Crunchyroll is one of the top streaming services when it comes to anime, and it offers a good variety of different classic anime and newer anime that have just been released in Japan.
You can try Crunchyroll out for free, but the paid version is slightly better – primarily because it has no ads, but also because it offers additional features too.
One such benefit is the guest pass feature, which is one thing that makes Crunchyroll different to Funimation.
The guest pass is definitely worth taking advantage of if you have a friend that wants to check Crunchyroll out in a little more detail; here’s why.
How to use Guest pass on Crunchyroll
Premium users are given a guest pass code once a month, which can then be used to invite someone else to try Crunchyroll’s premium service for free. A Crunchyroll guest pass is a handy way to test the service out without paying to be a premium member.
A guest pass code should give 48-hours of free access to Crunchyroll premium. Though, many users say that the Crunchyroll guest pass system is no longer available. We took a look to see whether you can still get a Crunchyroll guest pass.
Are Guest passes still available on Crunchyroll?
Unfortunately, the guest pass feature appears to have been rendered obsolete as of a few years ago. Crunchyroll made a statement about guest passes in 2019, claiming that guest passes were “not currently [being] supported”.
They also went on to say that they would be “evaluating whether or not to continue providing them as a service”.
Crunchyroll also began using the statement as a response to user queries about guest passes. These queries were either posted to Crunchyroll’s help centre, or emailed to Crunchyroll’s support team.
Furthermore, many users were also posting their guest pass issues on Crunchyroll’s user forums. These queries date back to 2019.
The forums showcase users complaining about how the guest passes were no longer being given, or how they were inaccessible, and more.
The comments were generally about how the feature wasn’t working as it should.
It seems that this issue has been persisting for the past few years, with no signs of a solution. This implies that Crunchyroll no longer wish to provide the guest pass service.
Either this is the case, or Crunchyroll simply do not wish to solve the issues surrounding the guest pass feature any time soon. The feature is rendered obsolete either way.
You can look through some of the forums surrounding the topic for more insight into the matter.
The forums:
https://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-1059202/where-is-my-guest-pass
https://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-1066108/no-guest-pass-since-march-of-last-year
https://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-1053816/not-getting-my-new-guest-passes
The statement:
“Guest Passes are a complimentary service, not a guaranteed part of the Premium offering, and are not currently supported. We are evaluating whether or not to continue providing them as a service.
We apologize, but we do not provide backlogged passes. If you would occasionally like to share Crunchyroll Premium Membership with a friend for two days, please contact us using the link below with the username or login email of the friend, and we can set them up.”
You can also view the statement on the Crunchyroll website: https://help.crunchyroll.com/hc/en-us/articles/210253553-What-s-going-on-with-Guest-Passes-
So far, Crunchyroll doesn’t seem to have made any follow-up comments on the guest pass feature. There have been no official statements claiming that the guest pass feature has been discontinued.
However, it is clear that the feature is no longer available to users, nor is it working as it should. It has been this way for around three years now, with no sign of a resolution.
Thus, it is safe to say that guest passes are no longer available on Crunchyroll.
How to use Guest passes
If guest passes are ever available again, or if you are somehow able to access the feature, this is how it used to work.
Firstly, ensure that you are subscribed to a premium membership. Only premium users are given guest pass codes.
Next, go to your account settings, and you should find an option for ‘guest pass’. Press it to access your guest pass codes.
Keep in mind that guest pass codes do expire, so some of them may no longer be usable. It should state whether each code is expired or not.
If the codes are still valid, copy and paste them to a friend. You only need to give one code per person.
Then, after your friend receives the code, paste the code after this URL, and enter it into your browser: http://www.crunchyroll.com/guest_pass?code=
Or, you can go to https://www.crunchyroll.com/guest_pass and manually type your code in on the website.
This should redeem the code, and give you access to Crunchyroll premium for 48 hours.
However, you can only redeem 10 guest pass codes per 6 months. You cannot exceed this limit, so be careful about1 redeeming your passes.
Additionally, be wary that these links are usually unavailable now, as guest passes are not currently being supported. You will usually get an error if you try to access Crunchyroll’s guest pass page.
Conclusion
In conclusion, guest passes are quite simple to use on Crunchyroll.
However, guest passes don’t seem to be a supported feature on Crunchyroll any more. There have been user complaints about the service not working since 2019, with no resolutions from Crunchyroll.
The platform made a statement about reconsidering the continuation of the guest pass service a few years ago, but there have been no confirmations on its discontinuation since.
Unfortunately, Crunchyroll’s guest pass page is no longer accessible. Attempting to access it will only lead you to an error page. Users have also reported that they’re no longer receiving guest passes nowadays.
It seems that the reason for the service’s discontinuation is most likely due to its lack of use. Many users claimed that the service was not very popular, and that most pass codes end up not being used.
The feature was also not an optional benefit to premium users, which meant that those with no use for them would find them annoying. There was no way to stop receiving them, which could have caused some user complaints.
Overall, the service doesn’t seem to be making a comeback any time soon.