Merlin Entertainments has replaced the Discovery and Silver versions of its annual passes in the UK.
A new ‘Essential’ pass was launched on Wednesday, and is loosely equivalent to the former ‘Standard’ pass.
The Essential pass will allow entry to Merlin’s attractions on about 335 days a year, and has launched at a price of £139.
The former Standard and Premium passes were withdrawn in 2020 and replaced progressively with Discovery, Silver, Gold, and Platinum versions.
The off-peak Discovery pass typically permitted entry only during school term-time weekdays, plus some quieter weekends in the year.
‘Wider refresh’
Merlin said that the launch of the Essential pass and discontinuation of other products was part of a “wider refresh” designed to “simplify” its range and deliver “even better value across the board”.
The Essential pass offers no discounts on retail, food, or beverages. The silver pass had a 10% discount, whereas the Discovery pass had none.
The 20% discount on Gold and Platinum passes remains.
The company also announced on Wednesday that it had removed sign-up fees from the pay-monthly ‘Membership’ versions of annual passes.
The changes are the latest strategic change implemented under Merlin chief executive Fiona Eastwood, who replaced Scott O’Neil in November last year.
The move on annual passes is likely to be seen as an attempt to maximise revenue streams from theme park’s most regular customers.
Essential pass exclusion dates
2025
- 18/10/2025
- 25/10/2025-26/10/2025
- 31/10/2025
- 07/11/2025-09/11/2025
- 20/12/2025
- 25/12/2025
- 27/12/2025-28/12/2025
2026
- 14/02/2026 – 15/02/2026
- 05/04/2026 – 06/04/2026
- 03/05/2026 – 04/05/2026
- 24/05/2026 – 25/05/2026
- 01/08/2026
- 08/08/2026
- 15/08/2026
- 22/08/2026
- 29/08/2026 – 31/08/2026
- 17/10/2026
- 24/10/2026 – 25/10/2026
- 31/10/2026
- 06/11/2026 – 08/11/2026
- 19/12/2026
- 25/12/2026 – 27/12/2026