Disney Visa: yay or nay?

[dkdaisy]

I'm not sure if this is the right board to post on, so let me know if I should check somewhere else....

DH and I are thinking about getting the Disney Visa. I've read alot of comments about high interest rates and some rewards not being as great as they should be.

We rarely, if ever, carry a balance on our credit cards and really just like the rewards we get. The Disney Visa gives what, 1% back on all purchases that can be used towards Disney gift cards (and other things)? Plus, we can get a 20% discount on the Backstage Magic Tour we want to take (at $200 each, 20% off would be great).

Any other pros and cons from Disney Visa holders? Anyone really for it or against it and why?

thank you so much!

 

[Karlzmom]

The single greatest reward that I have found was the private character meet & greet at Epcot! It was an amazing experience for the whole family.

I also enjoyed being able to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping at the online store and just using my rewards, but then again if I had a cash-back from another card I would have been free to use any store in the same fashion.

The downside, I'm not real happy with Chase this week, as I received my statement to find a number of eyebrow raisers. The 1st was that my limit was raised $2,500....not a bad thing, I guess. Then I look at my statement to discover my last payment missed a large charge and I had gone over my "old" limit by a couple of dollars. Chase charged me a hefty fee for that mistake before raising my limit that makes the overage a null. Yes, I understand they have the right to do that (before someone feels the need to be snarky )I do question the wisdom from a customer service end...clearly my credit and payment history is such that they can offer a significant increase to my credit line without my asking, so why ding me with the charge just before the increase? Sadly, this type of nickel & dime mentality has infected most financial institutions, so I'm not sure it would be any different elsewhere. I will likely sit on my card and only use it for the vacation.

 

[luvdisney00]

I love it because I can use it to charge all of my everyday expenses (gas, groceries, shopping etc...) and collect free rewards. We currently have about $700.00 rewards on there for our next Disney trip, all for doing nothing. We are careful though, we don't ever carry a balance or make late payments, the APR and penalty charges are HIGH. I feel like we use them to help fund our vacations, but you can slip up and get burned really easily by carrying a balance or being late with a payment, and they do try to trip you up sometimes by moving the due date, so read the statement carefully and only spend what you can pay for. HTH !

 

[sandyc62]

We have had the Disney card since it started and really have no complaints--except I wish the rewards were better! It is $1.00 for every $100 spent. Sometimes they have "double rewards" on certain purchases for a period of time. We don't ever carry a balance either, so I can't comment on the financing. I will say that when someone tried to fraudulently use our card on the internet during the holidays, Chase stopped the transaction, called us, issued a new card which we requested to have asap since it was the shopping season, and they did it all. I was rather impressed. I did find the extra 10% off at the World of Disney in DTD was nice when we have gone in the past. Haven't yet used the other perks but hopefully will this spring. Hope this helps!


Sandy

 

[tmatthews]

plus I believe I just read there are perks if you are traveling after 3/30 until I believe May. Not sure of details since they didn't apply to me...I leave on 3/30 of course!! But it was about 100 savings per person with a free hopper waterpark option added.

I really loved the meet and greet in DL! It was a highlight of our trip spending time alone w/ mickey!!!! We do carry a balance and it is average %. I wish it was more than 1 for 100 though....I mean if you have 700 in rewards you spent 7000! (did I do the math right??)

 

[sandyc62]

plus I believe I just read there are perks if you are traveling after 3/30 until I believe May. Not sure of details since they didn't apply to me...I leave on 3/30 of course!! But it was about 100 savings per person with a free hopper waterpark option added.

I really loved the meet and greet in DL! It was a highlight of our trip spending time alone w/ mickey!!!! We do carry a balance and it is average %. I wish it was more than 1 for 100 though....I mean if you have 700 in rewards you spent 7000! (did I do the math right??)

Actually that means you spent $70,000! I know because it has taken us several years to reach that 700 rewards plateau. But we put EVERYTHING on it--even offered it to family members to use and pay us back!

 

[we6clarks]

I vote Yay for a Disney Visa. You can usually book a stay with a code earlier than they are released to the public. I like being able to spread out paying for vacation with the 6 months 0% financing on a package. Reward dollars are always nice to have to spend while you're in the park.

 

[luvdisney00]

We put everything on it including car insurance. My rewards build up fast though because my husband uses his own for certain business expenses for which he is reinbursed.

There is an offer right now for Jan., Feb. and Mach that gives 5x rewards, but just like those darn pin codes for resort discounts, you have to get a postcard with your name and # on it. I called yesterday to see if they would give it to me, because my husband got the pin but his card is for work stuff only. The 5x was for $$ spent on gas groceries and drugstores which is what goes on mine, but they said it was nontransferable.

Just like the resort pins, I never get one I can use!!!!

 

[starsinnight]

i love the disney card... basically because i had a regular mastercard before that had no rewards and i figure its better to get rewarded for spending. as long as you pay off your balance immediately so you dont get those apr charges.

karlzmom, the same happened to me when i paid for school tuition with it and then i even refunded it the same day and i got stuck with an overage fee... but guess what? you can call and they will remove it if its your first time being charged. thats what they did for me.

do you all book your disney vacation by calling the chase customer service hotline for the deals? or do you call Disney directly and tell them your a DVC holder? b/c dont you have to ask a CM for the code discount - not a Chase employee?

