Cash vs. Debit Card

[chrismb22]

When we were there in 2005 it was a $1500 limit on how much you can charge to your room. We Stayed Saturday to Saturday and hit that on about Thursday (this was all our meal, some really expensive (but in my mind priceless souveniers etc.). We sort of added this up in our heads and went to the desk before heading out Thursday evening. We reconcilled the account (basically, they "officially" charged the card) and then it started over again -- we had another $1500 to spend -- very dangerous for me LOL.

It was the greatest thing we could have done though. This time, I plan on buying prepaid disney cards ahead of time and asking for some for Christmas (our trip is Early Jan.) this way, when I reconcile, I'll have less of a bill to worry about -- and we're on the dining plan so it will just be tips and alcohol anyway.

 

[SGMCO]

Also if you decide to use your Room Key for credit,
be sure to hold on to it as you would your Credit Card
because on our last years trip we were walking on Main st.
and the Lady in front of us dropped her Resort Key.
Luckly we were right behind her and saw that she had dropped it
and returned it to her, she didn't know that she had dropped it.
I'm guessing that once you have realized that you lost your Room key
you can contact the Resort so that they can cancel any charges.
I can't remember if you have to show your ID for charging with
the Room Key but I think that is for charging less than ($25.00 a purchase)
so a thief could make several small purchases that could
rack up quickly before you even know that you lost it.

 

[scribega]

One of the things we did is get gift cards so we wouldn't have to carry around a lot of cash and we wouldn't have sticker shock on our bank account when we got home.

 

[webshark3]

For me, the most important thing to remember about a debit card is that it is tied directly to your credit card. This exposes you to risk if your card is lost or stolen -- especially if you don't notice right away that it's gone. (Each credit union or bank has its own policy about how much you owe if a thief uses your card, depending on how soon you report it lost/stolen.)

So I never take my debit card with me on vacation. This trip, I plan to use a prepaid American Express or Visa travelers check card. Works the same as travelers checks, but the money is pre-loaded onto one card that you use like a debit card. If it's lost or stolen, you can get a replacement (just like travelers checks). Much more peace of mind for me. I also plan to take a credit card as a back-up.

Most banks are VERY good with detecting fraud. The last time it happened to me, MBNA contacted me and told me my card was stolen (I didn't even know). They them proceeded to reverse all charges and issue a new card. I didn't have to lift a muscle. I see most banks and cards have some sort of 0 liability for fraud. It's a good thing to check for.

The pre-paid cards you brought up also sounds like a great idea.

 

[wdwgal]

Does anyone have the website or info on getting pre-paid Visa cards?

TIA

wdwgal

 

[Northstar]

Here's a link to a site that explains the various Visa prepaid products. When you look at the info for each card type, there's a link to "retail locations" where you can get the card.

http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid

You really need to pay careful attention to the features of each type of card, how it works, how you fund it, liability... IMO we're just going to have to stop using the term "debit card" because the answer to almost any question about a debit card is... it depends on which card you're using!

 

[klwdisney]

I bring cash (or travelers checks) and give them to the front desk when I check in. They apply it to my account to use on my card. At the end of my stay they'll give me back what I didn't use. This way I don't have to use a credit or debit card. I do leave some cash out (locked in my safe) to keep little bits on me every day for unexpected things like cab fare or tips or something.

We are doing the dining plan. Im planning on bringing $1000 extra (WAY more than necessary but I'd rather have too much than not enough) for extra meals/snacks and adult beverages.