Alton Towers Deals

Update 11.47am Tue 29 Mar: This was a popular deal with MoneySavers last year. Carex has said you can likely still find promotional bottles but cannot confirm which stores – so this is more of a can you find them? It might be worth having a look in discount stores and independent pharmacies as they will most likely have some remaining stock.

Look for promotional bottles of Carex handwash (£1ish at most supermarkets), to get half-price entry to three attractions – Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures and Sealife Centres and Sanctuaries (normally up to £60ish). This deal is great if you have an uneven number in your party, as it'll work out cheaper than the 2for1 deals.

To get your half-price entry, you must pre-book your tickets online via this special special Carex link and select which attraction you’d like to visit. Once you’ve chosen, you’ll automatically be shown half-price tickets. One promotional bottle gets you one half-price entry, so if you want to use this for multiple tickets, you'll need multiple bottles.

When you arrive at the attraction, you'll need to show the 'v' code which you can find on the back of the promotional bottle. We're not sure if just taking the sticker will be enough, so it may be best to take the whole bottle with you, if you can, or you may have to pay the on-the-gate price. 

Alton Towers allows you to book half-price tickets for up to four adults, four children and two under-threes in the same booking. Chessington World of Adventure’s lets you book for up to 10 adults, 10 children and two under-threes and Sealife allows you to book up to five adults, five children and two under-threes.

The voucher's valid until 31 May 2022, so if you buy a bottle now, you'll have a month to use it. There are some date exclusions though. 

Vouchers from the 2020 promo have been extended till May 2022

If you still have an unused voucher from when Carex ran this promotion in early 2020, it'll have an end date of 31 May 2021 – but Merlin has confirmed its extended these vouchers to 31 May 2022. 

Prefer a different attraction? See our round-up of current theme park deals which include 2for1 offers and MoneySaving tips & tricks. 

Look for promotional packs of Kellogg's cereal and snacks including Corn Flakes, Coco Pops, Crunchy Nut and Rice Krispie Squares (£2ish-£3ish at most supermarkets), to get a 'Free Adult Ticket' voucher for 29 UK Merlin theme parks and attractions. To get the free ticket, you'll need to purchase a full-price 'on-the-gate' child or adult ticket (normally up to £60ish).

Kellogg's also says single Nutrigrain and Squares bars are included in the promotion, so the cheapest option would be to buy one of these (less than 70p at most supermarkets). 

The vouchers can be exchanged for entry at Alton Towers, Legoland, Chessington, Sea Life Centres, Madame Tussauds and more – see the full list of Merlin attractions. 

This deal can be particularly strong if going with a child, and is valid till June 2023

Effectively this is a 2for1, as you'll need to buy a full-price adult or child ticket to get the free adult entry. However, this can actually work out better than a 2for1 if you’re going with a child as children's tickets are generally cheaper than adult ones at many attractions, which is the case at Sea Life, Chessington and Madame Tussauds.

What also makes this deal particularly 'grrreat!' is the voucher's valid until 30 June 2023, so get it now and you've plenty of time to use it. There are some date exclusions per attraction though.

Of course, if you aren’t going in a pair, it’s worth checking to see what other deals are available. See our round-up of current theme park deals to check which is best for you.

Pre-booking is essential

You'll need to pre-book your tickets in advance via this special Merlin link. Note you'll still need to pay the on-the-gate price for the paid-for ticket. You can do this using the unique 10-digit code printed inside the cereal box. Kellogg's says you must show your original on-pack voucher when you visit. 

If there's no code (eg, on snack packs such as Rice Krispie Squares, Nutrigrain Bars and Fruit Winders) you'll need to select the 'snack pack' option when booking. Kellogg's says you must show your original on-pack voucher when you visit. 

Update 12.44pm Tue 29 Mar: This was a popular deal with MoneySavers last year. We've asked Seabrook if you can still find promotional packs of crisps but it hasn't yet confirmed – so this is more of a can you find them?

Look for promotional multipacks of Seabrook crisps (£1 at most supermarkets), to get a 'Free Adult Ticket' voucher for Alton Towers. If your party is an odd numbered group, you can still use this 2for1 offer, but to get the cheapest price the odd numbered person should use the Carex 'half-price entry' offer instead. Or alternatively, you could all use the Carex offer. 

To get the free ticket, you'll need to purchase one full-price 'on-the-gate' adult ticket via this link (normally up to £60ish) in advance, and enter the eight-digit voucher code from the crisp packet when prompted – you’ll then get free entry for one other adult (12+ years) or child. The voucher's valid until 31 May 2022, so if you buy a pack now, you'll have over a month to use it. Seabrook has confirmed you don't need to bring the crisp packet with you. It also told us the promotional packs would be readily available in stores until the end of Sep 21, so they may be harder to find now.

