Be Careful! I *think* my CC was compromised at Disney!

[starbox]

Got a call today from my credit card company's fraud department asking me to verify suspicious activity and it was indeed fraudulent (from a company based in the Phillipines). Thankfully, my CC company caught it right away and rejected the claim pending my verification - the account is now closed due to being compromised and all is fine.

BUT - this a card I only use as my reserve card at the resorts (it even has a photo of DD in front of the castle on it). I used it three times - at BCV, VB and AKV - and it was in the safe the rest of the time. It is very likely that the card was compromised at Disney. I've sent an email to WDW Communications to let them know, but be aware and keep an eye on your accounts!

[lisah0711]

Glad they caught it before you had any problems. I had a card compromised before through my credit union -- cloned cards en masse. Not saying it wasn't Disney, just saying it is amazing how many ways there are to have problems -- it is a miracle there aren't more!

[Monte Cristo]

Had the same thing happen to me after we went to a World Series game at Fenway park. A week later I got a call from American Express saying someone tried to charge 2 plane tickets to my card. It was the only time I had used this card in 6 months so I know it was from the game.

Even if your vigilant and careful with your card, it can happen anywhere....even Disney.

[starbox]

Well, in fairness, the account could have been hacked electronically somehow but with the timing, it does seem likely that it happened at Disney.

[hmmerr02]

We've had our CC stolen twice and both times were within weeks of returning from Disney. I've never been sure if it was Disney or the grocery company. We gace our card number over the phone to the grocer and in card form at check in. That's wayyy too big of a coincidence for me! One time they bailed someone out of a state jail in New York. The other time they ordered jewelry from some tv store and had it shipped to my house! When I opened the package and saw the ugliest piece of jewlery I had ever seen....I was worried how I was going to hide my disgust from my husband! I had assumed that he purchased it at that point! If thievery could be funny...that would have been the one!

[disneynutz]

We've had our CC stolen twice and both times were within weeks of returning from Disney. I've never been sure if it was Disney or the grocery company. We gace our card number over the phone to the grocer and in card form at check in. That's wayyy too big of a coincidence for me! One time they bailed someone out of a state jail in New York. The other time they ordered jewelry from some tv store and had it shipped to my house! When I opened the package and saw the ugliest piece of jewlery I had ever seen....I was worried how I was going to hide my disgust from my husband! I had assumed that he purchased it at that point! If thievery could be funny...that would have been the one!

We also had it happen at WDW twice at the BC. After spending many hours pursuing it, I felt that Disney tried to cover up a weakness in their security.

Mailing the ugly jewelry to your house was a test that the thieves preform to determine the accessibility of your card and to prepare your account for additional fraud.

[florep1]

I've heard so many people have problems with CC at Disney that's why we've always been s leary of adding a CC to our KTTW. This is one of the reasons why we don't use our KTTW for any shopping we do. The last time we got the DDP, we paid for it in cash, and paid all tips in cash. Any other souvenirs we charged to Amex which has 0 liability in case of fraud.

[dvcbnd]

I feel silly even asking this, as we have been DVC members for many years now, but do you have to give them your CC upon check-in? We always do in order to have charging privileges on our KTTW card. I was just wondering if it was mandatory?
We also own a HGVC and it is mandatory there. They put a $100. hold automatically on your CC upon check-in. If you don't charge anything to your room, they will reimburse your card. This takes about 3 days for the hold to be removed from your CC.
Just curious - TIA. :goodvibes

[Tinkerbelljean]

Were any of the compromised cards at WDW Disney Rewards Credit Cards or were they other credit cards?

[florep1]

I feel silly even asking this, as we have been DVC members for many years now, but do you have to give them your CC upon check-in? We always do in order to have charging privileges on our KTTW card. I was just wondering if it was mandatory?
We also own a HGVC and it is mandatory there. They put a $100. hold automatically on your CC upon check-in. If you don't charge anything to your room, they will reimburse your card. This takes about 3 days for the hold to be removed from your CC.
Just curious - TIA. :goodvibes

No, you do not need a CC on file for a DVC stay on points. The only down side is no charging privileges and no quick checkout.

[disneynutz]

Were any of the compromised cards at WDW Disney Rewards Credit Cards or were they other credit cards?

