Disney gift cards, anyone continuing to fund theirs?

[SL6827]

I feel like this is a long shot but I am going to ask. Does anyone else have a good bit of funds tied up with Disney gift cards and might be concerned if the company was to go under? That is crazy, right? Or are you still putting funds on Disney gift cards? I mean, it would be like a vacation that is paid for in the future, but I don't know whether I should add more to my two grand I already have. I mean, if you do add more funds to your collection you know it will go to a Disney vacation at some point. Can't use them to pay for a car repair, medical bill or any household bill.

 

[JacknSally]

We had been putting all of our purchases on our Disney Visa to get as many rewards dollars as possible for our trip this December, and were planning to buy Disney gift cards (for package payments and trip spending money) from Kroger to maximize the fuel points, but now we're not sure if we'll be going in December. DH's jobs have cut his salary and hours, and things are really tight now. If it lasts for more than a couple of months then our December trip will be out of the question. We've stopped trying to rack up the rewards dollars for now and won't be buying any Disney gift cards until this shakes out. We'd rather have our money available to use for other things if we need to, than to be lost on Disney gift cards we might not be able to use until who knows when.

I'm not concerned about the company going under, though. Not at this point anyway.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Isn't it just as easy to put your money in the bank ? I have no idea why you would want that much money tied up on a gift card unless you were leaving for the trip the next day. Checking accounts or even savings accounts are what saving money is for, even if you have earmarked for a vacation, it is way safer and liquid in the bank vs on a gift card.

 

[MICKIMINI]

My bank pays us hardly anything for a healthy balance, yet I can take advantage of getting 1%, 2%, 5% and more by strategizing paying for everything possible with a credit card to maximize cash back. I

f you own DVC you can pay your monthly MF's with Disney gift cards that are just sitting in a drawer for your next vacation. Chase Rewards Card has 5% cash back at supermarkets for April, May and June right now so if you have that card and MF's are due, you can buy a Dis GC to pay them up to their max for the program. It all adds up.

 

[Diasmom]

For me, I like buying small gift cards to try to spread out the cost. My husband will give me one for Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. I also use things like Ibotta and Shopkick for our trips so buying a gift card here and there is kind of rewarding. I understand your point about savings accounts but Disney gift cards are my treat to myself. It’s easier to say no to small splurges like Starbucks and Barnes and Noble when a couple times a month I’ll grab a card from Target.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

I was not talking about Disney Visa cards or earning rewards/points. My point was, I don't buy a gift card of any kind until I am ready to use it. For Disney, I'll buy cards at Sam's and get a discount from Sam's and then 2% back on my CC, but I only do this twice: 1) When I pay off my trip 2) the day before I leave for my trip. That way, I still earn point/rewards and get cards at a discount and don't have my $$ tied up in them in case something changes, like a pandemic, which can switch vacation plans and budgeting plans in a heartbeat. It is just as easy to put $25 in a bank account until you NEED to buy a GC vs just buying it as your treat to yourself. A person needs to have financial discipline.

 

[havaneselover]

I was not talking about Disney Visa cards or earning rewards/points. My point was, I don't buy an gift card of any kind until I am ready to use it. For Disney, I'll buy cards at Sam's and get a discount from Sam's and then 2% back on my CC, but I only do this twice: 1) When I pay off my trip 2) the day before I leave for my trip. That way, I still earn point/rewards and get cards at a discount and don't have my $$ tied up in them in case something changes, like a pandemic, which can switch vacation plans and budgeting plans in a heartbeat. It is just as easy to put $25 in a bank account until you NEED to buy a GC vs just buying it as your treat to yourself. A person needs to have financial discipline.

Yikes!

I have plenty of financial discipline and buy gift cards for my disney cruises and make monthly payments until my paid in full date. I don't buy them all at once because I get fuel points buying them and can only use so many fuel points at a time.

And I have no worries about Disney going under.

My $0.02.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

If people are happy to have multiple thousands of dollars tied in Disney GC's, that is a personal choice and if a person is happy to do that and may not even have a trip planned, so be it. Just going back to the OP, I'd hold off on putting any $$'s towards GC's until you know when you are going again and can plan past this pandemic a bit better.

 

[Txshadow]

I have zero worries about Disney going under.
I still put my Swagbucks and MyPoints earnings towards discounted Disney gift cards. I will even still pay out of pocket if I can get 10% or higher discount. Everyone has different bills and as a DVC member, gotta pay those dues. That is financial discipline for my family. Knowing you have a payment due and getting the biggest bang for your buck.

 

[stephk1981]

I don't think Disney will go under, it may be quite a while before they are fully operational though. We had to cancel the April trip and it was paid in full via gift cards. I booked at late May/ early June trip( but that was with dvc points.) I also have deposits paid via gift cards for an August and November trip. I but gift cards every week. I doubt we will be going first week of June, or even in August, but I will continue to buy gift cards. If you know you will be going at some point, I don't see a reason not to......unless you feel you may need the disposable income. If you are u sure just put x amount in your ' vacation ' fund. When this ends, whether it's 3 months from now or a year from now, I hope everyone will be celebrating with a Disney vacation.

