Cash or Prepaid Visa

[CandMmommy]

I have been socking away cash for months here and there to have some extra spending money on our trip. I know we will need SOME cash, but would it be smarter to load a visa card like you get a walmart, or would cash be just the same? Anyone have experience with this? I know that some you can call a service center to stop activation if it is stolen and get 1 reloaded. But, that could probably take a day or two, and cause issues in the vacation.
So what would you do. We only have a cc for hotel room rental/car rental so we are usually a cash on vaca type family. WWYD?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

When we went to WDW we used a combination of cash, Disney gift card and prepaid Visa. We went to Universal too so that is the main reason we put some on the Visa. I'd look at what you'll definitely be spending in the parks (food, souveniers, etc) and put that amount on a Disney gift card (no fees like the prepaid visas). Then if you know you'll be eating offsite put that money on a prepaid Visa or leave it as cash. I hate the activation fees on the Visas so I try to avoid them for the most part.

 

[Escape2Disney]

When we went to WDW we used a combination of cash, Disney gift card and prepaid Visa. We went to Universal too so that is the main reason we put some on the Visa. I'd look at what you'll definitely be spending in the parks (food, souveniers, etc) and put that amount on a Disney gift card (no fees like the prepaid visas). Then if you know you'll be eating offsite put that money on a prepaid Visa or leave it as cash. I hate the activation fees on the Visas so I try to avoid them for the most part.

I'd like to add that in addition to the activation fees, some of the prepaid visas have a per TRANSACTION fee. If you decide to use a prepaid Visa, be sure to check the details.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I'd like to add that in addition to the activation fees, some of the prepaid visas have a per TRANSACTION fee. If you decide to use a prepaid Visa, be sure to check the details.

Absolutely!!! I got mine through my bank: Wells Fargo.

 

[awdsmama]

2 questions on the Disney gift cards

1) When loading funds online via bank acct are they instantly posted and available?

2) If you use the disney gift card for dining, do they hold a percentage above the bill price like I've heard they do on pre-paid visas?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

2 questions on the Disney gift cards

1) When loading funds online via bank acct are they instantly posted and available?

2) If you use the disney gift card for dining, do they hold a percentage above the bill price like I've heard they do on pre-paid visas?

1) you can't reload online per their website (disneygiftcard.com) but you can reload in any store that sells giftcards (many stores in the parks do).

2) I don't personally know, I actually used mine in WDW FOR tips because we had the dining plan. I have heard a recent post where the server was unable to charge a tip on the gift card, but I think that was more of an issue that the server didn't know how to do it. They may have to run it twice (once for meal, and once for tip) I'm not sure.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

1) you can't reload online per their website (disneygiftcard.com) but you can reload in any store that sells giftcards (many stores in the parks do).

You can add $$$ to a Disney GC by calling DelivEARS ~ 877-560-6477 *you give the CM your credit/debit card info and they mail you the receipt. Last time I did this *a couple months ago* the $$ was on the GC the next day.

 

[awdsmama]

You can add $$$ to a Disney GC by calling DelivEARS ~ 800-362-4533 *you give the CM your credit/debit card info and they mail you the receipt. Last time I did this *a couple months ago* the $$ was on the GC the next day.

Ahhh thank you, much better than driving an hour to the closest Disney store.

 

[Nintfamily]

Ahhh thank you, much better than driving an hour to the closest Disney store.

Just an FYI, you can buy Disney gift cards at some stores that sell gift cards. I got some at my local grocery store.

 

[CandMmommy]

What about the kind you buy At Walmart or whatever? Visa wise, do they have per transaction charges?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Just an FYI, you can buy Disney gift cards at some stores that sell gift cards. I got some at my local grocery store.

Ya but it's a bit of a bother IMO to have several gift cards, I do email my card # and PIN to me - that way if the card is lost/stolen I can get it replaced.

 

[nbliss]

We took mostly cash, kept what we weren't using in the hotel safe. I did buy about $300 worth of disney gift cards at my Safeway here in Washington state. Usually the Safeway's up here give you anywhere from 2x to 4x gas rewards when buying gift cards, so I got money off of my Safeway gas, too. No activation fees for disney gift cards, either.

