Completely Outraged!!!!!

[ohanafamily]

I had a MKC card, and I paid $50.00 for 2 years. I did not have my company sign off on it. I think it may have originally been corporate only.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I think you could pay for it -- but most got it free through work.
Weren't the benefits a little better if you paid?
I always had the freebie, and don't recall now.

 

[C.Ann]

Personally I think it's rather insulting for Disney to "lord" this new card over peoples heads by basically saying, "Either you apply for this Visa credit card or you no longer recieve any extra benefits from us.." Perhaps they're hoping that many folks who are tempted by the ease of using credit cards will just throw all caution to the wind and CHARGE an entire trip - right down to the souveniers and MM ice cream goodies.. Wouldn't that be a nice extra "benefit" for Dsiney????

I think I'll pass.. Discounts or no, I'm a "cash on the line" type of gal.. I just feel sorry for all those folks who either WANT this card and can't get it for one reason or another - or those who DO get it and pave their way to bankruptcy with it..

 

[ohanafamily]

My credit is good, I would not have a problem getting the card; I understand that A LOT of people could not qualify for their previous card. I probably won't get one, unless the benefits are incredible. I did not get the previous card.

 

[Buschfan]

This change is a non-issue to me. I used to get a discount for a one-day admission with my free MKC discount card from work. Disney then started charging for a DC card that doesn't have a one-day discount and that ended it for us. Universal offers a free fan club card with one-day and season-pass discounts. That is why Universal gets our money and Disney doesn't get a dime out of us.

 

[KNWVIKING]

While DC offers you a discounted price, the new CC may allow you to earn enough Disney $$$ to get your passes,(or whatever) at a greater discount or even possibly for free. The "trick" to owning & using these types of rebate cards is to pay it off monthly. If you run CC bills sky hi and get hit with interest, is that Disneys fault.

Basically our DC membership paid for itself when we purchased 2 AP's. If the new CC is anything at all like I'm anticipating it will be then I know I'm going to enjoy it much more. Right now I think we all have to take a "wait & see" attitude.

 

[PatriciaH]

I loved the old Magic Kingdom Card. It gave great discounts and was free. Looking back at some old literature MKC gave:

-10-30% off rooms at WDW
-Seasonal discounts on golf
-Reduced admission to all parks
-10% off dinner shows (Poly Luau)
-Reduced Disneyland admission
-15% off at the Disneyland Hotel
-15% off at the Blue Bayou (DL)
-Special packages (WDW, DL, DLP)
-10% off at the Disney Store
-10% off the Disney catalog
-10% discount on Premier Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Lines and 15% off Royal Caribbean Cruises
-30% off national car rental
-10% discount on select Delta flights to WDW and DL
-Reduced passports at Disneyland Paris and Tokyo DL
-20% discount at Paradise Guest Ranch in Wyoming
-$10 off Walk around the World Bricks
-Discounts on Annual passes
-10-25% off Vero beach and Hilton Head DVClub
-10% off AAA basic membership
-Free membership in Travel America Half Price
-10% on dining in the parks (WDW)
-$25 off inside staterooms and $50 off outside staterooms on Disney Cruise Line


WOW!
Bring back the FREE MKC!!!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Looking at this from a marketing standpoint IMO it is a mistake. The benefits of "belonging" while always undergoing change were immediate. You have the card, you can get a discount. Now the rumor at least, and yes we will have to wait on facts, is that you will earn discounts. That means you have to use that card.

It also makes me wonder what they will be doing with the Disney Credit Card. Although I have a VISA through my credit union I also have the Disney Card which is used strictly for Disney vacations. It allows me to keep things separate and managed.

This rumor is all over the various boards and overall people are NOT happy about it. It would be good business if Disney listened on this one. If they decide to issue a Disney points VISA go for it, but don't eliminate the other options at the same time.

The relationship with American Express had to be replaced, it was full of problems and did more harm than good to Disney. AmEx didn't honor commitments as they should, made it difficult for people to take advantage of specials, etc.

To date there has been both - a credit card relationship and a benefits program.

