No, as of January 17, 2024, Oakland Zoo members and Friends of the Wild can visit during regular daytime hours without a reservation. Advanced reservations are no longer required for member entry. For current Zoo hours, including when the entrance closes and when the Zoo is cleared, please visit our Zoo Hours and Pricing page.

If you are visiting with individuals not covered by your member benefits, they will be required to purchase General Admission tickets in advance. Visit our Tickets page for more details and current policies.

The Zoo is occasionally closed for holidays, private events, maintenance, or refurbishment. Visit our Hours & Pricing page for a list of planned closures. We also list planned closures in our Member Tips emails – to ensure you are subscribed, visit our Newsletter page.

The Zoo may be forced to close in the event of inclement weather or any events that cause unsafe conditions for guests or staff. Unplanned closures are announced on the Zoo’s homepage, social media accounts, and outgoing voicemail message (510-632-9525).

Your membership number is 12 digits long and starts with 501. You can find this number in the following locations:

• On a printed membership card above your name
• On a digital membership card underneath the QR code or at the top of the card details, which are visible by touching the “…” icon on an iPhone or the “i" icon on Android
• Underneath the bar code on the Temporary Pass PDF that is attached to online confirmation emails
• On the reply form of renewals sent by mail, or on any renewal email

Memberships expire on the last day of the month, 12 months from purchase. For example, if a membership is purchased January 12, it will expire on January 31 the following year.

Yes, memberships make great gifts! Purchasing a gift membership online is the fastest and easiest option. Here’s how:

• On the Member Information page, enter the gift recipient's information (name, address, telephone, and email).
• On the Billing Information page, click "Yes" to the question "Is this a gift?" then enter the gift purchaser's details (name, billing address, credit card details).
• The gift purchaser will receive the confirmation email with a temporary pass attached, which you are welcome to share with the recipient so they can use their benefits right away. The digital membership card will be emailed to the gift recipient 2-4 weeks after purchase.

Gift memberships can also be purchased onsite at the Member & Donor Services Booth at the Main Entrance, or by phone at (510) 632-9525 x160.

Oakland Zoo partners with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to provide our members with discounted admission at participating organizations. In addition to the AZA program, we also partner with Lindsay Wildlife Experience. Please know that a partner can change their participation in the reciprocal program at any time. We recommend contacting our partners in advance to confirm what benefits you will receive with your Oakland Zoo membership and what you will need to bring in order to receive reciprocal benefits.

The answer to all of these questions depends on your membership level.

Friends of the Wild members have transferrable admission benefits. A single Friend of the Wild membership gives free admission to any four adults and four children per day. A named cardholder does not need to be present for the membership to be used.

Individual-Family & Friends Deluxe memberships are non-transferable. A named cardholder must be present for the membership to be used. If a named cardholder is not visiting the zoo on a particular day, their admission benefits cannot be transferred to a guest. Guest admission is only allowed if the Primary member opts to have a guest spot in lieu of a named cardholder. This option is available for only Dual, Family & Friends Plus, and Family & Friends Deluxe memberships. Individual and Family memberships do not include the option for an unnamed guest. Our digital membership cards include a list of named cardholders and unnamed guests on the card details.

No. Our memberships give benefits to named cardholders, and one of the benefits for Family & Friends, Family & Friends Plus, and Family & Friends Deluxe members is free admission for up to four children. Your children are not members themselves. We know this is different from other facilities that offer individual annual pass programs (like amusements parks). Our membership structure allows all members to receive equal benefits for their membership fees, regardless of how many children reside in their household. As a named cardholder, you can bring any four children to the zoo–your own children, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, or friends. If your child is visiting the zoo with an adult who has their own Family & Friends, Family & Friends Plus, or Family & Friends Deluxe membership, that adult is welcome to use their membership to cover your child’s admission.

Member benefits are non-transferable. The named cardholders listed when a membership is purchased are locked in until the membership is renewed. However, if you have a Dual, Family & Friends Plus, or Family & Friends Deluxe membership with an unnamed adult guest, you can replace that guest spot with a named adult cardholder. If that case, please email your request to membership@oaklandzoo.org. If mid-year there is a change in your family’s situation, like you’ve hired a nanny, you also have the option to upgrade your membership to add the new adult as a named cardholder.

If you are purchasing an Individual - Family & Friends Deluxe level membership, we accept the following forms of payment:

• Credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
• Personal check (by mail or on-site only, not available for online purchases)
• Cash (on-site sales only)

If you are making a philanthropic contribution of $1,000 or more, which qualifies you for Zoologist level or other Friends of the Wild benefits, including free daytime admission, these additional forms of payment are accepted:

• Donor advised funds
• Employer matches
• IRAs
• Stock

Learn about more ways to support the Zoo here and about Friends of the Wild here.

