Disney Vacation Account

[BuckeyeBama]

Oh, you're thinking you can get a refund for a gift card? Yeah, I don't think that is EVER a possibility, which is why it didn't even cross my mind that that's what you were laying out as a scenario.

Once you buy a GC, as far as I know, it's a GC forever and ever. No returning that.

Disney's policy is that you have to return the gift card to the place of purchase if you want a refund, which places you at the mercy of the refund policy of the place of purchase. Target, for instance, has a 90 day return policy and requires a receipt.

This doesn't make using a DVA a bad idea - it makes funding that account via Disney gift cards a bad idea unless you are 100% certain that you will never need this money for anything but Disney.

 

[larryz]

May I ask you to tell more about this gift card deal at SAMs please. Ty.

You can buy gift cards at Sam's Club right now at an 4.6% discount... That seems a more effective way to save than the 2% you'd get from your DVA... http://www.samsclub.com/sams/gift-cards/1003.cp

Plus, if you fund your DVA with discount gift cards, you can add another 2% savings if (when) you hit the $1000 threshold.

 

[KT0191]

May I ask you to tell more about this gift card deal at SAMs please. Ty.

Of course. SAMs Club sells Disney gift cards for under face value. They sell a $50 gift card for $48.88 or they sell a $150 pack (three $50 cards) for $142.98. So when buying many of those for your vacation, the savings can definitely add up..especially getting the bonus from the savings account after.

 

[love2flyatl]

Of course. SAMs Club sells Disney gift cards for under face value. They sell a $50 gift card for $48.88 or they sell a $150 pack (three $50 cards) for $142.98. So when buying many of those for your vacation, the savings can definitely add up..especially getting the bonus from the savings account after.

Sorry if this questions sounds crazy but after getting this gift cards do you actually use them to deposit at your own Disney vacation account?
I did understand that you can earn a $ 20 gc per every $ 1000 you spend from your account but still not sure how the gc from SAMs can be used.

 

[KT0191]

Sorry if this questions sounds crazy but after getting this gift cards do you actually use them to deposit at your own Disney vacation account?
I did understand that you can earn a $ 20 gc per every $ 1000 you spend from your account but still not sure how the gc from SAMs can be used.

Not crazy at all I should be more specific. The discounted gift cards you buy from Sam's Club are actual Disney gift cards. So once you buy those, you just deposit them into the savings account.

 

[love2flyatl]

Not crazy at all I should be more specific. The discounted gift cards you buy from Sam's Club are actual Disney gift cards. So once you buy those, you just deposit them into the savings account.

What a great tip! I went to SAMs website to take a look.
It's really a good choice of you are planning a Disney vacation.
Thank you very much for sharing!

 

[♥ Mandi ♥]

You can buy gift cards at Sam's Club right now at an 4.6% discount... That seems a more effective way to save than the 2% you'd get from your DVA... http://www.samsclub.com/sams/gift-cards/1003.cp

Plus, if you fund your DVA with discount gift cards, you can add another 2% savings if (when) you hit the $1000 threshold.

This is what I've decided I'll do! My trip is over 2 years away, so I'm saving in a Barclay's Dream Account which earns over 1.05% interest plus small bonuses earned on interest accrued...
I will buy $6,000 worth of gift cards at Sam's to save 4.6%, pay for them with my Capital One Quicksilver for 1.5% cash back, pay off the statement immediately with the money saved and earning interest in the Barclay's account, and fund the Disney Vacation Account with the gift cards to earn another 2% back in gift cards... I wish I could calculate the exact savings here, but I'm super excited!

 

[wdw71]

Here is what the FAQ says about refunds on the DVA web site:


Refunds from a Disney Vacation Account will be made to the original form(s) of payment. For instance, if the contribution into your Account was made with a credit card, the refund will be made back to that same credit card. If a contribution into your Account was made with a Disney Gift Card, the refund of that contribution will be made back to that same Disney Gift Card. Refunds will be made up to the specific amount that you request. Please allow at least 3-4 days for us to process your refund. Your financial institution may need additional time to complete the transaction. In addition, Disney may impose an automatic seven (7) business day hold on each payment you make to your Account so that the payment may not be used for a purchase or refunded for a period of seven (7) business days after the payment is made to your Account.

Note: Be sure to save the Disney Gift Card that you used to make contributions.

Then there is this:

You can change or stop making contributions to your Disney Vacation Account at any time. To stop making contributions, visit the Your Account page and click "Stop Automatic Contributions" on the left side of the page under "Manage Your Account." You can also obtain a full refund on your Disney Vacation Account at any time. If you would like to close your Disney Vacation Account, please call (407) 939-7734.

 

[BamaBornNemoNut]

For anyone that has received the bonus Gift Card, did it have a PIN? I have just gotten mine and there is no PIN. That means that I cannot manage this card online or add the funds from this Gift Card back into my DVA. So, if that is the case I will use the card/funds at WDW or possibly for an OOB while on my cruise. I had thought it would be a Gift Card much like any other that would have a PIN. Any other experience?

 

[ebradley23]

I used it for our last trip, and I'm using it again for our upcoming trip in September. I don't do any auto-transfers. I buy gift cards from Sam's Club ($142.98 for $150 in GC) then add them to the vacation account. For a trip that costs $3k, I save $141 just with the gift card purchases. Couple that with the additional $60 I get back from the DVA, and I've reduced the cost of my trip by $200.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Ah. So I'm better off with the DVA than anything else, then.
So basically, ever $1000 I deposit to the account I'll be able to get a $20 gift card?

HOnestly, I would check out credit card rewards and see if you would get better rewards that way. I'm not saying you definitely would, it'll depend on your options there, but I would definitely do the research and make sure.

 

[BamaBornNemoNut]

I used it for our last trip, and I'm using it again for our upcoming trip in September. I don't do any auto-transfers. I buy gift cards from Sam's Club ($142.98 for $150 in GC) then add them to the vacation account. For a trip that costs $3k, I save $141 just with the gift card purchases. Couple that with the additional $60 I get back from the DVA, and I've reduced the cost of my trip by $200.

Please let me know if the additional bonus funds you received back from the DVA was in the form of a Disney Gift Card that did not have a PIN. Just wondering if it has been this way for others.

 

[ebradley23]

Please let me know if the additional bonus funds you received back from the DVA was in the form of a Disney Gift Card that did not have a PIN. Just wondering if it has been this way for others.

I'm sorry, I don't recall if it had a PIN. I used mine while we were on property. I had so many GC with me, I don't remember anything specific about the bonus card. The DVA site says it can be used at disneystore.com, so I would assume it has a PIN.

 

[BamaBornNemoNut]

Thanks!