Any tips or tricks for managing gift card balances in the park?

[dylans mommy]

I just used my magic band and then paid it off at the front desk with it. I have seen people write down the new total on the back of the card or a sticky note the new balance.

 

[horse11]

I just wanted to come back to report that I had no problems using the Disneygiftcard website to transfer GC balances to the physical GC that I took to Florida. It was so easy and instantaneous. I didn't have to walk around with a high-value GC in my bag, nor did I have to haul a stack of GCs with me. I moved $50 at a time onto my GC so that I could enjoy Food and Wine while still holding myself to a budget.

Really Love your plan and hearing it worked perfect for you has convinced me that this would be the best way to do it. Thanks so much for reporting!!!

 

[hsmamato2]

looking forward to trying out that new site with the giftcards in one physical card...and just tracking daily what we use

 

[Narnia_girl]

I just wanted to come back to report that I had no problems using the Disneygiftcard website to transfer GC balances to the physical GC that I took to Florida. It was so easy and instantaneous. I didn't have to walk around with a high-value GC in my bag, nor did I have to haul a stack of GCs with me. I moved $50 at a time onto my GC so that I could enjoy Food and Wine while still holding myself to a budget.

Is there any way to transfer a specific amount that is not the entire card balance? If there is I can't find it. It looks to be all or nothing.
I need to pay for food for three adults for about 5 days (staying with friends part of the time) so I have $450 in cards. I'd prefer to have each of us carry a $50 card and then move money on to it, but as far as I can tell, I'll have to transfer the whole $100 rather than partial?

#1 $100
#2 $100
#3 $100
#4 $50
#5 $50
#6 $50

So if I deplete a $50 card down to $6 and want to replenish I can't transfer $44 from the $100 card--I have to transfer the whole $100.

 

[HappyHappy]

I have the Gift card app on my phone, it keeps track of all my GC balances.

This app disappeared from my IPhone (and my Son's) and is no longer in my APP store. Can you still use yours?

 

[Marionnette]

Is there any way to transfer a specific amount that is not the entire card balance? If there is I can't find it. It looks to be all or nothing.
I need to pay for food for three adults for about 5 days (staying with friends part of the time) so I have $450 in cards. I'd prefer to have each of us carry a $50 card and then move money on to it, but as far as I can tell, I'll have to transfer the whole $100 rather than partial?

#1 $100
#2 $100
#3 $100
#4 $50
#5 $50
#6 $50

So if I deplete a $50 card down to $6 and want to replenish I can't transfer $44 from the $100 card--I have to transfer the whole $100.

There isn't a way to transfer a lesser amount than what is on the GC. You're actually combining the GCs onto one card, you're not transferring a specific balance. So if you have a $100 GC, all $100 gets moved to the other card.

 

[Marionnette]

This app disappeared from my IPhone (and my Son's) and is no longer in my APP store. Can you still use yours?

I still have the app on my old iPhone and iPods and it is functional. However, there is no support for the app and it cannot be updated.

 

[Eighty8Keys]

This app disappeared from my IPhone (and my Son's) and is no longer in my APP store. Can you still use yours?

I was able to use it a couple of weeks ago but I just now checked and it no longer opens. I just get a black screen which eventually closes. For the past year it would let me add cards and keep balances updated but wouldn't let me remove cards without freezing up.

This is too bad. It was a handy app for keeping track of things.

 

[DebbieB]

I was able to use it a couple of weeks ago but I just now checked and it no longer opens. I just get a black screen which eventually closes. For the past year it would let me add cards and keep balances updated but wouldn't let me remove cards without freezing up.

This is too bad. It was a handy app for keeping track of things.

I used it on my August trip but it looks like it is frozen now.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

We stay onsite, and charge everything to the room. Then I take our gift cards to the front desk and have someone there apply the cards to our room charges. I do this every other day or so during our stay.

I did this same thing.

 

[hsmamato2]

Here's my plan, using the Disney GC website:

• I have one GC with a $0 balance stored on there. That GC will go with me to Disney.
• I have 4 other GCs also stored in my account. Once I get to Disney, I will combine one of those GCs onto the physical GC that I am carrying. When it gets low, I'll add transfer the funds from another GC and so on.
• I also have several more GCs that are not stored in my account due to Disney limiting you to 5 stored GCs. I took pictures of the back of the cards and I have them stored digitally. I can add them to my account when the others get zero'd out.
• Wash, rinse, repeat as many times as necessary.
• I can check my balance at any time from my smartphone by visiting the Disney GC website.

This means that I won't be carrying a stack of GCs with me, nor will I be carrying GCs with large amounts of money on them. I can load up my card with the amount that I think I'll need for the day and not worry about losing all my hard-earned Disney money if I lose the card.

I like this idea, I'm going to try the same thing, I am trying to figure this out- there isn't an app to manage the cards, you have to go to a website to add cards,etc?

 

[Marionnette]

I like this idea, I'm going to try the same thing, I am trying to figure this out- there isn't an app to manage the cards, you have to go to a website to add cards,etc?

Right. There isn't an app but they have a mobile version of the website that works well on my android phone.

 

[constantstar]

We stay onsite, and charge everything to the room. Then I take our gift cards to the front desk and have someone there apply the cards to our room charges. I do this every other day or so during our stay.

I've never dealt with gift cards while at the resort. So, I have a few questions about this method. (It sounds best for me as I'm famous for losing gift cards while shopping.)

Do you still have a credit card attached to your band as well? Are the charges from the parks just added up for the day and then you have a balance to pay off at the resort? I'm worried that when I purchase something with my band that my cc will be charged right away and then I'll be left holding giftcards with $ on them.

 

[lustergirl]

I would the dollar amount in a black sharpie on the back of each card. Use one card at a time until you have depleted the value and move onto the next. I would keep my receipts for that card.

 

[Marionnette]

I've never dealt with gift cards while at the resort. So, I have a few questions about this method. (It sounds best for me as I'm famous for losing gift cards while shopping.)

Do you still have a credit card attached to your band as well? Are the charges from the parks just added up for the day and then you have a balance to pay off at the resort? I'm worried that when I purchase something with my band that my cc will be charged right away and then I'll be left holding giftcards with $ on them.

In order to make charges back to your room folio, you have to have a CC on file with the resort. Your CC will be charged when/if your balance reaches the limit set for your resort level ($1500 at Values and Moderates, $2000 at Deluxes and DVC). They will also zero out your account some time during your last night (usually after the last park closes). If you have not paid down your balance by then, they will charge your CC.

One of the reasons that I chose to use GCs instead of my MB was because I split my stay between 3 resorts in 8 nights. I felt that it would be too much of a hassle worrying about which resort folio would be charged using my MB on check out/check in days. I also didn't want to have to go to the lobbies every couple of days to pay my account off.

 

[constantstar]

In order to make charges back to your room folio, you have to have a CC on file with the resort. Your CC will be charged when/if your balance reaches the limit set for your resort level ($1500 at Values and Moderates, $2000 at Deluxes and DVC). They will also zero out your account some time during your last night (usually after the last park closes). If you have not paid down your balance by then, they will charge your CC.

One of the reasons that I chose to use GCs instead of my MB was because I split my stay between 3 resorts in 8 nights. I felt that it would be too much of a hassle worrying about which resort folio would be charged using my MB on check out/check in days. I also didn't want to have to go to the lobbies every couple of days to pay my account off.

Thanks for the information! It sounds like not charging to MB and using GC may be the way to go (especially in your instance!).