Disney w/out a credit card ?

[mommy9801]

Has anyone planned a trip to Disney w/out having a credit card? We have a debit card but do not have any reg credit card and would like to keep it that way.Any advice would be appreciated Thank's!

 

[pepperw23]

Has anyone planned a trip to Disney w/out having a credit card? We have a debit card but do not have any reg credit card and would like to keep it that way.Any advice would be appreciated Thank's!

We went last June and did not take a credit card at all. We had a blast!! Best part? When we got home? No CC debt.

 

[HelenePA]

we didn't use a credit card for disney when we went at all, we paid everything by debit card. we did NOT have room charge on our keys.. i dont know if you'll need one for that or not if you want that added to your room keys.

 

[cglaura]

Sure! I very rarely use them. If you like the convenience of putting things on your room card, you can give them cash or a traveler's check when you check in. I did that on my last trip.

You can also get:

A disney gift card, but be careful with them...although they can be replaced if you have the receipt/number, if anyone found it and was dishonest enough to use it instead of turning in to L&F, then you'll be out the money. You can also use these when making hotel/package reservation on phone (not sure about website...never tried).

Prepaid credit cards, that would offer some better protection if lost.

If you don't mind carrying cash, just take travelers checks. I've also done that, just cash one at the desk before heading off to a park.

Hope you have a good trip!

 

[BayouMouseketeer]

I do not use CCs either. I have a debit card and have booked my trip, paid my deposit and made ADRs using just my debit card. I have not had a problem, at all. I get Disney Dollars for my kids before we go but, otherwise, I just use my debit card.

 

[stitchlover]

No credit card here. We just take our debit card with us and yes, you can link the debit card to your room key for charges. Each resort level has a different amount that they let you reach before they hit the card (value=$500, moderate=$1000, etc.) so when you check in I believe they do a verification that this amount is available. You know what I'm talking about, right? We have never had a problem using a debit card only while on site.
It is nice to come home with no debt. We have friends that went over New Years (Dec. '05/Jan. '06) and when we went in March '06, March '07 and were planning our '08 trip they commented on how could we do this they had just paid off their '05/'06 trip. We paid CASH the whole way baby...bring on more Disney.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[Redbudlover]

Same here - no credit card ever. I am way too tight for that. I keep one for car rentals only so the car companies dont put a big hold on my account and so I have something in case of emergency. But I always use my debit card. No interest payments, no late fees, no fee fees. Cash is cheap.

 

[drivencrazy]

When we went in May we were planning on just using the CC for everything then paying it off when we got home. So we only took XX amount of cash knowing that the $$ were there to pay off the CC after we got home... Then we FORGOT the CC at home!!!! And actually came home with cash as well! We did have our bank card we could have used, but I guess we just figured we would spend more $$$ than we did! Which is always a Blessing!

 

[bzzymom]

I have several times. I pay the hotel off before the trip with checks. Then we do not give them a card at the hotel for charging privelages. I get pre-paid visa card from my bank and take some cash as well. We have used the debit card at DTD and shipped some items home. It is great not to owe anything to WDW once I am gone.

 

[MartDM]

You should be able to use the debit card for any "credit" card needs except a rental car! Good financial planning

 

[mommy9801]

Thanks everyone!! I am happy to know it can be done

 

[sherabby]

We used the meal plan and had no need for a credit card or debit card.

 

[SalandJeff]

I keep one for car rentals only so the car companies dont put a big hold on my account and so I have something in case of emergency. .

We are planning on not using a cc during our upcoming trip. What do the rental car companies do if you are not paying with a cc (if paying with cash or debit card)?

 

[bear_mom]

We didn't use ours on our last trip. Dh gets travelers checks as a bonus from work so we took those down. We activated the room key charge with a limit. At the end of our trip we paid off our room key charges with the travelers checks.

Emily

 

[R.S.Winters]

i dont own a credit card and refuse to have one. everything i have is my own, and i like to keep it that way
ive never needed one at disney and hope i never shall!

D.

 

[R.S.Winters]

What do the rental car companies do if you are not paying with a cc (if paying with cash or debit card)?

you can use your debit card. they treat is as though it IS a cc. make sure you have about £250 funds in it though as a holding deposit. they dont actually take it from your acc but you needit in there for it to work as a cc would.



D.

 

[3littleHalls]

We have been many times where we only used Travelers Checks. When checking in we put $500 on our KTTWcard and would replenish as needed. When we checked out we were given some cash back. Just a side note...these were trips where we did our ADRs without the DDP.

 

[all4fun]

There are some downsides to using a debit card:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/07/06/debit_cards_have_their_down_sides_too/

Not to discourage anyone from being debt free but just some things to be aware of when using debit!

 

[merryweather20]

Credit vs. Debit has nothing to do with being debt free. If you are worrying about not keeping track of what you put on the card and putting too much on the card, just call the card company and ask for a low limit.

This is just my opinion but if you are worrying that you aren't keeping track of spending Debit is the WRONG way to go. Say you set aside $600 that you are willing to spend on the vacation. When you receive the credit card call and ask them to reduce the limit to $600-$650. If you find yourself in an emergency situation (car repair, medical, or overspent and stranded) you can call the Credit card company and ask for an increase to the limit. You can go home safely, you have $600 in the bank to pay for the budgeted items and 1-1.5 months to pay for the emergency items interest free.

If something happens when you are using a debit card or cash you are simply stranded, with no contingency plan.

There are tons of no fee credit cards around, but finding a no fee debit card is next to impossible in my area. This means every time you use your debit card it costs $0.05-$0.20. Credit card companies always review for unusual purchases but debit cards seldom do. And again credit cards generally have better fraud and theft protection, so you'll never be stranded with a credit card, but having your debit card stollen could leave you stranded, and out of pocket for ALL fraudulent charges.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

This is a way of life for us. We paid everything off just over a year ago, we have 1 CC that is set aside strictly for emergencies, and we had to use this year with DFIL died. We paid for our trip in full with cash and we take some cash with us and the rest is put on the Debit card. We hit our preset limit the night before we came home and we just transferred some money from savings to checking the next day to cover anything until we got home. It was so nice to know when we got home that we had no bills to wait for.