Disney Visa Rewards vs. other reward cards

[larry_poppins]

I received my Disney Visa card finally! Now I am not sure if I am going to use it. I already have a Hilton HHonors American Express card which like Disney Visa has no annual fee. I have a lot of HHonors points since I have been using it since 1996. I also have a United Mileage Plus Visa Card which has an annual fee of $60.00 Like the Disney card it also comes from Bank One.

I basicall rack up points on Hilton and United with these cards. If I discontinue one I could use the Disney Visa. United gives me around 2% back on miles. This is assuming that United Airlines still exists when I want to use these miles.

I have $97 charged on DisneyVisa which will give me $1 of Disney Dream Rewards.

I wonder how others who hold multiple reward cards are planning on using their Disney Card, if they received one.

Larry Poppins

 

[Eilonwy]

Just be aware that you can't cash out for Disney Dream Reward Dollars until you reach $20. So that $1 doesn't do you any good until you get $19 more.

The only other reward card I have is my LLBean Visa. I'm hanging on to that one only because I get free shipping when I use it to shop at LLBean.com. But that one only gives me .05% back on non-LLBean purchases. So I'm using the Disney Visa in place of the LLBean one for all my purchases: groceries, gas, everything.

Since we don't fly anymore, air miles don't do me any good. I'll take the Disney Dream Reward Dollars instead.

 

[AirForceRocks]

We have an Amoco/BP Visa that we use for everything. We get 3% rebate on all purchases at Amoco/BP, and 1% on everything else. When the rebate amount reaches $20, they send us a BP/Amoco gas card. The cards we are getting now expire next February, so we won't be able to use them for the drive down - when a card comes in the mail, I just take $20 out of the bank and stick it in my Disney tin. When the expiration dates are past August 2004, I'll save those for the trip to Florida.

We use it for almost everything - I even charge the kids' school tuition on the card!! The key for us is to move the subtract the money from the checking account as soon as I buy something (other than gas) on the card. That way, the money is right there to pay the bill in full every month.

 

[mad4themouse]

I have two rewards credit cards in my wallet. The Chase-i card pays me back 1% in webcertificates every month as long as I charge over $1000. If I don't, the balance rolls over to the next month until the total does reach $1000. I use this card for all my everyday expenses.

The other rewards card is my Disney VISA. I mainly got it for the room deals and other vacation perks that they could be offering now that the DC is on its way out. I use this one for all the major expenses that come up (like when we purchase a new dishwasher or replace the tires on the car). I don't expect to rack up tons of points with this one but that's okay because the rewards are only good at Disney anyway.

I dumped my USAir VISA because of the annual fee ($60). I figure that the 1mile/$ that I was getting was not worth the expense of the card. It took me a year to earn less than one free ticket with the miles that I earned.

Since DH is a small business owner, he also has business rewards cards that pay off in points. Uses the Diners' Club card and a Chase Business VISA. With so much in monthly overhead charges, he has been able to rack up points for airfare, hotels, cars and restaurant GCs in very little time. Even if you have a small business (like selling crafts or cosmetics), it may be worth it to have a separate business credit card that pays back in rewards.

 

[gdulaney]

We have an AMEX Optima and an AMEX Blue, neither of which have annual fees. You earn about 1 point for every dollar charged. There's no limit to the number of points you can earn and the points have no expiration date. You can also link cards to your Membership Rewards account. We recently cashed in and got two Home Depot gift cards. Other great rewards include gift cards for Toys R Us, Crate and Barrel, the Gap, and lots of others.

We also have the Disney credit card...but I'm thinking it may take forever to earn $20 in Disney Dream Rewards.

I agree with Air Force Rocks...the key is to pay off the balance in full every month!

Ginny

 

[TreeOfLife]

According to Money and Quicken's websites, among the top 10 rewards cards are, first and foremost, AMEX Blue. Second and I think down to fifth, are other AMEX cards including Skymiles. The top entertainment rewards card is Universal Studios' MC and for shopping rewards, Toys R Us's was the winner. GM's card is among the top as well.

Overall, AMEX and Chase have the best rewards cards out in the market at the present.

Oh, these are search results under "best rewards" categories.

 

[larry_poppins]

I am really enjoying everyone's responses. It is interesting to me that I am the only one who actively uses an airline credit card. I know there is an annual fee for most of these cards and that may deter folks from getting them. Still airlines miles are the granddaddy of all these mileage programs. I would have thought others would be using these cards.

Larry

 

[buzz5985]

My 1st month with the Disney Visa I racked up a $20 reward. I didn't have any reward cards before. Probably should have. LOL The rate I am going I will not be paying for many meals during my Oct trip - don't worry, I pay the balance when the bill is received. And on top of that, my mohter needed a new computer, so I went through mypoints website, purchased though Dell - got 2 points for every dollar spent, and I put it on my Disney Visa, and got my Mom a $300 rebate.

As for the Airlines reward cards - I'm not surprised you don't see many people without business's using them, most of the perks are gone.

Like anything else - the rules are always subject to change.

 

[TreeOfLife]

larry_poppins, AMEX' Blue and Optima cards earn you rewards you can select to be Skymiles without annual fees.

