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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To let you know Merlin passes are now available to pay fo monthly

32 replies

Singlebutmarried · 30/10/2019 07:22

I’ve always ummed and aaahhed over getting these or not, but having spent a small fortune this year on individual day trips I decided to have another look and brace met self for the stinking great layout of cash.

But you can now pay monthly, initial payment of £30-35 pp depending on which option you choose, then £8.99 or £11.99 for 12 months.

So much more affordable, and we’ll go more because we can.

OP posts:

beefthief · 30/10/2019 10:21

Thanks for the info, Merlin employee.

woodchuck99 · 30/10/2019 10:32

I thought you meant that you can buy a pass for just one month but you are actually talking about a yearly pass for the same price. How is this "more affordable"?

Reachedsohigh · 30/10/2019 10:35

It's more affordable because you don't pay for it all at once, surely that's obvious? I pay my EH membership the same way and don't notice the £10 a month

MyDcAreMarvel · 30/10/2019 10:37

It’s not more affordable at all, it’s cheaper to purchase an annual pass in the January or summer sale.

woodchuck99 · 30/10/2019 11:30

It's more affordable because you don't pay for it all at once, surely that's obvious? I pay my EH membership the same way and don't notice the £10 a month

It's not obvious to me at all. That is like saying if you buy something with a credit card and pay it off over a year it is more affordable.

ThebishopofBanterbury · 30/10/2019 11:38

I'm not sure why some people are deliberately misunderstanding the ops post. It is more affordable as you can spread the cost. Quite simple really.

Reachedsohigh · 30/10/2019 11:51

@ThebishopofBanterbury because people like being deliberately awkward. More affordable doesnt always mean cheaper- £150 over 12 months is more affordable than £120 in one go for a lot of people.

insanecandycorn · 30/10/2019 11:53

To many people it would mean the passes were more accessible. I can imagine that some families would struggle to pay for passes in the sale after Christmas.

Rather than paying out a lump sum the cost is spread over the entire year.

EleanorReally · 30/10/2019 11:55

bit like National Trust, monthly direct debit

P1nkHeartLovesCake · 30/10/2019 12:01

That is like saying if you buy something with a credit card and pay it off over a year it is more affordable
Umm to some people that is how it is. Susan needs a new bed for her bad back, Susan wants a bed cost £600 she doesn’t have that as a lump sum to pay out. Susan does however earn enough to pay it monthly on her credit card. So surely you can see how that’s more affordable for her circumstances?? It’s not difficult to understand surely 🙄

Paying monthly will make the passes available to families that can afford £x a month but don’t have £££ to pay out in one go.

BarbaraofSeville · 30/10/2019 12:02

According to the website, it's actually very slightly cheaper to pay monthly than the full prices, assuming that you can't get a sale discount/special deal.

www.merlinannualpass.co.uk/compare-passes/new-passes

I suppose what Merlin hope is that you'll keep paying for ever and ever, rather than do what I suspect a lot of people do, which is buy the passes, go lots, and then not have them again, or not for a while. This way it's like having a pass continuously.

woodchuck99 · 30/10/2019 12:05

because people like being deliberately awkward. More affordable doesnt always mean cheaper- £150 over 12 months is more affordable than £120 in one go for a lot of people.

I'm not being awkward when I say that I don't think paying for something over 12 months means it is more affordable even if the overall cost is more because you aren't buying it when prices are lower. Few would argue that paying for something with a credit card makes it more affordable. They would usually say that if you can't afford to buy it in one go, save up and buy when it is cheaper or don't buy it. I don't see the difference.

Basecamp65 · 30/10/2019 12:09

Thanks for letting us know - I have always wondered about these but aware it is a big lump to pay our for 5 people as ours would be.

Personally I do not care if you are a Merlin employee or what - I am grateful for this information - its definitely more affordable for us.

