Pressed Pennies Updates at Disney World for 2023 (Photos and Tips)

Save this post for later

Pressed Pennies are one of those classic things that people just go ape over. Especially Disney Pressed Pennies!

And I can’t blame them, I had hundreds of them growing up, and I saved every penny I ever got in case it would be shiny enough to be squished into a fun disney world pressed penny design!

I mean, what did parents do before pressing pennies? It’s the most creative thing. It’s low cost, and it keeps the kids totally entertained (though, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like doing it, because as an adult, it’s still my jam)

Does Disney World Have Pressed Pennies?

Yes! Disney World and the resorts still have pressed pennies, and they are still being updated for special events. There are a number of limited edition options ,and other fun presses like for the holidays. Prices and locations have changed significantly in the last few years.

How much are pressed pennies at Disney World?

Pennies are now One Dollar, but it will depend on the machine. Some machines allow you to use a dollar bill, or a credit card/mobile pay for the one dollar fee. Other machines are strictly card only (at 3 dollars), and then there’s even more machines where it’s 5 dollars for 8 coins card only, or One physical dollar for one coin. The Machine does not give change.

Can you use Magic Bands on the New Digital Pressed Penny Machines that no longer take coins?

No, you cannot use magic bands. The Payment Terminal will accept 1 and 5 dollar bills, Mobile Wallets, Contactless Debit/Credit Cards, but not the Magic Band.

Confused? Me too. It’s a lot to handle especially when you are in the parks enjoying the vacation, let’s dive into it more below.

This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you, and I may earn commission on qualified sales, check out my affiliate disclosure for more information and all the legal mumbo jumbo.

Pressed Pennies at Disney World are what exactly?

Real quick- for the folks that may not know, let me dedicate two sentences to explaining a pressed penny machine.

It’s exactly what it sounds like- you get some pennies and you pick a design and you squish them into a piece of metal that will forever carry your design.

Cool and kinda creepy- but we love it.

We store them in these little pressed penny binders and suddenly, smooshing change is hella cool. Who knew having a Disney World Pressed Penny Book would be such a prized possession?

OH and I got this super cute pressed penny picture frame (!!!!!) for my son for his birthday coming up- so now he gets to pick the pennies, press them, bring them home, pick the picture, and store them as a keepsake all for less than 20 dollars!

So why do we press pennies? Because they are such a fun and cool souvenir. They’re cheap, they’re unexpected, and they keep everyone entertained. Sometimes it’s the little things in life!

Disney World Pressed Penny Changes for 2023

Previously, you’d gather up your quarters and pennies and hunt for the machines around resorts and the parks. Or you’d have one of those fancy pocket finders.

But two things are new that could impact your trip.

Pressed Penny Change Number 1- Going Digital

No longer do you have to hunt for your pennies- because it’s gone DIGITAL. It’s such a delight to know that you can look up the designs ahead of time online! It saves you time in the park, and you won’t miss your favorite designs. There are so many new designs (and some classic ones that pop up unexpectedly!)

Or you can also go to the My Disney App and search for ‘coin machine’ and find yourself a full view of where they are located on the resort property.

I know you paid 100 dollars to step foot into Disney World but sometimes the real joy is finding a new pressed penny souvenir 🤣🤣🤣

My Kiddos are legit obsessed with pressed pennies and take great joy in finding new characters. Sure it’s decently ‘cheap’ souvenir, but showing them off is the best part… until they loose them!

The other day we were at Test Track in Magic Kingdom when my oldest had a legit fit. Like stomping, crying, I LOST MY PENNY fit. (Ya know, the kind NO parent wants to hear at Disney World) He had placed his Olaf penny in his pocket (and that’s not where it’s supposed to go FYI because he has a penny book) and lost it when he fiddled with it in line.

So we had to walk all the way back to the bathrooms over by Adventure Land and get a SECOND Olaf penny. Yeah it’s cheap, but what if He lost it at home and there was no replacement?

Thankfully we used our trusty pennybandz since he wanted to keep it safe on him. He already had one in his bracelet so I pulled out a necklace for him to store his prized Olaf penny. I highly recommend getting the bandz before you go (they come in adult and youth sizes) and they have the necklace from the picture online in a bunch of different colors.

Needless to say- Olaf made it home safely!

Number 2 Pressed Penny Change- Price Changes

They’ve gone digital TIMES 2.

