Any tips for traveling with many Disney gift cards?

[JenB1104]

For those of you who take several cards - I will probably have at least 20 of the 50.00 Disney gift cards I have accumulated with Target discount - any tips for how to travel with them? I am thinking about how to get them from here to there securely, thanks! I have read about the Disney vacation account but not sure if I can apply them there and then use for room charges (meals etc.) we incur while there. Our room will be prepaid with renting DVC points.

 

[Marionnette]

For those of you who take several cards - I will probably have at least 20 of the 50.00 Disney gift cards I have accumulated with Target discount - any tips for how to travel with them? I am thinking about how to get them from here to there securely, thanks! I have read about the Disney vacation account but not sure if I can apply them there and then use for room charges (meals etc.) we incur while there. Our room will be prepaid with renting DVC points.

You cannot use the DVA for room charges. The only thing you can do if you're going to bring a stack of GCs with you is to treat them like cash. Don't pack them in your checked luggage. Divide the pile between yourself and another adult so that if you lose a stack, you don't lose all of them. Don't leave them in a drawer in your hotel room or sitting out in the open. Put them in the safe and only take what you need with you.

Some CMs will apply your GCs to your room account when you check in but I've found that the vast majority of them don't want to take the extra time to do this or do not know how. You can also pay down your folio balance after a day or two at the lobby concierge and then leave a credit on your account with extra GCs. Again, not every CM will allow you to carry a credit on your account for more than what's leftover on the last GC used to pay down your account.

Oh, and one more thing: Scratch off the silver part on the back of each GC and make a copy of all of them plus your receipts. If your GCs get lost or stolen, you can call the Disney Gift Card Hotline and you will have all of the information at your fingertips to freeze those cards and get yourself new cards. It can take a few weeks to get the replacements, but at least your money will be safe.

 

[msmama]

I always make sure that all of mine are activated first, too. (Like Marionette said, scratch off and write them all down somewhere, too). There's a website on the back of the card to do this (it's simple like disneygiftcards.com or something like that).

I keep them in my purse with all of the other important stuff. I treat them like cash so ALWAYS keep them on me (instead of packing them). I'm generally the only adult I travel with but I like the suggestion of splitting them among adults, too.

Like Marionette said, it's about 50/50 whether the CM's will let you "prepay" as it were, but MOST (in my experience) will let you put several (if not all) on there once you've charged something to the room. That said, 8 is probably the max I've travelled with. I usually have a sharpie and either write the remaining balance right on the card, or put an x on it to know I've used it.

Remember that you still have to put a cc on the room and they will charge that when you reach the max threshold (I think $1500 for DVC) so you do want to pay before then AND make sure you pay the final balance the night BEFORE you check out.

Also, remember to keep them all until you're home in case anything needs to be refunded!

 

[chabs]

I add room charging to my magic bands and then stop every other night or so to add gift cards to my account to cover the charges. I have them take automatic check out off our bill so that it won't charge my credit card the day that we check out. I've done this several times at different hotels and have never had any issues. That way you can leave the gift cards in your safe and not have to worry about carrying them all over the place.

 

[DisneyHardin]

The last few years, I have had tons of gift cards. I keep them in my purse in the plane and then put them in the safe at the resort. We just charge to the room and I go down a couple times during the trip to pay down the charges. I've had desk CMs that were super nice about running several hundred dollars worth of $25 gift cards and I've had some that were a little grumpy about it.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

One thing to remember is if they do apply all your cards at check-in, and you do not spend all the money, you will need to keep the cards because the money will be refunded back to each card that was used.

I just go down the last night before the charges are applied to my credit card and give them my gift cards. Then I know exactly which ones were used.

 

[nalajms]

I have a small zip purse just for my disney GCs. My sharpie fits in the purse. It goes in our backpack along with my ipad, wallet and phone when we leave home. Then straight to the safe.

For "snack days", I find it easier to make my own GC wristlet (like at F&W). You just use a paper hole punch. Using my MB requires the pin and sometimes several scans before it goes through.

 

[jaccceee]

Put 10 of them on a disneyvacation account and trade them in for $500 gift card. You have to wait 90 days though if you want to earn the 2%. Keep acct number and pin in several safe spots. On itinerary, in luggage, at home.

