We all want one, and the Chase VISA reps at DisneyParks share our grief.
If you want the perks that go with the CHASE-DISNEY VISA, and live near the border (apparently the rules have changed, and only Ontarians are eligible now to open a personal checking account - confirmed just this week at a Michigan branch - all other non-US residents are now ineligible) you can go to a Chase branch and open a personal checking account ($12/mo) and obtain a Chase Disney VISA Debit Check card. While most of the benefits are simular. The point structure is lower, and it is a DEBIT not a CREDIT card.
(Also, the USA uses the DDA banking system (Demand Deposit Accounting) and even if you make a deposit today, it will not be available at the earliest until the next business day - unlike accounts in Canada in real time. (If you had a bank account in Canada prior to 1990, we also used the DDA system, with the exception of Canada Trust which deposited in real time)).
Disney would love to be able to offer their card to Canadians, however it isn't an easy task.
1) The issuing bank has to be chartered in the state or province you live in, and be a registered DEPOSIT taking institution where you reside. Most of you will say, "Hey, Chase is in Canada" and the answer to that is "Yes, and No" - Chase is a Schedule 3, non-deposit taking institution in Canada. What this means is they operate a "branch office" of their U.S. bank in Canada. Chase USA N.A. has a branch in Canada however, they are a service provider for their subsidiary, a subsidiary that uses the "Chase" brand name, but is actually known as "Sears Financial Bank" in Canada. (You will note that if you have a "Chase" branded card in Canada that you DO NOT make you payments to Chase, your payments are to Sears MasterCard, Best Buy VISA, or Marriott VISA, but never CHASE.
2) VISA and MASTERCARD issuing banks have membership rules. These rules state that they cannot issue cards outside of their domiciled country of business. Chase only issues Canadian dollar cards in Canada to Canadians, and U.S. Cards to Americans, similarly, Capital One is in the exact same position, as they are not a "Canadian" domiciled bank, but operate a branch of their U.S. bank in Canada.
3) But HEY! I can get a U.S. VISA from a Canadian Bank, yes you can, BUT it is NOT an U.S. issued bankcard.
4) But, I can get a RBC Bank (Georgia) VISA, from RBC Bank (Georgia) but I do not live in the states nor have a U.S. address, but it is an actual U.S. bank issued card (The same holds true for TD) - and Yes, Yes you can. This is because TD and RBC are domiciled banks in both countries, and are full flegged deposit taking institutions in Canada and the USA, therefore are full fledged members of the VISA and MASTERCARD programs in both countries (and have right of offset to legally collect bad debtors on either side of the border because of this set-up, and can legally issue a U.S. domiciled VISA credit card to NON US residents (In Canada only).
5) The final and biggest reason you'll never see a Disney VISA in Canada is the difference in currency. You may have $100US in Disney points collected today, but as the dollar fluctuates (as it does every second of the trading day) - those same points could be worth only $80 six months from now. This would be a PR nightmare for Disney. The only way that this could ever happen is if a) Canada and the USA adopt the same currency (like Europe and the EURO) and two, that whomever operates the program on behalf of DISNEY is domiciled as a full fledged bank, and deposit taking member belonging to VISA and MASTERCARD associations in both countries.
Otherwise. Unfortunately, this will never come to pass.
You can however get a US Bank issued VISA card from RBC Bank (Georgia) N.A. thru the Royal Bank of Canada and collect either dollar rebates in U.S. funds or travel that you can use to book a DISNEY trip thru any branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. You will have to adhere to the Patriot Act, and be accepted by both banks (although they are both owned by RBC, the are separately domiciled) and opening an account will follow U.S. law, i.e. if you are a national from a sanctioned US country, even though you are a Canadian resident, you will NOT be allowed to open a US account with a US Bank (and RBC Bank Georgia is a US Bank regulated by the Comptroller of the Currency).
I know this was long winded, and technical, however it does firmly tell you the why's and why nots for Canadians.
Canadians are the second most visited nationality to DisneyParks, and make up a tremendous share of their revenue. If they could, they would issue their cards to Canucks in a heartbeat!
Not available to Canadians. You must have a valid USA address to obtain. Many Canadians have called Chase requesting that we be allowed access to the card but no luck. yet.
