Any benefit in using Disney credit card for the onboard account?

[ciniminis]

The Disney VISA (regular or Premier) comes with some perks, including as I understand 0% interest for vacation financing and $50 OBC for booking a cruise with it. I have the Disney VISA, but chose to pay for my upcoming cruise (booked through Costco Travel) with my Costco VISA - this gives me $405 in Costco gift card (from Costco Travel), 3% reward (from Costco VISA, which accumulates into an annual reward check to redeem at Costco), "Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection", "Travel & Emergency Assistance", and "Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance" (from Costco VISA). In short, that seems a much better deal and I don't know why I even bothered with getting a Disney VISA...

But now that the cruise is paid for, I wonder if there's better benefit if I put down the Disney VISA for the onboard charge account? Disney VISA supposedly gives a 10% discount at the Disney Store - does that work anywhere on the ship?

 

[dclpluto]

The Disney VISA (regular or Premier) comes with some perks, including as I understand 0% interest for vacation financing and $50 OBC for booking a cruise with it. I have the Disney VISA, but chose to pay for my upcoming cruise (booked through Costco Travel) with my Costco VISA - this gives me $405 in Costco gift card (from Costco Travel), 3% reward (from Costco VISA, which accumulates into an annual reward check to redeem at Costco), "Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection", "Travel & Emergency Assistance", and "Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance" (from Costco VISA). In short, that seems a much better deal and I don't know why I even bothered with getting a Disney VISA...

But now that the cruise is paid for, I wonder if there's better benefit if I put down the Disney VISA for the onboard charge account? Disney VISA supposedly gives a 10% discount at the Disney Store - does that work anywhere on the ship?

Only benefit is the one or two percent depending what card you have. The 10 percent discounts onboard at the stores is only for gold and platinum members and how you pay for it doesn't matter with the 10 percent off for gold and platinum members.

 

[Hundredacre]

They do not give 10% off with Disney visa on the ship. I guess those shops qualify as an "exception". When I asked about it at the register the cm actually laughed at me. Not with me, at me.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The Disney VISA (regular or Premier) comes with some perks, including as I understand 0% interest for vacation financing and $50 OBC for booking a cruise with it. I have the Disney VISA, but chose to pay for my upcoming cruise (booked through Costco Travel) with my Costco VISA - this gives me $405 in Costco gift card (from Costco Travel), 3% reward (from Costco VISA, which accumulates into an annual reward check to redeem at Costco), "Trip Cancellation & Interruption Protection", "Travel & Emergency Assistance", and "Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance" (from Costco VISA). In short, that seems a much better deal and I don't know why I even bothered with getting a Disney VISA...

But now that the cruise is paid for, I wonder if there's better benefit if I put down the Disney VISA for the onboard charge account? Disney VISA supposedly gives a 10% discount at the Disney Store - does that work anywhere on the ship?

Well, there's the 6 months 0% interest on Disney purchases.

 

[closetmickey]

Is the Disney Visa still offering 2x points for Disney purchases? If so, that would be a perk.

 

[rantnnravin]

double post.

 

[rantnnravin]

Well, there's the 6 months 0% interest on Disney purchases.

But only if it's charged before sailing - onboard charges don't get the 0% because they're considered purchases, rather than part of a "vacation package". What OP could do is put a given amount onto her shipboard account before sailing - by estimating how much she thinks she might spend. I would put more than what you think, since if the charges are less than that amount, the balance will be refunded. OP will get the 0% for 6 mos. on whatever she applies to her account before sailing.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

But only if it's charged before sailing - onboard charges don't get the 0% because they're considered purchases, rather than part of a "vacation package". What OP could do is put a given amount onto her shipboard account before sailing - by estimating how much she thinks she might spend. I would put more than what you think, since if the charges are less than that amount, the balance will be refunded. OP will get the 0% for 6 mos. on whatever she applies to her account.

Yes, any Disney purchase gets the 6 months 0% interest. Our charges on our onboard account qualified. Now, maybe that was a glitch, but we got it.

 

[KristiMc]

I add up everything that I think I will spend and add a credit to my account pre-cruise. I get 0%/6 months on this amount.

