Disney Visa-is it worth it?

[magrudersmakes3]

I have had my Disney Visa for 5 years. I use it for everything and pay it off weekly, just like if I had used my debit card. We do something Disney just about every year so it has been a great benefit for us. We usualy have around $300-$400 when we go for spending money.

I did just upgrade a few months ago to the premier card and was able to accumulate $150 points very quickly. If we did not use it all the time, I would not have gotten the one with the annual fee.

 

[Verstehen]

I know this might be slightly off topic, but since you mentioned you are more than likely moving to the northeast, I suggest getting a Southwest card. Their rewards program is pretty good. Flights from a few of their larger airports in the NE to Orlando can be had for 5500-7200 points...which is only that much money spent on your card. The wife and I both have SW cards and we go to WDW three times a year..and we have not paid for airfare in years. They have one point per dollar spent deal. Yes..there is a $50 annual fee, but we earn a little over 3 flights per year each so it is well worth it. The SW card also offers all sorts of deals on specific items...like they have a deal with Teleflora...when I send Mom flowers for her birthday and Mother's day...a $40 purchase will net me 1000 points...or 20% of a flight for doing something I normally did anyway. They also do send free drink tickets from time to time if you are a drinker...and even if you're not..I've seen people selling them on ebay!

The savings add up really quickly with the SW card. As with any card, you do have to be vigilant about paying it off each month and not overextending yourself, but if worked properly....can yield some great benefits.

No, I think that's great advice. I travel a lot to visit family now anyway, so that would really help. Thank you!

 

[jagafen]

I have a DV account, and DH has a seperate one as well (he signed up during the $200 promo offer....) We go to Disney about once every two years, and have had anywhere from $400 (first trip), $900 (second trip--we were charging EVERYTHING since we were staying for 12 days!), to $600 (this trip) just in Disney rewards dollars. It helps offset the costs of tips and wine...mom and dad's vacation relaxation! But, we horde our rewards dollars for trips. If you're going so frequently, I'm not sure how much you'd be able to accumulate between trips, KWIM?

It helps us to get our rewards $$ up by charging DS's daycare, all of our utilities, etc to DH's card. The points do add up if you're using it regularly. LIke I said, I'm not one to turn away free $$ when it comes to vacation expenses. But this is probably our last Disney trip for a while, so we may need to re-think our rewards plans....

 

[raraavis]

i just got approved for the basic one (i too don't like paying a fee for my credit cards). i only applied so i could get the $50 gift card (i wish it was the $100 gift card!). but i believe this card makes number 7 for me (if i include department store cards like jc penney or target). i have an almost perfect credit score, but i need to take it easy on the credit cards since we plan to buy a house soon. my income is about average i would say, not high that's for sure. the primary cards i use are american express (good cash back rewards), chase freedom (5% back on select areas like grocery shopping or gas), my southwest visa (gotta rack up those points for free flights!), and now my disney visa when it comes. i think if you use it as your primary card, you can easily rack up some disney rewards to use at resorts. i was reading another thread that basically asked the same question as you: is it worth it? many people responded that when using it as their primary card, they usually ended up with $500 or so to use by the end of the year.

 

[Laz]

Since we can never go during any free dinning offers, we use the points to pay for all of our food while at WDW or DL.

 

[homer2210]

NO, it is not worth it. 1% is terrible.

 

[Random Ninja]

I have the no fee card and love it. The rewards are nice. 1% isn't a lot but it's Disney money I can't spend except for Disney.

Actually, the photo perk is what sold me on the card. There's a private meet&greet in Epcot for card holders plus a free 5x7. The character interaction is incredible. My family went for a trip around mother's day and my grandmother wanted a family portrait. Well, she thought I had arranged some private photo shoot and loved it. My DM finally got why I like characters. (She's had several bad experiences during character meals years ago.) This card was worth it just to see the smile on my mom's face as she got a hug from Minnie. DM and DGM still talk about the experience.

 

[krb2g]

As other posters have said, the rewards program on the Disney visa is not great--other credit cards will give you more than 1% rewards, and then you could pass those savings on to a Disney fund. We signed up with a good bonus offer ($200 gift card x 4 accounts throughout my family), and when we're on our way to the parks, we tend to shift our credit card spending to these cards (always paying off every month!). But it might be worth opening an account for the in-card benefits:
*early access to some promotions (like free dining)
*1 free 5x7 character photo (from a special Epcot meet and greet)/day
*10% discount on purchases of $50 or more in select stores
*the pleasure of having a Disney picture on the plastic in your wallet

The premium visa costs $49/year and gives you an extra 1% on Disney, groceries, gas, etc. If you spend more than $4,900 in those categories in a year (thus accruing more than the $49 cost through additional rewards), it makes sense to use the premium card. Otherwise use the regular card.

 

[fairestoneofall]

i have the "free" one and just use it to pay for vacations and a few other things. i definitely don't use it enough to warrant the paid one. on our last trip, i'd earned a little over $100. there are times i'll pay for something big and then immediately go to my bank account to schedule a payment for that amount. i try not to carry a balance, but do have one right now. i'm working on that.

