Okay, after 2 years, what's your opinion of the Disney Visa ?

[KNWVIKING]

With the 2nd anniversary of the Disney Visa coming up I'm curious how the board feels about it so far. There were many heated debates a couple years ago regarding the end of the DC program. Anybody ready to say "I told you so" or "Guess I was wrong" ?

As a DVC member and AP holder I should probably disqualify myself from this thread because the Visa is a hands down winner. I don't look for room or package deals. I already get some dinning discounts. The Visa has no annual fees & I've built up 300 reward dollars.

For those of you who relied on the DC for purchases & trips, how do you stack up the Visa against the old program ?

[rocketriter]

We never used the old program. But we're redecorating the house and put a lot of stuff on the Visa, which gave us a tasty souvenir budget on our recent trip to WDW.

[mitros]

We were offered, but never took the card,as we have been using our GM Mastercard. Getting money towards a new car every four years makes more sense to us. We purchased our last 5 vehicles using the GM card. For us, it's just better.

[4407mark]

As one who had cards that got me frequent flyer miles (blackout dates apply :mad:) and bonus points for gift cards at restaurants, etc, I am most happy with the Dsiney card. We make at least one trip to WDW a year and have used reward dollars on each trip. In fact, on all three trips so far, we have used reward dollars to pay for a character meal for the four of us. I know the "reward" is not as great as we would like but we are able to use it (something I could never do with the frequent flyer miles) and we love it!

[turtle51]

I am very pleased with it. I love the perk of getting money to use on disney stuff.

[Pea-n-Me]

I like it. Had a nice chunk of change in Reward Dollars for our last cruise. Only disappointment is losing the $50 onboard credit for booking with the Disney Visa.

[patsal]

The basic card and perks are fine, but the bonus perks they hyped up have not really been anything special. I am using the card and have benefitted from the last years purchases paying for one PAP.

[TheWho]

I'm a DVC member who travels to WDW once a year. I received the Disney Visa on day one and went to WDW last summer with 709 points!! I never paid one cent of interest throughout the year. I just charge everything I can. It's amazing how you can use the system with little effort. I love the card.

[SnackyStacky]

No I told you so-s here, but I do have to say I don't think it's anything special.

I think that $1 for every $100 is a little cheap, but that's just me.

The extras they promised are NOTHING special at all.

[WDWHound]

I have no problem with the card, taken own its own merits. However, they billed it as a replacement for the Disney Club (ie the Magic Kingdom Club) and it definitely did not come close to replacing the benefits lost when the Disney Club was discontinued.

[raidermatt]

The issues with it being a replacement for the MKC are still valid. Even if the rewards benefits were beyond comparison, it would still not change the fact that its a far more restrictive program than MKC. No reason they can't have both.

As for the Visa itself, the level of rewards are not what I had hoped for. $1 per $100 is ok as a base, but the bonus opportunities have been less than impressive. I will say that they have started to get a little better, but are still spotty at best.

The big mystery to me is why they don't offer some kind of regular bonus for spending at Disney.


I've actually been tempted to switch to a cash back card. There are several out there that offer the same 1%, but they also offer bonuses for purchases at everyday places, like grocery stores and gas stations. As great as it is to have $500 Disney reward dollars, it would be even better to have $600 cash to use on that same trip...

So all in all, its not a "bad" product. Its just that I honestly don't believe they are taking full advantage of it, and it still doesn't justify the demise of the MKC.

[KNWVIKING]

There are very few reward cards that return better then 1%. The GM card is the only exception I can think of, but it has other restrictions that reduce the value of that 5%.

One thing I have seen that I like so far is that Disney is offering specials that allow you to earn 2% for all purchases over X dollars.

I would like to know from people who used the DC/MKC extensively and are now using the Visa if they feel they are saving more or less. To me, that is the true acid test.

[lynn71092]

I totally agree with WDWHound.:wave:

[Muushka]

What a thoughtful question!

