Anyone tried the AmEx TravelFunds card in the parks?

[mla973]

So I have been seeing commercials for the American Express "TravelFunds" card on tv, and I had to check it out. I wondered if anyone has used/considered using this at the parks. Does WDW even accept American Express??? (I am obviously not a cardholder).

If so, this seems to be a neat way to keep track of money spent with just one card. They are $14.95 each, and you must load a minimum of $300. Worth it? I'm not sure, but here's a link:

American Express TravelFunds card info

So, what do you guys think? Worth a try or too much hassle? I've been trying to figure out how to keep track of food costs, and this just may do it if WDW ccepts this card.

What type of payments do the rest of you use? Debit/credit cards, cash, traveler's checks, etc. Just wondering.

 

[Tinkerbell58]

I was considering getting the AE travel card until I saw it cost $14.95 for insurance fee. If you need cash at an ATM, it costs an additional $2.50 for each use.

I'll just stick to my AAA travelers checks. They're free with AAA membership. AAA uses VISA travelers checks. They also have a VISA travel card, but fees also apply with that card.

 

[hulabird]

I decided to get myself a new debit card that I used only for trips PLUS I earn $1 for every dollar spent, and you can get giftcertificates, travel certificates and all kinds of stuff with the points. It is through the Gold Debit Mastercard w/Megarewards and I got mine through Charter 1 because they charge no fees. It is only $50 to start it. You even get free checks and other benefits and they take it at all the WDW resorts and parks. I like using a debit, I only use credit when absolutely necessary. But now my debit will earn rewards and that is so cool. If you go to mastercard.com and look under debit cards, they have different banks offering reward debit cards. Just search for one that meets your needs. I like this because I just transfered money from my checking over to start this account, and it is all nothing but money to spend in Disney. Plus, what I spend in Disney will become points for next years trip. It is worth checking out!

Here is the link to Charter One (Free checking):

Charter One MC Debit Gold

I am not sure if they cover the entire U.S. or not, but you can check. If not go to Mastercard.com or Visa.com, they have similar things. By the way Charter One does not charge an annual fee, some do.

 

[Chicago526]

I saw that comercial too! I thought it was a great idea! But then I thought that since we are staying at the Poly, why not just charge everything to the room and not worry about it? We'll just charge the hotel bill when we check out (I earn UA miles on my Visa card) then just pay off the Visa bill when I get home so I don't pay any interest on it. We'll only need cash for snack carts and such. We'll keep track of expenses by keeping the receipts. In fact, I'll just lock my credit card in the safe when we get there, and I won't even take it with me to the parks!

This is the best plan for us, no ATM fees or worrying that we'll lose the credit card or have the number stolen.

But if you aren't staying at a Disney resort, or you don't like the idea of chargeing your credit card, then the AMEX debit card sound like a good alternative. You can also check with your bank about a debit card through them, a lot of banks aren't holding you liable if it gets lost or stolen, and will replace stolen funds w/in 24 hours.

 

[hulabird]

Yes the Mastercard and the Visa have that clause about lost or stolen cards.

 

[phanomouse]

I worked on the Amex team that came up with the Travel Funds card... its actually been around for about 7 years now. TF is a great concept. I know that the feed back we were getting in its early years was that people were having a hard time using it. The Amex travel relates customer service was receiving numerous calls about the card being declined and people knew they had money on the card. For those of you who don't know let me tell you how charging/debiting works on a card like this. The card is loaded with lets say $100. They would go to a restaurant and spend $50 on dinner. The restaurant will authorize your card for around $75 and then you add your tip (lets say $5 you cheap bugger) onto the receipt which is sent to Amex to show them the exact amount. You would expect there to be $45 left on the card but until Amex gets that receipt there is a only $35 on the card, and almost everywhere you go authorizes your card for a little more then what you are actually charging so it is very likely that your card is going to be declined. My suggestion is that you load the card with extra money so that you can avoid this problem to some extent. It is very safe and the customer service is great, you wont have any problems with getting a new card or disputing fraud charges. If you go into it knowing that there are issues with the processing and you are prepaired to pay with another form of payment in a pinch you will love this card and the convinience that it is... hope this helped. If you have any other questions I will do my best to answer them.