Disney Visa vs Discover

[eileenkeeney]

I have always considered the Discover card a better option than my Disney Visa.
1% back in cash is just way more useful than 1% in Disney dollars.
The only time I have used my Disney Visa is when I get some sort of discount for doing so.

I have recently re-evaluated my position.

I figured that I actually spend enough money with Disney, that I really am not going to loose anything, nor will I have to buy more of their products than I already do, to utilize the 1% I will get back in Disney cash.
I don't ever really expect to get back more than 1%.
All of the offers I have seen, for greater than 1%, were not something that I would qualify for with my current spending habits.
Nor were they such that I would actually change my spending habits to take advantage of.


I admit, that I am only re-evaluating which credit card to use as my "main card, because Discover just did something to irritate me.
It may seem trivial, but Discover just changed my payment due date from the 3rd of the month, to the 29th.
I was almost late for the first time in over a decade. It was only by a stroke of luck, that I got my payment in on time. I didn't even notice the due date had changed until today, as I was going through a stack of mail I hadn't opened. Since I pay online, I don't normally open my paper bill at all.

I think this date change is for the purpose of making people more likely to be late, and less likely to have the funds to completely pay off the card.
They may have another reason, but I always think that companies look for little strategies to maximize their benefit. I know that they study human behavior for this purpose.

 

[NancyIL]

We've had Discover for over 10 years, and I like it a lot. However, the cashback is UP TO 1%, and only .25% at warehouse clubs. If you were to have only one credit card, a VISA would be more practical than Discover, since there are places that don't accept Discover.

 

[cynjam]

Also, Walmart is included in that .25% thing, the last time I checked. I use Discover where I can, except Walmart, where I use Disney Visa. Right now Discover has a deal until Nov. 30, if you use Discover at restaurants including fast food you earn 5 % cash back. And don't forget, when you redeem your cash back for GC to RL or Ponderosa, etc. you get an extra $5.

 

[dizcrazy]

I would also be irritated if Discover changed my billing due date . . .

Have you considered calling them and asking them to move it back to the original date? You can always tell them you are considering cancelling the card/not using it as often because you have another credit card.

 

[mcgrawfan]

We just got a Discover in addition to our Disney Visa. All of the rewards I will still use for Disney. I was really disappointed when I received my Discover statement and after calling there CS finding out it is just up to a 1% cash back. You have to spend a certain amount annually before earning 1%. I will now just use the Discover for when they have the promotional 5% back on certain items. Right now it is at restaurants. I plan to use it at Disney if they accept Discover when we eat and get the 5% back for our next trip. I will continue to use my Disney Visa where I always get at least 1% back.

 

[disneysteve]

I only use my Discover card when I can take advantage of one of the 5% bonuses. Over the summer it was gas, theme parks, zoos and museums. Currently it is restaurants, movie theaters and video rentals. Otherwise, it doesn't pay because the cash back isn't 1%, it is UP TO 1% as NancyIL pointed out.

I use my Marriott VISA as my primary card. I have a Disney card but have never used it. They gave me a worthless credit line of $500. Since you should never charge more than 30% of your available credit, that limits me to $150 per month which isn't worth the trouble of carrying it and it would take me forever to earn any rewards.

 

[NancyIL]

I only use my Discover card when I can take advantage of one of the 5% bonuses. Over the summer it was gas, theme parks, zoos and museums. Currently it is restaurants, movie theaters and video rentals. Otherwise, it doesn't pay because the cash back isn't 1%, it is UP TO 1% as NancyIL pointed out.

I use my Marriott VISA as my primary card. I have a Disney card but have never used it. They gave me a worthless credit line of $500. Since you should never charge more than 30% of your available credit, that limits me to $150 per month which isn't worth the trouble of carrying it and it would take me forever to earn any rewards.

Only $500??? They gave me a $13,000 credit limit, and it's in my name only (though I'm sure DH's income has much to do with my getting approval). You could certainly call and ask for a higher limit, if you wanted to use the Disney Visa.