Ours was the Chase Disney card.

[starbox]

Were any of the compromised cards at WDW Disney Rewards Credit Cards or were they other credit cards?

Mine was not a Disney card.

[Dizny Dad]

All this CC fraud is why the KTTW card is the best way to go short of cash. You give your number once to the front desk. I find it hard to believe that anyone has had any fraud problems by just using the KTTW card for charging. You always open yourself up to fraud if you use the card directly. Sounds like that is what has happened as described above. The idea of putting your CC on the KTTW card is to eliminate the need for Disney to monitor and police their employees that have access to CC #s.

I have indeed experienced the CC fraud nightmare, but never at Disney. Mine have always been at better restaurants in my travels around the world where I would have expected better.

[JimMIA]

No, you do not need a CC on file for a DVC stay on points. The only down side is no charging privileges and no quick checkout.
We never leave a credit card at the desk. I just call the morning we're checking out to be sure nothing has been charged to the room and I have never been asked to come to the front desk to check out.

[mckryan]

My daughter's card was just used to open a website in China. We haven't been to Disney since early April. I'm positive it was an electronic hacking thing that they used to find a card number that worked vs. her number being "stolen" in Disney.

[dianeschlicht]

I feel silly even asking this, as we have been DVC members for many years now, but do you have to give them your CC upon check-in? We always do in order to have charging privileges on our KTTW card. I was just wondering if it was mandatory?
We also own a HGVC and it is mandatory there. They put a $100. hold automatically on your CC upon check-in. If you don't charge anything to your room, they will reimburse your card. This takes about 3 days for the hold to be removed from your CC.
Just curious - TIA. :goodvibes

No, it's not mandatory, and we never give a CC anymore because of the hold.

[colonialtinker]

All this CC fraud is why the KTTW card is the best way to go short of cash. You give your number once to the front desk. I find it hard to believe that anyone has had any fraud problems by just using the KTTW card for charging. You always open yourself up to fraud if you use the card directly. Sounds like that is what has happened as described above. The idea of putting your CC on the KTTW card is to eliminate the need for Disney to monitor and police their employees that have access to CC #s.

I agree :thumbsup2 It is better to use your card once rather then several times while your vacation.

[DebbieB]

I agree :thumbsup2 It is better to use your card once rather then several times while your vacation.

I agree - I'd rather not have my actual credit card # all over.

[DisDaydreamer]

Got a call today from my credit card company's fraud department asking me to verify suspicious activity and it was indeed fraudulent (from a company based in the Phillipines). Thankfully, my CC company caught it right away and rejected the claim pending my verification - the account is now closed due to being compromised and all is fine.

BUT - this a card I only use as my reserve card at the resorts (it even has a photo of DD in front of the castle on it). I used it three times - at BCV, VB and AKV - and it was in the safe the rest of the time. It is very likely that the card was compromised at Disney. I've sent an email to WDW Communications to let them know, but be aware and keep an eye on your accounts!

Glad the CC company caught it. I had this happen earlier this year on a card that I use for everything (to get my train points). I too got a phone call questioning three purchases that were indeed fraud. It boggles my mind as to how they singled out these purchases as potential fraud, because they were internet purchases, and I make those all the time.

[Girlie Goofy]

In 2007,while staying at the AK, our Disney Visa card number was compromised. When we checked in, we used the card only for charge back to our room key. When we checked out, and tried to pay our room charges with the Visa card, it was declined, and we had to pay cash for our charges.At home, I checked on line, there were fraudulent charges of around $8,000. Plane tickets to Africa and charges to different department stores. We contacted the credit card company. They took care of the charges, and we didn't have to pay them. We found out later that they didn't investigate or pursue charging anyone, they simply get the refund fron the merchant that accepted the stolen card number. We now contact the card company before a major purchase, or before leaving on vacation.

[starbox]

All this CC fraud is why the KTTW card is the best way to go short of cash. You give your number once to the front desk. I find it hard to believe that anyone has had any fraud problems by just using the KTTW card for charging. You always open yourself up to fraud if you use the card directly.

ITA - and this is why I have the ONE credit card that I use ONLY to link to the KTTW when I check in at the resort. I used this card a total of three times - to link to my KTTW at BCV/VB/AKV - after that, it was in the safe the entire trip.

