Universal Studios Hollywood Refillable Cups – The Complete Guide!

Universal Studios Hollywood sells refillable cups that can be used at Coca-Cola Freestyle machines throughout the day.

A refillable cup costs $18 plus tax and includes unlimited drinks every ten minutes until the park closes. Discounts for multiple cup purchases and eligible annual pass holders are also available.

If you’re visiting Universal Studios Hollywood for more than one day, are an annual passholder or plan to return to the park in the future then keep hold of your refillable cup as when you return to the park you can reactivate it for $11 plus tax and once again used for unlimited drinks every ten minutes until the park closes.

What Are Universal Studios Refillable Cups?

Universal Studios Refillable Cups are big heavy-duty plastic cups with a lid, straw, and a handle. The standard refillable cup has Universal Studios Hollywood branding on the outside. However, special events such as Halloween Horror Nights often have their own designs.

Universal Studio’s refillable cups have an RFID chip embedded inside the bottom (which can not be accessed without cutting the cup open). When you purchase your cup for the first time, the staff member will place the cup on a special machine at check-out and activate the RFID chip.

Then when you go ahead and use the cup at one of the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines around the park you’ll be required to place the cup and subsequently the embedded RFID chip on a scanner which will then allow you to select the drink you’d like from the machine.

How Much Do Refillable Cups Cost At Universal Studios Hollywood?

The cost of a Universal Studios refillable cup varies depending on the number of cups you’re looking to purchase.

One refillable cup costs $18 plus tax, while two refillable cups cost $16 each plus tax. This gets you the cup itself and refills every 10 minutes until the park closes that day. Eligible Universal Studios Hollywood Annual Pass Members are also able to use their discount when purchasing and reactivating a refillable cup.

Reusing Refillable Cups At Universal Studios Hollywood

When revisiting Universal Studios Hollywood you are welcome to bring your refillable cups with you and reactive the RFID chip inside for $11 plus tax.

This then once again provides you access to unlimited refillable drinks every 10 minutes throughout the day until the park closes. Reactivation can be done at any of the Coca-Cola Freestyle locations within the park and can be done on any eligible Universal Studios Hollywood refillable cup.

How Long Do Universal Refillable Cups Last?

Once you’ve purchased or reactivated your cup then the RFID chip will be active for the entire day at all participating Coca-Cola Freestyle locations until the park closes.

From there you’ll continue being able to reactive and use your Universal Studios refillable cup inside the parks for as long as the RFID chip works. I’ve actually taken a cup home with me and brought it back to the parks four years later and reactivated it to use on my vacation without any issues.

What Drinks Can You Get With A Refillable Cup At Universal Studios Hollywood?

Once you’ve purchased your Universal Studios refillable cup you’re able to fill it up with a range of drinks from the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines located around the park.

Coca-Cola Freestyle machines provide you with more than 100 different drink combinations from classic Coca-Cola through to cherry Coke Zero or peach Mello Yello.

Where Can You Refill A Universal Studios Hollywood Refillable Cup?

You can refill your Universal Studios refillable cup at all quick-service restaurants and at any Coca-Cola Freestyle machine within the park.

Sadly, we found that there was a limited number of refillable cup locations at Universal Studios Hollywood when compared to Universal Studios in Orlando. As such it’s worth researching the refill locations in advance of your visit to ensure you always know where the nearest refill location is during your trip.

Can Universal Studios Refillable Cups Be Used For Butterbeer?

Sadly you are unable to use a Universal Studios refillable cup with Butterbeer. Instead, Butterbeer will come in its own specially designed plastic cup.

It’s also worth noting that there are no Coca-Cola Freestyle locations inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood. As such I recommend topping up your refillable cup before entering this area of the park.

Are Universal Studios Refillable Cups Worth It?

Given that the cost of a regular fountain beverage at Universal Studios Hollywood is $4.50 plus tax you’d need to refill your Universal Studios refillable cup more than four times in one day to ‘break even’ on the cup’s $18 plus tax cost.

Personally, I am always likely to drink more than four fountain drinks throughout a full day at the park. However, if you prefer water or coffee then the refillable cup might not be the right choice for you.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that the fountain beverages at $4.50 plus tax is limited to the standard six Coca-Cola products. As such if you’re looking to try some creative new flavours that the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine offers then the additional cost of a refillable cup may be worthwhile even if you don’t refill it more than four times in one day.