Universal City, CA — The Diamond Annual Pass, at $999.95, is Universal Studios Hollywood’s new top pass, $400 above the Platinum’s $599.95 list price. It adds Universal Express from park open, a free VIP Experience ticket and a free Universal Fan Fest Nights ticket, and like the Platinum it includes one free Halloween Horror Nights ticket.
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Until the Diamond, Universal Studios Hollywood sold four passes, the California Neighbor Pass and the Silver, Gold and Platinum Annual Passes, with the Platinum on top. Universal’s pass page now leads with the “All-New Diamond Level,” which costs $999.95 online or $449.95 down and $50 a month on FlexPay.
What the Diamond Annual Pass Includes
Universal’s store lists the Diamond as “Platinum Annual Pass benefits PLUS” Express from park opening, the VIP Experience and Fan Fest Nights tickets and a 20% in-park discount. With the Platinum’s benefits counted in, the Diamond includes:
- No blockout dates for 12 months from the first visit. Universal says reservations may be required for return visits.
- Universal Express from park open: one-time (per day) express access to each ride, attraction and seated show. The Platinum gets it only after 3 p.m.
- One free Halloween Horror Nights ticket, general admission, by advance online reservation on select nights. The Platinum has the same ticket.
- One free Universal Fan Fest Nights ticket, on the same reservation terms. No other pass includes it.
- One free VIP Experience ticket, reserved by phone on select dates after the pass is activated on the first visit.
- 20% off select in-park food, beverage and merchandise. The Platinum and Gold get 15%.
- Free general parking, except entry after 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in April, May, September and October. Valet, Front Gate and Preferred Parking aren’t included.
- The pass member discounts that come with other passes too: discounted Halloween Horror Nights and Fan Fest Nights tickets, discounts on day tickets for friends and family, and 10% to 15% off at participating CityWalk locations.
Halloween Horror Nights and Fan Fest Nights Tickets
The free Halloween Horror Nights ticket is one general admission ticket per Diamond pass. It needs an advance online reservation, it’s good on select nights only, and reservations close when a night’s general admission tickets sell out. The Fan Fest Nights ticket works the same way. Universal’s comparison table, its main FAQ and the Diamond’s terms all list the Halloween Horror Nights ticket, while the FAQ on the pass page itself still names only the Platinum.
On a FlexPay pass that has gone month to month after its first year, Universal’s FAQ says the member gets one free ticket to each calendar year’s Halloween Horror Nights, Fan Fest Nights and VIP Experience, as long as the monthly membership is valid on the date of the visit. The Diamond’s Universal Express doesn’t work at either event, because both are separately ticketed.
Fan Fest Nights returns on select nights from April 16 to May 16, 2027, and Halloween Horror Nights runs Sept. 2 to Oct. 31, 2027. My story on the 2027 dates has Universal’s whole 2027 calendar for the park, and my Universal Fan Fest Nights guide covers both years of the event so far.
Universal Express and the VIP Experience
Universal Express on the Diamond gives one-time (per day) express access to each ride, attraction and seated show, beginning at park open. Express is a separate line with a shorter wait, and it doesn’t apply to food and retail locations or non-seated shows. The Platinum’s Express starts after 3 p.m., and Universal’s Platinum wording excludes Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, the coaster that opened Sept. 16, 2026. The Diamond’s wording doesn’t list that exclusion. Diamond Express isn’t valid for Early Access tickets either.
Universal sells the VIP Experience as a separate day ticket from $359.95, with unlimited Express, an expert guided tour that includes the Universal Studios backlot, a VIP meal and valet parking. The Diamond includes one VIP Experience ticket. It’s reserved by calling Universal’s VIP team at (818) 622-8477, for select dates only, and only after the pass is activated on the first visit. Guests must be at least 5, and children under 17 need an adult chaperone. Universal’s pass member page lists these 2027 blockout dates for the free VIP ticket: Jan. 1 to 7, March 20 to 31, April 1 to 4, June 18 to 30, July 1 to 25, Nov. 20 to 27 and Dec. 20 to 31. The ticket isn’t valid at Halloween Horror Nights or Fan Fest Nights.
