Disney Gift Cards

[aroseinwintr]

Hey everyone, I just have a question or two about gift cards.
I am planning a trip (or 2 ) in the next year, and I think I read somewhere that you can use gift cards for not only food or shopping but to book your trip package. So if all this is correct, is this for only Disney Resort hotels or is this also good for good neighbor hotels? Is this good for ticket purchases? Is there a list somewhere that they are good for?
Thank you all in advance for all your help

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

As far as I know, the Disney website gave me options to pay with a giftcard for a parkhopper that bought online. I am not sure with vacation packages though...

 

[skiingfast]

Hey everyone, I just have a question or two about gift cards.
I am planning a trip (or 2 ) in the next year, and I think I read somewhere that you can use gift cards for not only food or shopping but to book your trip package. So if all this is correct, is this for only Disney Resort hotels or is this also good for good neighbor hotels? Is this good for ticket purchases? Is there a list somewhere that they are good for?
Thank you all in advance for all your help

If it's a resort package that includeds offsite or onsite hotels you are booking through the Walt Disney Travel Company and a Gift Card may be used.

If you are staying offsite and did not book through Disney the gift card will be useless for anything do do with that hotel.

 

[Hwyprincess]

They are good at everything owned by Disney. Go to disneygiftcard.com for a full list.

 

[Sherry E]

You can also use gift cards for Disney hotel rooms that are not part of a package. For example, if you get your park tickets in some other way but still want to stay onsite by booking a "room only" reservation (through Central Reservations), you would give them a credit/debit card to pay the first night's deposit - or however much you want to pay up front - and then you can pay the balance due on the hotel in Disney gift cards either when you check in or when you check out. I've done it. The only reason why that might be something to look into is because sometimes it's actually cheaper to get your tickets and hotel room separate from each other, and not as part of a package!

You can use the Disney gift card at most shops and restaurants around DLR (including the shops and restaurants in the 3 DLR hotels) with a few exceptions, and those exceptions will be listed somewhere on the gift card website. If I am not mistaken - unless something has changed - I think you cannot use the gift card at Taste Pilots Grill in DCA. Some of the vendor carts will not take the gift card, but some will take it (I used a gift card to get my pineapple spears from the cart on Main Street).

You can even use the gift card at the Disney-owned places in Downtown Disney like World of Disney, Marceline's, etc. You can use the gift card on the DLR website or at the ticket booths at the parks to buy tickets, too!

You can use the Disney gift card in Disney Stores or for Disney Store online orders.

You can also use the gift card for PhotoPass online orders, which I've done! It's very versatile, that card!

 

[Caseystigger]

I love ordering the different gift cards of the disneystore website. That way we don't get them mixed up becase we usually put food money on one and souvenier money on another. Less cash to worry about that way. As far as I can remember we haven't had trouble using them and if you ask most people are pretty nice about telling if you can or can't use them.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I too am a Disney GC fan - did you know you can $$ to an exsisting GC...?
You would do so by calling DelivEARS ~ 800-362-4533 *you give the CM your credit/debit card info and they mail you the receipt. That way you have just one or two Disney Card(s)/number(s) to keep track of. I suggest you email all of your card #s including the pins to yourself in case you lose them *if you use cards to pay for your package or room and cancel the $$ goes back on the card. You could call twice a month or whatever and add $$ that way.

I pay for most meals and stuff in the parks with Disney GCs.

 

[sophies*mom]

You can look it up here:
https://www.disneygiftcard.com/where/disneyland

You can even personalize them with your own picture! That's pretty cool.

ETA:
the PP who said you can't use them at Taste Pilot's was right. Anybody know why? That seems weird.

Disneyland® Resort Theme Parks
The Disney Gift Card can be used to purchase admission tickets, annual passes, tours, and stroller and wheelchair rentals at Guest Services. Throughout Disneyland ® Park, the Disney Gift Card can be used at any merchandise or food and beverage location except for fruit carts and outdoor vending locations, Names Unraveled, Jewel of Orleans, Silhouette Studio, Portrait Artists, Parasol Cart, Heraldry Shop, and Crystal Shops. At Disney's California Adventure ® Park, the Disney Gift Card can be used at any merchandise or food and beverage location except for Taste Pilots Grill, fruit carts and outdoor vending locations, Midway games, and Face Painting.

