Disney Dollars. Any benefit?

[Rodrigo]

Sorry if this question sounds dumb, but I have never used Disney Dollars.
Is there any benefit on buying $D's? Special discounts, losing / theft insurance, etc.?
I read that you can use them in any place inside Disney or Disney Store instead of regular currency, but IMHO this is only a disadvantage.

 

[SusanD]

It is cute, it feels like play money and cannot be spent anywhere but at Disney-related parks, restaurants, resorts, and stores. They seem to think that people will spend more if it doesn't feel like real money...and they are right.

 

[NotTooGoofy]

Our family uses it as a way to enforce saving for the trip and not be tempted to spend the money on something else before we go. Plus the kids like them so it's worthwhile to us. We only get $200 or $300 in Disney Dollars before we go. If we have any left or have to cancel the trip, the Disney Store usually will exchange it back for US currency but only at $100 or so at a time (unless you call ahead and make arrangements for a larger amount).

 

[MELSMICE]

My 3 DD's use any Disney dollars they get as gifts or any that they buy themselves for their own souvenirs in WDW. I also "buy" my own Disney dollars to use for souvenirs for DH & myself.

As one poster, it almost doesn't seem like you are spending real money. To me it's like having bonus money. I would never spend as much as I do on souvenirs if I had regular cash so it's like a special treat for us.

 

[TEK224]

I use them as a way to save for my next Disney trip. usually when I go to the mall I stop in the Disney store and buy $5 worth of DD. I try to do this every time. Plus, for birthdays or holidays, people usually just give me DD's ( you can only have so many, sweaters, pocketbooks, etc) It can add up nicely.
On my last trip, when I counted up the total, I had $240. I used that to treat myself to some nice dinners while at the World.
Now I'm saving for my next trip.
Terri

 

[janette]

I gave my girls $5 in DD each day. It was more fun for them than giving them cash and worked for those small things like frozen treats they wanted. I just let them have a little money for those things and that way they had to budget it themselves.

 

[mom2of2]

This is our first trip to WDW and I wanted the kids to have their own spending money. I told the family that we were going and that for x-mas and b-days take whatever they normally spend, cut it in 1/2 and get DD and a small gift. Well it worked out great!!!! The boys each got $80 and my Uncle gave the whole family a stuffed Mickey holding a frame and in it was $150 in DD!!!! So all told we have $340 in DD. I also set aside $$$ that they had gotten for other things and let me tell you, I have had the hardest time NOT hitting that money!!! Can't touch the DD's though!!! Works for me!!! Wonder if we will spend it all ?????

 

[maleficent1959]

Originally posted by NotTooGoofy
If we have any left or have to cancel the trip, the Disney Store usually will exchange it back for US currency but only at $100 or so at a time (unless you call ahead and make arrangements for a larger amount).

You have to have a receipt to return DD to TDS and you will only get cash back if you paid cash for it.

There's no real tangible benefit, per se, but we buy some throughout the year for our trips down. A few DD here and there hurts the pocketbook a bit less than a big chunk at once. And like mom2of2 said, you can't touch the DD.

 

[Rodrigo]

Thank you for your responses.

I wonder how much $$$$ Disney sell in Disney Dollars.

Disney have real dollars (from products and services that they will provide in the future) they can invest and make more money, and people have Disney Dollars, useless in a lot of ways, more like "gift certificates" while Disney is working their money.

Sorry, I don't like the idea. It is a "cute" fraud to me.

They should give some benefits for paying with Disney Dollars, like discounts and / or a loss/theft insurance, like traveler cheques do.

 

[Sneaky3]

TEK224

Thank you for the idea. I am going to do this for my upcoming trip so that I can put money towards it and not waste it..

 

[janette]

Originally posted by Rodrigo
Thank you for your responses.

I wonder how much $$$$ Disney sell in Disney Dollars.

Disney have real dollars (from products and services that they will provide in the future) they can invest and make more money, and people have Disney Dollars, useless in a lot of ways, more like "gift certificates" while Disney is working their money.

