags fans. The cost of membership and what it gets you varies between parks.
As a member, you can get savings, upgrades, and freebies like funnel cakes, and double rides on paid attractions that are unavailable to season pass holders. In addition, you can get exclusive goodies like member ride times, member appreciation days, priority entry to concerts, and a bunch of discounts including:
15. Throw in some add-ons, go with a membership.
When you start adding on extras like a season drink bottle and THE FLASH pass, a membership is a clear-cut winner for savings over a season pass. To give you an idea of how much you can save, I broke down the most expensive Six Flags park — Magic Mountain.
16. Skip a Six Flags membership if you don’t plan on visiting OFTEN.
Of course, a Six Flags membership can get your goodies and savings on all kinds of things at Six Flags, BUT it’ll cost you. Unlike a season pass where you pay one time, a membership requires monthly payments for a minimum of one year. That means paying your monthly fee even during the off-season.
The only way to make up for the cold winter months is to use your membership and visit Six Flags as much as you can during the season. You can cancel your membership anytime after 12 months.
17. Save with a season pass if you don’t want any membership extras.
If your thing is all rides, then all you need to worry about is admission, parking, and food. Forget a Six Flags membership — stick with a season pass.
The memberships offer a bunch of discounts on food, merch, experiences, priority parking, etc. I calculated the difference for one of the cheaper parks, Six Flags, St. Louis, Missouri, and found you can save anywhere from $30 to almost $100 depending on the membership level if you’re a big Six Flags fan and want all those perks.
18. Join Six Flags Rewards to earn Six Flags coupons for free food, tickets, souvenirs, and more.
Season pass holders and those with memberships can join Six Flags Rewards, a loyalty program that lets you earn points at all U.S. parks and redeem on a ton of goodies. They change out the rewards, so what might be there today may not be tomorrow. The number of points you earn and redemption vary between parks, but here’s an idea of how you can earn points and a few examples of what you can get with them:
You can earn points by:
- Visiting the park: 50
- Riding rides: 3
- Seeing a show: 6
- Buying stuff: 25 (for every dollar you spend at the park)
You can also earn bonus points in other ways like the first time you open their newsletter and taking email surveys.
Rewards:
- Private character Meet & Greets
- Free games
- Free friend tickets
- Cabana rentals
- Tube rentals
- Shopping discount vouchers
19. Stay at a hotel near the park and use a shuttle service to avoid paying $25 – $35 daily for parking.
It’ll cost you $25 – $35 (preferred parking lot) per day to park your car at Six Flags. Depending on where you’re staying, you can opt for a shuttle service. Six Flags Over Texas offers free trolley service to guests that stay at local hotels, including the Courtyard by Marriott and Holiday Inn Arlington.
If you’re close enough to the park to simply walk, that’s even better. Consider walking back during the busy time of the day to take naps and eat lunch.
20. Download the Six Flags app to see ride wait times when you’re in the park.
Enable location services when you’re in the park, and you’ll be able to see expected wait times for rides in the Six Flags app under “Rides.”
21. Skip THE FLASH pass unless you’re visiting Six Flags on a summer weekend.
Just like paying to enter, paying to park, and paying to eat, Six Flags’ THE FLASH pass has multiple tiers of paying possibilities. The more you’re willing to pay, the more freely you get to bypass lines.
At the lowest tier, THE FLASH pass holds your spot in a real line and alerts you when it’s your turn to return and ride. At its highest tier, you basically don’t have to wait in line.
The lowest-priced pass is almost the price of your entrance ticket, though, so save this expense for when it’s most crucial — in the busy summer months.
- Bronze level reduces your wait time by about 25%
- Gold level reduces your wait time by about 50%
- Platinum level reduces your wait time by about 90%
22. Or, ride the most popular Six Flags attractions earliest in the morning.
Open the park and run to the most popular rides. I’m not kidding. If you want to save yourself the cost of THE FLASH pass and also not stand in lines all day, this is the way to go.
23. Only bring what you can fit into your (zippered) pockets.
Six Flags won’t allow you to take a backpack on rides, and the cost of a day locker inside the park averages $13 – $20, depending on which park you’re visiting. Only bring whatever fits into zippered pockets so you don’t lose your stuff mid-air on a roller coaster. Leave the rest in your car.
