Disney Gift Cards and security

[joanchris]

Have a bunch of Disney Gift Cards for our upcoming trip. I have copies of all the receipts, and copied the backs of all of them in case anything gets lost or stolen. I have a question though. The part on the back where is says to scratch off gently.....do I do that? What's it for? Wondering if the rest of the id number is under there and I need to scratch it off and make new copies of the cards.

 

[Marionnette]

Have a bunch of Disney Gift Cards for our upcoming trip. I have copies of all the receipts, and copied the backs of all of them in case anything gets lost or stolen. I have a question though. The part on the back where is says to scratch off gently.....do I do that? What's it for? Wondering if the rest of the id number is under there and I need to scratch it off and make new copies of the cards.

The number under the scratch-off is called the PIN. It's used as a confirmation code for the GC. They started using these when scammers began copying the GC numbers from unactivated cards and placing them back on the store shelves. They would then wait until they saw that the card had been activated and then they would use up the balance online or by phone before the recipient got to. Now they can't use the card without that hidden PIN.

If you plan to use the GCs in person, then you do not need the PIN. They will just swipe the card and read the magnetic strip. But if you want to make an online or phone purchase, you will need the PIN. It's also a good idea to copy that PIN down in case the card gets lost.

 

[joanchris]

Thanks Marionnette!
We plan on using them in person when we're there for Christmas so I guess I don't need the pins.

 

[Neelloc]

Have a bunch of Disney Gift Cards for our upcoming trip. I have copies of all the receipts, and copied the backs of all of them in case anything gets lost or stolen. I have a question though. The part on the back where is says to scratch off gently.....do I do that? What's it for? Wondering if the rest of the id number is under there and I need to scratch it off and make new copies of the cards.

Where did you buy the gift cards? I bought a bunch at Target to use for this past trip, and the scratch off strip actually covered the last 4 digits of the card number AND the pin. In order to use them over the phone with Disney, I didn't need the pin, but I did need those last 4 account numbers.

If you bought them anywhere else than the Disney store, then I would scratch off the back and copy those so you have the whole account number for replacement purposes. The account number is on the left and the pin is the right in case you only want to expose the account number.

 

[eeyoreforever]

I always have a fear of buying a gift card and then it not working when I go to use it. So as soon as I get in my car after purchasing a card, I scratch that off to get my pin and call the number on the card to verify the card balance. I figure that way if there is ever a problem I can go immediatedly back into the store and get it straightened out.

 

[joanchris]

Thanks....some were bought at Target, the rest were bought at Disney Store. I guess I'll scratch them off and make copies, just in case. Thanks for all the info!