second guessing gift card buying...

[abctriplets]

Our planned big souvenirs are going to be the Pearl Factory in Downtown Disney in Orlando. Any chance they take disney gift cards?

 

[agavegirl1]

I like the idea of VISA gift cards if you are concerned about a potential cancellation. I have decided to use my Disney Gift Cards purchased at Target with stacked rewards (Pharmacy Rewards 5% off and Red Card 5% off) which can't be done anymore, as a dining plan. Because I purchased these a while ago in anticipation of this trip, it works for me. However, I don't know if I would go the same route again. I do not think I was charged sales tax on the cards.

I guess, for me, I prefer to pay everything upfront that I can so I make vacation savings deposits monthly. It takes about 18 months to save up for me. Some of that is cash, some was gift card purchases etc. Visa gift cards would give the most peace of mind for many. I'm okay with the gift cards since, if I have to cancel this trip, I have trip insurance and would go at a later date.

 

[bookluvingbabe]

We had a deeply unhappy and cranky CM when we checked into AllStarSports. I had a room only reservation and he was so peeved that I was paying it off with gift cards.

Never had any problems using them elsewhere though!

 

[MeanestMomEver]

We purchased Disney and AMC gift cards at Target, using our Red Card for 5 percent off.

No tax was charged. (The sales tax comes into plan when it's applied to the purchase of goods or services with the GC in FL.)

Sure, we only saved 5 percent but it's better than nothing. I had no trouble using them at any Disney restaurant, shop or our resort- though I didn't purchase them to cover the room. I just used my leftover cards on the room bill on our last day. We used the AMC cards to buy advance movie tickets for the DTD AMC Fork n Screen.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

We had a deeply unhappy and cranky CM when we checked into AllStarSports. I had a room only reservation and he was so peeved that I was paying it off with gift cards.

Never had any problems using them elsewhere though!

Hope I don't encounter that CM when I check in with my fist full of $50 gcs from Target. Last time I did the gc thing my only problem was the CM didn't know how to process them and had to get help. But I have no problem asking for someone else if the CM gets an attitude.

 

[mars315]

Done this for 4 trips now and need to go buy some for our trip in 2 weeks. Never had a problem and no CMs ever acted bothered by them. The only caveat is they rarely work when I swipe them and the CM usually ends up having to swipe at the register. It is worth the savings for us, especially if I have an extra 5% off from prescription rewards. There is a very handy iPhone app that will track your GC balances for you, too.

Target no longer allows the extra 5% pharmacy rewards discount on gift cards(such as Disney or Starbucks).

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

Visa, MC & AMEX gift cards all carry a $3.95 to $5.95 activation fee depending on the amount. I only buy the Disney gift cards. For us it's much easier.

 

[MegMac]

I always use my Target debit cards to save 5%...$5 for every $100 isn't going to change my life, but it all adds up! I have paid for a lot of trips with gift cards and just pay piece by piece either online or by calling Disney. I would highly recommend this strategy. However, last year, we took a few gift cards with us for food items, and I had one that did NOT work. I called Target, and they told me to call Disney. Disney told me I had to talk to Target. I was on the phone dealing with it for over an hour at the park. I would absolutely recommend keeping your receipts for the cards you are going to take with you!

 

[MeanestMomEver]

I always use my Target debit cards to save 5%...$5 for every $100 isn't going to change my life, but it all adds up! I have paid for a lot of trips with gift cards and just pay piece by piece either online or by calling Disney. I would highly recommend this strategy. However, last year, we took a few gift cards with us for food items, and I had one that did NOT work. I called Target, and they told me to call Disney. Disney told me I had to talk to Target. I was on the phone dealing with it for over an hour at the park. I would absolutely recommend keeping your receipts for the cards you are going to take with you!

That's good advice! I saw a similar post before our spring trip so now I go to Guest Services at Target before I leave (and explain why I am concerned) and ask them to verify they are all activated. They didn't mind at all.

