Free flights to orlando, 4 free nights swalphin, free $800 disney gift card +MORE

[Disfan3]

The information posted here about being a TA is not correct. You cannot simply be hired by an agency as a TA...there are requirements and most of the agencies online will and do hire people (once you pay for their manuals and other training devices) BUT...just being a TA for an agency will NOT automatically get discounts at WDW for you! Most of these agencies have a limited number of CLIA or IATAN cards (top 4 performers usually) and without those you can sell Disney travel BUT you cannot get ticket or room discounts. They are also NOT 75% off. You get one ticket benefit (one total not more for family or friends, etc).

Becoming at Travel Agent is NOT as easy as it sounds and those discounts are very hard to earn. Please investigate options before deciding that you want to become an agent for some online agency you Googled.... just some friendly advice

 

[blackacex2]

The information posted here about being a TA is not correct. You cannot simply be hired by an agency as a TA...there are requirements and most of the agencies online will and do hire people (once you pay for their manuals and other training devices) BUT...just being a TA for an agency will NOT automatically get discounts at WDW for you! Most of these agencies have a limited number of CLIA or IATAN cards (top 4 performers usually) and without those you can sell Disney travel BUT you cannot get ticket or room discounts. They are also NOT 75% off. You get one ticket benefit (one total not more for family or friends, etc).

Becoming at Travel Agent is NOT as easy as it sounds and those discounts are very hard to earn. Please investigate options before deciding that you want to become an agent for some online agency you Googled.... just some friendly advice

Well, I did it and received my CLIA card in less than 2 weeks with a total investment of about two hours and some small application fees. It all depends on the agency you are working with. I got my credentials quickly and have been selling and receiving discounts without any issues. I am not encouraging frivolous behavior or getting your TA credentials for the purpose of discounts, I was simply stating my experience of going through the process.

 

[budafam]

I have taken advantage of the Southwest 50,000 deal three times now. I've also used Disney Visa and Chase Freedom Visa cards religiously. I've "made" or "saved" well over $3000 in trips within the last 2 years. It's not easy to do but it's very possible if you have good credit to begin with and you're very well disciplined with paying off your grand totals every month. I have never paid a penny of interest.

As for the travel agent thing. I thought it would be easy... I signed on in July and I went my first 6 months without a sale. It was HARD! You also don't make a lot of money for the amount of hours you put into it. I've been on my laptop literally all day today, answering questions, calling Disney, doing quotes for people who may or may not book (keep in mind, this is a SATURDAY). I could get a CLIA card right now and take advantage of that one person ticket per year but I know that I will not be able to meet the requirements to keep it in 2 years (you have to sell a certain amount of cruise cabins and tour at least 5 *I think* cruise ships). I don't recommend it for anyone who wants it to be their 2nd job... I can't imagine working a full time job and keeping up on this. My facebook page, blog and website are constantly being updated not to mention vendor fairs, advertising and all of the other things I have to keep up on.

There are lots of other ways to save money on a Disney trip rather than becoming a TA.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

No, not at all!!! What you do is during those 3 months you put every purchase you would normally pay cash or debit card for on the card. You keep track just like you are paying cash and they pay if OFF when the bill comes. Use the card for gas, groceries, everything. I've been doing this for years, and have never paid one dime in interest. I've saved tons in sign up bonuses and cash back

gosh in 3 months we don't spend more than $2500 on gas groceries ect. Still racking up $6k in 3 months on a credit card is CRAZY.

 

[rockawaybeachgirl]

gosh in 3 months we don't spend more than $2500 on gas groceries ect. Still racking up $6k in 3 months on a credit card is CRAZY.

There are many ways to manufacture spending without really 'spending'- gift cards and amazon payments are the two that come to mind first. Prepaying certain expenses may make sense too, but that can cause a cash flow issue potentially if you don't have a big cushion of cash.

There are message boards just like this who are filled with people taking advantage of deals like these. The vast majority are smart enough to work the deals without carrying debt (unless its a zero balance no- fee transfer, another favorite of mine )

 

[blackacex2]

gosh in 3 months we don't spend more than $2500 on gas groceries ect. Still racking up $6k in 3 months on a credit card is CRAZY.

It is not at all easy to spend 3k in 3 months on a credit card even for regular stuff you need. These are my least favorite deals.

 

[elaine amj]

gosh in 3 months we don't spend more than $2500 on gas groceries ect. Still racking up $6k in 3 months on a credit card is CRAZY.

Well - if you have a Disney trip coming up - you've got a big chunk (or all of it) right there. I didn't have any big expenses coming up so I decided to tone down on credit card apps - then we just decided to buy 10 day non expiring tix for Disney. That's $2600 for 4 tickets right there. So we applied for the Chase Ink Bold which requires $5K in 3 months. The other $2400 shouldn't be too hard to do in 3 months. Our normal monthly spending on CCs is $1000 - $1500 a month. We'll just put everything on this card to meet the minimum spend. I didn't consider us big spenders - we eat out some, etc but really don't shop much nor are we spendaholics. If you put everything (gas, groceries, shopping, every possible bill) I can't imagine most typical households won't spend at LEAST $1000 a month. That was us when we were very frugal. Now that we are spending more on eating out, etc - our bill hovers closer to $1500 a month. We don't even do things like daily coffee and we pack our lunches most days.

 

[ski_mom]

I have taken advantage of the Southwest 50,000 deal three times now. I've also used Disney Visa and Chase Freedom Visa cards religiously. I've "made" or "saved" well over $3000 in trips within the last 2 years. It's not easy to do but it's very possible if you have good credit to begin with and you're very well disciplined with paying off your grand totals every month. I have never paid a penny of interest.

How long did you wait in between re-applying for the Southwest promotion? DH and I both did it in July 2011 and got the 50,000 points each. We've kept his card, but cancelled mine. I was thinking or trying to get points again when the good promotion comes up, but wasn't sure what the time fram needed to be.

 

[jofo]

I did the Sapphire deal last year and got $400 in cash and/or payment directly to the card. I did it first and then Dh did it, so we did get $800, but 3 months apart from one another.

I assume you can only do this once?

Dawn

I have read you can do it once per person for the Visa version, and once per person for the Mastercard version.