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What is the Merlin Pass? UK cost and which UK attractions like Alton Towers, Chessington are included

With over 200 days entry to the UK’s top attractions on offer, here’s everything you need to know about the Merlin Annual Pass.

Nemesis Reborn at Alton Towers

Merlin Entertainments

Published: Monday, 8 June 2026 at 10:45 am

It's easy for days out to get expensive fast, especially when the whole family is involved. However, there are a number of schemes – including the Merlin Pass – that can bring down that price a little.

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To try and help, we’ve got guides on how to spend less on family days out, like how to get cheap Alton Towers tickets, how to get cheap Chessington tickets. Now, however, we’re also bringing you a guide to how to get into all three.

You see, with the Merlin Annual Pass, you can get access to over 25 incredible experiences and attractions across the country. From educational visits like the SEA LIFE centres and Warwick Castle, to landmarks like the London Eye and Blackpool Tower. Plus, you can also get entry to all your favourite theme parks like LEGOLAND, Alton Towers, Chessington, and Thorpe Park.

The pass gets you at least 200 days entry to all of these attractions as well as additional perks and discounts on your days out.

But what exactly is the Merlin Pass? And how does it work? Well, that’s what we can answer for you in this guide. Below, you’ll find exactly how the Merlin Pass works, where it can take you, what different types you can buy, and of course, how much it costs.

For more information about your next theme park trip, check out our Thorpe Park review and Chessington World of Adventures review.

Jump to:

What is the Merlin Annual Pass?

Croc Drop at Chessington

Merlin Entertainments

The Merlin Annual Pass is essentially a membership card that gets you into some of the UK’s top theme parks, landmarks, and family days out. From The London Dungeon to LEGOLAND, the pass allows you access to multiple attractions across the UK and can be used over at least 200 days in the year.

Described as “the ultimate passport to a year of epic togetherness” the annual pass is the easiest way of seeing all these attractions in a short space of time like the holidays. With 29 options available, you’ll be able to go from place to place without having to keep buying individual tickets.

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How does the Merlin Annual Pass work?

The Merlin Pass gives you at least 200 days of entry to 29 family attractions across the UK.

There are four types of passes – Essential, Gold and Platinum – which offer you a wider selection of dates as they go up in price. For the more basic memberships, you’ll come across a greater number of “exclusion dates” where you can’t get free entry to the attractions, but for the higher priced memberships, you’re looking at fewer exclusion dates and extra perks like free parking. But, for all the passes, you still get entry to the same amount of parks and experiences like Chessington, Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and more.

Each pass can only be used by one person and will carry their name and photograph. This means that families will need to purchase a pass per each member for everyone to get access.

Once you’ve bought the Merlin Pass, you can’t just turn up at the gates of these attractions, instead you’ll need to pre-book. Your pass will arrive digitally and will include a barcode and unique pass number, using these you can then find the date and time you wish to enter your attraction and can also enter the pass details for other members in your family. Then, voila! It’s time to head off on your epic day out.

Where can you go with the Merlin Annual Pass?

Sealife Brighton

Merlin Entertainments

The Merlin Annual Pass gives you access to 29 locations across the UK, from major theme parks to local SEA LIFE centres. Here is the full list of attractions you can visit:

What are the different types of Merlin Annual Pass?

There are three different types of Merlin Annual Pass, all giving you access to the same number of UK attractions. Where they differ is in terms the days you can visit these attractions and the various discounts and perks you can get while there.

As we’ve said, the cheaper memberships will include a larger number of dates you can’t book on. This often includes peak visit times like Saturdays and the summer holidays, so you’ll need to think carefully about if it’s worth it before you buy.

Meanwhile, the more expensive packages will have far less exclusion dates and will also give you additional benefits like special offers on food and drink and sometimes free parking.

Here’s a closer look at the three types of passes on offer:

Essential Pass

The Essential Pass gives you 339 days access to all the different attractions. The exclusion dates will now only be for peak dates.

The Essential Pass is only available to purchase as an Annual Pass.

Buy the Essential Pass from £139 per person at Merlin Annual Pass

Gold Pass

Now up to 364 days entry, the Gold Pass only excludes a very small number of dates. With this, you can also get free parking at some of the attractions, plus up to 20% off food, drink, retail, and hotel stays.

The Gold Pass costs £249 for the year, you can also snag one for £19.99 per month with a £49.99 joining fee.

However, you can currently save up to a whopping £50 on the Gold Pass, as monthly membership has been reduced to £16.99 while the Annual Pass is now £189.

Buy the Gold Pass from £249 £189 (save £50 or 20%) per person at Merlin Annual Pass

Platinum Pass

Lastly there’s the Platinum Pass, with no exclusion dates. Like the Gold Pass, this membership will get you 20% discounts on all the attraction extras and £5 off FastTrack tickets. In fact, the only significant extras compared to the Gold are a free Coca-Cola Freestyle cup, which comes with a lanyard and two re-fill vouchers, and Share the Fun vouchers, which allows you to get £19 tickets for family and friends.

The Platinum Pass is usually available for £299 a year, and on a monthly basis for £24.99 with a £59.99 joining fee.

You can also save up to £50 on the Platinum Pass, with the Annual subscription now costing £249 and £20.99 a month.

Buy the Platinum Pass from £299 £249 (save £50 or 17%) per person at Merlin Annual Pass

Take a look at the best UK concerts. Plus, the Merlin Summer Sale.

How much is the Merlin Annual Pass?

Jousting at Warwick Castle

Merlin Entertainments

As we’ve said above, each pass goes up in price starting at £139 and going up to £299 for the year. For the Silver, Gold and Platinum passes you can either sign up to a yearly or monthly cost, but we would recommend paying yearly, if you can, as this will actually work out cheaper.

How to buy the Merlin Annual Pass

To buy a pass for yourself, all you have to do is head to the Merlin Annual Pass website and select “Buy Passes.” Then, you can pick which pass you want (Essential Gold, Platinum) and will have to fill in your personal details, including a photo. After that your digital pass will arrive and you can enjoy dozens of attractions across the country.

You can also look at how to get cheap cinema tickets, how to get cheap Thorpe Park tickets and how to get Alton Towers tickets.

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Plus, how to get cheap Madame Tussauds London tickets and cheap London Dungeon tickets.

Authors

Olivia Garrett

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