Well, we waited till about 6 months ago when they gave us the $25 to sign up. I have found that it is nice to receive the 1% Disney bucks for times when we cannot use our Discover card. Also we will really appreciate it this Jan when we pay our DVC Maintenance dues with their Visa. Nice to get some $$ back on that one! I just got my reward card for $34 which we will use in 2 weeks. YIPPEE!! No big deal, but to me, every little bit counts.

PS I really like their emailing of all activity on the account.

[bethyg]

We have been investigating the Visa for about a year now, and finally took the plunge. Received our card 4 days ago. Question: I thought you did earn rewards for everyday purchases such as groceries, pharmacy, restaurants, etc........ I thought you earned 1% on every $100 spent, regardless of where you spent it. I have seen posted on other threads that people are not being credited with their proper points, and not receiving the double-points on occasions. Has anyone found this to be a problem?

[goofy370]

I too think that the 1 for 100 is very cheap. Six Flags card is 1 for 1 which is great!! Also, I spent more with the 10% off than I do for the rewards. I don't think it replaces the MKC, just a different offer.

Tracie

[Horace Horsecollar]

What I don't understand about the Disney Visa is why there's no real incentive to spend money with Disney (except for a few specific promotional offers).

For example, if I spend $100 on the Disney Visa at WDW, I get a dollar. If I spend $100 on the Disney Visa at Universal, I also get a dollar.

In comparison, a Marriott Visa provides 3 Marriott Rewards points for each dollar spent with Marriott, and 1 Marriott Reward point for each dollar sent elsewhere.

[JimB.]

Has anyone found this to be a problem?

Never has been for us. We have always gotten proper credit.

Agreed that it does not replace MKC, but if looked at by itself, it has been fine.

[Pea-n-Me]

Originally posted by Horace Horsecollar
What I don't understand about the Disney Visa is why there's no real incentive to spend money with Disney (except for a few specific promotional offers).

For example, if I spend $100 on the Disney Visa at WDW, I get a dollar. If I spend $100 on the Disney Visa at Universal, I also get a dollar.

In comparison, a Marriott Visa provides 3 Marriott Rewards points for each dollar spent with Marriott, and 1 Marriott Reward point for each dollar sent elsewhere.
You bring up a good point. You used to be able to book Disney vacations interest free for 6 months but I don't know if that's still offered. And as I said before the $50 onboard cruise credit went away. They ought to take a closer look at this, especially where it was touted to relpace the MKC/TDC cards. :rolleyes:

[patsal]

Never a problem with crediting, but the inconsistency in offers is a real bugger. Some people have to spend $250 to get the extra points, others have $2500 and it is only for purchases in certain categories and double for over the $2500 in those categories so I spend about $3000 per month on everything I purchase and pay with the Visa and end up with 30 regularr points and about 3 bonus points. Overall the reward base compares well with most programs, but I still believe that they could do better with bonus for spending at Disney. Not really a big deal, and I find the card and online program work great for viewing and paying, etc., but reallly no replacement for the MKC/DC.

[KNWVIKING]

bethyg : Yes, it's 1% on all purchases. As for bonus dollars, I believe they are credited at the end of the offer, not each month. For instance, I'm earning double for everything over $350.00 till the end of Dec. I should see the bonus in Jan.

goofy370 : Six Flags is giving you a POINT, not a DOLLAR. When you look at how many points you need to get a "something", you will find you're probably only getting 1% or less.

Horace Horsecollar: I agree, Disney should give a bonus for spending with them. I do believe they are still offering the 6 month interest free spiff for booking a package.

[raidermatt]

There are very few reward cards that return better then 1%. The GM card is the only exception I can think of, but it has other restrictions that reduce the value of that 5%.
I know several of the AMEX cards offer 1% on everything, 2% on all purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and home improvement stores.

I also received an offer, I believe from Citibank, for a cash back card that had a similar structure.

Quite a few cards offer bonuses for all purchases made through that partner.


