Annual dues on autopay but want to use a gift card to make one-time payment

[JWhiz]

Forgive me if this is a repeated topic. I did a search for this question, but did not find my answer. I understand that you can make a one-time payment using a gift card even if you are signed up for autopay automatic deductions from your checking account. My question is what happens then?

For instance, I have a leftover gift card from a recent trip. In January, when our first dues payment for 2018 is due, I would like to use the gift card to make that payment. If I do, will it reset my next payment to be February 15? Or will it assume I am just paying down the future amount and still charge me the January payment from checking as well (meaning the gift card essentially made my December 2018 payment at the end, not the next payment due)?

And if it does reset my next due date, what happens if my one-time payment is the equivalent of two months? If I pay that amount in January prior to my due date, would my next payment not be due until March 15? Or will I still be required to make a February payment? If the latter is the case, I would probably make two separate payments in January and February instead of one just in January.

Basically I would like to use my gift card so I do not have a payment taken from the checking account until March. Will this work in any of the scenarios I've listed? Has anyone on this discussion board made one-time payments while still signed up for autopay, regardless of the time of year you made the one-time payment? What happened?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

[erionm]

You might want to call Member Accounting and ask them.

 

[JWhiz]

You might want to call Member Accounting and ask them.

True. I usually like hearing from others' practical experiences too. You never know the creativity that folks come up with.

 

[DebbieB]

I'm setup on monthly auto pay but the last 2 years paid in full with gift cards around the end of December and plan to again this year (getting fuel perks at the grocery store). Not a problem. I asked about it, they said if I didn't pay in advance, the monthly payment would kick in on January 15th.

 

[LisaS]

For instance, I have a leftover gift card from a recent trip. In January, when our first dues payment for 2018 is due, I would like to use the gift card to make that payment. If I do, will it reset my next payment to be February 15? Or will it assume I am just paying down the future amount and still charge me the January payment from checking as well (meaning the gift card essentially made my December 2018 payment at the end, not the next payment due)?

Unless things have changed since I did this a few years ago, the gift card essentially makes your Dec 2018 payment. Your January payment would NOT be skipped.

Basically I would like to use my gift card so I do not have a payment taken from the checking account until March. Will this work in any of the scenarios I've listed? Has anyone on this discussion board made one-time payments while still signed up for autopay, regardless of the time of year you made the one-time payment? What happened?

Unless things have changed, you will still have payments taken out of your checking account in Jan, Feb, Mar and every month after that until your balance is paid off. Say for example you have one contract with annual dues of $1200, so your monthly payment is $100 each month. The January payment is normally deducted on Jan 15 but you apply a $250 gift card on Jan 1st. Here's what I expect will happen: DVC will still take $100 in January, $100 in February, $100 in March, and so on through September. After your September payment, you will have paid 9 monthly payments of $100 plus the $250 from your gift card for a total of $1150. Your balance will be $50. On Oct 1st they will deduct $50 and that will be your last payment for the year.

If you own more than one contract, it can get a bit complicated. I did this before it was possible to make partial payments online. I had to call Member Accounting to do it. The person I spoke with applied my partial payment towards the contract with the lowest balance, causing that one contract's dues to be paid off by the middle of the year. That meant that through June my monthly payments were for the usual amount but after that, my monthly payment was reduced for the rest of the year because I was paying dues on one less contract. Payments were still being deducted through December, but the amount was lower for the last 6 payments.

 

[JWhiz]

Unless things have changed since I did this a few years ago, the gift card essentially makes your Dec 2018 payment. Your January payment would NOT be skipped.

This is exactly why I am asking here (and why I often won't call member accounting), because member accounting told me the exact opposite. She said that it would be credited as my January payment. She also told me initially that if I am set up for auto-pay that I cannot make a one-time payment, which I clarified with her saying that was incorrect if you used a gift card.

So you see, like some of the other issues folks bring up on here, it depends who you talk to what the answer is, and unfortunately what the correct answer is. I could tell immediately on the phone that the person I was talking to did not really know the answer.

 

[LisaS]

This is exactly why I am asking here (and why I often won't call member accounting), because member accounting told me the exact opposite. She said that it would be credited as my January payment.

There have been software changes since I last made a partial payment so that is why I said "unless things have changed" because I can't be sure my experience is still relevant. I wish I could give you a definitive answer. It might be helpful to call Member Accounting again, hope you get a different CM and see what answer you get.

Out of curiosity, I took a look at the online payment options on the member website to see if there is any helpful information there but I didn't see anything that states what happens if you make a partial payment that equals or exceeds the amount due for the next month. Some might expect the next payment will be skipped or, as in my case, expect DVC will recalculate my monthly payment by dividing my reduced balance by the remaining months in the year. I was surprised to hear, as I stated above, that my payment would not be reduced and that I would end up paying off the balance a month or two early. Since my experience is a few years old, I wish the online payment system spelled out exactly what happens now.

One thing I did notice with the online payment options is that I can apply a gift card (or Disney Rewards dollars) across multiple contracts in any way I want. That option was not offered back when I called Member Accounting. I can see why because it's more work for Member Accounting to apply several payments instead of just one, but now that we can make partial payments online it looks like I can spread them out however I choose.