That's why I suspect the info was taken by a CM at the resort.

[eliza61]

Last June an employee at the WL was arrested for grand theft for using a guest credit card so it can happen.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/Travel_News/Disney_employee_arrested_for_grand_theft.htm

That being said, here are a few tips from the ccs (consumer credit services) that may help whenever you travel.

- If you can, use a seperate cc for traveling with a lower balance than your normal cc.
- Never use a debit card tied into your bank account
- KTTW is probably a little more secure simply because the more you hand over your card the more vulnerable it is. NYC had a problem with servers in restuarants taking guest cc and then copying the information once out of site.

I'm sure there are many more. generally I never think crime can't happen at Disney, I'm more of the opposite. I think thieves would flock to Disney because it's got all those nice vacationers flush with cash.

[Disney_Villain]

I agree - I'd rather not have my actual credit card # all over.

Agreed! :thumbsup2

Better to use your card once at the check-in desk (have it pre-auth'd) and then lock your cc's in the room safe until you leave the parks.

[JimMIA]

NYC had a problem with servers in restuarants taking guest cc and then copying the information once out of site.That's the most common form of credit card fraud. It's called "skimming." The wait staff (or front desk person at a hotel) carries a little card reader and swipes your card when noone is looking. The card reader captures all of the information from the magnetic stripe on the back of your card. That information is then sold to a credit card fraud ring and is encoded either to blank media or stolen credit cards which have been canceled by the owner.

When a store's POS system requires the entry of the last 4 digits of your credit card number, or you are asked for the 3-digit number on the back of the card, the merchant is trying to protect against "skimming." If skimmed information is encoded on a mag stripe, it will not match the original number embossed on the card. The 3 digit security code is not contained on the mag stripe and a crook's guess would almost certainly be incorrect.

We always want to come up with the most sophisticated plots (hacking, etc.) and everyone worries about using credit cards shopping on the Internet. But the truth is the riskiest transaction you will ever do with your card is pay for dinner or a bar bill. That is where most cards are compromised.

New York City is sort of the intergallactic capital of credit card fraud, but Florida and London usually fight for second. Almost all credit card fraud in Florida is done either in Orlando or Miami, so WDW is certainly a hotbed for that kind of fraud.

[pixie921]

No, you do not need a CC on file for a DVC stay on points. The only down side is no charging privileges and no quick checkout.

We never leave a CC on file and always have the quick checkout. We've never once had to check out at the front desk on any of our stays, DVC or not. :)

[tjkraz]

Agreed! :thumbsup2

Better to use your card once at the check-in desk (have it pre-auth'd) and then lock your cc's in the room safe until you leave the parks.

This might also be a good endorsement for using the on-line checkin. Since credit card info is entered on the web before even arriving at the resort, there's no reason to even hand-over the card at the front desk.

[disneynutz]

This might also be a good endorsement for using the on-line checkin. Since credit card info is entered on the web before even arriving at the resort, there's no reason to even hand-over the card at the front desk.

That may help, but everyone seems to have access to the information. Front of house and back office.

[Dvc CA]

Be thankful its only a credit card. I was on vacation in Hawaii a few years ago and my ATM card with the Visa logo got cloned. Went to get money from the ATM and found out my account was cleaned out! It took about two weeks to get my money back.

[disneynutz]

We never leave a CC on file and always have the quick checkout. We've never once had to check out at the front desk on any of our stays, DVC or not. :)

How do you quick check out without a CC. Do you maintain a zero balance?

[kid-at-heart]

Just wondering, if you link a credit card to your room card when you check in at the resort and then lose your room card, can the finder of your room card charge on it? :confused:

[corpcomp]

This happened to people last year there and their cards were scanned during dinners. We NEVER use our CC except to check in and charge everything to the room card. The CC stays in the safe the whole time.

[JimMIA]

How do you quick check out without a CC. Do you maintain a zero balance?
Yes. If you don't charge to the room, there is no reason to have to go to the front desk and check out. I just call them to be sure everything's in order.

[JimMIA]

Just wondering, if you link a credit card to your room card when you check in at the resort and then lose your room card, can the finder of your room card charge on it? :confused:
Yes they could, but theoretically you would notice that when you received your pre-checkout bill.