 

[Missymouse18]

This summer was the first time I have used gift cards in the parks. I loved using them. I never once encountered a single problem. The cast members were always pleasant and after every purchase would circle or highlight on my receipt the remaining balance on the card/cards.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Why does everyone do this?

Is there any financial benefit...or is it just a psychology of saving for the trip that works for you all?

I just charge everything to my room and pay the credit card off when I get home and the bill comes.

 

[AngiTN]

Why does everyone do this?

Is there any financial benefit...or is it just a psychology of saving for the trip that works for you all?

I just charge everything to my room and pay the credit card off when I get home and the bill comes.

Because at Target you save 5% off the cost of the cards if you have a Red Card. While 5% is minuscule when you start to add up the cost of a Disney trip, often $3000 and up, it can be a significant sum. At some grocery stores you get a discount on fuel, which can be even greater than a 5% discount. It's a way to save money on an expensive trip.

Plus, if you plan a year out you can buy them each time you shop. $50 here and there are not as hard to stomach spending to some. And yes, having it all paid for in advance, without charging to a credit card, is nice too.

 

[nkereina]

I think if you UNDER-estimate it could work out well. I'm thinking of pre-purchasing to cover just tips at table services meals. We have 10 table services meals (there 10 nights during free dining) and estimating $30pp x4 = $120 per meal x 18% tip = $21.60 per meal x 10 meals. If I pre-buy $250.00 in gift cards then I know our tips are now paid for the duration of the trip. If I want to go any further, I can estimate I will not spend more than $200 on souveniers/extras - do I don't over-buy gift cards I would probably buy 1/2 of that on a gift card and pay on a credit card or cash after I run out of my pre-purchased gift cards.

I hear what you're saying but I think if I was using gift cards as a make-shift dining plan, I'd be hesitant to order that $50 steak and would be sick over spending $200+ on a meal. I don't worry about that when I'm on the true dining plan, which is another perk in addition to the "pre-paid" perk of the dining plan. If I knew I underestimated my gift cards to avoid leftover balances, I'd feel the need to keep track of balances and watch my spending which I wouldn't want to do.

As for buying gift cards for the tips, I like the pre-paid mentality here but I'd think it would be awkward to have DDP credits come off your band (or charging to the room), and then furnish a gift card, make the server run it for their tip, and bring it back. Similarly if you're paying OOP for food and not on a DDP, I'd think it would be awkward to hand over cash or card and then separate the tip on a gift card. We like having our band scanned, throwing down cash for the tip (or writing in the amount to charge to our card) and being on our way.

 

[GlennN]

I hear what you're saying but I think if I was using gift cards as a make-shift dining plan, I'd be hesitant to order that $50 steak and would be sick over spending $200+ on a meal. I don't worry about that when I'm on the true dining plan, which is another perk in addition to the "pre-paid" perk of the dining plan. If I knew I underestimated my gift cards to avoid leftover balances, I'd feel the need to keep track of balances and watch my spending which I wouldn't want to do.

As for buying gift cards for the tips, I like the pre-paid mentality here but I'd think it would be awkward to have DDP credits come off your band (or charging to the room), and then furnish a gift card, make the server run it for their tip, and bring it back. Similarly if you're paying OOP for food and not on a DDP, I'd think it would be awkward to hand over cash or card and then separate the tip on a gift card. We like having our band scanned, throwing down cash for the tip (or writing in the amount to charge to our card) and being on our way.

We are trying the gift card thing this year for the first time. Getting the 5% off at Target was our main reason. As others have said, 5% is not a fortune, but spending $500 in GC (not hard to spend on dining at Disney!) gives us $25 back. We used to always do the DDP, but last trip we didn't and compared our totals after the trip - ended up spending just under what DDP would have cost. Sometimes, especially in the Summer heat, we do not want a table service meal every day. It felt more free to not feel like we HAD to eat a big meal every day.

