Disney Vacation Account Questions

[Cando86]

Considering opening a Disney Vacation Account for our September trip.

I just read something about having to have the account for 120 days to receive the $20 for every $1000 spent. Is this true and does that just mean the account has to be OPEN for 120 days or you have to have that $1000 (or however many $1000) in the account 120 days before your trip before you get the $20?

If our trip starts September 25, I would have to open the account 120 days before that trip begins to be eligible for the $20 for every $1000 credit?

Is it too late to open an account? I read that the cards take a few weeks to mail out so I would have to request it around August and by then our account won't have been open for 120 days.

Also, let's say we have to cancel our trip. Will we get the money full refunded if necessary from the vacation account (ie can we withdraw it at any time with no penalties)?

Thanks for any help! Just want to make sure we're fully informed before making any decisions!

 

[davper]

You get the bonus on purchases made after the 120 day time period.

If you open the account today, any purchase made after 9/11/2015 would qualify for the bonus.

If I were to pay 2500 towards my vacation today, and then pay 1000 more on 9/20/2015, I would only be eligible for 1 $20 bonus card, not 3.

 

[Ava]

I'm too late to open an account for this trip, but am considering opening one to save for future trips. I looked at the website yesterday but couldn't figure out two things -

1. Do you have to make regular deposits into the account, or can I just open it with a small deposit, say $25, and then just use it to load in gift cards when I get them? We won't be going back again for a couple years at least, so I'd like to pay for it as much as possible with free-from-rewards/discounted GCs.

2. Is there any way to deposit Disney Visa reward dollars into a DVA?

ETA: Make that three things -

3. Are the $20 rewards sent to you as a physical GC, or can you just have that $20 deposited back into your account? (Or, if the former, can you load that GC back into your account after you receive it?)

 

[Shughart]

We can't book our 9/2016 trip until July/August this year, so I was wondering if opening a DVA account would be a good place to load the 12 gift cards I have piled up and stash a bonus we're getting this month. I asked friends on fb, but most of their experience was hearing horror stories from when it first started. Is it pretty smooth now that it's been a while since it was offered? Would it be a smart idea to open a DSA, dump money in there and then make monthly payments to our Disney account? Or would it make more sense to use it temporarily and then just cut out the middle man and make payments directly once we're able to book online this summer?

Following along, hoping for some positive experiences and answers.

 

[davper]

1. Do you have to make regular deposits into the account, or can I just open it with a small deposit, say $25, and then just use it to load in gift cards when I get them? We won't be going back again for a couple years at least, so I'd like to pay for it as much as possible with free-from-rewards/discounted GCs.

No, you do not have to make regular deposits into the account. My first deposit and every deposit since was a GC and made at irregular intervals. It may ask you in the beginning to add a CC for timed deposits when you first join. Just make the first deposit a day in the future and then cancel the scheduled deposits.

2. Is there any way to deposit Disney Visa reward dollars into a DVA?

I don't know. I don't have a Disney Visa. Shocking, I know.

3. Are the $20 rewards sent to you as a physical GC, or can you just have that $20 deposited back into your account? (Or, if the former, can you load that GC back into your account after you receive it?)

I believe they are. But I have not earned my bonuses yet. I suppose you can just deposit the GC yourself when you get it.

 

[davper]

We can't book our 9/2016 trip until July/August this year, so I was wondering if opening a DVA account would be a good place to load the 12 gift cards I have piled up and stash a bonus we're getting this month. I asked friends on fb, but most of their experience was hearing horror stories from when it first started. Is it pretty smooth now that it's been a while since it was offered? Would it be a smart idea to open a DSA, dump money in there and then make monthly payments to our Disney account? Or would it make more sense to use it temporarily and then just cut out the middle man and make payments directly once we're able to book online this summer?

Following along, hoping for some positive experiences and answers.

This is a personal decision. I am using it to deposit all my discounted GCs so that I can pay for my trip using one account # instead of 100 GCs. And get an extra bonus to boot.

If you like Christmas Clubs to save for an event or need to segregate the money so you don't spend it, then this would be a smart idea. If you think you may need access to the money quickly for an emergency, it is not.

If interest rates were better for savings, I most likely wouldn't put my money here until the very end. But a 2% bonus is better than I can get on a checking or savings account in 6 months.

 

[Ava]

Is the bonus at all dependent on when you deposit the money into the account, or just the date you make the payment? I.E. could I deposit the difference between the GCs I've accumulated and the cost of my trip right before I make the payment and still get the bonus as long as the payment date is more than 120 days from date of account opening?

I usually wait until close to the final payment due date to pay the full balance so the money is earning interest in my savings account longer, and I'd rather keep my cash easily accessible just in case as opposed to putting it into a DVA.

 

[Shughart]

Davper, can I ask, are you using the DVA to save all your money and paying for the vacation at once, or are you using the DVA as a funnel to make payments to Disney for a package? Trying to figure out what the best route would be for us. These amounts of money make me nervous when it's cars/home/medical/etc. Makes me even more nervous on vacation things. Tia.

