anyone pay their credit card negative before heading to disney?

[markm0926]

Just curious, was thinking of doing that myself

 

[SparkyC]

My thought is always the same on this one: hold on to your money as long as you can. If you have the funds available to put down on that credit card, keep them earning interest in *your* savings account, then just pay whatever balance you accrue on your credit card before the grace period ends. If that doesn't work for you, maybe see about having a VISA check card linked to your checking account, and keep the funds in that checking account?
Have fun...

 

[LisaRay]

We did this in Jan.
We paid the price of our passes on our card before we left and thought it was a good idea but then when we went to buy the passes our card was declined !!!! We couldn't figure out why but ended up having to put the passes on a different card. When we called the card company it turns out that they thought our card was stolen since we don't use it much and were using it so far from home! We were NOT happy.

 

[beansmom]

I would talk to the cc company before doing this. Just because there is a credit balance on the card does not necessarily mean that they will let you charge over the limit. JMTCW.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm one of those people who really hates it when the vacation ends, I get pretty bummed about it. If I have to pay for it when the bloom is off the rose, so to speak, it just makes that feeling worse. So yes, I pre-pay, though not long beforehand.

I know how much the car rental will cost, for instance, so I mail in that amount the day we leave. I also know from past experience just about how much we will spend on meals, so I often add that to the check, too. Usually the room is free for us (Starwood points), and the airline tickets would have been purchased well in advance. We also always buy larger passes than we use, and save the days for a second trip.

BTW, Beansmom, I don't think the question was about putting a balance on the card so that you could charge big-ticket items. I think that the question was about paying for the whole trip before you take it, so that you don't get a large CC bill after you come home.

 

[mad4themouse]

anyone pay their credit card negative before heading to disney?

When I first read this, my reaction was: "Why would anyone want to give their credit card company $$ in advance?" It makes a little more sense after reading all your responses. I gather that the advantages are:

• Peace of Mind. You are not going to come home to a massive credit card bill.
• Many debit cards limit your daily spending limit. Mine will only allow $300 per day in withdrawals/charges.
• Your anticipated spending will exceed your spending limit. By paying in advance, you avoid over-limit charges.
• It ties your $$ up on that credit card, thereby preventing you from spending it until you get to Disney. This works only if you do not use the card until your trip.

Well, you're no different than me in a lot of ways, although I've never pre-paid on a credit card before. Instead:

• USAir has had my $$ since September 2002 for an August 2003 flight.
• Hyatt has had my $$ for a pre-paid room for that same trip (I got the Airport Hyatt for $83/night!). I booked it in October.
• WDTC has had $1000 of my $$ since September for my cruise and will get the balance in July. The bill will probably arrive before we leave for the cruise!
• I've been purchasing $DD every month to be used to pay for all those extras on the cruise. More $$ into the pockets of the Mouse long before I get there.
• I buy park hoppers when I see a good deal online and I hoard them until my next trip.
• I have purchased meal vouchers and restaurant GCs to be used for food while on vacation.

So, while I've never it your way, I have pre-paid for much of my vacation many times. Hmmm...those cruise excursions and all that shopping is going to add up. Maybe I'll send myself a little gift in the way of onboard ship credits. You've just given me something to think about.