Travel without a credit card??

[grover]

Does anyone here travel without a credit card? How do you pay for things with out carrying a huge wad of cash or traveller's cheques around with you? What about a rental car and reserving your hotel room at Disney? I would like to do a trip that is all paid cash-and nothing gets charged b/c in my world it sometime doesn't always get you know paid off immediately-shhh-don't tell anyone!!! So if you go this route how do you do it?

Grover in Winnipeg :D :smooth:

[Kermit]

I'm not one of those people w/out credit cards, but I can give you a little insight. Paying for your room shouldn't be hard. You just have to send the check in soon enough that it will get there before the deadline. Likewise, you can send in extra money so that you can charge things to your room and it will come out of that money.

The rental car will be harder. I'm almost positive that all of the major car rental companies require a "real" credit card--you can't even use a debit card. But I've heard there are some local rental agencies that will rent to people without credit cards. I'm guessing they do require a sizeable deposit. If you're staying onsite, I would definitely forego the rental in that case. We drive and don't ever use our car, so I'm obviously a big fan of Disney transportation, but it doesn't seem like it would be worth the hassle.

[bootc3]

We did it for our 2 week vacation last September. Have you thought of getting a visa/mastercard debit card from your bank? It is linked to your checking account. We rented a car through Dollar. They are on-site and the charge your debit card the cost of rental plus 10%. We had no problems at all. Best of all no bills to pay when you get home:D

[tink2dw]

There are ways around renting a Car. If all you need is transport to and from the Airport use a Towncar service[$80. round trip] some even give you a 1/2 hour grocery stop.
You can find out more on the transportion Board
http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&forumid=16&x=12&y=9

If that doesn't fit your budget Orlando buses run from the Airport to TTC at WDW. You can even ride to Belz Factory Outlet Stores on the Lynx!! Here's some info on riding Lynx.
http://www.golynx.com/fares/body_fares.htm
And the from,
fostrmom2mny
DIS Veteran
I answered this before, but when the boards crashed, it was lost. So in an effert to make certain that you have your answer, here it goes again

We would go to the TTC and catch the Lynx bus rt # 51 (I think) there is a transfer to rt#17 (again, I think that's the #) Ask the bus driver for sure about the rt. #. They are very helpful and will make sure that you get off at your stop.

The bus will take you with in a block (Belz Mall is HUGE and it has 4 seperate bldgs. The bus will pick up at the complex. It's not far at all to walk to the bus stop from the bldg. They have a nice food court there as well. I found this trip easy, safe and inexpensive. $1.10 per person each direction. Have exact change since they do not give you change. Good luck and PM me if you have any more questions or concerns about doing this.

I always saud that I'd post about this. When I was researching my trip and read how much of a savings it is to purchase your souvinirs from Charecter Warehouse, I knew that I'd have to try their bus system. I'm glad that I did, and I will plan on doing this again if and when I get to return to WDW for vacation.

Gerri

[Jordan's MOM]

Our last trip we did not put one penny on our credit card but I would never travel without having it with me. We used a Visa debit card (money comes straight from our checking account) for driving down expences and took a little cash and mostly travlers checks. We used our room key to charge everythng, and then payed it off. When I was a child our family never took a trip without an emergency! It has never happened to us but you never know. My DD ended up at the hospital in Orlando once! Better safe that sorry.

Jordan's mom

[Babblin'Boo]

A debit card would make sense. Simply deposit all the money you think you'll need.

[poohraedopey]

We dont have any actual credit cards we used to caryy high balances and lif eis much nicer without them MOST OF THE TIME! We do have a DEBIT MASTERCARD at our bank however. I hear that you can rent a car with L&M or Dollar with just cash or even a debit card. Just be prepared for any extras or with dollar I think an extra 10% deposit.

As for hotel rooms they shoudl be no problem wihtout acredit card. most DONT charge anything extra these days. You just cant charge to the room since you will have no credit.

Otherwise yes I will be carrying quite a bit of cash/disney dollars on me and/or hubby. Actually planning to change MOSt of the cash to amex travellers checks at the back before we leave JUST IN CASE! I lost 4 once in france and had to get them switched which was great rather than LOSING the money! Cash is not replaceable!