24. Buy souvenirs on Amazon, and surprise your kids with them at the end of your day at the park.
Six Flags souvenirs include everything from Looney Tunes merch to DC Comics merch. If you want to outsmart Six Flags by avoiding this cost but still want to get your kids something, plan ahead and buy Six-Flags-themed items on Amazon. Choose one souvenir per kid per day, and give it to them when they’re tired at the end of the day. Some ideas:
- Bugs Bunny stuffed animal
- Superhero toy figurines
- Justice League T-shirt
- Wonder Woman T-shirt
- Justice League hats
25. Sign up for the Six Flags newsletter for a chance to win free tickets.
via Facebook
Want to get into Six Flags for free? Sign up for the Six Flags newsletter for a chance to win two free tickets. You’ll know instantly whether you won. Good luck!
26. Always, always, buy a Six Flags Dining plan.
If you’ve ever visited a Six Flags park, you know you can’t get any cheap food and drinks unless . . . you get a meal plan add-on. Without a meal plan, expect to spend at least $12 – $15 per meal, $5 for a beverage, and $9 – $14 for a snack ($43 – $54 per person, for two meals, two drinks, one snack a day).
For a family of four, without a meal plan, you’ll spend $172 – $216 a day for two meals, one snack, and two drinks per person.
Even a one-day dining pass will save you money, knocking the per person (per meal) cost to $17.50, a savings of $25 – $37 a day! For a family of four, you save $100 – $146! How could you not buy this?
With a Premium Dining Plan, season pass holders can save 68% more than a one-day plan by visiting the park once a month. If you go twice each month, you save over 80%. Krazy.
27. Or just bring a lunch and eat in the parking lot.
Let’s face it, even with the Six Flags dining plan, it’s going to cost quite a bit to get your family fed at Six Flags, and unfortunately you can’t bring food into the park — unlike Disney parks. If you want to skip the cost entirely, bring a lunch to the park and keep it in your car.
When it’s lunchtime, you can leave to go to the parking lot and eat your lunch in your car. Just make sure you get a stamp so you can re-enter the park with no hassle!
TIP: At all Six Flags locations, you won’t be able to re-enter the park an hour before close. If you’re heading out for dinner and coming back to the park again, plan to be back before that time or you won’t be able to get back in.
28. The best food deal at Six Flags is the popcorn bucket.
via Twitter
You can expect a popcorn bucket at Six Flags to cost around $6.99 – $10.00 depending on which park you go to, but after you get it, it’s only $0.99 to get it refilled. Definitely worth it if you’re looking to snack on something while in line.
Plus, you can reuse the same popcorn bucket all season long to keep getting the $0.99 refills.
29. Order your food ahead on the Six Flags app.
Sure, you could spend time waiting in line for that World Famous Funnel Cake or chicken tenders. Or you could order them ahead on the app for pickup. This way, you can skip all the food lines and get around the park faster.
30. Beat the lines by eating earlier or later than usual.
Park goers tend to eat lunch at around noon – 1 p.m., so if you eat earlier or later than that, you can get on rides while everyone else is eating.
31. Buy a Premium Season Bottle — it’s like a Six Flags coupon for free refills.
The Six Flags Season Bottle is like having Six Flags coupons for free drinks. Once you buy one, you can fill it with unlimited amounts of soda or fountain drinks. You still have to carry the drink bottle around with you, and you still have to wait in lines to get it filled. But if you know you’ll want soda, and you know you’ll visit the park at least six times, it can pay for itself. Just make sure those zippered pockets are huge.
32. Shop the Six Flags Black Friday Sale
Pay attention to what your closest Six Flags Black Friday sale is. In 2014, for example, Six Flags New England offered buyers who bought 4+ season passes for $54.99 each, a free upgrade to GOLD, with free parking. In 2021, Six Flags Black Friday sale was purchase a Season Pass, and get it upgraded for free to a Gold Plus Season Pass. The offer was valid through 11/29/21, so look for something similar during Six Flags Black Friday sale in 2022.
33. Also check out the Six Flags Cyber Monday Sale
In 2022, we saw Six Flags offer a free Platinum Pass upgrade on Nov. 28. During the one-day sale, visitors could buy a Gold Pass for $89 and get an upgrade to a Platinum pass (reg. $99.99) which includes unlimited visits through the entirety of 2023, 15% off food and merchandise, unlimited visits to Hurricane Harbor LA, free parking, a skip-the-line pass, and two discounted friends tickets.