Thank you also to the person who mentioned they are cheaper in the Jan sales - I did not know this either so I will look in Jan and decide between the two options.

Surely people are in different circumstances so having multiple options on how to pay for something is good and having people tell you about these options is great - I really do not understand why people are finding this concept difficult.

woodchuck99 · 30/10/2019 12:09

Umm to some people that is how it is. Susan needs a new bed for her bad back, Susan wants a bed cost £600 she doesn’t have that as a lump sum to pay out. Susan does however earn enough to pay it monthly on her credit card. So surely you can see how that’s more affordable for her circumstances??

I might think it the only thing she could do in that circumstance but no I don't think that makes it more "affordable" if she was paying the same price or more.

highheelsandwitcheshats · 30/10/2019 12:13

I'm with the OP on this. We have membership to our local STEM museum. For the 4 of us to go for one visit is over £50 entry. Or I pay £10 for us to go through the year unlimited. I'd rather do that. It means that we can pop in for two hours rather than feel obligated for six to get our monies worth.
I've looked at Merlin passes and discounted them because we didn't have that initial outlay. So this is interesting to me.

Original poster

Singlebutmarried · 30/10/2019 12:14

Definitely not an employee

Quite happy in my job thank you

I just thought that it might be something people would like to know (I found out about it on a family Facebook group)

For me, laying out best part of grand at obce is less preferable than paying a smaller amount monthly.

OP posts:

highheelsandwitcheshats · 30/10/2019 12:18

I'm on the Merlin website.
Standard pass
Individual upfront price - £179pp
Individual monthly price - Joining fee £29.99. Monthly charge £8.99. Total over 12 months. £137.87.

Actually laid out exactly like that on the website.

What say the more affordable doubters now?

highheelsandwitcheshats · 30/10/2019 12:19

Even bigger saving for the Premium.
Upfront - £229
Monthly - £178.87

BarbaraofSeville · 30/10/2019 12:23

If you buy family passes for 3 or more people, you can get one off annual passes for a similar price as the monthly subscription, so the saving in that case is very small in the first year, but most people would find it easier to pay monthly than annually.

You just have to watch for paying for months on end and not using the passes, but some people might like to have them all the time and go repeatedly to the attractions. Plus it's quite a bit cheaper in year two and beyond as it's only £9 a month with no joining fee.

Another advantage would be for a single parent family of one child, as they can now access the cheaper family price not previously available to them.

highheelsandwitcheshats · 30/10/2019 12:24

A family standard pass is £139pp, so it's on par with that. But allowing you to spread the cost.

The joining fee plus first month makes it so that your initial outlay is roughly the equivalent of a single annual pass.

Most people are more likely to have £130 to spare than £500.

highheelsandwitcheshats · 30/10/2019 12:26

I don't mind not using my membership to our STEM museum for months on end. I got so much use out of our membership in the first two months that I was already well in 'profit'. I imagine the Merlin passes would be similar. We also did the same with NT.

As long as you finish the year having visited enough times to have covered the payments, then it is going to be cheaper to be a member.

Reachedsohigh · 30/10/2019 12:27

@woodchuck99 perhaps you would prefer the term 'more accessible'
Yes, technically I could save £30 then £10 a month per pass for a year and buy one in a sale, realistically this wouldn't happen though unless we had no days out. Or I could pay £30 then £10 a month per pass to Merlin and have days out with no extra outlay for admission.

charm8ed · 30/10/2019 12:42

I always brought mine in the January sale but if the monthly payment plan had been available when I has the passes I would have paid monthly. Same as I prefer to pay for gym, cineworld and National Trust memberships.

greypetex · 30/10/2019 12:44

My god people are horrid.

Thanks OP.

MyDcAreMarvel · 30/10/2019 12:46

But it’s not more affordable than a sale pass. Instead of paying for a monthly pass put that money to one side and in 12 months time buy a sale pass.
Struggling to pay all in one go makes no sense , you just save in advance.

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