Frequently Asked Questions

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If you have any questions not listed here, please reach out to us at [email protected] or 650-342-7755. Please note that our membership staff works the days that CuriOdyssey is open (Tuesday – Sunday), so if we are closed it may take a couple of days for us to respond.

General

How do I enroll in membership?

Online: The fastest way to use a membership is to purchase online. To do so please visit our general membership page, find the membership level that is right for you, and choose “Join or Renew now.”

Telephone: To purchase a membership over the phone, please call 650-342-7755 during open hours (Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm).

In person: If you would like to join in-person, please ask a visitor engagement associate for assistance. It will take 5-10 minutes to get you enrolled as a member.

By mail: We only accept payment for mail enrollment in the form of checks. Please print out this Membership Application and mail it and your check to:

CuriOdyssey Membership Dept
1651 Coyote Point Drive
San Mateo, CA 94401

How soon will I get my membership materials?

You should receive an email to download your digital membership cards within 5–10 business days of purchasing your membership. You will also receive a separate email with general membership information, welcome letter, and parking permits.

Do I need to wait to receive my membership materials before visiting?

Memberships are valid as soon as the payment is processed and you do not need to wait to receive your membership cards. You can use your membership immediately by showing a photo ID at the entrance, though you will be expected to pay the $6 Coyote Point vehicle fee if you have not yet received your parking permits.

How do I update or correct my name spelling or contact information?

Information can be changed by contacting us. Please call or visit us during open hours (Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm), or email us at [email protected] at any time.

How to I apply for a Membership For All level membership?

Membership For All memberships are an extension of our participation in the Museums for All program. All members included on an MFA membership must live in the same household and all must qualify for Golden State Advantage/SNAP/CalFresh, WIC, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, Healthy Families or Kaiser Cares for Kids.

Please bring proof of participation in at least one of the above programs along with a photo ID to the front entrance to apply for this membership.

Parking

How do I get my parking permits, and how do I use them?

Your parking permits are on the bottom of the welcome letter, attached to your member information email that you should receive within 5–10 business days of your transaction. Please print your welcome letter and cut the parking passes out. If you visit us in person we can give you pre-printed parking passes.

CuriOdyssey members are allowed to park in the three lots nearest to us when they are visiting. Members must pay the Coyote Point vehicle fee if they are not visiting CuriOdyssey, are visiting on a day or time we are closed, or are in an undesignated lot. You will be asked to pay for parking unless you show both a membership card and a parking permit to the ranger at the gate. If there is no ranger present, you may drive through.

I forgot to bring my membership card to CuriOdyssey, and I paid the parking fee during my visit. Can I get a refund for parking?

The vehicle entrance fee is paid directly to and directly supports the county park. To receive the benefit of free parking while visiting CuriOdyssey, members must present a current membership card and valid parking pass to the ranger at the gatehouse, and then display the parking pass on their vehicle’s dashboard. The Coyote Point Park Gatehouse does not keep a list of active museum members.

Named Members

Can I put more than one name on my membership card, or put my family or organization’s name on it so many people can use it?

Membership cards are only distributed to the named adults on the membership. Depending on the amount of your donation, there can be one to two named adults. Organizational memberships are not available at this time.

Can I send my children to CuriOdyssey with their grandparents (or nanny, or other adult)?

If you have a Family level membership or higher, your children are always covered under your membership, so your membership card will allow free admission for them. Any guests they bring will receive a $8 discount on regular daily admission (up to 4 tickets).

If you are interested in free admission for additional adults, you may purchase a membership that allows more named adults (Director's Circle levels), or a membership that includes guests every time you or your children visit (Family Plus, Advocate and Innovators Circle levels).

If another cardholder on my membership doesn’t come with me, can I take someone else instead?

Admission applies only to the named cardholders on the membership card.

Can I list my child as the named member on an Individual Plus membership?

Individual Plus memberships must have an adult as the named member and they must be present to receive any benefits.

I have an Individual Plus membership, can a different adult take my child to visit?

Because this level of membership requires the named adult to be present, children only receive free admission if the named adult is present.

Can I change the named adults on my membership?

Memberships may change one of the named adults once per year for free. After the first name change, there is a $19 fee associated with additional changes.

Reciprocity

What do I need to bring when visiting a reciprocal institution?

Please bring a photo ID and your CuriOdyssey membership card when visiting any of our reciprocal partners. Your digital membership card is valid, though you may need to show the details on the “back side” of the card. The different methods of installing your card have different processes for viewing details. Apple Pay: click the three-dot icon on the top right, WalletPasses: click the “i” icon on bottom right, GPay: click the “Details” button on the bottom center.

How do I use my CuriOdyssey Membership to get discounts at other institutions?

For information about discounts that may be offered at other science and wildlife centers, please see our Reciprocal Program page. We highly recommend contacting the institution you plan on visiting to learn how they honor reciprocity and how they would prefer you acquire tickets.

Membership
Cards

Why does it take up to 2 weeks to receive my digital membership card? Can I have it immediately?

Now that we use digital member cards, our distribution process is much faster than it was previously, however we do still require processing time to ensure that all memberships are free of errors. You do not need to wait to receive your membership card to visit CuriOdyssey, you only need a photo ID.

If you require your digital membership card immediately, please contact [email protected] and we may be able to issue you a temporary card while you wait to receive your materials. Please note that our membership staff works the days that CuriOdyssey is open (Wednesday–Sunday), so it may take a couple of days for us to respond if we are not open.

How do I install and use my digital membership card with my iPhone?

On the same date you receive your membership welcome email, you should get a separate email from [email protected] which contains a link to download your card. If you don't see the email in your inbox, be sure to check the Junk, Spam, Unwanted, and Promotions folders of your email.
Open the email from your smartphone, scroll down and click the "Download" button. On that page, select “Add to Wallet”, and from there tap “Add” in the top right corner, then “Done” in the top left. The card will automatically go to your iPhone’s Apple Wallet, where it can be accessed at any time.
Your full card details can be viewed on the Program Details page, which you can view by tapping the three-dot icon in the top right corner.
The card is only able to be downloaded from the original email once, in order to download the card on another device you will need to share the card from inside the app. You can do that by navigating to the three-dot icon in the top right corner and selecting the share icon in the top right corner, which looks like a square with an arrow pointing upwards.
If the device you are trying to share the card with is not an iPhone, make sure to send the card without using iMessage, as they will not be able to open it.

How do I install and use my digital membership card with my Android phone?

Android users will have the best experience if you download the WalletPasses app, if you use the pre-installed Google Pay app, the card will not be formatted properly.
On the same date you receive your membership welcome email, you should get a separate email from [email protected] which contains a link to download your card. If you don't see the email in your inbox, be sure to check the Junk, Spam, Unwanted, and Promotions folders of your email.
After you install WalletPasses, access the email from your smartphone and click the "Download" button, this will open your internet browser. On that page, select "Add it to WalletPasses", this should open the WalletPasses app and your card will be installed. If the WalletPasses app does not open, your card has not been installed and you may need to try again using a different browser.
The card is only able to be downloaded from the original email once, in order to download the card on another device you will need to share the card from inside the app. You can do that by tapping on the “i” icon in the bottom right corner, and selecting "Share Pass".

I changed smartphones, how do I get my digital card on my new device?

If you still have access to the old device, share it from within the app. If you do not have access to the old device, please contact [email protected] or 650-342-7755 so that we may issue you a new digital card.

Can I have a physical membership card instead?

Physical membership cards are available upon request only. If you would prefer physical cards please visit us in person or reach out to us at [email protected] or 650-342-7755. The first two physical cards are free, there is a $5 for any replacements.

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