Some people have to spend $250 to get the extra points, others have $2500 and it is only for purchases in certain categories

Agreed. This was actually an offer that gave me more of a negative impression than a postive one.

What they did was evaluate your spending habits and then make an offer designed to get you to increase your spending. Either by shifting from another card, or by charging things you don't normally charge.

For those who were already using the card for just about everything they can (i.e. their best customers...) the offer was of little practical value.

Yes, I am one of those people. My spending "goals" are such that I can't really reach them unless I actually buy more things, instead of shifting usage.

And even if I do manage to reach them, I'm certainly not going to go over them by much, and I will only get the bonus on the amount over the goal.


But again, its not that the Disney Visa is a "bad" deal. Its just that its not really any better than what most others are offering, and comes up short of quite a few.

I agree with others that they are missing a big opportunity by not offering consistent bonuses for Disney purchases.

Agreed that it does not replace MKC, but if looked at by itself, it has been fine.
Can't argue, but the problem is Disney touted it as a replacement for MKC.

[arminnie]

Originally posted by raidermatt
IWhat they did was evaluate your spending habits and then make an offer designed to get you to increase your spending. Either by shifting from another card, or by charging things you don't normally charge.

For those who were already using the card for just about everything they can (i.e. their best customers...) the offer was of little practical value.



That's what I thought too until I got an offer for bonus points for spending over $350 a month - I charge everything on it, and my bill is usually measured in the thousands not hundreds. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the offers, but I am not complaining about mine.

I never considered this as a replacement for the Disney Club. Just another Visa with a reward program. I had more airline miles than I could use so I was looking for another reward. I've been very happy with it.

[goofy370]

Six Flags also gives you 10% off food and souvie purchases when you use the card. Also it is counted as 1 point for every dollar you spend. So, it is getting 1 for 1 instead of 1 for 100 like with the Disney CC. The points also count as 1 for 1. It has a much better perks than the DisneyCC, if you go to Six Flags.

[RAD]

I've checked the 'special's and none of them have interested me. Also the $100->$1 with no bonus for spending $'s at Disney is a let down. I recently cashed out all the money that I racked up and will be cancelling the card. I'm now using a card that is MUCH more flexible on what I can do with my rewards.

[colleen costello]

The 1% is measly but I am sure happy when I have $200 "free" dollars to spend at the end of each year. I think the special offers have been unexciting and recently got the offer for the "double points" which made me mad. I'd have to spend $2300 THEN they'd double them... That would be way more than I spend in month and I felt like they were "teasing" me!

I wish there were better rewards for money spent at WDW. But overall, I like the card a lot. Still get comments from salespeople on how cute it is!

[4mickeyfans]

After 2 yrs. of hearing from my friends about all the reward dollars they'd earned, I finally caved and applied. It didn't hurt that the latest offer included 12 mo. interest free so I booked our upcoming trip planning to put our tickets on the card. I will also use it to book our cruise. The card offers 6 mo. interest free on the deposit and then another 6 mo. on the balance! I don't know what it is about "interest free" that gets me every time:p

I am a little leery about the reward sysytem. It seems like my rewards will be minimal unless I put practically everything chargeable on the card. DH would have my head if I did that - he believes in paying all bills immediately and knows if I put them on a card that allows me to stretch out payments, I would!;)

So, I guess time will tell with us how the card fares - I'm going to try to build rewards until our cruise over a yr. away. In the meantime, I'm just going to like seeing Mickey in my wallet (next to my last resort pass, and Mickey dollar for safekeeping:earsgirl: )

[ShaneV]

Originally posted by goofy370
Six Flags also gives you 10% off food and souvie purchases when you use the card. Also it is counted as 1 point for every dollar you spend. So, it is getting 1 for 1 instead of 1 for 100 like with the Disney CC. The points also count as 1 for 1. It has a much better perks than the DisneyCC, if you go to Six Flags.

Theres no way it could be 1 for 1. It may be 1 for 1 points, but how many points does it take to buy something?

