Canadian Disney Gift cards now work at the Park

[amw]

Not sure if things have changed but I know last year Disney GC purchased online would not ship to Canada. Hopefully that has changed too!

They are e-cards - no shipping required. I have purchased this as a gift for my daughter (from the grandparents ). I did have to put in a fake us address to complete the payment process. I just used our hotel info for August. Did not matter cuz nothing is being mailed. I believe I had to use PayPal too to avoid addresses matching credit cards. Seems complicated but she was happy to get a birthday email for her trip.

Hard gift cards will still not ship.

 

[otten]

Not sure if things have changed but I know last year Disney GC purchased online would not ship to Canada. Hopefully that has changed too!

An e gift is an electronic gift card. You either print it out (what we did) or have them scan it on your phone. It doesn't get shipped anywhere so the address isn't an issue.

 

[Sue M]

I was at the Disney Store at Limeridge Mall in Hamilton. I was surprised to find out from a CM that their Gift Cards now work at Walt Disney World. She said that this is very new.

The card has a Maple leaf on the back (top left corner), on the bottom it lists all the venues it works at: Disney Store, Disney Store.com, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line.

I bought a card and loaded $200 CDN on it.
When I checked it on https://www.disneygiftcard.com it appeared to have converted it into US Funds ($148.17).

Im curious about this too. Did you compare exchange rate you got buying GC compared to buying cash at your bank? How did it compare?

I also wonder if exchange rate is locked into what rate was when you bought card or subject to exchange rate the day you purchase something in WDW?

I have a USD saving acct and Visa from Cibc. I transfer each pay day $ to my USD acct. before we leave for WDW I transfer money from my USD savings acct to the USD Visa. When I get to WDW first thing I do is buy a WDW gift card and use that for dining. I keep my receipt in case I loose card. They will issue you another. Just be sure to keep receipts. I like this better than charging to room because I can keep better track of spending.

 

[stfxkid]

The rate was not locked in it fluctuated with the bank rate until it was used.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

I have a USD saving acct and Visa from Cibc. I transfer each pay day $ to my USD acct. before we leave for WDW I transfer money from my USD savings acct to the USD Visa. When I get to WDW first thing I do is buy a WDW gift card and use that for dining. I keep my receipt in case I loose card. They will issue you another. Just be sure to keep receipts. I like this better than charging to room because I can keep better track of spending.

You can also set up US bank accounts within the US easily. I have one through TD that is cost free with minimum $100 balance. I transfer $$$ from my canadian bank account to my US bank account online, and use the US debit Visa card for my trips.

I set up the account so i could pay my DVC fees monthly rather than annually.

 

[Sue M]

The rate was not locked in it fluctuated with the bank rate until it was used.

Thanks for the info.

 

[DisneyHereWeComeAgain]

Does anyone know how the exchange rate is that Disney uses when converting purchases on these gift card purchased in Canada?

 

[cecilia218]

We will be purchasing a Disney gift card for DD and she can use it when we go to WDW in August. Can the GC be used everywhere (such as food stands, quick-service counters, souvenir shops)? Also we have just purchased a CIBC Prepaid USD VISA card. Has anyone use something like this at WDW? Thank you!

 

[DavidL]

I would love to know what exchange rate Disney is using when Canadian gift cards are redeemed at the parks/hotels and how it compares to using a credit card. We normally use an Amazon Visa card that doesn't have a foreign currency exchange fee of 2.5% that the other cards have, but I am unsure how much longer this card is going to be active as they have stopped taking new applications for the card as of a couple months ago. I have the card and use it for US trips, but I'm not banking on it being available forever. The idea of being able to buy Disney gift cards in Canadian dollars, and having Disney only take the money based on the exchange rate as of the date it is being used sounds like a means of avoiding the 2.5% foreign currency fee that most credit cards charge.

Has anybody here used a Canadian gift card recently at the park? Do you know the rate at which Disney did the exchange - was it a fair rate?

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Has anybody here used a Canadian gift card recently at the park? Do you know the rate at which Disney did the exchange - was it a fair rate?

