Debit cards/ cash/charge cards

[hockey mom 94]

I am planning to bring cash for food carts and other cart type attractions, hotel maid service, bell hop and other kinds of tips but using debit/charge cards in restaurants and souvenier shops. Does this make sense to you veterans? What am I forgetting? I don't want to carry too much cash but don't want to pay ATM fees to get cash out either. What have you done in the past?

 

[Mamu]

Hockey Mom I do take some cash, and my debit card, but use my room key charge. I find this to be the best. At the end of our trip. I get an itemized list of all my expences.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

We too use the room key to charge all we can. We take travlers checks to pay off the debt. We too take a little cash and have the debit and charge card for just in case but try not to use the charge card unless we have to. We like comming home without having a huge debt on the credit card.



Jordan's mom

 

[Ted and Holly]

I carry very little cash. I will take some, just for water or snacks at a cart, but everything else goes on the room. This trip, we are staying off-site, I will use my debit card where I'd normally use the room charge.

Ted

 

[denisem]

Before you leave, check with your bank and establish your debit/credit card "transaction" and "daily" limits, and alert/adjust them to your needs.

I.E., I work in the credit biz, and often run debit cards against a set amount (lets say $500). Some debit cards have a daily limit of $400. Debitting $500 would reject; however, one could run a $400 debit and THEN an additional $100 immediately afterward.

Some limits are "daily". (I.E., a total amount of $400 for the day).

Denise < ---- once attempted to use a "rarely" used credit card for big $$ twice in one day, and it also triggered a "heads-up" at the banking institution

 

[jfulcer]

Dont' forget you can bring cash along and put it on your room card. We save all year for the trip and put the cash on the room charge and use that instead of our plastic. It makes coming back from vacation much easier - no huge credit card bills to pay.

If you wanted to be safe and avoid the debit limits mentioned by denisem, go to your bank before you leave and get a couple large travellers checks and put them directly on your room as cash mentioned above. A couple other small bills for use in the parks at the odd stand that does not take the cards....

Hope I didn't confuse you.

 

[hockey mom 94]

forgot to mention: staying off site so I don't think room charge will apply here. Marriott World Convention Center. Guess the biggest question is; will I be able to use debit card in souveneir shops, restaurants etc IN the parks. Of course I would expect all carts to take cash only. Am I assuming correctly?

 

[Mamu]

If a debit card has a Visa or Master Card logo on it all stores take it. If it's just a bank debit with no logo you will need to use an ATM.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I've never used the room key to charge or a debit card. I bring Travelers Cheques along, which I am breaking all the time to make petty cash payments here and there, and use my credit card to accumulate rewards.

The advantage of the TC is that if you lose them, they're immediately replaces, as opposed to your cash. I just lock them up in the room safe and each morning grab a bill or two, depending on what we'll do.

 

[NJmouse]

We always use our debit card. We only carry $100 with us each day. This is how we do it. The first day we are there we go to the ATM and take out $100 this is used for little things like drinks, snacks, probably lunch and any little gifts we find. For dinner if we have enough cash left from the day we will pay cash for it, if not we will put it on the card. And the next day we take out our $100 again. We just add whatever we have left to the next day. If by the end of the second or third day the total we have left is $100 we don't take out any money the next day. Any BIG spending we put on the card, (special gifts, shows or dinners). That isn't included in the $100 daily allotment.
This $100 is based on 2 adults.

 

[hockey mom 94]

thanks NJ mouse I think your plan will work great for us.

 

[NJmouse]

Your Welcome! Hope it works out for you.

 

[kylara]

hockey mom,

If you use either a debit or credit card at Disney just keep track of your receipts. Disney still prints the entire card number on the receipt so that if you drop it, someone can get a hold of your number and your name (that prints on the receipt too). This is the one thing I hate about using cc or debit card in Disney.