 

[Marionnette]

Put 10 of them on a disneyvacation account and trade them in for $500 gift card. You have to wait 90 days though if you want to earn the 2%. Keep acct number and pin in several safe spots. On itinerary, in luggage, at home.

It's not 2%. It's a $20 Disney GC for each $1000 that you spend. "Purchasing" a $500 GC, which can take 4-6 weeks to reach you, gets you absolutely nothing. Plus, you can only do this once in the lifetime of the account.

 

[auntmeme7577]

I take pictures of the backs of the cards in case I need it.
Also carry a black felt pen to jot down the remaining balances on the card.
Usually I will bring some cheap painters tape and tear off a small piece for the front of the card, write the remaining balance on that.
I also go down and pay off room charges every other day using the cards
Have fun!

 

[jedijill]

I enter them all in the Disney Gift Card app on my Iphone. I use a sharpie to number them to track in the app. I keep a zip lock baggie with all the cards and then apply them to my room account to pay down my charges. I keep the baggie in my room/cabin safe.

HTH

Jill in CO

 

[jaccceee]

Marionnette, Calling Disney Vacation Account right now. I'm on hold. MAIN ST. SONG!!! The most magical place on earth is hereeeeeee. welcome, welcome, welcome. Something something wrapped up in pixie dust. Right down the middle of Main St. USA. BANG BANG goes the trolley.

Ordered $500 gc. She said you could get a gift card at anytime. Also said if I had $2000 in my acct she could send me 4 $500 gift cards. Her words not mine. Since I don't particulary believe that and I don't have $1000 my acct. I will be adding 6 $50 gcs very soon and will try to order another $500 gc. Also will keep track of how long the $500 gc takes to arrive. JC

 

[Marionnette]

Marionnette, Calling Disney Vacation Account right now. I'm on hold. MAIN ST. SONG!!! The most magical place on earth is hereeeeeee. welcome, welcome, welcome. Something something wrapped up in pixie dust. Right down the middle of Main St. USA. BANG BANG goes the trolley.

Ordered $500 gc. She said you could get a gift card at anytime. Also said if I had $2000 in my acct she could send me 4 $500 gift cards. Her words not mine. Since I don't particulary believe that and I don't have $1000 my acct. I will be adding 6 $50 gcs very soon and will try to order another $500 gc. Also will keep track of how long the $500 gc takes to arrive. JC

It would be great if you can actually use the DVA to combine GCs and then request one large GC in return. I'd be fine with waiting a couple of weeks to get one if it works. Update us when you try to request those additional GCs.

 

[eyor44]

Do you have a Disney Store near you? You might be able to combine them there into one.

I have taken a stack to Guest Services at MK and had them combined into one, just know it takes a bit, so don't be in a hurry to do it.
I have also used a stack to pay for my Dining Plan when I check in.

 

[Marionnette]

Do you have a Disney Store near you? You might be able to combine them there into one.

I have taken a stack to Guest Services at MK and had them combined into one, just know it takes a bit, so don't be in a hurry to do it.
I have also used a stack to pay for my Dining Plan when I check in.

You cannot pay for the dining plan when you check in. Even DVC members have to purchase it in advance now.

 

[DisneyHardin]

You cannot combine them at the Disney Store.

 

[msquoted]

Ordered $500 gc. She said you could get a gift card at anytime. Also said if I had $2000 in my acct she could send me 4 $500 gift cards. Her words not mine. Since I don't particulary believe that and I don't have $1000 my acct. I will be adding 6 $50 gcs very soon and will try to order another $500 gc. Also will keep track of how long the $500 gc takes to arrive. JC

Did she say how long you needed to order the gc before your trip to ensure it would be mailed to you in time?

 

[jaccceee]

msquoted, She told me how long it would take but I didn't really hear her. I thought she said something different than the 4-6 weeks. But by the time she finished talking I forgot to ask her to repeat time. I'll post on here as soon as I get it. My guess is a week or the Monday after.

Ooh. I'll post a pix of it. I wonder if it's just the basic Mickey Mouse.

 

[jaccceee]

Ordered 1st $500 gc on 1/29. Received today 2/9. It was of Mickey Mouse sitting in the sun. Don't know how to post pix anymore. Ordered 2nd $500 on 2/1 but still in DVA acct. Will call again.

 

[starry_solo]

I don't do charging privileges to the room so I bring the gift cards with a sharpie in my purse