Sorry, I don't like the idea. It is a "cute" fraud to me.

They should give some benefits for paying with Disney Dollars, like discounts and / or a loss/theft insurance, like traveler cheques do.

Disney Dollars are designed like gift certificates. I know of none that offer discounts and / or a loss/theft/insurance.

 

[tbear]

I would definitly not call it a fraud...basically, its just an exchange of money that has been specifically deemed as "spent" cash...in other words...if your turning your funds into disney dollars, then, you have spent it, even if you dont yet have merchandise in hand.

one of the greatest ideas IS that you CANT spend this outside of disney....if saving for a trip of any duration, your going to need lots of cash..no matter what you do(discounts,gift cert., what have you)your going to use money money money!!

If your anything like me, having an available balance of expendable cash is wayyyyyyyy too tempting to not use, so my wife has convieniently taken those funds set aside for disney and transferred it over.I cant spend it except at disney(and mind you, this is ANYWHERE disney...resorts, restaurants, kiosks,ect)so, i know we have X amount available...and if somehow we end up bringing any of it back with us, well, there starts the next trips funds.

it really is how you look at it, IMHO.

 

[Cajun28]

I use Disney Dollars as a way to put small purchases such as snacks and cold drinks that we buy while at WDW on a credit card that pays rewards. Before we leave, I'll go to the Disney Store and buy an amount of DD's using a CC that pays a cashback reward. That way I get rewards for purchases that we normally could not charge on a CC. Then, we have a head start on our next vacation.

 

[Rodrigo]

Cajun28, that is an excellent idea. But I still think Disney should give an extra bonus for compromising your money to be expended only in Disney.

 

[twinkletoes]

Hey everyone, We leave for WDW in 9 days. Can you use Disney Dollars to buy your tickets with at the park? And can you use them in the Souvenier shops? What about the rest.? I know somebody has probably asked this before but i can't find the anwer.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BethR]

Hi twinketoes!

You can use Disney Dollars at any place on Disney property! Have fun spending.

Hi Rodrigo,

Perhaps in Mexico this is not done, but here in the US people often purchase Gift Certificates - which are a certain amount of money that can be spent at a particular store or restuarant. These certificates are often given in lieu of cash when giving a gift. There is no benefit to these Certficates except to the seller. And to the reciever who can chose what they want at a particular place. No need to return because of wrong color or size etc, because the reciever makes the choose of what they want.
This is the same idea behind Disney Dollars. They are simply a gift of cash to be used at a particular place - this being anywhere at Disney. As you haver read, some people use this as method of saving for their Disney trips because you can't spend this money elsewhere.
And I have to disagree with SusanD. The Disney dollars that we have had in the past, have been very high quality, to me almost feeling like real money. But instead of the presidents and honoraries that we have on US money, you have Disney characters. And instead of being green, they are colorful.

Hope that this helps you to understand some. It could be a cultural thing...

 

[abeyst]

Yes, you can use them for tickets and souveniers anywhere. I'm not sure about the restaurants in DTD, though (Planet Hollywood, Rainforest, etc). We used ours at the parks and resort restaurants all the time.

 

[twinkletoes]

Thanks everyone for the quick response. I will go to the local Disney Store this weekend and get our DD for tickets and eats. Great work on these boards. I have learned alot of different things.

 

[beansmom]

Sorry, I don't like the idea. It is a "cute" fraud to me.

Think of it as an 'exchange'. When you shop in the US, you would have to change your pesos into US dollars. Disney offers you the opportunity to exchange your US dollars into the currency of their country. At a 1 for 1 rate--which is better than some exchange rates.

It's not fraud. And if you dislike the idea, then don't do it. Take your regular money to Disney. They accept it as well.

 

[Ithastobe]

Sorry if this was asked already... can you buy Disney Dollars online via Disney Store? I didn't see it, only Gift Cards. I ask because I've earned some webcertificates and if I could purchase Disney Dollars from these it would really be 'free' money.

Thanks for the help....