 

[LoveMyTwoGIrls]

I hate cash. I only keep a max of $20 on me at a time unless I know I will need more for something. Most prepaid cards only have transaction fees if you run it as a debit, but it is definitely something to look into on a card by card basis. Honestly, I just use my debit card as my "prepaid" visa, the money is already in my checking so no need to transfer it other places/to other cards. We only had Dis gift cards this trip for the kids "spending money". I used my debit for the rest.

 

[coaches24]

I hate cash. I only keep a max of $20 on me at a time unless I know I will need more for something. Most prepaid cards only have transaction fees if you run it as a debit, but it is definitely something to look into on a card by card basis. Honestly, I just use my debit card as my "prepaid" visa, the money is already in my checking so no need to transfer it other places/to other cards. We only had Dis gift cards this trip for the kids "spending money". I used my debit for the rest.

That's what I do as well. I keep a little cash for those rare places that don't take debit or if there is a charge for using debit and credit.

 

[staley7580]

If you get a prepaid card.. go with walmarts.. they have almost no fees. Only when you load money on them, which is like $3. they dont charge any transaction fees or anything. and if you order it online you dont have to pay an activation fee. and you can get it put in two peoples names..

 

[KittyKat1978]

I used a Disney Gift Card for my trip in Feb. I bought the card at PPH gift shop (where I was staying) and added more money half way through the trip. I also kept the gift card for future trips and because it had Minnie Mouse on it!

I am use to WDW and the free dining plan so carrying cash wasn't really an option. I never had a problem using the gift card at any food location including carts. I did eat at the resturaunt at PPH and once I got the bill, they took my gift card, placed a hold on it for the bill amount and went back and added the tip. No issues.

 

[ColeyOley]

Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but the biggest drawback that I've found with prepaid Visa cards are when the money starts to get low - you have to keep track of what you have left on there and let the cashier know exactly how much to put on the card. Example: You have $12.57 left on your card and you want to buy something that is $15.99. Most (if not all) prepaid Visa cards don't work like gift cards in the sense that it gets run through for $15.99 and because you only have $12.57 left, proceeded to prompt you to pay the additional $3.42. You will have to let the cashier know that you want exactly $12.57 on the Visa card and will pay the rest with cash, debit, etc.

I prefer to use cash when at the park. We generally budget and bring a set amount for food, souvenirs, etc. for each day. It makes it easier to keep track of my money and how much I am spending if I can SEE it. It's SO easy to go through money at the parks (I swear sometimes it evaporates from my wallet!) and I like to know at the end of the day how much we've gone through and how much we have left.

 

[awdsmama]

I would think one possible "pro" of using a Disney gift card versus your debit card is in the event it is lost.

As long as you have your gc info/proof of purchase I believe you can get a new one reissued on site, correct?

Whereas if you loose your debit card you will be SOL until your bank or credit union can send you a new one...which may be well after your vacation.

 

[Disney Princess]

We usually use cash. We bring a certain amount for each day, and then add a bit more to that total. We put the cash in the in-room safe and carry what we need for the day (or the morning) with us. We can always grab more on our break if we need it. This makes it easy if we split up for a few minutes - we easily divide the money instead of having one gift card.

We do, however, make most of our souvenir purchases at once using our Disney Visa card, so we aren't carrying large sums of money with us.

If we have a rewards card from our Visa, we carry that and use it up first, then start with the cash.

At Disney WORLD, they have gift cards available at guest relations that are tiny and come with a wrist strap. My husband has begun to love those. We still bring cash, but he reloads the card each day with what we think we'll need. Very convenient as you don't have to dig a card/cash out of a bag or pocket. However, I'm not sure if these are available at Disneyland. You can use them there as they are regular Disney gift cards, but I don't know if you can get them there.

 

[23bw]

How about deposting all that cash into the bank and use your CC carefully during your trip? Then when the bill comes, just pay it with the money in the bank. No fees and you don't have to carry around so much cash.

At the parks I try to avoid cash because of the coins you get back in change. With a pocket full of coins, there's a good chance you'll be leaving it behind on some rides.