 

[davper]

Davper, can I ask, are you using the DVA to save all your money and paying for the vacation at once, or are you using the DVA as a funnel to make payments to Disney for a package? Trying to figure out what the best route would be for us. These amounts of money make me nervous when it's cars/home/medical/etc. Makes me even more nervous on vacation things. Tia.

I am just using it to aggregate my discounted GC into one number to pay my trip. This is easier than reading off dozens of cards over the phone.
Otherwise, I would just pay with my CC and be done with it.

 

[KT0191]

It's a $20 gift card for every $1000 spent towards a Disney Vacation. I have called and confirmed this and talked to someone who just received her bonus gift cards. It only has to be open for 120 days. I've alteady paid off my vacation and my 120 day mark is in about two weeks and then I can get my bonus.

 

[amylevan]

It's a $20 gift card for every $1000 spent towards a Disney Vacation. I have called and confirmed this and talked to someone who just received her bonus gift cards. It only has to be open for 120 days. I've alteady paid off my vacation and my 120 day mark is in about two weeks and then I can get my bonus.

Be warned, there was a thread posted somewhere that any money spent out of the account before the 120 days did NOT count towards the bonus cards.

 

[havaneselover]

Be warned, there was a thread posted somewhere that any money spent out of the account before the 120 days did NOT count towards the bonus cards.

This is my understanding too. I want to have my deposit on my Disney cruise (which I made on board with a credit card) refunded after I pay it with DVA but I'm not paying until the account has been open 120 days.

Here's the specific language from the website's FAQs:
Your Disney Vacation Account must be active for a minimum of 120 days at the time of spending in order to receive this bonus.

 

[DIS_MERI]

I can't even get the website to let me open one, it keeps giving me a system unavailable message.

 

[Marionnette]

I can't even get the website to let me open one, it keeps giving me a system unavailable message.

Try a different browser. I just got in using Chrome.

 

[DIS_MERI]

Try a different browser. I just got in using Chrome.

That's funny, because it was Chrome giving me issues. I did try it in IE, and it worked (funny, since I am usually the one suggesting another browser). Thanks

 

[EKKloppers]

No, you do not have to make regular deposits into the account. My first deposit and every deposit since was a GC and made at irregular intervals. It may ask you in the beginning to add a CC for timed deposits when you first join. Just make the first deposit a day in the future and then cancel the scheduled deposits.

No, you do not have to make regular deposits into the account. My first deposit and every deposit since was a GC and made at irregular intervals. It may ask you in the beginning to add a CC for timed deposits when you first join. Just make the first deposit a day in the future and then cancel the scheduled deposits.


I don't know. I don't have a Disney Visa. Shocking, I know.


I believe they are. But I have not earned my bonuses yet. I suppose you can just deposit the GC yourself when you get it.

No, you do not have to make regular deposits into the account. My first deposit and every deposit since was a GC and made at irregular intervals. It may ask you in the beginning to add a CC for timed deposits when you first join. Just make the first deposit a day in the future and then cancel the scheduled deposits.


I don't know. I don't have a Disney Visa. Shocking, I know.


I believe they are. But I have not earned my bonuses yet. I suppose you can just deposit the GC yourself when you get it.

 

[EKKloppers]

No, you do not have to make regular deposits into the account. My first deposit and every deposit since was a GC and made at irregular intervals. It may ask you in the beginning to add a CC for timed deposits when you first join. Just make the first deposit a day in the future and then cancel the scheduled deposits.

SOOOO Sorry! Haven't ever used the quote function here. Royally messed that up! Despite much trepidation after reading horror stories about DVA registrations, GC errors, and so forth, I'd decided to go ahead and try registering anyway...But only after reading this post about the ability to cancel scheduled deposit options, so that I could just use GCs as one-time payments (THANK YOU for that!). After one or two stymied attempts, and then a successful registration confirmation, when I went back in to cancel scheduled deposits, I received a message that my account had been locked for security purposes. Just another day in this modern age of technology...Thinking about reverting to my Grampa's method of saving...in buried Mason jars, under the large Maple tree, three VERY large strides to the right of the outhouse.

 

[luvthemouse71]

Just a heads up, some have been having issues with putting gift cards into DVA. it wipes out your gift card but then the amount doesn't show up on DVA.

 

[javaj]

I experienced this too. I called yesterday and was just told they were aware of the issue and to try again in a day or 2. Were you able to get more information about how to fix this? I have 2 gift cards sitting at 0 balance that weren't credited to my DVA.

Just a heads up, some have been having issues with putting gift cards into DVA. it wipes out your gift card but then the amount doesn't show up on DVA.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I called the number on the back of the Disney gift card. DVA was no help at all. They kept insisting that the store didn't load the card, but that wasn't the case.

the gift card people were helpful, but it can be hit or miss with that. Some people here haven't had the good luck I did. I think it's still worth doing, but you may have to call a few times and be insistent.