Deb

 

[The Duchess]

I never thought the DC benefits were that great to begin with, and I'm certainly not getting a Disney VISA card that will probably have some ridculous rate of 21%. I guess you could use it, then transfer to a lower rate card.
I will miss the AMEX points!
It seems like Disney is slashing and burning without thinking things through.
I hope I won't regret this trip!
Leaving in
I
I
I
i
V

 

[hopskip]

I have bad credit and am in debt. Sure, it's embarrassing. I really don't want to go shouting this at the rooftops.... is THAT was Disney is counting on? Are they counting on the fact that those people with poor credit who can't get a Disney credit card will be too ashamed to bring attention to themselves? There are several million people out there whose credit scores will make them unable to qualify for this card. Isn't that discrimination? It seems to me that the people who will benefit most from these discounts are people with low incomes who probably save up CASH to make this trip. What does it say about Disney that they are only offering incentives to those people that spend enough money on a credit card during the year that they "EARN" entitlement to discounts? Does that mean Disney doesn't care if a poor family wants to go to Disney World??

We're not poor, but I'm still angry. Like many other families, we have good jobs but bad credit. We will be spending just as much money on Disney crapola as anyone else and I don't appreciate being excluded because we live our lives with cash, not credit. This is a stupid move for Disney and if this is how things are going to be, this will be our last Disney trip for a loooong time. We'll start travelling abroad--- it costs about the same anyway.

 

[WDSearcher]

OK, I get that you're angry, but I think discrimination might be going a bit too far here. Or, at least if you're going to accuse Disney of it, you'll need to also accuse VISA, Master Card, Sears, Rooms to Go, JC Penney, Bloomingdales, Macys, and anyone else who offers any type of credit plan for which you have to qualify. Add to that car dealers and institutions of higher learning.

I worked long and hard trying to get my bad credit to be good credit again and to pay off all my debt, and I'm sure you are too. Except that while I was working on paying off my creditors, I could have never afforded a trip to Disney, and certainly wouldn't have been able to travel abroad. So bad credit or no, if you have those options in front of you, you seem to be doing okay!

As for "Does that mean that Disney doesn't care if a poor family can't go to Disney World?" No ... I'm sure Disney would love it if everyone could go to Disney World, and to that end they give away loads of trips every year to underpriviledged kids and their families. But going on vacation -- to Disney or anyplace else -- isn't exactly a Constitutional right. And no matter what Disney or the cruise lines or any other travel-based business offers in the way of specials or discounts, there will always be a chunk of the population who will never be able to afford it. Even if Disney offered free admission and free food to everyone under a certain income level, there would STILL be people who couldn't afford the trip because of the plane tickets and hotel bills and rental cars.

Disney made a business decision to go with a new credit card. But they didn't do it just to annoy you, y'know?

 

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
Disney made a business decision to go with a new credit card. But they didn't do it just to annoy you, y'know?

Just like they made a business decision to cut hours, raise prices, cut perks for staying on-site, invest heavily in Go.com, run Millionaire 4 nights a week, buy Fox Family for billions, Not buy the Muppets, build DCA, make Reign of Fire, make Bad Company, Make the Country Bears....do you see a pattern here ????

 

[raidermatt]

Pending the details, the rewards Card is a good move. Its good for the many customers who choose to use it, and I'm sure Disney will make a good chunk of change on the deal.

But I don't really see the purpose in cutting the Disney Club. With the annual charge, I'm sure it is also a money-maker, and it works differently than a credit card reward program (assuming the Disney rewards program is similar to others already in existence).

True, the Disney Club membership would probably drop when the rewards card comes out, but would it really drop to the point of being unprofitable?

One question I have is if the Disney Visa card will carry the automatic discounts that the Disney Club had. For instance, the main reasons we maintained our DC membership was the magazine subscription and AP discount. A "rewards" card wouldn't automatically carry such discounts without a certain spending level.

I do sympathize with those that won't be able to get the credit card but are DC members. And from a tradition viewpoint, its a shame to discontinue the club.

 

[hopskip]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
OK, I get that you're angry, but I think discrimination might be going a bit too far here. Or, at least if you're going to accuse Disney of it, you'll need to also accuse VISA, Master Card, Sears, Rooms to Go, JC Penney, Bloomingdales, Macys, and anyone else who offers any type of credit plan for which you have to qualify. Add to that car dealers and institutions of higher learning.

Credit cards, department stores, car dealers, and college loan officers all have obvious reasons for judging a person by their credit rating. Disney has decided to market these discounts to a specific population and discriminate (is there a better word?) against those who do not want/cannot have/shouldn't have credit cards. The DC card was available to everyone regardless of their credit history.