You must book tickets in advance, and you'll need to either print your tickets at home and bring these with you to the attraction, or show your e-ticket at the entrance gate at Alton Towers. It's worth checking opening dates and times before your visit, and there are some date exclusions. See the full terms and conditions.

If you're not going in a pair, it’s worth checking to see what other deals are available. See our round-up of current Theme park deals to check which is best for you.

If you register with Days Out Guide and buy a National Rail ticket, you can get 2for1 entry to 80+ UK attractions, including Thorpe Park, Kew Gardens, Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers and Legoland Windsor (see the full attractions list). You must pre-book the attraction tickets – on-the-gate purchases are no longer eligible.

You'll need to click on your chosen attraction on the Days Out Guide website and register or login. A 2for1 code will generate onscreen. Copy it, and click through to the attraction's own website and use the code right away to book two tickets online. On arrival at the attraction, you'll need to present these alongside a valid train ticket dated for the same day.

If you don't present a valid train ticket at the attraction on the day, you'll be required to purchase your second ticket on the gate.

What if I live near the attraction/am travelling by other means?

It's worth doing this even if you are not travelling by train as a cheap single ticket can be available for a couple of quid, far cheaper than the entry ticket price (Legoland Windsor is the most expensive at up to £53).

Just stop by the nearest station on your way and pick one up, then present it alongside your pre-booked tickets at the gate. Crucially, your rail ticket must show that you have travelled to one of the stations nearest the attraction. So for Thorpe Park, you need to have a ticket with an end destination of Staines or Chertsey. 

For savings on travel, see how you can swap Tesco points for discounted Railcards.

Convert Tesco Clubcard points into Tesco Reward Partners vouchers* and on many attractions you get three times the vouchers' face value to use on tickets, eg, £5 in points converts into £15 worth of vouchers. Can be used at theme parks, wildlife parks and more.

Here are some of the theme parks you can select:

Alton Towers
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Chessington
Legoland
Thorpe Park
Edinburgh Dungeons

And some of the wildlife parks:

Eden Project
Blackpool Zoo
Longleat Safari
National Sea Life, Birmingham
Sea Life, Blackpool

For how to fully maximise Clubcard points, see the Loyalty Schemes guide.

Look for promotional multipacks of Cadbury chocolates, including Dairy Milk Freddo and Buttons (norm £1ish), to get a voucher for 2for1 entry at more than 20 Merlin attractions.

If you have a voucher from 2020, Cadbury has told us these are valid until 30 Sep 2021 and any vouchers you've picked up this year are valid for use until 31 Jul 2022. The promotional packs will be readily available in stores until October, after which they'll be harder to find. 

Attractions include Thorpe Park, Legoland, Alton Towers, Chessington, Sea Life centres, the Dungeons, Madame Tussauds and more. Some dates are excluded at selected attractions, including some in August – see 'more info' below.

Just present the voucher at your chosen attraction when buying one full-price on-the-gate adult ticket (usually up to £53) and another person will gain free entry.

Promotional packs (like the ones above) are expected to be in stores until October 2021, but they're subject to availability, so could be snapped up sooner.

How much can I save?

As on-the-gate tickets cost up to £53 at Legoland, this deal could save you £52 if you buy one of the cheapest promotional packs of chocolate and want two tickets. Even compared with buying tickets online in advance, where they’re generally cheaper (but still as much as £44 each at Legoland), you'd save a significant amount with this deal.

There’s also the added benefit of not having to commit to your plans seven or more days ahead – allowing you to wait and see what the weather’s like, and simply rock up at the gate with your voucher.

Before using the voucher, you should compare this offer against others to see if there's a better one for you (see all theme park deals).

There are always ways to save money at Alton Towers, so even if there isn’t a cracking deal out there that works for you, don’t assume you can’t cut your costs further.

Ways to save include:

• Offers for email subscribers. If you sign up to the Alton Towers email newsletter you'll receive special offers direct to your inbox.


• Redeem loyalty points. You can get up to 75% off theme parks by converting Tesco Clubcard points into Tesco Boost tokens. See out Loyalty Points Boosting guide.


• Get an annual pass. If you’re planning multiple visits, you can buy an annual Merlin pass for 12 months' unlimited entry into a range of attractions including Alton Towers. It normally costs £169, or less per person if you're buying for a family, but look out for promotional discounts.


• Check out similar theme parks. If you’re not committed to visiting Alton Towers, have a look at other Merlin attractions including Legoland Windsor, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park.


• Want more? Read our Cheap Theme Parks and Cheap Days Out guides for more MoneySaving tips.


• Had a problem with Alton Towers? There’s a free online tool you can use to complain – it helps draft, manage and if necessary escalate your complaint. It’s offered by a firm called Resolver, which we like so much we work with it to help people get complaints justice – you can use it to complain to Alton Towers*.

If you spot any hot deals out there we have missed (we are human after all!), please let us know in the MSE forum, email us at msedeals@moneysavingexpert.com or via Twitter @MSE_Deals.