If you’ve never heard of Disney pin trading, you’re about to become a master of creating some of the most magical moments. It’s one of those park traditions that Disney doesn’t exactly shout from the rooftops, but once you know about it, you’ll spot it everywhere.
Disney pin trading is one of those park traditions that sounds like a small thing until you’re deep in it, hunting down the last pin in a set, swapping with a cast member outside EPCOT, and explaining to your family why you need just one more. It’s a scavenger hunt, a souvenir, and a full hobby all at once.
Here’s everything you need to know to get started, and a few things that’ll make the whole experience a lot more fun.
What Is Disney Pin Trading, Exactly?
Cast members throughout the parks and resorts wear lanyards or cross-body bags loaded with official Disney pins, and you can trade your pins with them, straight up. Find a pin you love on their board, hand over one of yours, and walk away with something new. That’s it.
It sounds simple, and it is. It’s also addictive in the best possible way. You can set out to complete a whole set, hunt down every pin from a specific character, or just go on a mission of pure discovery to see what you find. There’s no wrong way to do it.
Cast member pin boards have a limit of two trades per visit, but you can absolutely come back later in the day for another round. There are also pin boards posted around the parks, not just on lanyards, so keep your eyes open.
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Everything you need to start (and stay) in the pin trading game
How Pin Trading Works
| 1 | Get some pins — buy them before your trip online, pick them up at the parks, or bring some you already own |
| 2 | Wear or carry them — on a lanyard, a pin bag, or a keychain (more on this below) |
| 3 | Find a pin-trading cast member — look for lanyards or pin boards; they’re everywhere once you start noticing |
| 4 | Pick your pin — browse their board and find one you want |
| 5 | Make the swap — hand over one of yours, walk away with theirs. Up to 2 trades per board. |
What You Actually Need to Do It Right
A few things that make the difference between a fun hobby and a frustrating one.
You don’t need a lot of gear to get into pin trading. But there are a few things worth having before you walk through those park gates.
Non-Negotiable
Locking Pin Backs
Those cute rubber Mickey-shaped backs that pins come with are adorable, and ultimately fruitless when it comes to keeping your newly scored pin secure while bustling around Main Street. Locking backs are non-negotiable if you’re wearing pins in the park rather than tucking them away. Keep a stash on you so you can lock down any pin you pick up throughout the day. Nothing worse than finding your ultimate pin and losing it to the depths of a fireworks crowd.
The Classic Move
Pin Lanyards
A lanyard is the main way to display pins for trading in the parks and the fastest signal to cast members that you’re in the game. You can buy them in the parks, but at a serious markup. We recommend finding one that fits your style ahead of time, and we especially love styles with a pouch. A DFB team member got these for their kids’ first trip and used the pouch for trading pins, extra locking backs, and even gift cards. Ten years later, those same lanyards are still going strong.
Think lanyards are just for conferences? There are options.
Bag-Friendly
Clip-On Pin Keychain
Clips onto any bag and turns whatever you’re already carrying into a pin display. No lanyard, no problem.
For the Serious Collector
Pin Display Bag
A view-window bag that shows off your collection and protects it from the elements, with room left over for the rest of your park gear.
Where to Get Pins
You can absolutely buy pins once you’re in the parks, but buying ahead of time means you walk in ready to trade on day one instead of spending your first hour in the gift shop. It also means you’re not paying park prices for starter pins that are going straight into the trading pool anyway.
You’re not looking for your forever collection pieces here. You’re looking for pins you’re happy to swap. Save the special ones you actually want to keep and trade the rest. If you do buy pins in the park, we love a multi-pin blind bag to get started.
Disney Food Blog Picks
Everything you need to start (and stay) in the pin trading game
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
| ✓ | Kids get special treatment. Cast members are especially enthusiastic about trading with little ones. It’s genuinely one of the sweetest interactions in the parks. |
| ✓ | The 2-trade limit resets. You can come back to the same board later in the day for another round. |
| ✓ | Resort cast members count too. Pin trading isn’t just a parks thing. Hotel lobbies, restaurants, and resort shops all count. DVC kiosks are often a treasure trove of pin finds! |
| ✓ | A lanyard signals you’re open to trading. Other guests can ask to trade with you, too, not just cast members. Wearing a loaded lanyard is an open invitation to the whole community to sprinkle some magic on you. |
Bottom Line
Pin trading is one of those Disney things that sounds like a small side activity until it completely takes over your trip in the best possible way. Grab some pins before you go, lock them down properly, and just see where the day takes you.
We’ve rounded up all our pin trading must-haves in one place so you can add to cart and get back to the important stuff, like planning which rides to hit first.
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Everything You Need for Disney Pin Trading
Lanyards, locking backs, pin bags, and more. All in one place.
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