Originally posted by WDSearcher
Except that while I was working on paying off my creditors, I could have never afforded a trip to Disney, and certainly wouldn't have been able to travel abroad. So bad credit or no, if you have those options in front of you, you seem to be doing okay!

I'm fortunate enough that we can afford to take 2 weeks a year and go somewhere. That doesn't mean we are wealthy enough that we can afford NOT to use discounts to make our way through a Disney trip. Regardless of our income, my husband and I are lumped into the "not-worth-marketing-to" category of Disney patrons who are being overlooked with this credit card.

Originally posted by WDSearcher
But going on vacation -- to Disney or anyplace else -- isn't exactly a Constitutional right.

No... but if a family spends 5 years stuffing away $10 bills to afford a trip to Disney (and, mind you, the ticket prices as well as resort costs will likely RISE during those 5 years of saving money...) what options do they have to unburden some of the costs of that trip? None, as of 2004.

Originally posted by WDSearcher
Disney made a business decision to go with a new credit card. But they didn't do it just to annoy you, y'know?

How good of you to point that out.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
OK, I get that you're angry, but I think discrimination might be going a bit too far here. Or, at least if you're going to accuse Disney of it, you'll need to also accuse VISA, Master Card, Sears, Rooms to Go, JC Penney, Bloomingdales, Macys, and anyone else who offers any type of credit plan for which you have to qualify. Add to that car dealers and institutions of higher learning.

------------------------------------------------

I believe you are comparing apples to oranges here.. The above mentioned businesses did not offer a MEMBERSHIP card - available to anyone willing to pay the yearly fee to obtain discounts - only to then turn around and tell their customers that they would need to replace it with a CREDIT CARD.. There's a vast difference there..

--------------------------------------------

Disney made a business decision to go with a new credit card. But they didn't do it just to annoy you, y'know?

--------------------------------------------

They did not make a business decision to go with a NEW credit card - they made a decision to replace a MEMBERSHIP card with a CREDIT card that will force people to CHARGE merchandise, vacations, etc; in order to receive discounts they previously had paid CASH for..

See what I'm saying? Apples and oranges..........

 

[sandramaac]

Why is this thread suddenly becoming a little mean spirited towards one another.

 

[ohanafamily]

At the risk of entering the fray, I had someone tell me that it is not easy to get the current Disney charge card. I hope that this new card will be easier to get; I really don't want or need another card, but might consider it if the perks were good enough. Also, please let me point out again, OFFICIALLY, there is no replacement for the DC card. It is a discontinued program. The new Visa alliance was announced back in June. It is being used as a salve for a very fierce wound. I think it is backfiring.

 

[raidermatt]

I don't think the Visa alliance was done out of an effort to heal any wounds. My understanding is that Disney negotiated with Visa and American Express, and decided to go with Visa. That's why American Express is out, and Visa is in. (The 2003 Birnbaum guide says that American Express cardmembers no longer receive any discounts. It does not mention the new Visa card)

The DC probably didn't factor into the decision much back when the decision to go with Visa was made. However, for some reason, they have now decided to eliminate DC. (Maybe they knew that the day they inked the Visa deal, but I doubt it)

I still don't quite get the reason.

Do we have any details on the Disney Visa card?

Will there actually be discounts similar to DC, just for having the card?

Or will it only be a rewards card?

If its only going to be a rewards card, then the discount programs aren't really being shifted from a club to a credit card, but are instead being eliminated. If this is the case, the Visa card is not really replacing anything.

My guess is there will be some automatic discounts similar to the AMEX program, but not necessarily the same discounts as the DC.

True, I think there is some overlap between DC and AMEX discounts, but there are also discounts for DVC, AP's, AAA, etc.


Sorry if this was a dis-jointed post, but I find it difficult to really criticize or praise the decsision without having more details. Again, I will say I'm definitely disappointed in the elimination of DC from a tradition standpoint.

 

[KNWVIKING]

I'm curious if they are trying to prevent a scenerio something like this: Say the new Visa card allows you to earn Disney Dollars. You use the CC,earn the bucks,then purchase your AP with your DC discount & pay with the free DD you earned. If a person pays their CC balance each month & the card has no fees,the Disney is actually earning very little with their CC. If someone can basically double dip them using DC and CC, then potentially they are losing money.

 

[ohanafamily]

I pay 1%-4% just for accepting the card (this depends on the deal you work out with your bank). They get a hefty portion of that, I'm Sure.

I will wait and see what the credit card comes with. if you want the details available, I will try to find it for you...