 

[pjtjm]

Have you considered the Amex "Blue" card? You also get cash back, and I'm pretty sure you get MORE back for warehouse clubs.

Another very unimportant, but cool thing... The card has this cool image, I swear, every time I use it, the cashier says, "Wow". Silly, but I love it..

Thought you'd want to know...

 

[hercamore]

Hi,

I'm sure you can go online to the Discover website and switch your due date to the dat eyou want. I did this awhile back.

Also, yes, .25% is given back at wareshouse and discount stores like Walmart and Tarrget. I use my Visa at those places.

herc.

 

[buzz2400]

Discover did send out notices that they were changing your due date. If you had missed a the due date and was charged, most credit card companies will waive the fee if you call them and explain the situation. They will do it as a courtesy once or twice but not all the time. I too use discover for everything except bj's warehouse club when I then use my disney visa. I just called discover. walmart is only .25%. Target is not. Bj's, costco and sam's is .25%.

 

[got2lovedisney]

The thing I didn't particularly like about Discovercard is that you can only redeem your cash back in multiplies of $20. I was still using it for all my purchases but I wasn't aware of the fact that some merchant only earn .25%. I guess I'll be switching my charges over to my UniversalStudios Mastercard. (Stopped using DisneyVisa as a strategy to try to get a better reward promotion).

 

[eileenkeeney]

This has been educational.

I had no idea that I was not getting a full 1% back for all of my purchases.
I don't like to have to read the abundant flood of information sent out by these companies. I think that they send so much junk, so that people are more likely to miss the important stuff.

I don't shop at WalMart anyway.
I wonder if WalMart forced Discover to take a lower percent of purchases, in order for WalMart to agree to take Discover.

Does the Disney Visa have any places for which it gives back under 1%?

All the places I shop regularly take Discover. However, I do find (once in a while) that I need to use my Visa. I usually use the one attached to my bank account, just because I don't end up needing to remember to pay a bill later. If it is a large enough amount, or if I am doing the spending while on a Disney vacation, than it is worth the trouble of needing to remember to pay the visa bill.

Unless there is a major incentive, I do like to have only one credit card bill to pay per month. Otherwise I risk having the bill get lost in the flood of junk mail. I don't open my credit card bills at all, I just go to the website, and look at my balance, and pay. My habit has been to do this the same time I do my mortgage (which is on the first of the month).
I like that my Disney Visa allowed me to set it up to send me an email each time it was used.
I have something similar for Discover, but it only works if the purchase is over X and the minimum value I can set X to is much higher than it is for the Disney Visa (for which I was able to use 0).

Thank you for all the useful information

 

[eileenkeeney]

Have you considered the Amex "Blue" card? You also get cash back, and I'm pretty sure you get MORE back for warehouse clubs.

Another very unimportant, but cool thing... The card has this cool image, I swear, every time I use it, the cashier says, "Wow". Silly, but I love it..

Thought you'd want to know...

I think that the Disney card has the best cool image, or at least one can choose a cool image.
But then I like Disney stuff, not everyone does.

Really, I have one of these Amex "Blue" cards (or which ever one it is that is free). I got it because a few years ago one could get a special price on the DisneyLand hotel with this card.
I don't use the card much at all, too few places take it to make it worth the trouble, of having the extra bill to pay (unless it is for something specific once in a while).

 

[eileenkeeney]

I only use my Discover card when I can take advantage of one of the 5% bonuses. Over the summer it was gas, theme parks, zoos and museums. Currently it is restaurants, movie theaters and video rentals. Otherwise, it doesn't pay because the cash back isn't 1%, it is UP TO 1% as NancyIL pointed out.

I use my Marriott VISA as my primary card. I have a Disney card but have never used it. They gave me a worthless credit line of $500. Since you should never charge more than 30% of your available credit, that limits me to $150 per month which isn't worth the trouble of carrying it and it would take me forever to earn any rewards.