[iwant2go2disney]

We to will be traveling without credit cards because I dont want to bbe paying for this vacation for 2 yrs. We will not need a rental car however I do know for a fact that Enterprise rentacar will let you rent without a credit card you will have to put up a 250.00 cash deposit but it is well worth it. We tried to save on the deposit and use one of those places that say no credit card required. HA big mistake! My husband says you pay for what you get and boy did I learn my lesson when the car broke down they would not even come and get it. You live and learn. Never again!
The disney dallars is a great plan I can give my son 10. disney dallars a day andf be done What a wonderful idea!

Tammy
Going to disney Yeah March10-15
OKW at a wonderful budget price.

[Super Mom]

We don't have credit cards either. We do have a debit visa, but did not use it at all on our last trip. I brought about 3/4 of our money in traveler's checks and 1/4 in cash. I had plotted my daily budget before hand (love those PassPorter worksheets) so I was able to leave most of the money locked in the hotel safe. I brought along just what I thought I would need and about $50 extra "just in case" I never had a problem.

[suesings]

Hi,
What is a Passporter Worksheet and where can I find one!

Thanks, Sue

[Topper]

Most car rental agencies simply require you to use a credit card when you pick the car up.
When you return the car, you can pay with cash, debit card, traveler's cheques, another credit card, or the card you used when you picked up the car.

I do this all the time with National Emerald Aisle. Pick it up with a credit card, return and pay with a debit card.

FYI

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

Originally posted by suesings
Hi,
What is a Passporter Worksheet and where can I find one!

Thanks, Sue

PassPorter is a Walt Disney World planning guide. PassPorter.com (http://www.passporter.com/wdw/)

They are currently offering the 2000 edition for free (+ shipping)! It is a great way to tryy it out before you buy the newest edition. I really like these planners. There are worksheets, maps & even little pockets to hold your stuff. The 2002 edition is scheduled to be released very soon and is available for pre-order.

[Humpbacks1962]

I bring some money in travelers cheques, but use my credit card whenever I can to earn my rewards.

The thing about carrying long term debt can be dealt with by simply paying everything off early. Book way ahead of time and pay off your hotel stay, planes, tickets, etc. When you get to the parks, all you'll have are your meals and maybe a souvenir or two. That is what I do and it works out just fine.

Wanda

[Bethshaya]

I have been debt free for 10 years and do not own a credit card. I use cash for everything. When I need a credit card, I have a checking account that has a debit card for it. Everything deducted from the account via the visa card/debit card.

I can relax on my trip. When I land, everything has been paid for already.

Where I need to use cash, I budget and sort everything according to budget into envelopes. I color code them for meals, tips, transportation, etc. That days money goes into the envelopes and into my fanny pack for the day. I pull the money out of the envelope depending on what its for. That way I know if I am over or under budget. If I have excess, it goes into the envelope when I get back to the room for the next day as "extra" spending money.

I try to get prices nailed down before I leave and estimate the rest.

[grover]

LOL-my gosh...this post has been resurrected from the depths of cyber space hasn't it!!!
Grover in Winnipeg

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Kermit
I'm not one of those people w/out credit cards, but I can give you a little insight. Paying for your room shouldn't be hard. You just have to send the check in soon enough that it will get there before the deadline. Likewise, you can send in extra money so that you can charge things to your room and it will come out of that money.

The rental car will be harder. I'm almost positive that all of the major car rental companies require a "real" credit card--you can't even use a debit card. But I've heard there are some local rental agencies that will rent to people without credit cards. I'm guessing they do require a sizeable deposit. If you're staying onsite, I would definitely forego the rental in that case. We drive and don't ever use our car, so I'm obviously a big fan of Disney transportation, but it doesn't seem like it would be worth the hassle.

Alamo will rent to you with a Debit card if you have proof of a round trip.
Dollar will rent to you with a Debit card if you pass their credit check.
Hertz will rent to you with a Debit card if you are a number 1 Gold member.

[wdwpluto]

You can also get a pre-paid Visa card from AAA. Just put the amount you want to spend on it and take it with you. When they money runs out, it's out and there's nothing to pay off. Safer than carrying cash imho. Or use traveler's checks. This way if they're lost or stolen you're not totally broke.

[zippehsmom]

We're not charging anything on CC this trip except rental car. However, our CC is through our bank so I just plan on transferring the cost of the rental car unto the CC. We will have a negative balance for a few days, but at least I know I will not be tempted to spend the cash.

zippehsmom

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by wdwpluto
You can also get a pre-paid Visa card from AAA. Just put the amount you want to spend on it and take it with you. When they money runs out, it's out and there's nothing to pay off. Safer than carrying cash imho. Or use traveler's checks. This way if they're lost or stolen you're not totally broke.