I think of it this way. I have 500 disney dollars this year (Just did some home remodiling and put most of it on the card). So with the six flags card are you saying Id have 50,000 dollars to spend or 50,000 points?

[rtjcbrown]

Disappointed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Switched back to AMEX.

The worst was when they were offering hotel discounts to their new members, but not to the loyal old ones. I sent my card back cut into pieces!!!!!!!

[DancingBear]

Six Flags Master Card info here:

http://www.firstusa.com/cgi-bin/webcgi/webserve.cgi?partner_dir_name=six_flags&page=cont&mkid=6PLM

You get 6 points for every dollar spent at Six Flags, and 1 point for every other dollar. 2500 points gets you a one-day admission pass or a $25 meal certificate.

[ShaneV]

2500 pts = $25.00 meal or merchandise certificate. its still 1 for 100 on everyday purchases. . I do like the bonus of 6 per dollar earned at Six Flags however.

[Bob O]

Bring back the magic kingdon club!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was ablw to get rooms and very good prices and was able to get money off purchases.
But since they got rid of the excellant MKC i dont and wont get a disney visa as i save much more money on my home equity charge card which is cheaper and tax deductable and i wont stay on site this year at wdw which will ipact the amlunt of money they get from me.
So for me and my family it was a awful decision and will cost the Co. money from the smaller amouint that will be spent at the parks!!

[dzneelvr]

I hate to admit it, but I was really a skeptic when this first came out. I am a charter member since day 1.
It has been very good to us! Not only do we save more in reward dollars than we ever got off the old Disney Club discount, but by having the VISA we saved $400 on our room rate for our last trip. Now that's what I call a deal.
It's used more because it is a credit card that can go anywhere--vs the old Disney Club where it was only good on Disney stuff.
It is a good program. I'm happy with it.

[LorieR]

My DH and I are members of Disney Visa since day #1 and have yet to be offered double rewards for any dollar amount! We did appreciate the extra $303 we had to spend at WDW last month though from our rewards!! I have started using Citi Platinum Card recently since they offer 5% back on supermarkets, gas stations, and one other place that I can't remember right now! We are using Disney Visa for everything else though. We pay our balance at the end of every month and I also make interim payments online just so I am not hit with a big bill at the end of the month. (makes me feel better :D )

Lorie

[raidermatt]

I have started using Citi Platinum Card recently since they offer 5% back on supermarkets, gas stations, and one other place that I can't remember right now! We are using Disney Visa for everything else though.

Exactly my point... there's really no advantage to using the Disney card in this case. If you were only going to use one, the Citi card is the better deal and would give you more to spend at WDW than the Disney card would.

2500 pts = $25.00 meal or merchandise certificate. its still 1 for 100 on everyday purchases. . I do like the bonus of 6 per dollar earned at Six Flags however.
Yup... as I think several have stated here, this is a key area where Disney is lacking. Their base deal is comparable to most, but they lack the bonuses most others offer. (These are also incentives to spend on their products, for those looking for a business justification)


The worst was when they were offering hotel discounts to their new members, but not to the loyal old ones. I sent my card back cut into pieces!!!!!!!
I haven't gone that far, but it has been frustrating to see the better offers out there for new customers that weren't offered to us "charter members". If I didn't know any better, I'd say they took advantage of us "brand monkeys".

[KNWVIKING]

***".... for new customers that weren't offered to us "charter members". If I didn't know any better, I'd say they took advantage of us "brand monkeys"."***

This is no different then any other promotional offer all companies use to entice new members.

I also wish we were given a higher return for Disney exclusive purchases like the other branded cards. But what other advantages are there to owning a Six Flags card ? Do you get rental car discounts ? Cruise credit ? Or any of the other monthly spiffs that come out ?

[raidermatt]

This is no different then any other promotional offer all companies use to entice new members.


The difference is the way the promotional offers weren't there in the beginning. (It was a pin and getting charter member embossed on the card... much less than what was offered later.)

Usually companies want to entice from the beginning, unless its some kind of pilot, which this was not.

