Ticket magnetic strip curiosity

[Funforall]

I've always been curious about what the magnetic strip on the passes remembers.

Is the magnetic strip a link to a computer that holds all of the info about the ticket- who bought it, how many days, the hand scan, etc.?

Or does the actual ticket keep that info on it? I've had problems in the past with the hand scan and was wondering if the info got erased from the ticket but I seem to remember the other info still on the ticket.

Just wondering.

[CleveSJM]

Good question. The current keys are not smart cards. They just have a magetic stripe with a unique identifier that links to a computer system that holds all the information.

Smart cards are more popular in Europe. They look like they have this little chip on the middle right side of the card. They actually hold more information but are usually used like the a regular magnetic stripe card and all the information is stored on the network for security and stabilty reasons.

[DizneyRox]

Is the magnetic strip a link to a computer that holds all of the info about the ticket- who bought it, how many days, the hand scan, etc.?

All that and more. Fastpass requests, the actual days/times the ticket is used, which parks. If it's a room key, it can then be tied to the room, any charges you make onsite, etc. And then at that point, it's also tied to ADRs, and prior and future visits, etc.

[Funforall]

Thanks for the info. Sometimes I wonder about things and sometimes I actually find out.