Membership fees may be tax deductible, please check with your tax preparer to confirm. Our tax ID number is 94-1687847 and legal nonprofit name is Conservation Society of California. If you need a letter confirming this information, please email your request to membership@oaklandzoo.org.

To prevent fraud, all named cardholders are required to present a valid photo I.D. to staff in order to receive member benefits like free admission. Cross-checking the named cardholders with photo ID is how we enforce member benefits being non-transferrable. If you forget your photo ID, on-site staff are authorized to make a one time exception and accept another item with a printed name as proof of identity (i.e. a credit card, library card, Costco card, etc.).

Members can upgrade their memberships on-site or by phone. The upgrade fee is the full price difference between the membership levels. Upgrade fees are not pro-rated, so if your membership is due to expire in less than six months it may be a better option to renew and upgrade at the same time. If you renew your membership early at a higher membership level, the additional benefits become available right away.

Yes. Be sure to visit the Main Entrance Membership windows before closing (see Zoo hours) to request your upgrade. If you visited the zoo within the last 7 days and did not upgrade during your visit, please use this form to submit your upgrade request. Terms &conditions apply.

If you are a current member and would like to upgrade to a higher membership level, please email membership@oaklandzoo.org  with the details of your request.

Memberships non-refundable. If you are moving out of the area, you may be able to use your membership to visit a reciprocal zoo or aquarium near your new home.

Please send an email to membership@oaklandzoo.org with your previous address, new address, and membership number.

Subscribe online to receive our monthly PawPrints e-newsletter!

For Individual – Family & Friends Deluxe level memberships, digital cards are typically distributed 2-4 weeks after purchase. A digital card for your smartphone wallet will be sent by email.  

Members can use their benefits as soon as their purchase is complete. If you purchase a membership online, you will receive a confirmation email which includes a temporary pass attached as a pdf. If you buy a membership at the Zoo, you will receive a printed temporary pass. These temporary passes include your membership number, which you’ll need to make a reservation, and can be used to verify your member status at entry. We try to include member details in many of our email communications as well. If you have misplaced your temporary pass, try searching your email for messages from membership@oaklandzoo.org that include a section titled “For your convenience, here are your current membership details” with the text “This email may be used to verify your member status at entry.”

Adults or children with special needs may be accompanied by caretaker at no additional cost. An adult who requires a caretaker must be a named cardholder on a membership. A child who requires a caretaker must be accompanied by an adult who is a named cardholder on a membership. Please send an email to membership@oaklandzoo.org with details about your situation and to request this designation on your membership record.

The Primary member or gift purchaser are the only individuals who can request name changes on a membership. Please email membership@oaklandzoo.org and provide the correct names for all cardholders. Our staff will correct the mistake in our database and push an update to the digital card. If you haven’t received a digital card yet, we will also provide a new temporary pass by email.

If this membership is a gift, please provide staff with your information (name, address, telephone, and email) as well as the gift recipient’s information (name, address, telephone, and email).

To honor our relationship with our loyal members, the best discount offered is an early renewal offer. This offer arrives approximately four months before a membership expires. This discount is an incentive to renew early and does have an expiration date well before the membership is set to expire. Members do not “lose time” by renewing early–a full 12 months is added to their current expiration date.

Other discounts may be offered as seasonal promotions.

Members can add additional children to their Family & Friends, Family & Friends Plus, or Family & Friends Deluxe membership by paying $50 on-site or by phone. Please note, this option is only available to families who have more than four children in their household. Daycare groups and similar organizations cannot use our Memberships for admission–please email reservations@oaklandzoo.org to inquire about the admission discounts available to groups.

No, there is not a membership that allows for more than 4 named cardholders. If your household or group has more than four adults who would like to independently use member benefits, please purchase multiple memberships. We are happy to assist you in figuring out what is the best level or combination of memberships for your family. Please send an email with details about your situation to membership@oaklandzoo.org.

The Dual is a great option for one adult and one child. If you are a single parent with more than one child, we suggest a Family membership with the second cardholder being a relative or caregiver who is likely to bring your children to the zoo–named cardholders do not need to live in the same household. Another option is to share a Family, Family Plus, or Family Deluxe membership with another single parent.

If there is not another adult who will bring your children to the zoo or another adult you would like to share your membership with, please contact us to request a Single Parent discount. This discount is only available on-site or by phone. You’ll save $10 and receive a membership with free admission benefits for one adult and up to four children. Please note the Single Parent discount cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotional offers.