AMEX's Gold Skymiles and Platinum charge you annual fees, you are right about that. But on the other hand they often start you with a huge bunus and along with offers for signing up here and there you could easily get at least a ticket free the year you sign up. Or, a "free ticket for $85 annual fee". Even more, you get double or even triple miles with each additional ticket you buy. Your miles don't expire either!

Their platinum card charges $125 or so a year, but promises a free companion ticket with each one you buy! At today's airline prices I think nobody beats a heck of a deal like that.

Just in my opinion, Disney made yet another catastrophic decision in breaking ties with the company offering the best credit cards at the present: American Express.

 

[mad4themouse]

Originally posted by larry_poppins
I am really enjoying everyone's responses. It is interesting to me that I am the only one who actively uses an airline credit card. I know there is an annual fee for most of these cards and that may deter folks from getting them. Still airlines miles are the granddaddy of all these mileage programs. I would have thought others would be using these cards.
Larry

I can give you a few reasons beyond the high annual fee:

• Blackout dates
• Limited seat availability
• 25,000 miles per RT trip (@ 1 mile/$ spent)
• Limited flexibility
• Airlines are in bad shape, financially. Those FF miles could end up being worth nothing at all if the airline they are for goes under.

Now consider that with any cashback card (with no annual fee) I would get $250 to spend anywhere, as I please, for that same $25,000 in charges. For some people (like me), that $250 will more than pay for a RT ticket to Orlando. Hey, I can fly to the West Coast for that price if I work at it!

And, by purchasing my tickets instead of relying on frequent flier miles, I will not be subjected to their blackout dates. My seat availability will only be limited by the number of seats on the plane and how much I'm willing to spend. I don't know how many times I've tried to get 4 tickets for my family and had to take whatever flights still had 4 available (some flights may only have 2 to begin with!).

I can also choose from a number of airlines to fly on, instead of being limited to my frequent flier program if I pay cash.

One last point is that I can spend my webcertificate rebate from Chase-i anywhere that MasterCard is accepted. No one is going to take my USAir frequent flier miles in exhange for anything. And if USAir had gone under during its recent bankruptcy and reorganization, I would have been very upset.

 

[TreeOfLife]

mad4themouse, I'll tell you that my family is flying in December on three award tickets through Skymiles!

I made my decision early, made our reservations, chose our seats and dates without any restrictions through Delta. On free award tickets, we're flying and their regular prices as of this date are close to $410 each! Direct flights, of course. A savings of over $1200!

Did I spend $75,000? NO! As a member of AMEX Skymiles gold, I earned double miles on several purchases including groceries, gas, tickets, etc. When I signed up I earned 10,000 plus no annual fee that year. MCI gave me 5,000 + 1 mile per dollar, then AT&T did likewise, Earthlink as well. There was my free ticket the first year! Effortless.

So within three years (I don't charge that much) we earned over 75,000 points. In annual fees I spent $170 and got three tickets out of the deal, without making purchases out of the ordinary. You can't argue the bargain there!

Now I have an AMEX Blue card and switched the gold to an Optima for no annual fees. Because our goals are changing for the next year. We do not plan to travel to Disney every year so the cashback and other rewards will suit us best.

BTW, If you don't want your rewards in miles, you can select from others that suit you best! I don't see the sweat.

...And still, Disney's card is nowhere to be seen in the ratings by financial companies. Just one more way of making guests feel unimportant.

 

[chip1]

I was reading about the different AmEx cards on their site. Can someone please explain what Medallian miles are? Thanks. Also, we've never flown Delta. How is their financial situation? Do they have a lot of blackout dates. Is it hard to use the skymiles? I know I have a lot of questions. We are currently UA FF miles members, and have 180,000 miles to use. Just curious how Delta compares when actually using the miles. THANK YOU!!!

 

[4greatboys]

The only other one we use is Discover. I like the options you get on your rewards. I can apply the money to my balance, I can donate it to charity, I can have them send me the cash or I can use it for certain retailers and double my money, so if I have $20 in reward money I can get a certificate to Red Lobster for $40. I
wish the disney visa would double your money for Disney stuff.

 

[TreeOfLife]

Chip, Skymiles are awards from heaven. You do have to call in as early as possible to select your flights but that is a small price to pay for what you get. At today's prices (and as a Delta representative told me recently they are climbing yet higher), it really pays to plan ahead and use all resources available.

If you aren't the type of person who plans way ahead then award miles may not be the choice for you.

Of all the airlines, Delta is perhaps the one doing better. I believe it may be very well linked to the partnership and business with AMEX, not doing so bad at all itself. AMEX even survived the effects of 9/11's attack on their sites at WTC!

You'd probably benefit from visiting AMEX's website or calling Skymiles representatives directly. I think I have seen a link to UA from Skymile's partners site but am not sure about how the relationship is defined.

As far as *I* am concerned, I am ultra happy with AMEX and appreciate their choices in rewards that have saved us thousands.

 

[chip1]

Tree of L ife, thanks for the reply. I am a planner, so that is not a problem. With UA miles, you need to do the same. However, I see my pro blem being Delta's flights from Chicago ~ Orlando. They do not have any non-stops, which will be a big consideration for us in making the decision to switch to Delta's skymiles from UA's FF miles.