As to paying, we love the idea of just charging everything to the room and then going down to the front desk and paying with the GC (so we never have to carry the cards into the parks). Sounds like a good plan, but I guess we'll see how the execution goes!

 

[bluezy]

I completely agree - Visa gift cards are the way to go for me. What would happen if you suddenly had to cancel your trip (say, due to a family emergency) and were stuck with hundreds (or potentially thousands!) of dollars worth of Disney gift cards?

I went on a WDW trip in February, and my Dad was quite ill at the time. It gave me peace of mind not to have my money tied up in Visa gift cards, since I might have had to cancel my trip at the last minute.

Save them for the next trip. I don't pay for our entire trip in gift cards -- only the amount that I wouldn't miss if it was tied up in Disney gift cards for a few months or years. I think I used about $1,500 worth of gift cards for our last trip. We also used about $1500 of Disney Visa rewards. Everything else was charged to our Disney Visa and paid off when we got home.

If it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip or a trip that we only plan to do once every 10 years, I probably would skip the gift cards or only buy a few if we want the kids to use them when they're not with us for meals. Our family likes to go to Disney every 2 or 3 years, so I'm not concerned about the possibility of cancelling a trip and having money tied up in gift cards. It wouldn't really be a "cancelled" trip, just a postponed one.

Visa or Mastercard gift cards will never be an option for me since I refuse to pay the activation fee. I'll use my credit card instead and pay nothing extra.

 

[AngiTN]

I completely agree - Visa gift cards are the way to go for me. What would happen if you suddenly had to cancel your trip (say, due to a family emergency) and were stuck with hundreds (or potentially thousands!) of dollars worth of Disney gift cards?

I went on a WDW trip in February, and my Dad was quite ill at the time. It gave me peace of mind not to have my money tied up in Visa gift cards, since I might have had to cancel my trip at the last minute.

Personally, I never plan to cancel. Even with an emergency I would at most postpone the trip, not cancel. So the amount would just be transferred to the future trip.

 

[MagentaMulan]

I plan on using gift cards because i think it will keep me on a budget. If i just charged everything to my cc and wait to pay it off at the end of my trip, i know i would go over my planned limit.

Is it better to get the GCs from like retail stores like the Disney Store and Target (i have a Red card) or buy the ones on the Disney gift card website?

 

[mommyrosa2]

Target no longer allows the extra 5% pharmacy rewards discount on gift cards(such as Disney or Starbucks).

I WAS an avid Disney GC buyer at Target stacking my discounts but now that I can no longer use the extra 5% pharmacy rewards, I decided to start getting my cards at BJ's instead (no sales tax).

While I realize I may lose a 1% instant savings (BJ's is a 4% discount vs. Target's 5%), I make up for it by purchasing them with my Southwest Visa Card and earn points as well as the instant savings! Between paying off our August trip, renewing our A/P's and getting GC's for our dining, I managed to save close to $300 instantly and have earned enough points for a one way fare .

 

[AngiTN]

I plan on using gift cards because i think it will keep me on a budget. If i just charged everything to my cc and wait to pay it off at the end of my trip, i know i would go over my planned limit.

Is it better to get the GCs from like retail stores like the Disney Store and Target (i have a Red card) or buy the ones on the Disney gift card website?

Considering Disney store doesn't give you 5% off I would vote Target

 

[It's A Happy Day]

As for buying gift cards for the tips, I like the pre-paid mentality here but I'd think it would be awkward to have DDP credits come off your band (or charging to the room), and then furnish a gift card, make the server run it for their tip, and bring it back. Similarly if you're paying OOP for food and not on a DDP, I'd think it would be awkward to hand over cash or card and then separate the tip on a gift card. We like having our band scanned, throwing down cash for the tip (or writing in the amount to charge to our card) and being on our way.

We are on the Dining Plan for our upcoming trip... how does this work with the new Magic Bands and charging to your room? I was under the impression I could charge the tips back to the room and pay off those charges before we check out (well at least 24+ hours before checkout) with the gift cards.