Where does this 30% advice thing come from?
Does that apply to all credit combined, or each card?
I wonder if it is based on credit companies giving people 3x what some expert thinks people can afford. In this case I think it would be for ALL credit combined and not one specific card.
This would mean you could use your $500 on the Disney card as long as you kept available $1000 on your other cards (or in a home equity line or something like that).

My personal rules are:
Chage only if one of the following is true:
1) I know I can pay off the balance before any interest accumulates

2) It is an emergency related necessary purchase (medicine, food, transportation out of a hurricane zone, housing after a disaster ruins my house).

3) I will save money by buying this now and paying later (incuding any interest I would end up paying).

4) I know that I am going to be earning the money to pay for the item very soon, and I am getting a low interest rate, and I want the item very very much.

5) I have an introductory 0% rate, and know that I am not charging beyond what I can pay off before the rate goes up.
If I was a more organized person, in this case, it might make sense to somehow charge the maximum on stuff I would buy anyway, and then direct the cash I would have otherwised used for these items either into savings or into home equity. But this would take some good organization skills to insure it is paid off before interest accumulates. I am not organized at all.

I can not think of more things to add to this list, unless I add the things that I have done, but don't think I should have done .

 

[mcgrawfan]

I don't shop at WalMart anyway.
I wonder if WalMart forced Discover to take a lower percent of purchases, in order for WalMart to agree to take Discover.

 

[NancyIL]

This has been educational.

I had no idea that I was not getting a full 1% back for all of my purchases.
I don't like to have to read the abundant flood of information sent out by these companies. I think that they send so much junk, so that people are more likely to miss the important stuff.

I don't shop at WalMart anyway.
I wonder if WalMart forced Discover to take a lower percent of purchases, in order for WalMart to agree to take Discover.

Does the Disney Visa have any places for which it gives back under 1%?

All the places I shop regularly take Discover. However, I do find (once in a while) that I need to use my Visa. I usually use the one attached to my bank account, just because I don't end up needing to remember to pay a bill later. If it is a large enough amount, or if I am doing the spending while on a Disney vacation, than it is worth the trouble of needing to remember to pay the visa bill.

Unless there is a major incentive, I do like to have only one credit card bill to pay per month. Otherwise I risk having the bill get lost in the flood of junk mail. I don't open my credit card bills at all, I just go to the website, and look at my balance, and pay. My habit has been to do this the same time I do my mortgage (which is on the first of the month).
I like that my Disney Visa allowed me to set it up to send me an email each time it was used.
I have something similar for Discover, but it only works if the purchase is over X and the minimum value I can set X to is much higher than it is for the Disney Visa (for which I was able to use 0).

Thank you for all the useful information

There are a number of Discover cards: http://www.discovercard.com/apply/main.shtml

This is what the fine print says about the rewards for the Platinum Discover Card, which is what I have:

Rewards: Earn cash rewards on all purchases made with your Card with no earnings cap. Each year, earn a full 1% of each purchase made after your total amount of purchases exceeds $3,000; your first $1,500 in purchases earn .25% and your second $1,500 in purchases earn .50%. Purchases made at select warehouse clubs, discount stores and their affiliates earn .25%. With our Get More Program, you can sign up to earn 5% Cashback Bonus on purchases made at select merchants or in certain merchant categories throughout the year. Increase your Cashback Bonus when you redeem your cash rewards for gift cards or certificates from our partners. Rewards are redeemable in $20 increments. Certain circumstances, such as account closure and inactivity for more than 36 months, could result in forfeiture of some or all of your Cashback Bonus. Other restrictions apply. You will receive complete Cashback Bonus Plus Terms and Conditions with your Card.

 

[buzz2400]

was told by discover card that walmart is owned by same company as sams club and therefore considered a warehouse.

 

[disneysteve]

Where does this 30% advice thing come from?
Does that apply to all credit combined, or each card?

As rule of thumb, as far as your credit score is concerned, it is best to keep your CC balance below 30% of available credit. So, for example, if you have a $5,000 credit limit on your Disney Visa, it is best to never charge more than $1,500. The closer your charges get to your limit, the more it looks like you are living beyond your means.