 

[rantnnravin]

Yes, any Disney purchase gets the 6 months 0% interest. Our charges on our onboard account qualified. Now, maybe that was a glitch, but we got it.

When was this? Because every time we've sailed we've not gotten 0% for onboard charges. Our last cruise was 2014.

 

[rantnnravin]

I add up everything that I think I will spend and add a credit to my account pre-cruise. I get 0%/6 months on this amount.

correct! (you have up until 3 days prior to sailing I believe, if you want to stretch out the 6 mos.)

 

[KristiMc]

L

Yes, any Disney purchase gets the 6 months 0% interest. Our charges on our onboard account qualified. Now, maybe that was a glitch, but we got it.

We have never gotten it for onboard purchases. I also didn't get it for our WDW purchases like you have in the past. Not sure how you got it.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

L

We have never gotten it for onboard purchases. I also didn't get it for our WDW purchases like you have in the past. Not sure how you got it.

I don't know either. As I said maybe (probably) it was an error. But we got it. This was on our Sept 2014 cruise.

We've not used it since then on a cruise/onboard account, so I can't say whether we got lucky or what.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

It is not on any purchase, it's only on travel purchases. For example when I buy something at Disney store.com I don't get six months.

What I do is about five days before the cruise I give myself an onboard credit using my Disney visa -- however much I think I'm going to spend an additional tips and in the store and on excursions. I then spent down at onboard credit as I cruise and I have six months to pay it off at the end. Or I use my Disney reward dollars and put that on my account and then I'm really getting all that for free.

 

[ciniminis]

So let me understand this: Credit balance added to the onboard account before cruise is charged as "travel" category, versus paying off the onboard account balance at the end of the cruise which is not charged as "travel" category? That's on any credit card, right?

If so, it may be good to put money into the onboard account before cruise using a credit card that gives a higher % cash back on "travel" spending.

 

[rantnnravin]

So let me understand this: Credit balance added to the onboard account before cruise is charged as "travel" category, versus paying off the onboard account balance at the end of the cruise which is not charged as "travel" category? That's on any credit card, right?

If so, it may be good to put money into the onboard account before cruise using a credit card that gives a higher % cash back on "travel" spending.

I can't speak to how other credit cards/banks would code it. I guess someone would have to try it out -- for science.

 

[ciniminis]

-- for science.

Ah in the name of science... I looked up the credit card year-end summary that had my onboard account charge (paid at the end of the cruise, not before) from last year, and it was categorized as "Other Travel".

A more precise research of MCC codes revealed that "cruise lines" are coded 4411 which is under "Transportation Services" per VISA guidelines - each credit card company may vary in interpretation, but this will most likely qualify as "travel" for the purpose of credit card rewards. The onboard account balance is also charged as a lump sum, so it would not matter if part of the amount was spent in Remy and part of it in gift shops (i.e. the whole thing gets coded 4411).

So, looks like I'm definitely going to use the card that gets 3% cash back for travel! After spending so much $$$ on the cruise, earning some nickels and dimes back makes my wallet feel just a little bit better LOL.

 

[katellynne]

We have used the Disney Visa to pay for 3 cruises in the last year. All received the 6 months 0% interest. We also used the Disney Visa as our onboard account payment and received the interest free period on that as well. In addition we have accrued the Reward Dollars that we can turn around and use toward our next cruise! I have actually not requested this benefit at any point it was automatically applied. The last 2 in March and then again May this year were on a Disney Visa Premium and the one last July 2015 was the regular account. The only caveats that might affect you getting the interest free benefit that come to mind are not using the Visa to pay the cruise in full. Read the fine print on what applies!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We have used the Disney Visa to pay for 3 cruises in the last year. All received the 6 months 0% interest. We also used the Disney Visa as our onboard account payment and received the interest free period on that as well. In addition we have accrued the Reward Dollars that we can turn around and use toward our next cruise! I have actually not requested this benefit at any point it was automatically applied. The last 2 in March and then again May this year were on a Disney Visa Premium and the one last July 2015 was the regular account. The only caveats that might affect you getting the interest free benefit that come to mind are not using the Visa to pay the cruise in full. Read the fine print on what applies!

Thank you - at least I know I'm not crazy now.