I haven't really used any of the rewards yet, we have $35 Reward Dollars saved up (woohoo!) but I haven't decided if we should save them for next time when we have more. I'll have to look at the perks before we go in August.

I say you should get the card, why not? you dont HAVE to use it and you get discounts and benefits from it. unless of course, you have a shopping problem. then maybe you shouldnt.

 

[loser1824]

The single greatest reward that I have found was the private character meet & greet at Epcot! It was an amazing experience for the whole family.

I also enjoyed being able to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping at the online store and just using my rewards, but then again if I had a cash-back from another card I would have been free to use any store in the same fashion.

The downside, I'm not real happy with Chase this week, as I received my statement to find a number of eyebrow raisers. The 1st was that my limit was raised $2,500....not a bad thing, I guess. Then I look at my statement to discover my last payment missed a large charge and I had gone over my "old" limit by a couple of dollars. Chase charged me a hefty fee for that mistake before raising my limit that makes the overage a null. Yes, I understand they have the right to do that (before someone feels the need to be snarky )I do question the wisdom from a customer service end...clearly my credit and payment history is such that they can offer a significant increase to my credit line without my asking, so why ding me with the charge just before the increase? Sadly, this type of nickel & dime mentality has infected most financial institutions, so I'm not sure it would be any different elsewhere. I will likely sit on my card and only use it for the vacation.

So we just got the Chase Disney Visa, do you get more than 1% if you purchase at Disney? Or is it the same as the everyday 1%?

Do you have to have your VISA with you at Epcot for the character meet n greet or can you just have it on your key to the world?

 

[Karlzmom]

Thanks for the thought, but it was no luck when I talked to the ahem helpful gentleman at Chase. oh well...lesson learned. I guess its the only real chance they have to make any money off me, as I am usually a pay-in-full every month kinda gal

 

[Karlzmom]

So we just got the Chase Disney Visa, do you get more than 1% if you purchase at Disney? Or is it the same as the everyday 1%?

Do you have to have your VISA with you at Epcot for the character meet n greet or can you just have it on your key to the world?

We were required to have the VISA on us, and they do limit the number of persons to cards. Actually had to sign in as well, something about that it was our card, not borrowed, blah blah blah....but oh so worthwhile.

I actually must confess a little evil thought afterward about all the people running around looking for Mickey and they have no idea he's "right there behind the curtain"

 

[PolyHereWeCome]

Guess I'd vote a quiet little "yes" but I wouldn't make it the primary card. We got the Disney Visa a few years ago simply because they were offering 50 Disney dollars. We also got a free 5x7 photo during an Epcot Meet&Greet and maybe a free pin.

My sister got it before their trip because of the 0% financing, so if that's important to you, than it is definitely worth considering.

But on a dollar-for-dollar "rewards" comparison with our other cards, at least for us, the Disney Visa is . . . .well, cheap. Certainly if you get a 5x pin code, that's a different story. If you are in the market for a new card, a quick search on the Internet can show you lots of better cards (whether your preference is cash back, airline miles, or gift certificates).

 

[miss missy]

Please tell me

I too am weighing getting one. Both DH and I use our debit cards in stead of cash, we hardly ever use cash. I also pay just about EVERY bill I have online with a my debit card, so this could work if I could get an idea how to make it work...

My questions

1. is 6 months 0% financing on a package for the 1st time only- when you get the card? or is it for any time you book a vacation?

2. how do you all pay the bill, in order to keep the balance to 0? In my case, I pay bills all month, some each week, so how can I be sure not to carry a balance? Please explain how you make this work, how/when you pay it? online each week? monthly? details please how do you keep track of yourself and your DH using it? Do you have any tricks to tracking it? Do you use it just for bills or daily use too? Please share.

TIA

ETA:

this is a reply from another question I asked. Still trying to see how this will work if I use the card daily and put a vaca on it. If I do get the card, I would be putting my upcoming trip on it, but not sure how to pay daily and trip off without troubles?

"If you have a promotional rate, such as the 0% for 6 months on a Disney package, Chase will apply any mid-cycle payments to the promotional balance if you've already paid the balance from the previous statement off.

So let's say that I've got a $200 deposit on my Disney VISA for an upcoming trip. That $200 is at 0% interest for the next 6 months. But I continue to use the card and buy gas this week. If I send Chase $35 tomorrow to cover that gas purchase, they will apply it to the $200 deposit instead of the gas purchase. If I wait until the next statement is generated to make my $35 payment, it will be applied to the new charges on the statement (like my gas purchase) first instead of going towards the $200 trip deposit."

 

[Goofyz3girls]

All the benefits that the card entitles you too are great especially the no ANNUAL FEE which most other cards charge.Get the card.

 

[dkdaisy]

Thank you for all the comments! I really appreciate it. We like the Disney vacation financing and the Disney rewards, plus I got an offer for a free $50 Disney gift card with first purchase.

I didn't know about the Epcot meet and greet - that is awesome! I would love to have a special pic with Mickey (or whomever) without having to wait in a long line. My DH could care less, but oh well.

I have seen other cards with better rewards, but I never can find ones with rewards that I want. WE don't fly enough to really use airline miles so much and most of the places that give you cash back or gift cards don't give cards for the places we use.

So, I think we're going for it. If anything, it will save for us on our Disney vacations (which we plan on doing annually) and be a card with rewards. My current Visa is through my credit union and does not offer any rewards.