Cashing checks at resort?

[Simba's Mom]

Can I bring a couple of blank checks and cash them at the front desk of the resort? I usually bring a big wad of cash to spend (I hate to charge anything), but I'm trying to avoid carrying all that cash at the airports. Or I do have the Disney Visa-could I somehow use that to get cash? I especially want to have cash at the Food and Wine booths and not use any charge cards.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Can I bring a couple of blank checks and cash them at the front desk of the resort? I usually bring a big wad of cash to spend (I hate to charge anything), but I'm trying to avoid carrying all that cash at the airports. Or I do have the Disney Visa-could I somehow use that to get cash? I especially want to have cash at the Food and Wine booths and not use any charge cards.

It used to be that the resort front desks would cash checks in semi-large amounts, but I believe now the maximum is $100 or $150. Every resort and park has an ATM though, so why not just use that for cash withdrawals? Or your could simply buy Traveler's Checks.

If it were me, I'd use my room charge and have everything go to my Disney Visa and then pay it off as soon as I got home. It sounds like you have the cash for the trip so you'd be able to take care of the charges with that as soon as the bill comes in. That way, too, you'd get all of the Disney Visa points, which is always nice!

 

[Nanajo1]

I think you can charge to your room key then pay it off with a check every couple of days or at the end of your trip. You could put your cash in Travelers checks and use them to pay off the charges. I wouldn't want to carry a lot of cash.

 

[janni518]

I think you can charge to your room key then pay it off with a check every couple of days or at the end of your trip. You could put your cash in Travelers checks and use them to pay off the charges. I wouldn't want to carry a lot of cash.

That is a good idea and sort of what we did this past May. My hubby would go down every few days and authorize the charges from our room keys to our debit card account. They'd give us a print-out of the charges. It helped us see where we were spending our money and that helped us modify our daily spending a bit. We were a bit shocked to realize how quickly it added up, especially our teens, (they had a spending limit.)

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Do you have a check card? Works like a credit card, but pulls directly from your checking account.

 

[rwcmath]

I carry $50 travelers checks and cash them at the resort.
rwc

 

[wdwnut]

hi: another option: we'll be using Disney gift cards (from our Disney visa points) at the food and wine kiosks. The balance on the gift card is printed on the receipt you get back when you make a purchase. That way you can set your own limit.

 

[jdvm]

It's been a while since I've done it but there used to be a limit of $50 per day for checks cashed at the front desk

John

 

[edk35]

That is a good idea and sort of what we did this past May. My hubby would go down every few days and authorize the charges from our room keys to our debit card account. They'd give us a print-out of the charges. It helped us see where we were spending our money and that helped us modify our daily spending a bit. We were a bit shocked to realize how quickly it added up, especially our teens, (they had a spending limit.)

Tell me about it. We were at WDW for 14 days this past July and when we saw the room charges. It surely does make you realize how we overspent because we had those lovely room keys.

 

[Blahnde]

I understand your dislike of CREDIT cards, but by using pre-paid cards by any of the major companies (as above) you would prevent going into debt and yet still have the safety and convenience of plastic. Lots of cash is obviously dangerous, and while traveler's checks are one solution they can be a pain. You either have to carry them all around with you and risk loss (or more likely damage on a water ride!), or you have to decide every day how much to take. What if you are short? And what if you only have a $50 traveler's check and junior wants a Mickey ice cream bar? Too much hassle! And while Disney gift cards are another practical solution, your funds are then committed to Disney. If you load a pre-paid card with your budget's funds and you underspend, then you can use the remainder anywhere they take Visa, MC, or AmEx instead of only at Disney.

I made this same suggestion instead of the DDP (I call it BDP, Blahnde's Dining Plan!) for anyone that complains that the DDP's do not work for them. If you simply want the convenience of pre-paid, "all-inclusive" plan, but the DDP does not work for your family (for whatever reason!) then simply put the funds you would have paid Disney for DDP (or your food budget for the trip) on a pre-paid card. It is much simpler since you can pay for everything with one card (tip, appetizer, alcoholic drinks, etc.), you do not have to worry about budgeting credits to "maximize" the plan, and it can be used off-site, too! If you are local or an Annual Passholder you could do this in combination with the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) to save even more!

Blahnde