Rental car agencies will not accept a preloaded Visa card for rental.

[tmli]

Here in Canada we do not have Visa debit cards. We have debit cards linked to our bank account but they don't work the same way as yours do. Also we can't purchase Disney $ and our CAA does not offer preloaded visa's. Poor us!!!!

[drtaylor]

You can give the resort cash so you can use your room key. For example: give them $500, then you have $500 to charge to your room key. They let you know when it runs out, but we just went to the front desk each evening and asked for a printout. We had now problems. This way we only kept $20-30 cash on us in the parks. Our other cash, we kept locked in the safe in the room.

[dizagain]

My family only has a Visa debit card. It is treated as a true VISA - all businesses accept it - including car rental agencies. I have done this, so I know. I have never had a problem using it anywhere, although at CRT it was declined!!! That was scary, considering we knew there was lots of money in there since it was our bank account!! Just a goof-up, but it was embarrassing wondering what the server thought. You should have seen DH sprinting to the ATM machine at the entrance...lol! Everything was fine, of course! Now, DH has a business AMX card that could be used in dire straits...

Anyway, we took traveler's checks, some cash, and Disney Dollars. We kept it in the safe and pulled out what we needed each day. I had kept alot of cash at home while saving, which may not have been smart, but it was the only way for me to keep from spending it!

Good luck...credit card free is the way to go imo!!!

[JrsyDebs]

This is a topic I was just thinking about. Good to see some input.

I only have a debit card. No credit cards because of previous bad credit. Now I wonder if I could get a prepaid Visa card for my trip; it sounds like a good option for me. (I will not be renting a car, so lack of a "real" credit card should not be a problem.)

Also wondering about establishing an account at the resort, where I put a certain amount in, and then I could just charge things to my room account. Does anyone know if this can be done, and how to go about doing it?

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by dizagain
My family only has a Visa debit card. It is treated as a true VISA - all businesses accept it - including car rental agencies. I have done this, so I know. I have never had a problem using it anywhere, although at CRT it was declined!!! That was scary, considering we knew there was lots of money in there since it was our bank account!! Just a goof-up, but it was embarrassing wondering what the server thought. You should have seen DH sprinting to the ATM machine at the entrance...lol! Everything was fine, of course! Now, DH has a business AMX card that could be used in dire straits...

Anyway, we took traveler's checks, some cash, and Disney Dollars. We kept it in the safe and pulled out what we needed each day. I had kept alot of cash at home while saving, which may not have been smart, but it was the only way for me to keep from spending it!

Good luck...credit card free is the way to go imo!!!

My card is MC debit card and treated just like a true MC except at National, Avis, and a few others. They can tell now. I have done it in the past with National, but, they are very "tricky" now and can tell immediately.

[beansmom]

My family only has a Visa debit card. It is treated as a true VISA - all businesses accept it - including car rental agencies. I have done this, so I know. I have never had a problem using it anywhere, although at CRT it was declined!!!. You might have used it at car rentals before but last summer I rented (don't remember---oh, yeah, Enterprise) and they absolutely refused to accept a debit card.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by beansmom
You might have used it at car rentals before but last summer I rented (don't remember---oh, yeah, Enterprise) and they absolutely refused to accept a debit card.

There are a few that will still accept a Debit card with a Visa or MC logo for car rental. Alamo will with proof of a r/t ticket, Hertz will for a #1 Gold Member and Dollar will if you pass their credit check. Those are the few that I remember.

[disneymom3]

I just rented about a week or so ago from Hertz and am not a member of their Gold Club, but was able to use my visa debit card with no problem. They will put a bit extra on there as a reserve so be sure you budget for that money to be there. (For instance, my rental was $107 and they put a hold on $157 until I returned the car.)

I was told it depends on the location whether they will accept them or not.

I have also used it at Dollar and they reserved quite a bit extra. I don't remember how much, but I do know I was shocked that it was so little at Hertz.

[jgates]

Current Dollar reservations indicate a debit card may be used if you pass a credit check. We stood in line behind someone at one of the other rental agencies in Atlanta while they refused to rent to them because they only had a debit card. I can't even remember which agency that was but boy did the words fly!!!