Disney Gift Cards at Sams Club using 4th Quarter Discover Cash Back?

[justme0729]

I have been waiting to buy Disney gift cards until the rotating category 5% cashback with my Discover card goes into effect at wholesale stores and Amazon from October-December this year. Am I right in thinking this will be the best deal? Or is there an easier way to get this type of savings like going to Target when they have their 10% off deal and using a RedCard?

-Buy Disney gift cards at Sam's club which are 5% off
-Use my Discover card to get 5% cashback
-At end of my first year in January, my cashback is matched for another 5% cashback

= Total of 15% off/ cashback

 

[miztressuz]

Off hand the target 10% deal that I know of is when they discounted their own GC's by 10%. Since they stopped allowing a GC>GC purchase, this deal isn't as easy as before. You'd have to use the discounted GC's on other target merchandise and buy the Disney GC with the RedCard. That requires a little accounting to see the full discount on the Disney GC, but if you would have shopped with that money at target anyway then it can still make sense. So moving the $10 savings on the merchandise as a discount on a $100 Disney GC, that makes for $85 OOP, and a 15% discount.

For the Sam's club math, the best discount I know of is 4.7% off on the 3pk of $50's (total $150 value) from the online site. You'll get 5% back on the 142.98 purchase price, and that should be doubled at the end of your first year. So $150 for $128.68 OOP, is a 14.2% discount.

 

[Marionnette]

I have been waiting to buy Disney gift cards until the rotating category 5% cashback with my Discover card goes into effect at wholesale stores and Amazon from October-December this year. Am I right in thinking this will be the best deal? Or is there an easier way to get this type of savings like going to Target when they have their 10% off deal and using a RedCard?

-Buy Disney gift cards at Sam's club which are 5% off
-Use my Discover card to get 5% cashback
-At end of my first year in January, my cashback is matched for another 5% cashback

= Total of 15% off/ cashback

@miztressuz is spot on with the math. The discount at Sam's with the Discover card is not additive. So, it's not 5%+5%=5%. It's 14.2% at it's best.

Now, if you're a Swagbucks member, have an American Express card with a "spend $300 get $30 off" Best Buy offer and have a Best Buy Rewards membership, you might do better than 14.2%

The SB offer equates to about $6 back on a $50 GC purchase. That's 12% right there. The AmEx offer is another 10%. My Best Buy Rewards level is "Elite Plus" so I get 1.25 points per dollar spent and 50 points equals $1 in rewards (which can be applied to the purchase of another GC), and 1% cash back on my AmEx card.

$6 per $50 purchase x 6 purchases = $36 in SBs
$30 off $300 at BB courtesy of AmEx = $30
$300 in purchases x1.25 points per $ spent x $1 rewards dollar per 50 points = $7.50 in BB rewards
1% back on AmEx for $270 purchase (the $30 credit doesn't count, I don't think) = $2.70
Total saved on $300 worth of Disney GCs = $76.20
% savings = 25.4%​

But there are a few things to consider. SB does not offer a $36 reward. There are $25 rewards and there are $50 rewards for PayPal (cash in your pocket!) but to get anything in between, you would have to settle for something like a $25 GC + a $10 GC (like for Walmart). There are no $7.50 BB Rewards certificates. Either $5 or $10. And your AmEx rewards would depend on the card you have. You might receive miles, hotel points or a different cash back deal. My AmEx requires that I have a minimum of $25 accrued in order to claim the cashback.

So, while it's still a really great deal when you stack all of those discounts, you have to be able to take advantage of the points you earned in order to maximize the reward.

 

[lynnzrae]

@miztressuz is spot on with the math. The discount at Sam's with the Discover card is not additive. So, it's not 5%+5%=5%. It's 14.2% at it's best.

Now, if you're a Swagbucks member, have an American Express card with a "spend $300 get $30 off" Best Buy offer and have a Best Buy Rewards membership, you might do better than 14.2%

The SB offer equates to about $6 back on a $50 GC purchase. That's 12% right there. The AmEx offer is another 10%. My Best Buy Rewards level is "Elite Plus" so I get 1.25 points per dollar spent and 50 points equals $1 in rewards (which can be applied to the purchase of another GC), and 1% cash back on my AmEx card.

$6 per $50 purchase x 6 purchases = $36 in SBs
$30 off $300 at BB courtesy of AmEx = $30
$300 in purchases x1.25 points per $ spent x $1 rewards dollar per 50 points = $7.50 in BB rewards
1% back on AmEx for $270 purchase (the $30 credit doesn't count, I don't think) = $2.70
Total saved on $300 worth of Disney GCs = $76.20
% savings = 25.4%​

But there are a few things to consider. SB does not offer a $36 reward. There are $25 rewards and there are $50 rewards for PayPal (cash in your pocket!) but to get anything in between, you would have to settle for something like a $25 GC + a $10 GC (like for Walmart). There are no $7.50 BB Rewards certificates. Either $5 or $10. And your AmEx rewards would depend on the card you have. You might receive miles, hotel points or a different cash back deal. My AmEx requires that I have a minimum of $25 accrued in order to claim the cashback.

So, while it's still a really great deal when you stack all of those discounts, you have to be able to take advantage of the points you earned in order to maximize the reward.

Can you use the best buy reward to buy gift cards or do they have to be used to buy merchandise from the store?

 

[nooneshome]

For the Sam's club math, the best discount I know of is 4.7% off on the 3pk of $50's (total $150 value) from the online site. You'll get 5% back on the 142.98 purchase price, and that should be doubled at the end of your first year. So $150 for $128.68 OOP, is a 14.2% discount.

I don't have a Target red card so I will be content to get the 14% discount. I was just fixing to ask the OP's question.

thanks for the info. I love the DIS!!!

ps - these GCs will be used to pay for my most of my FD holiday trip!!!

 

[Marionnette]

Can you use the best buy reward to buy gift cards or do they have to be used to buy merchandise from the store?

As of right now, the answer is yes. There can always be changes that prevent it but it works right now.