If you missed it and didn't notice anything wrong until you got your credit card bill, it would be much more difficult to get fixed because the only charge that would show on your credit card bill would be to the Disney resort. You'd have to go back through the internal charges between the outlets and the resort to find out which charges were legit and which were fraudulent. And we all know how Disney computer systems are!

[spiceycat]

Yes. If you don't charge to the room, there is no reason to have to go to the front desk and check out. I just call them to be sure everything's in order.

thank you

always left a cc but never charged on it - for the check out - if that can be done without a cc.

definitely not using one in the future.

[JimMIA]

thank you

always left a cc but never charged on it - for the check out - if that can be done without a cc.

definitely not using one in the future.
Our first few trips I would always leave the credit card. What changed my mind was not fraud, but glitches a few years ago with the DDP plan. If the DDP credits didn't go through for some reason, the meals would get room-billed and folks had one heck of a time getting that mess straightened out.

But I haven't left a credit card at the front desk in the last 5-6 trips, and have never had any problem at all. I just call and double-check, tell them we're out of the room, and I'm done.

[fishermouse]

Guess this proves WDW is actully a part of the real world! :confused3 All resorts are prone to CC theft, not much you can do about it, as long as you stick to using CC and not a debit card you should be ok. Most CC have zero liability, just a little hassle calling to straighten things out. I don't think Disney is any more likely than other resorts to have this type of fraud just a lot more people pulling those cards out.

[BWV Dreamin]

This happened to people last year there and their cards were scanned during dinners. We NEVER use our CC except to check in and charge everything to the room card. The CC stays in the safe the whole time.
I never give a CC at check-in, never want it on the KTTW card either. Last year I believe it was reported that a CM was using another type of blackmarket scanner that lifts the info off of the cards. I think they also use these at bank atm's. This is from recall, so please don't quote me on this. But this has been mentioned before here on the DIS, same thing, they only used the card for checking in.

[dopeygirl76]

We never use a credit card on our KTTW as we generally do not use CCs at all (lessons learned!). Our chase disney rewards is the only one we do use or have accessible at any time and use it for major purchases and pay it off immediately. So in april 2008 when we returned from WDW I was shocked to see a charge in Orlando for a transportation company - we had used a car service (first experience) and paid over the phone - that was the only use of the card that whole trip and of course it was prior to even getting there. So while there may be problems within Wdw there are also many other places people looking for money can get to you!!!And I thought I was REALLY careful!:rotfl:

[jfinke]

That's the most common form of credit card fraud. It's called "skimming." The wait staff (or front desk person at a hotel) carries a little card reader and swipes your card when noone is looking. The card reader captures all of the information from the magnetic stripe on the back of your card. That information is then sold to a credit card fraud ring and is encoded either to blank media or stolen credit cards which have been canceled by the owner.

When a store's POS system requires the entry of the last 4 digits of your credit card number, or you are asked for the 3-digit number on the back of the card, the merchant is trying to protect against "skimming." If skimmed information is encoded on a mag stripe, it will not match the original number embossed on the card. The 3 digit security code is not contained on the mag stripe and a crook's guess would almost certainly be incorrect.

We always want to come up with the most sophisticated plots (hacking, etc.) and everyone worries about using credit cards shopping on the Internet. But the truth is the riskiest transaction you will ever do with your card is pay for dinner or a bar bill. That is where most cards are compromised.

New York City is sort of the intergallactic capital of credit card fraud, but Florida and London usually fight for second. Almost all credit card fraud in Florida is done either in Orlando or Miami, so WDW is certainly a hotbed for that kind of fraud.

As an Information Security professional, this was going to be what I would post. Think about the physical security of your card every time you hand it over to a server and it disappears for 30 seconds to 10 minutes. Not only that, but they also have a copy of your signature when you leave the signed slip.

[Mtnman44]

Keep in mind that as a consumer you are nearly fully protected in the event of a skimmed card, stolen card, etc. You may have the minor inconvience of reporting a lost card or disputing charges, but you will not suffer a loss. The banks and merchants ultimately take the hit (which we all pay for eventually).

So, while this type of crime is prevelant, you have no real personal financial risk in using your Credit Card. Naturally it is in your best interest to be smart about it and use good judgement but I prefer carrying and using a card (NOT DEBIT) over cash almost all the time.