Price, FlexPay and Renewal
- Price: $999.95 online or $1,009.95 at the front gate. Universal’s current sale, up to $50 off, covers the California Neighbor, Silver, Gold and Platinum passes, not the Diamond.
- FlexPay: $449.95 down, then $50 a month for 11 months, at 0% APR. FlexPay is sold online only and needs a U.S. billing address, and the contract can’t be cancelled in the first 12 months.
- After the first year on FlexPay: the pass renews month to month at 1/12 of the then-current price until you cancel. Universal’s FlexPay FAQ puts that at $83.32 a month for the Diamond today.
- Renewal: $849.95 for a paid-in-full Diamond, 15% off, from 30 days before to 60 days after the pass expires. The renewal discount isn’t available on FlexPay passes.
Can You Upgrade to the Diamond Annual Pass?
“Upgrades are available for most full paid Annual or Season Passes,” Universal’s FAQ says, and “Tickets purchased with the monthly payment option, FlexPay, cannot be upgraded at this time.” Only a pass paid in full can move up to the Diamond.
A paid-in-full passholder upgrades at the Universal Box Office inside the park, where Universal checks eligibility, by paying the difference between the current pass and the higher tier. That difference can’t be spread over FlexPay payments. Universal doesn’t give a deadline for an upgrade during the pass year. At renewal time, 30 days before to 60 days after the pass expires, a paid-in-full Annual Pass member can switch to the Diamond at the $849.95 renewal rate through their Universal Account.
FlexPay contracts “cannot be upgraded to higher tier passes due to technical limitations,” Universal’s FlexPay FAQ says. A FlexPay member who wants the Diamond turns off auto-renewal and buys the Diamond under a new contract when the 12-month contract ends.
Diamond vs. Platinum and the Other Passes
Prices are Universal’s online prices on Nov. 11, 2026, with the regular price in parentheses where a pass is on sale.
| Pass | Online price | FlexPay | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Neighbor | $169.95 ($179.95) | Not offered | Over 160 days for return visits across 9 months |
| Silver | $199.95 ($219.95) | $149.95 down, then $4.55 a month | Over 290 days for return visits |
| Gold | $279.95 ($299.95) | $179.95 down, then $9.10 a month | Over 335 days for return visits, free general parking, 15% off in the park |
| Platinum | $549.95 ($599.95) | $289.95 down, then $23.64 a month | No blockout dates, Express after 3 p.m., one free Halloween Horror Nights ticket |
| Diamond | $999.95 | $449.95 down, then $50 a month | No blockout dates, Express from park open, free Halloween Horror Nights, Fan Fest Nights and VIP Experience tickets, 20% off in the park |
Universal’s store says the Gold includes the Silver’s benefits, the Platinum includes the Gold’s, and the Diamond includes the Platinum’s.
Universal’s Theme Park Results
Comcast’s Theme Parks revenue fell 4.4% in the third quarter of 2026, and its adjusted EBITDA fell 17.1%. Comcast said revenue fell “primarily due to lower revenue from park admissions, including from the impact of increased promotional activity.” Comcast doesn’t break out Hollywood’s results. “Hollywood should benefit from the recent opening of the new Fast & Furious coaster,” Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong said on the Oct. 22 earnings call. My story on Universal’s quarter has the rest.
My Universal Studios Hollywood Guides
- Universal Studios Hollywood guide: what opened in 2026 and the year’s events, now with the Diamond.
- Universal Fan Fest Nights: the 2027 dates and what I thought of 2025 and 2026.
- Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2027: the Sept. 2 to Oct. 31 dates and every 2026 house, ranked.
- Halloween Horror Nights tickets: every ticket type, Hollywood included.
Where to Buy the Diamond Annual Pass
Universal sells the Diamond Annual Pass and the other passes on its pass types and benefits page, where FlexPay is offered at checkout. For a single day, Fever sells Universal Studios Hollywood’s Universal Express ticket, with 1-day admission and one-time express access to each ride, and no booking fees. See Fever’s dates and tickets.