The unusual circumstance here was that Disney had a huge base already built in, many of which didn't "need" enticing to signup. Otherwise known as us brand monkeys. Knowing what we know about how Disney thinks, it certainly looks like they took advantage of that by holding back the better offers until they already had the "gimmes" in their pocket.

I don't want to overblow this... its not like many other companies wouldn't have done the same thing. It just raises that same question again, about whether or not Disney should consider how this affects that unique, loyal customer base they have.

[shirley 38]

I am cancelling my card. I do not think it replaces the Magic Kingdom Card. I can get a card towards Airline Miles 2$ for every $1 spent. No Black Out dates any airline. Disney just wants you to spend the money at WDW. Not worth it.

[DisneyBill]

Its only been two years? The product appears exactly as the offer was presented to me. Some occassional promotional offers, and the somewhat unexpected spending reward bonus. Clearly Bank One came out better on the deal with all the existing Disney customers that flocked to B1 product. I wouldn't rule out a future timed promotion for extra earnings or discounts for Disney products when B1DV is used. Gee, maybe buy 1 PHP, get 1 Free! Ha!

[KNWVIKING]

***"I can get a card towards Airline Miles 2$ for every $1 spent. No Black Out dates any airline. Disney just wants you to spend the money at WDW. Not worth it."***

How many points/dollars do you need to earn to get the free ticket ? How much is the annual fee ? Will you rack up enough points in one year to earn a ticket ? or will you pay two annual fees to get one ?

I've looked at several airline programs and haven't found one yet that returned better then 1%.

[raidermatt]

Its only been two years?

Less than that, actually. The first cards were issued in March '03.

[KNWVIKING]

***"Less than that, actually. The first cards were issued in March '03."***

I thought the cards were being issued at the end of Nov when many DC memberships expired. Don't recall there being a four month gap. Oh well, like they say..... a mind is a terrible thing.

[raidermatt]

Oh well, like they say..... a mind is a terrible thing.
Yes, which is why I decided to go back and double check! (I have those moments myself)

They started taking apps near the end of February '03.

[cristen]

I hate to tell you Matt, but I just got my card for this last trip, and it says Charter Member on it. I wonder how long they will be putting that on the cards?

I never had the MKC membership thingy, so I can't compare. But I will tell you that I saved something like 800.00 on my room this last trip because I got the card. So that was nice.

But we have not used it since. There is nothing special about it, unfortunately. And I agree that they need to give higher rewards for Disney purchases. If they did, I would be more inclined to use it, since I spend quite a bit of money of Disney cra..er, um, stuff.

[Hieatt]

How many points/dollars do you need to earn to get the free ticket ? How much is the annual fee ? Will you rack up enough points in one year to earn a ticket ? or will you pay two annual fees to get one ?

I've looked at several airline programs and haven't found one yet that returned better then 1%.

I think the Delta Platinum SkyMiles Card, and most other reward cards, blow the Disney Visa out of the water. At least 1 SkyMile per dollar, and 2 Skymiles per dollar on everyday spend stuff (gas stations, supermarkets, cell phones, etc., etc.) and on Delta purchases, not to mention all kinds of periodic bonus opportunities. And if you spend $25000 on it in a year (which we do), you get 10,000 bonus miles that count toward medallion qualification.

$25,000 in spending on Disney Visa nets you 250 Disney Reward Dollars.

$25,000 in spending on the Delta Platinum Amex could easily net you 50,000 SkyMiles, enough for two roundtrip tickets anywhere in the US or a ticket to Europe - easily worth at least $600 if not more.

It does have an annual fee, but its more than offset by the free companion ticket they give you every year.

I grant that if you are not interested in flying, or don't fly on Delta much, this is less attractive.

However, take the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex as another example. $25,000 in spending on that card nets you at least 25,000 Starpoints, enough for two nights at the Walt Disney World Dolphin with no black out dates, and 5,000 Starpoints to spare. The absolute rock bottom discounted rates at the Dolphin are around $175/night with tax (so $350 for 2 nights), and could easily be over $300/night (or $600 to $700 for 2 nights), so again the Disney Visa is beat easily, and this does not include bonus points through regular promotions that are offered.