As mentioned earlier, I never allow my room key to be activated for charging. I have easy options available to me to dispute fraudulent charges on my credit card and am protected under law. How I would dispute charges on my KTTW card, I'm not so sure....

[JimMIA]

As an Information Security professional, this was going to be what I would post. Think about the physical security of your card every time you hand it over to a server and it disappears for 30 seconds to 10 minutes. Not only that, but they also have a copy of your signature when you leave the signed slip.
We had a situation here in Miami a few years ago where a police officer noticed an illegal card reader on a department store cash register counter as a clerk wes ringing up her sale. She asked what it was and the clerk got all nervous and said she didn't know. The officer told her what it was, impounded the reader, and sent it to the computer lab.

There was not enough evidence at that time to make an arrest, but when the credit card information from the card reader was compared to that day's transactions from that register, the clerk and another clerk were terminated by the department store. In one day, they'd skimmed more than 40 customers' credit card information.

[bom_noite]

Bump

[ParrotBill]

That may help, but everyone seems to have access to the information. Front of house and back office.

I don't think that's likely - it is a PCI regulation violation and Disney is most certainly a level 1 card merchant subject to external audit. Only a limited few people in audit and billing will be able to recall full credit card numbers from the computer. Once swiped at the front desk, it will be stored and encrypted. On recall they will only see xxxx-xxxxx-1234. When it's time to charge, the computer can send the number over the secure link to their merchant service.

Believe me, this is how it works. If one card is hacked electronically then hundreds or thousands will be and you will hear a big news story as the compromised company must notify all who did transactions at that time and offer credit monitoring services for 1 year for free.

The most likely cuprit is a single person who is skimming. This happened to us at a car rental in Cozumel. 4 months later someone tried to do a Western Union transfer who called me at 2 in the morning to authorize it!

[DisDaydreamer]

How do you quick check out without a CC. Do you maintain a zero balance?

I am curious about this too...

[pixie921]

I am curious about this too...


Yup, as JimMIA said above, we just don't charge anything to the room. No balance, no worries. :)

[disneykidatheart]

We have never left a credit card for charging with our key. That is, until our trip in May. We could not get the internet to work at OKC. My husband called the desk and was told they needed a credit card number for the internet to be activated for our villa (yes, we are dvc members).

I went to the check in counter later in the day.

It was somewhat difficult to understand the CM who added the credit card to our key. But what I understood from her explanation was that the credit card is their way of determining who should receive free internet or not.

I feel absolutely certain we did not have a credit card on file for our August 2008 trip. We always pay as we go. Does any of this sound right to you?

[dopeygirl76]

As I stated before we have NEVER put a CC on our KTTW and I have taken my laptop on the last three trips and used internet - FREE with no problem. Just another one of those "lesser" informed CMs.

BTW - use the tech support line by Disney if you cannot get connected - they were very helpful as my laptop runs Vista which as we all know is a glitch filled OS that did cause some problems with me getting internet during our first trip.

[eliza61]

We always want to come up with the most sophisticated plots (hacking, etc.) and everyone worries about using credit cards shopping on the Internet. But the truth is the riskiest transaction you will ever do with your card is pay for dinner or a bar bill. That is where most cards are compromised.

New York City is sort of the intergallactic capital of credit card fraud, but Florida and London usually fight for second. Almost all credit card fraud in Florida is done either in Orlando or Miami, so WDW is certainly a hotbed for that kind of fraud.


You know, I've always thought that if these geniuses spent half as much time on some thing legal instead of these great ways to steal money, they'd make a pretty decent living. **sighs**

[disney queen]

i have had that happen to me. we have a card we use exclusively at wdw for dining purposes. we each have one; therefore, i rarely use mine. we have fraudulent charges that were made using my card! how that happened is beyond me since i was not feeling well that trip and my husband paid for all meals!:yay:

[Chuck S]

This may be a good reason to use online check-in. I used it for our recent trip, and although the room key printer wasn't working properly, so I has to wait anyway, but since my CC info was entered by me, at home, they did not need to swipe the card at the front desk. The room keys do not actually contain your credit card information, they use a false internal Disney billing number to bill to the room, the resort's computer, in turn, bill out to the CC either upon check-out or when that internal charge account reaches $1500 at DVC and Deluxe, $100 at moderates, or $500 at value.

