Disney Gift Card ?

[llori7]

I am saving up all my money from change, birthday, christmas, ebay, ect for our next Disney. I don't want to be tempted to spend it. So I was thinking about getting Disney Gift Cards. That way I would have to spend them at Disney. My 2 questions are:

1. Can you pay for your trip (through AAA) with Disney Gift Cards?
2. Do they expire? I am hoping to go 2010 or 2011, at the latest. But if something comes up and we can't go till 2012, I would hate to lose all that money.

Thanks!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I'm not sure about AAA but I do know that Disney itself will take the GCs as a form of payment on packages and rooms. You may need to consult your AAA TA to find out how they might handle it. The policy may vary from office to office.

The Disney GCs never expire.

Comment:

I think that it's a good idea to put your savings some place where you won't be tempted to touch it whenever you get weak and lose your resolve. But I don't know that I would recommend placing it on non-refundable GCs. There's that little part of me that wants the security of knowing that if I absolutely had to raid my Disney fund for an emergency, I would be able to tap that money. It might be a better idea to place that money in an online, interest bearing account. Keeping the money fluid but somewhat inacessible prevents me from spending it elsewhere but keeps it available for backup emergency use.​

ETA: If you've paid for a trip with GCs and you have to cancel, the money goes back on th GCs. You do not get a cash refund. Something else to keep in mind when using GCs as a form of payment with Disney.

 

[stitchlovestink]

I'm not sure about AAA but I do know that Disney itself will take the GCs as a form of payment on packages and rooms. You may need to consult your AAA TA to find out how they might handle it. The policy may vary from office to office.

The Disney GCs never expire.

Comment:

I think that it's a good idea to put your savings some place where you won't be tempted to touch it whenever you get weak and lose your resolve. But I don't know that I would recommend placing it on non-refundable GCs. There's that little part of me that wants the security of knowing that if I absolutely had to raid my Disney fund for an emergency, I would be able to tap that money. It might be a better idea to place that money in an online, interest bearing account. Keeping the money fluid but somewhat inacessible prevents me from spending it elsewhere but keeps it available for backup emergency use.​

ETA: If you've paid for a trip with GCs and you have to cancel, the money goes back on th GCs. You do not get a cash refund. Something else to keep in mind when using GCs as a form of payment with Disney.

I AGREE w/ this post 110%!!!
I really think you should rethink tying up large amounts of money in Disney GCs. Once it's in a DGC format, there is no changing your mind. It's pretty much now Disney's $$, it just up to you how/when/where to spend it. You're not talking about just a couple of hundred. A trip is going to be well over a thousand and realistically, you're really talking more like at least 2K, depending on how many, how long, where you are staying, etc....
I along w/ aka-madforthemouse would strongly urge you to think of other savings venues that would not be easy to access, but still keep your money liquid. None of us really knows what our future holds and when we might need emergency funds.
Best of Luck and I sincerely hope you get to WDW sooner (2010 ) rather than later (2012) but when you get there enjoy yourselves.

 

[dis75ney]

I agree to a point. I'm not sure I would tie up large sums of money on a DGC (such as enough to pay for the entire trip) - that seems kind of scary to me. We are planning on getting a DGC from my son's school gift card fundraiser, and we'll use that to pay for the dining plan on our January trip. Since we're DVC members, we pay at check-in for the dining plan, so it'll be nice to not have to worry about that...

We have a separate checking and savings account at a bank about 30 miles away from our home, and my husband's checks go straight into that account. It's difficult for us to get to the funds, since we have to drive so far, and I hate using ATMs where I get charged upwards of $3 per transaction. This works out much better than tying up funds in a gift card that I can't raid in case of emergency...

 

[llori7]

Thanks for the input. I agree, maybe I should look somewhere else to keep my money. I just want it to go to Disney, but it I have it at home, I will spend some here and there. We do online banking and my money is easily accessible. Maybe I will look into an online savings. They have the highest interest rate, plus I cannot spend the money on a whim b/c it will take 2-3 days to get it.

Thanks for your help!

stitchlovestink--I really hope to get to Disney in 2010!!! It all depends on this economy, so if not then 2011, but I will not be a happy camper if it is later than that.