Disney has one of the worst reward cards when it comes to ratio of rewards to dollars spent. And, it is nothing short of ridiculous that bonus points are not earned on Disney purchases. Nevertheless, I have one and use it at places that don't take Amex, because I too am a Disney "brand monkey".

[tiggersmom2]

Let me tell you about my go-round with Disney Visa. After two years, I decided to pay my Visa off and not use it anymore. I paid the WHOLE balance off as soon as the bill came in. Well, the next month I get a finance charge for 35.00!!!!! I called and asked about it. I got a real snotty girl that says "yep, that is how it works - if you don't pay it off *2* months in advance you get a finance charge". I figure this girl must have lost here mind....WTH does she mean TWO months in advance - how the heck do you pay a card off TWO months in advance??!!! I explain to her that when I got my bill there was ALREADY a 35.00 finance charge added in to the total that I paid....she then proceeds to tell me that I will just have to pay the finance charge......I tell her to get me a manager PRONTO!!! To make a long story short....they waived the finance charge (and I cancelled the card) but they told me to remember that I must pay the balance off TWO months before!!! Someone tell me WTH they are talking about b/c I sure don't understand. I HATE the Disney VISA and will never use it again...obviously.

[whizGoofy]

I like it. Had a nice chunk of change in Reward Dollars for our last cruise. Only disappointment is losing the $50 onboard credit for booking with the Disney Visa.

Why did you lose $50.00 buy booking with the Disney Visa?? I am taking my Honeymoon and the Disney Cruise line and I was told that I would get an on board credit of $50.oo per person.

[Kapp]

as the Disney Club but it is getting a little better with the offers, ways to earn bonus points, etc. I still wish they would give card holders bigger and special discounts. I know that around a year ago there was some talk of another form of the Disney Club or even a "special" level of the Disney card.

[freediverdude]

Well, I think it's a big loss for Disney and for Disney fans. Many people who had the Disney Club were not approved for the new credit card because of Bank One's proprietary formula that even mortgage brokers can't figure out. Plus like some other posters have said, the rewards aren't as nice as some other cards. I've just been offered the new Citibank Premierpass card, which sounds better, so I'm going to take that, and I already have the Citi platinum select and Citi dividend cards, even though Bank One wouldn't give me the Disney visa, since evidently they don't take into account my spending thousands at Disney every year and being a passholder, as well as having the good credit score. I get 5000 points just for signing up with this new card, and the rewards start at 1000 points. 25000 points will get me a flight on any airline with no blackout dates, similar to some of these other cards like the starwood and amex. I think Disney is really losing out going with Bank One- another bank could make this program a much better replacement for the Disney Club. A) they're too selective, or however they choose cardholders, profiling or something, and B) i've heard too many horror stories about them. Knowing what I know now, I don't think I would take one if offered.

[crusader]

I see very little benefit to the cardholder. This Visa favors corporate Disney - not the consumer. It doesn't measure up to what it presumably replaced. Most of the old savings are gone - but discounts for accomodations can be obtained directly so that's a draw to me. As far as the other discounts for dining and purchases, that is a loss - but the MKC was limited in these as well.

Consumers are now being offered only very specific direct promotions with the Visa card and can obtain further discounts through other outlets - such as DVC.

Any DVC owner like myself, wouldn't need the old MKC anymore. But if this was the only discount card for someone, they definitely lost some on-site dining discounts they paid an annual fee for - and a 10% discount at the Disney Stores.

I don't know if the FL residents had other options already at their disposal.

[wdw4us2]

The Disney Visa doesn't hold a candle to the old MK Club Card.

The special offers do us no good because we are Florida residents with AP's and have no need to book a package trip to WDW. The reward points calculations are also rather stingy. You should get double points if you're using the card for Disney purchases or resort stays.