If you purchase park tickets, and pay for them on your room charge, this also usually triggers an immediate auto billing for the ticket amount to the CC on file.

[VallCopen]

Just remember that credit cards can be compromised anywhere. I had a charge last month on our business card, when I called the bank to tell them I hadn't been to San Jose Safeway they told me that hundreds of cards were compromised through the bank itself and that a ring of thieves between Texas and Cali were charging up a storm, and mostly at Safeway's, but after I called the bank they cancelled the charges and started an investigation, but again they did inform me that many many cards were stolen from their system.

[Sammie]

The only true way to safeguard a Credit Card is not to have one.

Ours was compromised and it was locked in our safe and had never been used.

Once the card is issued to you, and you activate it, it can be stolen even without use.

It is wise to always check your account.

[Jeanine3kids]

I am reading this and getting very nervous I was thinking about using a disney gift card do they take these for room charges?

[Chuck S]

I am reading this and getting very nervous I was thinking about using a disney gift card do they take these for room charges?


There really is no reason to be nervous. CC theft can happen anywhere, even those self-serve gas pumps. And under banking rules, we are only liable for $50 at the most. Rules may be different for those al in one ATM/Debit/CC cards, but for a standard credit card, your liability is very limited.

To answer your question, yes, you can use a Disney gift card...but truthfuly, unless you pay cash for the gift card, you are just as likely to have your CC number compromised at a Disney store when you purchase the gift card, the gas station when you fill your tank, the restaurant where you have dinner gas station, or the ATM. Anyone can easily place a second card reader over the slot and collect your info, and most of us would never notice.

[Jeanine3kids]

This stuff really freaks me out because I only use Debit cards, I called my bank and they said I could put an alert on my card that I would be away and I can allow only one charge to my resort. Than use my KTTWC, also they suggested that I could go to the bank and put a certain amount of cash on a bank gift card and use that. I am very stressed out not sure what to do?????

[Chuck S]

This stuff really freaks me out because I only use Debit cards, I called my bank and they said I could put an alert on my card that I would be away and I can allow only one charge to my resort. Than use my KTTWC, also they suggested that I could go to the bank and put a certain amount of cash on a bank gift card and use that. I am very stressed out not sure what to do?????

The odds are in your favor that nothing will happen. Heavens, I've been to Disney 40 times or so since becoming a DVC member, and I've used the cards in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, using it in vaious shops and restaurants, and never had an incident.. Of course there is always a "first time" when something will eventually happen, but again, cards have limitations as to your liability. If you're really freaked out, then use a gift card or travelers checks. Honestly, your card is more likely to be compromised by a bank security screw-up than through regular use. Look at all the electronic info and back up files from banks that "goes missing" every year.

[Sammie]

If at all possible never ever use a Debit card for travel purposes. Even if the card is not compromised are you prepared to have your checking account held for mistakes.

We had a $2000 error on our bill at BCV once and it took weeks to correct it. I would have died had that come out of my checking account instead of a Credit Card.

[fla4fun]

Anyone who is really concerned about using a cc on a trip, might want to consider one of the prepaid Visa or MC travelcards. Looks just like a cc, works just like a cc, but it's not linked to anything.

I agree with doing online check in. I had to show my drivers license to get my package, but not the cc. Then you can use the KTTW and charge back to the room without compromising your cc.

I also agree that this kind of thing can happen everywhere. Disney even puts notices in the rooms regarding phone fraud because people were calling up resort rooms and making bogus offers for tickets or shows, or saying there was a problem with their account at the front desk, and getting people to give their cc numbers over the phone. I can't believe people were falling for it - but we do tend to leave our guards down when on vacation. I never, under any circumstances, use a cc in a restaurant any more. I'd go hungry first! I also don't use a cc at the gas pump - too many of those have been compromised as well. It seems here in Orlando, the biggest risk to your cc are the skimmer machines - and they can hide just about anywhere your card is out of sight, even under the counter at a store. Don't let your card out of your sight for a moment!