 

[MichelleVW]

We have the paid card and charge everything we can to it. Over the past year, we racked up over $1k in rewards. The free card would have only yielded about $600. I have no problem paying $50 upfront for $400 nine months later.

That being said, if you don't plan on charging much on the card, there's no benefit to getting the paid card as it'll cost you more than you'll earn.

Same here! After doing the math we upgraded in Feb of this year. I had over $400 in rewards to use on our March Disneyland trip and now am working on saving towards our cruise in 5 months. We've got almost $600 so far! We use it for EVERYTHING and pay it off every month so it's great for us. I was talking to a CM in a Disney outlet store this summer and was telling her the plus and minus's of the card and I think I had her sold.

I know there are other cards that give me the same or close too it, but I like having free "Disney" money. If the rewards were for just straight up cash I would feel like I had to use them for something sensible.

 

[OhanaBreadPudding]

We have had the Disney card since it came out and have barely seen any rewards. The points are tough to earn compared to other cards that GIVE them away.

We have a Starwoods card and we are using our points to stay at the Swan! As a member you get a fifth night FREE for paying for 4 (with points or cash)

 

[MichelleVW]

We have had the Disney card since it came out and have barely seen any rewards. The points are tough to earn compared to other cards that GIVE them away.

We have a Starwoods card and we are using our points to stay at the Swan! As a member you get a fifth night FREE for paying for 4 (with points or cash)

I've got almost $600 in rewards in 5 months...it's not hard if you use for everything and pay it off every month.

 

[momofkids]

There are much better cards with better interest and better points. Many of which can be issued in gift certificates more valuable tha. Your Disney visa points back. If you google around you will see most financial experts do not think Disney visa is a good consumer deal.

I have a chase choice visa (I think). I called to get the Disney Visa and they told me they would not convert my card because the card I have is much better. It gives 2% cash back on everything and 5% back on certain purchases. I made $600 the first 3 months. Plus, the cash can be spent anywhere I want instead of just with Disney. I personally don't think the Disney discounts are worth it. We still got Free Dining without the Disney card. Plus, I am earning 5% back on our vacation because resorts will be paying at the higher cash back rate when I pay it off.

 

[avalanche1977]

The Disney Visa has rewarded us in spades over the years!

My wife applied for it about six months before our wedding, and we charged everything, including the reception, to the card. Two years later, we had almost $1,000 to spend on our Disney vacation.

Like some of the above posters, we also charge all of our monthly expenses to the card. I wish we could charge our mortgage! Each month, the bill is paid off in full.

 

[Svenskaishockey]

The rewards and free pics are great but the 6 months 0% financing is the best part of the disney visa

 

[skywaywaver]

We've had the Disney Visa for a few years now and use it for just about anything "joint". Actually DH uses it for everything but I have another for my own stuff.

It will add up if you use it for everything and pay down each month. But we do find that if we don't pay attention, it's far too easy to rack up that credit card bill. (That's for ALL cards, not just Disney Visa)

We just cashed in 230 points and bought most of the tix we need for our short trip in a few weeks. No discount elsewhere, so they're bought with a "discount" and will be waiting at Boardwalk Villas concierge (because I REFUSE to do willcall ever again).

We use the free option, I will never pay for annual fees. My parents did get a good deal/bonus on the premium card but I think that's because they signed up pretty early.

 

[scottmel]

I use to be a HUGE fan of the disney visa until I discovered Chase Rewards. 300 sign up bonus (got one for me and one for DH) so total of 600 dollars. Then 5% off on different categories 3x a year. I earned about 800 one one card (including the free 300) and 600 on the other. Giving me 1400 free dollars to use at Disney....Disney Visa to me pales any more....Now I do rack up HUGE bills but never in my life have paid a cent of interest but I charge EVERYTHING for points....Chase REwards kills Disney Visa...

 

[DisneyBound2007]

I agree that there are cards out there with better cash back percentages, however I believe, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, that any card that actually sends you cash back in the form of a check needs to be claimed as ordinary annual income which means it will be taxed based on whichever bracket you fit into. This can really eat away at the extra dollars you think you are making.
If you do have a card like that, you usually have an option to receive your rewards in the form of a credit on you card which you should always opt for. As soon as you receive a check, it becomes income.
With the Disney visa you don't have to worry about that. It's all Disney dollars! As long as you have reasons to acquire them (WDW/DL trips, memorabilia, etc.) I think it makes sense. I use it to get a jump on the free dining promotions each year and charge everything I can on it, paying it off in full. If you charge enough ($4,900 on the specified extra percent purchases) the upgraded card could be a good choice. For now, I am sticking with the basic free one.

 

[Jenny1985]

there is currently a $100 credit offer for the disney visa. It is valid on both the no fee and fee card. FYI.

That's the offer I signed up with. Since I was using it to pay for our trip I figured why not lol.