Disney GC... pros, cons?

[DisneyMom2000000]

What are the pros and cons of using Disney gift cards at the parks?

Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off annual passes online?

Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off resort balance before check out?

 

[mustinjourney]

my biggest problem with gift cards in general is that I tend to misplace them.

 

[Marionnette]

What are the pros and cons of using Disney gift cards at the parks?

Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off annual passes online?

Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off resort balance before check out?

What are the pros and cons of using Disney gift cards at the parks?

Cons:

• You have to have them with you, so it's an extra item to carry and keep track of.
• Keeping track of the balance.
• No protection if lost/stolen/misplaced if you don't report it lost/stolen before the card is zero'd out.
• Cannot return for a refund once issued.
• Some locations do not accept them.

Pros:

• You can purchase them at a discount, so it's an instant discount on all purchases.
• Easy to use.
• The same size as a credit card, so they are light and take up very little space.

Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off annual passes online?
Yes.
Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off resort balance before check out?
Yes.

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

What are the pros and cons of using Disney gift cards at the parks?

Cons:

• You have to have them with you, so it's an extra item to carry and keep track of.
• Keeping track of the balance.
• No protection if lost/stolen/misplaced if you don't report it lost/stolen before the card is zero'd out.
• Cannot return for a refund once issued.
• Some locations do not accept them.

Pros:

• You can purchase them at a discount, so it's an instant discount on all purchases.
• Easy to use.
• The same size as a credit card, so they are light and take up very little space.

Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off annual passes online?
Yes.
Can I use Disney gift cards to pay off resort balance before check out?
Yes.

Thank you!!!

 

[DianeMae]

Hey everyone. I purchased a free dining Disney vacation. Can I buy Disney gift cards to pay off the entire vacation? I am seeing everywhere you can get them discounted at Target and Bj's so I'm trying to save anyway I can.

 

[Marionnette]

Hey everyone. I purchased a free dining Disney vacation. Can I buy Disney gift cards to pay off the entire vacation? I am seeing everywhere you can get them discounted at Target and Bj's so I'm trying to save anyway I can.

Yes. You can pay your balance with Disney GCs. Try to combine them onto one or two single GCs so that it's easier to pay when you call or enter them online.

 

[DianeMae]

Yes. You can pay your balance with Disney GCs. Try to combine them onto one or two single GCs so that it's easier to pay when you call or enter them online.

Thank you! May I ask how you combine them onto one or two gift cards?

 

[Marionnette]

Thank you! May I ask how you combine them onto one or two gift cards?

Use the disneygiftcard.com website. It's been a bit buggy lately but you can use it to transfer balances from one Disney GC to another. If you have several small GCs, you can transfer their balances onto one GC, up to a total of $1K per GC.

 

[DianeMae]

Use the disneygiftcard.com website. It's been a bit buggy lately but you can use it to transfer balances from one Disney GC to another. If you have several small GCs, you can transfer their balances onto one GC, up to a total of $1K per GC.

Oh okay! Thanks for all your help.

 

[loves to dive]

As far as keeping track of the balance it will be printed on the receipt so no keeping track. The only places that will not take them are the non-Disney owned places, mostly at DS. I combine all mine so I only have to carry around one, since I carry a CC, ID and AP, one more card doesn't really matter.

The only con for me is that you can only use it at Disney so if you don't use it all, you are out of luck. I prefer to get prepaid Visa or MC if I can since those can be used anywhere, even those places that don't accept Disney cards. Of course, discounts on those are rare but I normally get one with my CC points.

 

[Marionnette]

As far as keeping track of the balance it will be printed on the receipt so no keeping track. The only places that will not take them are the non-Disney owned places, mostly at DS. I combine all mine so I only have to carry around one, since I carry a CC, ID and AP, one more card doesn't really matter.

The only con for me is that you can only use it at Disney so if you don't use it all, you are out of luck. I prefer to get prepaid Visa or MC if I can since those can be used anywhere, even those places that don't accept Disney cards. Of course, discounts on those are rare but I normally get one with my CC points.

I would agree with not getting more Disney GCs than you will spend at Disney. Since I have DVC and the dues can be paid for with GCs, I know that I will always have a use for them.

Prepaid Visa and MC tend to come with an activation fee and sometimes have monthly fees (you have to check the Terms and Conditions). If you redeem CC points for them, they tend to take more points for the same dollar value as other GCs. There can also be difficulty spending down the final balance on those cards at some retailers. But it sounds like this is a method that works better for you. Not every method works for everybody and each has its flaws as well as advantages. It's good to learn of another possible way to pay for our Disney vacations.

 

[loves to dive]

I would agree with not getting more Disney GCs than you will spend at Disney. Since I have DVC and the dues can be paid for with GCs, I know that I will always have a use for them.

Prepaid Visa and MC tend to come with an activation fee and sometimes have monthly fees (you have to check the Terms and Conditions). If you redeem CC points for them, they tend to take more points for the same dollar value as other GCs. There can also be difficulty spending down the final balance on those cards at some retailers. But it sounds like this is a method that works better for you. Not every method works for everybody and each has its flaws as well as advantages. It's good to learn of another possible way to pay for our Disney vacations.

Oh, I use both methods. I'm all about getting the best bang for my buck. I normally buy a Disney gift card or two from Sam's at a discount before I go to Disney and my cc points actually now go into my checking account, my card recently changed so I can no longer get visa cards with it. When I could there was no activation fee or monthly fee and I agree it can sometimes be a challenge to get them down to 0. I used to just shred them when they got down to below a dollar or two but my son took the last 3 I had and used them to buy something at work since he's customer service at a grocery store, it was easy for him to use them down. I wasn't recommending one method over another, just answering the cons question as to Disney gift cards.