[hmmerr02]

did you guys know that you can put a cash deposit on your KTTW card? We put about $500 cash on the card and we can use it until the money is gone. You need to keep a general idea of your spending or stop in for the occasional folio update printout because your card will be refused once the cash is used up. If you don't spend it all just go to the front desk the night before your checkout and they will give you a cash refund! It's a great way to go. If you CM says they can't do this or looks confused, just ask for a supervisor. We've done it several times. What do you think?

[Jeanine3kids]

did you guys know that you can put a cash deposit on your KTTW card? We put about $500 cash on the card and we can use it until the money is gone. You need to keep a general idea of your spending or stop in for the occasional folio update printout because your card will be refused once the cash is used up. If you don't spend it all just go to the front desk the night before your checkout and they will give you a cash refund! It's a great way to go. If you CM says they can't do this or looks confused, just ask for a supervisor. We've done it several times. What do you think?



That sounds like a great idea I just don't like traveling with a lot of cash on me

[Princess_Melanie]

Interestingly enough I just spoke to my CC company here in the UK. I had some other business to talk to them about but I also asked when I could inform them I was going on vacation. He did that for me there and then - took the dates and if I was expecting to use the card frequently or infrequently. I told him my card was the "emergency" card and my partners card would be used to settle the hotel bill at the end of the stay. (he joked and asked me did I define "emergency" as new shoes or medical costs lol!) We have pre-paid Visa Cards for everything else and a small amount of cash. I said my card would be in the hotel room safe for the duration of our stay. All this was noted so hopefully if there is any issue with my card while we're away, things will be sorted out fairly simply.

[mom3sonstt]

No, you do not need a CC on file for a DVC stay on points. The only down side is no charging privileges and no quick checkout.

We don't put a CC down - all we have is a debit card and we don't want to use it because they put a hold on the amount you charge plus an additional 10 - 15%, so you don't have access to that until the actual final charge goes through several days later. We just put down cash (or traveler's checks) when we check in. We monitor our charging by getting copies of our room charges every couple days and add more money as needed. On our final full day we try to use up most of our remaining balance, then any other purchases we make we pay with cash. On check-out day we get whatever remaining balance is left. So no, we can't use the quick check-out, but we are never in a hurry to leave ;)

[Mtnman44]

Just wanted to add: Credit Cards are about the safest way for consumers to spend money, either at home, the store, online, while traveling, etc. Cash carries even more risk, mostly because once it is gone, it's gone. Checks are likewise very prone to fraud and are much more harmful to consumers, mostly because your money is gone and you have to work to get it back. Credit Card fraud is a problem and it must be fought. However, for consumers it is nearly risk free. Plus, I don't get free airline tickets by using cash.... ;)

There really is no reason to be nervous. CC theft can happen anywhere, even those self-serve gas pumps. And under banking rules, we are only liable for $50 at the most. Rules may be different for those al in one ATM/Debit/CC cards, but for a standard credit card, your liability is very limited.

To answer your question, yes, you can use a Disney gift card...but truthfuly, unless you pay cash for the gift card, you are just as likely to have your CC number compromised at a Disney store when you purchase the gift card, the gas station when you fill your tank, the restaurant where you have dinner gas station, or the ATM. Anyone can easily place a second card reader over the slot and collect your info, and most of us would never notice.

[mom3sonstt]

Anyone who is really concerned about using a cc on a trip, might want to consider one of the prepaid Visa or MC travelcards. Looks just like a cc, works just like a cc, but it's not linked to anything.


Our bank quit selling travelers checks and started selling travel cards instead. We got one in the same amount that we usually got in travelers checks. On the way home we were unable to use it even though there should have been plenty left on it. We had used it for our room charge at Disney, if I remember correctly it was the card that on any purchase from a hotel or restaurant would hold an additional 20% to allow for additional room charges or a tip then when the final bill comes through they free up the extra that they held. We were unaware of that practice since we were told it would be just like using a travelers check (by the bank people) Since we charged everything to the room - meals, souvenirs - that was a pretty big chunk to have an extra 20% held. Fortunately we were able to get ahold of the card company (in England if I remember right - I know it was foreign and their hours were inconvenient to contact), Disney faxed them our final total and they were able to release part of the hold so we could afford to pay for our hotel rooms on the way home. Now we use either cash or regular travelers checks