 

[SL6827]

We had been putting all of our purchases on our Disney Visa to get as many rewards dollars as possible for our trip this December, and were planning to buy Disney gift cards (for package payments and trip spending money) from Kroger to maximize the fuel points, but now we're not sure if we'll be going in December. DH's jobs have cut his salary and hours, and things are really tight now. If it lasts for more than a couple of months then our December trip will be out of the question. We've stopped trying to rack up the rewards dollars for now and won't be buying any Disney gift cards until this shakes out. We'd rather have our money available to use for other things if we need to, than to be lost on Disney gift cards we might not be able to use until who knows when.

I'm not concerned about the company going under, though. Not at this point anyway.

Yes I have the Disney Visa as well, but I will continue to put my purchases on that card. Are you going to use another card of sorts or what?

 

[SL6827]

Isn't it just as easy to put your money in the bank ? I have no idea why you would want that much money tied up on a gift card unless you were leaving for the trip the next day. Checking accounts or even savings accounts are what saving money is for, even if you have earmarked for a vacation, it is way safer and liquid in the bank vs on a gift card.

Two main reasons. One, I am averaging around 7- 8% off on gift cards, and two, it is money in the bank for a vacation. Like I said, it can't be used to pay for any other unexpected bill. I am glad to see so many positive responses here.

 

[JacknSally]

Yes I have the Disney Visa as well, but I will continue to put my purchases on that card. Are you going to use another card of sorts or what?

We've cut way, way back on purchases in general, even groceries, but we're using cash/debit card when we need something, to save credit cards for emergencies and better ensure we stick to our budget. We generally only use the Disney Visa when we have a WDW trip coming up and want to earn points. We don't earn enough from it to make a huge difference if we stop using it for a couple of months.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I still purchase DGC at Smith's to get the fuel points. Receiving 200 points from the surveys, 2X and 3X digital coupon points for grocery items I need, and spending about $150 a month on groceries, I buy a $100 DGC at 4X points, save the full $35 on fuel and pay my DVC dues. Also grab discounts from Raise, Rakuten, RMN, and DOSH (I've got 5% at Sam's again). Put every DGC on my CC to pay our air travel costs. The DGCs are a better return on my money than the savings or checking account.
If Disney were to go under, I would have FAR worse things to worry about than a gift card in my drawer.

 

[havaneselover]

I still purchase DGC at Smith's to get the fuel points. Receiving 200 points from the surveys, 2X and 3X digital coupon points for grocery items I need, and spending about $150 a month on groceries, I buy a $100 DGC at 4X points, save the full $35 on fuel and pay my DVC dues. Also grab discounts from Raise, Rakuten, RMN, and DOSH (I've got 5% at Sam's again). Put every DGC on my CC to pay our air travel costs. The DGCs are a better return on my money than the savings or checking account.
If Disney were to go under, I would have FAR worse things to worry about than a gift card in my drawer.

Lol! My thoughts exactly.

 

[SL6827]

I still purchase DGC at Smith's to get the fuel points. Receiving 200 points from the surveys, 2X and 3X digital coupon points for grocery items I need, and spending about $150 a month on groceries, I buy a $100 DGC at 4X points, save the full $35 on fuel and pay my DVC dues. Also grab discounts from Raise, Rakuten, RMN, and DOSH (I've got 5% at Sam's again). Put every DGC on my CC to pay our air travel costs. The DGCs are a better return on my money than the savings or checking account.
If Disney were to go under, I would have FAR worse things to worry about than a gift card in my drawer.

That is a good perspective there.

 

[dawnball]

Two main reasons. One, I am averaging around 7- 8% off on gift cards, and two, it is money in the bank for a vacation. Like I said, it can't be used to pay for any other unexpected bill. I am glad to see so many positive responses here.

I guess I don't see an advantage from the fact it can't be used to pay for any other unexpected bill. If I have higher bills - I'd rather be able to pay them than to incur interest or penalties.

 

[Diasmom]

I wouldn’t think too many people saw a pandemic coming before a few months ago, baring the idea that, of course, it was always possible, just not an immediate worry like it is now. I don’t own dvc, and not sure I ever will after the way they’ve been handling things, so I’ve not been buying gift cards since probably early February. My husband and I are financially responsible and that is why I do buy small gift cards. Paying for a trip all at once would set off panic attacks for days and we probably couldn’t/wouldn’t do it. I was personally comparing it to other small treats or convinced, like eating out or going to movies that we don’t often do. That being said, my $600 in gift cards is a very small amount compared to what many people have invested and it’s what I have felt comfortable in putting away in the last year. I’m not sure that I’m seeing anyone encouraging someone to buy Disney gift cards with money they might need with all of the worries right now. You have to do what’s best for yourself and your family. It might not look the same for everyone and it has changed for so many of us.

 

[azdisneylover]

I know any Disney gift cards I have now, I can always use for Christmas ordering from the Disney site, or, give as gifts!

 

[gottalovepluto]

You aren’t crazy. Anything is possible including Disney going under. (What a disaster for DVC folk that would be!) (Remember all the people saying the US parks would never close? LOL. SO many people were saying that. We really ought to remove never from our lexicon at this point.) I think it’s highly unlikely Disney goes under- but yes. It is possible.

I’ve stopped gathering Disney gift cards and am working to burn what other types of gift cards I can. Who knows what will survive this? I have enough Disney to cover 1 big trip. I had been working towards a couple this year but at this point I’m concerned that
1) I won’t get 2 trips this year
2) I will get laid off and need the cash from trip 2 if everything in my life blows up for an unspecified period of time
3) Disney won’t be what I want it to be for a long time (no fireworks? No parades? No night shows? What about Festivals?! That would definitely take some of the fun away for me)