Disney's exchange rate, like any retailer, is usually the worst of the bunch. Credit cards are a bit better, but your best bet is to have a US bank account and transfer $$ from your Canadian account. I use TD, and there's no fee for the US account with minimum $100 balance.

 

[yuKime]

Disney's exchange rate, like any retailer, is usually the worst of the bunch. Credit cards are a bit better, but your best bet is to have a US bank account and transfer $$ from your Canadian account. I use TD, and there's no fee for the US account with minimum $100 balance.

I wanna verify this because I am also with TD and the last I checked, the minimum balance has to be $1000 to waive the fee.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I was at the Disney Store at Limeridge Mall in Hamilton. I was surprised to find out from a CM that their Gift Cards now work at Walt Disney World. She said that this is very new.

The card has a Maple leaf on the back (top left corner), on the bottom it lists all the venues it works at: Disney Store, Disney Store.com, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line.

I bought a card and loaded $200 CDN on it.
When I checked it on https://www.disneygiftcard.com it appeared to have converted it into US Funds ($148.17).

Awesome idea for convenience.

Interesting! So are the benefits that you avoid a fluctuating dollar and save on credit card foreign exchange fees? Thanks for sharing

$148.17 for $200 is .74485 on the dollar (or 1.3498, depending on how you read it), on a day when the rate should be closer to 1.24 or at least closer to 80 cents, even with the 2.5% mark up.

The Mastercard rate for yesterday with the 2.5% included would have given you:

https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/consumers/get-support/convert-currency.html

 

[osully]

I may join this party. I'm thinking getting a GC and then periodically adding money to it. Square One is my Disney store and I don't get there that often but when I do I could just add $50-100 to the card.

You can register your card(s) at DisneyGiftCard.com and add funds to it on there.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

The exchange rate Disney does is horrific. Just be aware of that before you go hog wild on this idea. Personally I find it easier to open a US bank account in the US (I did it through TD, but most banks can do this), then transfer money over on every paycheck.

Considering $200 CDN = $161 US (buying from RBC), that exchange of $148 is horrible!

 

[takehertothemoon]

Awesome idea for convenience.


$148.17 for $200 is .74485 on the dollar (or 1.3498, depending on how you read it), on a day when the rate should be closer to 1.24 or at least closer to 80 cents, even with the 2.5% mark up.

The Mastercard rate for yesterday with the 2.5% included would have given you:
View attachment 269214
https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/consumers/get-support/convert-currency.html

The amount from the original post was pretty close to the exchange rate at the time, so for those that don't want a US card or to rely on a credit card it's a pretty good option.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Aha! I was foiled by the old resurrected thread trick once again! I didn't look at the date. Good catch, @takehertothemoon.

 

[gskywalker]

So the issue of the FX looks like its not an issue, the question becomes is there anyway to save money buying Disney Canada Gift Cards? Obviously cash back on a credit card saves money, but is there any other way to add to that savings? Can we buy them anywhere besides the Disney Store?

 

[FigmentSpark]

I think this is a great way for grandma to give a gift to the children for their vacation, which might otherwise have had to have been cash. Does it save money? Well, it may allow others to contribute to your vacation in the form of a gift. Also, since that rate is set when the gift card is purchased, if you don't have a USD account, it's a way to 'lock in' your rate for a future Disney vacation.

 

[gskywalker]

Sorry I didn't read that. Who confirmed the rate is set? My understanding in reading the posts is that the rate wouldn't be locked in until the card is used? As for People contributing to a vacation, I hope for others that will work out well, won't be happening for us, so I am looking for ways to reduce the cost anyway we can.

 

[jaybee1026]

Interesting. I had talked to someone at our local Disney store and they said exactly as you all have- Disney GCs can be bought through them and used in the U.S. I also e-mailed the Disney site for confirmation. Someone from the e-commerce and sales team replied saying Cdn Disney store GCs can only be used at Cdn Disney stores, never at WDW or DL. Maybe she got her info from the bus driver!