Not once- but twice!

How do you go digital twice?

with payment of course!

Yes- you can finally order them with a debit card and with dollar bills. No more having to carry around change which is blowing my mind!

You can purchase with a card, or with mobile pay on all devices (but not gift cards!)

I feel like so much time is spent looking for the perfect penny (anyone else go and get new rolls from the bank 🤣🤣) and this takes some of the fun out of it- but also some of the stress and preplanning. It does make it easier to do this as a vacation and not something you have to lug change around for!

How much does it cost to press pennies at Disney World? Full list of Price Combinations and Options.

There’s the 1 dollar bill (not card) or all 12 for 10 dollars.

The 1 dollar bill (not card) or all 8 for 5 dollars.

There’s buying all of them for 3 dollars (card only), or 1 for 1 dollar.

Then there’s buying all of them for 1 dollar (cash or card)

Confused? me too!

But if you want pennies, plan to bring one dollar bills and also a card/mobile pay option for your collection.

But there’s some pros and cons to this new method like there is with any change.

Big CON is that you have to purchase the whole set of coins for 5 dollars if you pay with a card in most places. Some places are 4 dollars, and some places will let you purchase one penny for one dollar (talk about a huge markup!)

If you use a dollar you can purchase one. But this means that you now pay 1 dollar for a pressed penny (the irony here) instead of 51 cents.

IF you purchase with a card, that means you get EIGHT pennies for five dollars (again- a few places are 4 dollars for 5 to 8 pennies- the consistency is not there). Still not the same as using change, and you might end up with some designs you don’t want.

Plus, you aren’t able to select the pennies (and this can be a big deal if you like having new and unblemished pennies to get pressed!) We’ve tried it out several times and the pennies are all in good to excellent shape BUT we really like to find those quality clean pennies and some of the ones we’ve purchased are just ‘ok’. Not horrible, but certainly not top quality.

BUT THE PRO- is that you no longer need to carry change! You can just use a debit card or pop a dollar in the machine and tada! You’ve got some great souvenirs.

The Third Change for Pressed Pennies? Removing the Analog Machines

But it seems that the Analog pennies (where you have to bring and hand crank the penny) are being replaced everyday at the parks. One day it’s there, and the next day it’s been replaced with a fully automated penny pressing machine.

There are still some machines that are hand crank, but these are a small percentage. You cannot use your own penny. Most places are now the automatic cranks.

With all those changes, what’s still the same with pressed pennies?

Valid question and important to share for some of you that might not have been to the parks lately.

Pressed Pennies are still a great (and frugal!) souvenir and one of the cheapest ones even with the price increase for going digital (See number 2 above)

there’s still an incredible number of machines around the parks – and there’s still a map (it’s just digital in the app) and there’s still lots of fun characters and some super rare pennies too!

And there’s still some manual crank penny machines around Disney World.

So how much change do I need to bring to get these pressed pennies?

Let’s just say friend, you’ve got options!

You can do the traditional change method (but the new ones don’t accept change)

Or you can bring dollars or a debit card (but the old ones only take change)

My word of advice, bring 10 dollars in quarters, a roll of pennies, and some 20 dollars in 1 dollar bills. 30 dollars and 50 cents will get you quite a few pennies to choose from!

ALL of the coin pennies at Disney World have been replaced with digital. Bring 1 dollar bills plus a card.

This last trip I made, I spent 13 dollars in electronic penny purchases and then less than 5 dollars in quarters and penny’s I brought in with me!

Best Hacks for getting the prettiest pennies

On the old crank machines, anyone will tell you, the slower you crank, the better the image. The new ones, you aren’t able to control as well- but they seem to turn out pretty decent.

However- the new ones that choose the penny and press it without a crank can and do turn out ‘crappy’ 1/20 times. Don’t be upset if they aren’t ‘perfect’.

Once you get home, you can clean any pennies that are less than pretty- and it’s not hard! Simply use an eraser, or put them in some vinegar and you are good to go!

Pressed Pennies at Disney World- are you planning to press soon?

There’s a lot of new additions to the pressed penny adventures, but there’s also a lot of things that have stayed the same. Pressed pennies are still a ‘thing’ and it’s a joy to be able to share it with a new generation of penny pressers!

Leave a comment below if you have any pressed penny questions or tips for those visiting Disney World Soon!

Save this post for later