 

[Sherry E]

...the PP who said you can't use them at Taste Pilot's was right. Anybody know why? That seems weird.

Disneyland® Resort Theme Parks
The Disney Gift Card can be used to purchase admission tickets, annual passes, tours, and stroller and wheelchair rentals at Guest Services. Throughout Disneyland ® Park, the Disney Gift Card can be used at any merchandise or food and beverage location except for fruit carts and outdoor vending locations, Names Unraveled, Jewel of Orleans, Silhouette Studio, Portrait Artists, Parasol Cart, Heraldry Shop, and Crystal Shops. At Disney's California Adventure ® Park, the Disney Gift Card can be used at any merchandise or food and beverage location except for Taste Pilots Grill, fruit carts and outdoor vending locations, Midway games, and Face Painting.

I wish I knew why TPG is an exception. It does seem very weird, doesn't it?! Last year, I collected a whole bunch of gift cards to stash away as dedicated Disney money and I looked on the website and noticed that TPG was one of the places that did not take the gift card. It seems very random, because the other counter service places will take the gift cards, won't they? So when I mentioned TPG here yesterday, I wasn't sure if anything had changed and maybe now TPG was accepting the gift card. But I guess not, according to what you posted!

The fine print says the gift cards cannot be used at the fruit carts (part of the vendor carts I mentioned yesterday), but I used a gift card to get pineapple spears on Main Street at one point (in 2009). So either each cart is different and some vendors will take the gift card and some won't, or maybe they stopped accepting the gift cards at all fruit carts, including the ones with the spears?? I'm not sure.

 

[sophies*mom]

I guess I can understand why the vendors that are sponsored by outside companies (like Coke or McDonald's) won't take them but do the other vendors only take cash? Like, when you want to buy a churro or corn dog? Because I'd assume they're Disneyland vendors and if they take debit cards then I don't see why they wouldn't take gift cards.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I guess I can understand why the vendors that are sponsored by outside companies (like Coke or McDonald's) won't take them but do the other vendors only take cash? Like, when you want to buy a churro or corn dog? Because I'd assume they're Disneyland vendors and if they take debit cards then I don't see why they wouldn't take gift cards.

Hold on!! I've bought Churros several times at the cart by the Haunted Mansion - corn dogs too I'm sure using a GC, I don't think I've come across anything *maybe popcorn* that I couldn't buy with a Disney GC *in the parks.

 

[aroseinwintr]

Thank you all for all your help... I just got my card in the mail yesterday and was going to see if I could add to it. Now I know I can! YAY...
I am one of those people who has a hard time saving money so a GC is the best way for me to save
My mom and I are going to DL in October and I am thinking of getting her a card with a personal pic of us from our 2006 trip on it as a surprise.
Thanks everyone
Have a magical day!!!
Christie

 

[andee2000]

Thank you all for all your help... I just got my card in the mail yesterday and was going to see if I could add to it. Now I know I can! YAY...
I am one of those people who has a hard time saving money so a GC is the best way for me to save
My mom and I are going to DL in October and I am thinking of getting her a card with a personal pic of us from our 2006 trip on it as a surprise.
Thanks everyone
Have a magical day!!!
Christie

Getting her the gift card with her picture is a cute idea! I think I'm going to do that for my kids next year!

 

[skiingfast]

I guess I can understand why the vendors that are sponsored by outside companies (like Coke or McDonald's) won't take them but do the other vendors only take cash? Like, when you want to buy a churro or corn dog? Because I'd assume they're Disneyland vendors and if they take debit cards then I don't see why they wouldn't take gift cards.

Hold on!! I've bought Churros several times at the cart by the Haunted Mansion - corn dogs too I'm sure using a GC, I don't think I've come across anything *maybe popcorn* that I couldn't buy with a Disney GC *in the parks.

A Gift Card can be used where a credit card can. Almost ever cart in the parks will allow this. Exceptions are very hard to find, but a few of the only cash only things are the wandering balloon vendors and a few carts that appear at night. Most everything else big and small is plugged into the system.