Search

Comic-Con 2026

Purchasing for Others: A Returning Registration How-To

Excited to return to Comic-Con 2026 with your favorite people? Keep reading to maximize your chances of getting their badges during Returning Registration.

E. Olaes © 2024 SDCC

If you attended Comic-Con 2025 with a paid attendee badge, our first badge sale for Comic-Con 2026 is dedicated to you. Comic-Con 2026 Returning Registration is a special opportunity to join us again, and it’s even better when your friends are right there with you. Wondering if you can buy badges for them? The answer is yes—if they’re eligible.

Ready Your Squad

How Many Can You Buy For?

Eligible participants can purchase badges for up to three (3) eligible people total during the badge sale, and that includes yourself. If you’ll be buying badges for yourself, you can buy for two other eligible members if you’re granted a registration session.

Who’s Eligible?

Anyone you are purchasing for MUST also be eligible to participate in Returning Registration, which means they must also have attended Comic-Con 2025 with a paid attendee badge. You will not be able to purchase badges for someone else if their account is not eligible for this badge sale.

What You’ll Need

First, have them verify their account is eligible. Next, you will need their Comic-Con Member ID and last name exactly* as it appears on their account (special characters and punctuation included). Then, you’ll need to know the day(s) they would like to attend.

*PRO TIP: If you are purchasing badges for others, have them log in to their Member ID account ahead of the sale and send you a screenshot of their Member ID and last name so you don’t run into any issues.

Making Badge Selections

Below the instructions on the registration page, you’ll see two tabs: “Registrants” tab and a “Register Another Member ID.” Which tab you use depends on who you’re purchasing for. If you want to attend Comic-Con 2026, review the “Pick Your Badges” steps below. We recommend adding your badges to the cart first before making any other selections.

Pick Your Badges

  1. Stay on the “Registrants” tab. If you’re logged in to your own account, your account information will be auto-populated here. Under “Registration Options,” select each day you’d like to attend from the available inventory and then press “Add to Cart.”
  2. From the pop-up that confirms your badge has been added to the cart, select “Register Another Member” to purchase badges for others. Do not proceed to checkout until everyone’s badges have been added to the cart.

Pick Badges For Others

  1. Click the “Register Another Member ID” tab. Enter the Member ID and last name of a friend you wish to buy badges for, and press “Search.” If the Member ID and last name combo locates a match, their account name will show up in a green box below the “Search” button. 
  2. Under “Registration Options,” select each day they’d like to attend from the available inventory and then press “Add to Cart.” 
  3. From the pop-up that confirms their badge has been added to the cart, select “Register Another Member” to purchase badges for another eligible member. Do not proceed to checkout until everyone’s badges have been added to the cart.

Badge Inventory

If someone selects all available badges for you during their registration session, and then you enter into your own registration session, you can no longer select badges for yourself since it has already been done so by a friend. You can, however, purchase badges for up to three other eligible members if inventory is available.

Use your 15-minute session wisely, because inventory can sell out while you have badges in your cart. Your badge selections are not secured until you successfully process your order. 

Want more information? Check out our detailed Returning Registration instructions HERE.

Adding and Removing Days During The Sale

After you’ve added badges for someone to your cart, you’ll be able to modify their badge selections directly in the cart.

After all selections have been made for you and/or your friends, head to checkout and into the payment portion of the process where your credit card and billing information will be needed.

If you want to REMOVE badge days, click the red “X” next to the badge in your cart.

If you want to ADD badge days, click the “View Details / Manage Add-ons” button below …

the registrant’s name in your cart. You’ll be able to check the box next to the badges that still have inventory available. Then, click “Save.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • REMEMBER: Badges cannot be transferred. Do not purchase a badge for someone under your own Member ID. It cannot be transferred to another account after the sale.
  • If you’re logged in, do not search for your Member ID and last name on the “Register Another Member ID” tab. Your account is already identified on the “Registrants” tab.
  • Do not forget to verify your friends’ details before the day of the sale. If they have special characters, spaces, and/or punctuation in their Member ID or last name, it must be included for the system to locate their account.

What to Expect After Your Purchase

Watch your inbox for a few days after placing your order. You’ll receive emails confirming your order and payment status.

Order Acknowledgement Emails

As soon as your purchase is complete, each badge holder will get an order acknowledgment email confirming their badges. Keep an eye on your inbox (and your spam folder!) to make sure you receive this important confirmation. It includes information on badge shipping, badge pick-up, and refunds.

If you had a badge purchased for you, you’re not in the clear just yet! If there are any issues with the payment, the buyer will be the one notified. Make sure they let you know once their payment is processed successfully.

Badge Confirmation Emails

Once we’re closer to the event, we’ll send out badge confirmation emails to all attendees with a unique barcode. Bring your badge confirmation with you if you don’t receive your badge in the mail this summer. You can resend a copy of your badge confirmation from the “My Orders” section in your Member ID account at that time.

Payment Processing

Only one form of payment can be submitted with your order. If you’re purchasing for others, make sure to work out payment details ahead of time! Comic-Con can not intervene if you purchase a badge for someone and they don’t pay you back.

When you check out, the total amount of your purchase will be marked as “Due Later” and your payment will be processed within 72 hours. We will begin processing credit cards and an email notification will be sent to the buyer if the payment went through successfully or if it was declined.

If the payment submitted for your group’s badge order is declined, the buyer will receive an email notification with an opportunity to submit a different method of payment for the entire order. We’ll attempt to charge your original method of payment once per day for up to 30 days. If payment is not successfully processed within that time, your badge—and any other badges in your order—may be at risk of being canceled.

Children

Children ages 12 and under can attend Comic-Con for free with a paying adult and cannot be registered in advance. If you successfully purchase a Comic-Con 2026 badge, you will be able to pick up a child badge on-site at the event. To determine if your child qualifies for a child’s badge or is now considered a junior who needs their own account to participate in badge sales, please head to our Child Badge Policy page to learn more.

Not all eligible attendees will be able to purchase a badge during Returning Registration. There are far more eligible attendees than available badges. Entry to the waiting room does not guarantee you a badge or registration session. We encourage you to bookmark Toucan – the official blog of Comic-Con and WonderCon and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and X for more up-to-date information regarding Returning Registration.