Gift card to the kids for spending money?

[lily2521]

I'm thinking of buying DD (6) a Disney gift card, and that can be her spending money while on the trip. She can choose to buy what she wants that way, and once her money is gone, it's gone.

I'm very out of the loop as far as the cost of things at DW (although I can imagine the words not cheap come into play). How much would you suggest for a gift card?

Or...is this a bad idea altogether?

 

[LSUfan4444]

How much you decide to let your kids spend is completely individualized decision. On average, we spend about $4k total for a week in Disney for a family of three. of that $4k, we MAYBE spend $100 total on souvenirs. Others may spend $3000 on their vacation and $275 on gifts and such.

Would this be for her snacks and treats/candy, clothes as well or just toys?

I think a reasonable expectation is that most toys will fall in the $15 - $25 range depending on what it is, etc.

 

[disneymom1229]

I think gift cards for spending money are a good idea. We give each of our kids a $75 gift card for the trip. They can also bring any money of their own they have saved. The $ amount I guess would depend on whether this is your dd's first trip or not. If this is a first trip, the amount would probably be higher since there is so much to see and do and buy, of course. We started doing this on our third trip and set our $ amount based on how we had spent on previous trips. We already had plenty of stuffed animals and tshirts and my dd is well beyond the princess age. My kids were mostly looking for new pins, mugs for their collection or other small remembrances from the trip. It helped them be more selective. Of course every family's budget is different and we know that we will be back sooner or later. So what we dont see or get this time we can always look for next time around. Good luck and check out the disney gift card web site, they have so many cute gift cards to choose from with free shipping. You can really customize it to fit your dd's favorite characters!!!

 

[lily2521]

How much you decide to let your kids spend is completely individualized decision. On average, we spend about $4k total for a week in Disney for a family of three. of that $4k, we MAYBE spend $100 total on souvenirs. Others may spend $3000 on their vacation and $275 on gifts and such.

Would this be for her snacks and treats/candy, clothes as well or just toys?

I think a reasonable expectation is that most toys will fall in the $15 - $25 range depending on what it is, etc.

Yeah I thought of that as I was typing the post. My idea of her spending money might be very different from someone else's.

This would solely be for souvenirs, toys, jewelry, etc. or anything else that she wants to take home with her. We'd pay for her snacks/treats, etc.

 

[lily2521]

I think gift cards for spending money are a good idea. We give each of our kids a $75 gift card for the trip. They can also bring any money of their own they have saved. The $ amount I guess would depend on whether this is your dd's first trip or not. If this is a first trip, the amount would probably be higher since there is so much to see and do and buy, of course. We started doing this on our third trip and set our $ amount based on how we had spent on previous trips. We already had plenty of stuffed animals and tshirts and my dd is well beyond the princess age. My kids were mostly looking for new pins, mugs for their collection or other small remembrances from the trip. It helped them be more selective. Of course every family's budget is different and we know that we will be back sooner or later. So what we dont see or get this time we can always look for next time around. Good luck and check out the disney gift card web site, they have so many cute gift cards to choose from with free shipping. You can really customize it to fit your dd's favorite characters!!!

This is her first 'big trip'. When she had just turned 4 we took her to MK for a day, and HS for 1/2 day, because we were visiting family in Tampa and I figured we were so close to DW we'd go for a short trip. But she doesn't remember much.

Like you said, I'm hoping it will help her to be more selective. She gets an allowance at home now and is pretty good about handling money (for a 6YO - ha) and being cautious about what she spends her money on, etc. She knows once it's spent, it's spent.

I didn't even think about buying a card from the website - I'll check that out!

 

[ruthies12]

There is a lot of stuff there that a 6 year old will want! A lot of rides dump you into a gift shop. If you are going to Epcot there are a ton of things in the world showcase stores. For example on our last trip my then 5 year old DD got a toy pirate set from the pirate of carribean gift shop, a purse from the mexico pavilion, a couple of fans from china, a pearl necklace from pick a pearl in japan, an umbrella from china, a stuffed animal from the hotel gift shop, a charm bracelet from a gift shop in MK, a haunted mansion keychain cause it was her favorite ride and I don't even remember what else. We were there 9 days and I think most things she wanted were in the $20 to $30 range. I have no idea what we spent total on souvenirs but I'm sure it was outrageous, I never added it up cause I don't want to know!

On our next trip I am doing gift cards to help cut down on the amount of stuff we buy. My kids have a ton of aunts and uncles so I've been requesting Disney gift cards for them as birthday presents for our next trip, if they get enough for their birthdays I will probably not add to it. I'm figuring on $100 per kid, that should allow them to get 3 to 4 things each and that should be enough for us. We are going for 9 days again.

I think you should take into account how many days you will be there to decide on amount.

 

[Hokie2000]

For the past two trips my kids have gotten gift cards for their own spending money. It has worked very well in helping them be selective.

The only downside is actually keeping up with and using the cards - it would be much more convenient to just swipe the band, haha.

ETA - my kids are 5, 7, and 9.

 

[gules]

This really depends on what your kid likes, I think. Pins vary from $7-$18 per pin, or a pack of five for around $30. Plushies start at around $10 for a medium bean bag and go up from there. Try checking disneystore.com for an idea of prices of things your daughter might like. That might help you budget more than anything else.

 

[lily2521]

This really depends on what your kid likes, I think. Pins vary from $7-$18 per pin, or a pack of five for around $30. Plushies start at around $10 for a medium bean bag and go up from there. Try checking disneystore.com for an idea of prices of things your daughter might like. That might help you budget more than anything else.

This is a great idea, I'll check out the website, thank you!

There is a lot of stuff there that a 6 year old will want! A lot of rides dump you into a gift shop.

On our next trip I am doing gift cards to help cut down on the amount of stuff we buy. My kids have a ton of aunts and uncles so I've been requesting Disney gift cards for them as birthday presents for our next trip, if they get enough for their birthdays I will probably not add to it. I'm figuring on $100 per kid, that should allow them to get 3 to 4 things each and that should be enough for us. We are going for 9 days again.

I think you should take into account how many days you will be there to decide on amount.

How convenient of them to just force you through a gift shop

She did receive a $50 GC for her birthday, so we'll take that for sure. I was actually thinking $100-$150, somewhere in that range. We'll be at the parks for 5 days, on site for 6. So at $20-$30 each, she'd be able to buy a little something every day if she likes.

We're doing pick a pearl too in Japan, but I'm buying that for her as a surprise, I've already pre-ordered the necklaces

 

[JZCubed]

Since we have an only child who just turned 6 y.o., we have previously been comfortable allowing a toy-per-day during our vacations. If we had more children, different calculus would likely be used.

Mostly, our child has selected a particular type of plush and self-selected additional plush from the same family of toys on consecutive days.

On the first day, she takes her time making that first selection. On subsequent days, she selects from the same family of toys. It's quite amusing.

But I digress, As the child gets bigger, so too do the potential toys.....and cost.

Veto power of parents must remain intact, since luggage space and safety (i.e., spilled paint) must be a consideration.

My wife & I have discussed a cash allowance to have our child better manage money. We expect her to 'fail' by running out of money, but that's part of the learning process.

Using a Gift Card is certainly one way to manage the cash. My only fear might be if a child had a vacations worth of money and lost the thing on the first day. That's a lesson I'd rather not see anyone have to learn.

Maybe smaller denominations for a young child?

 

[starsweeper]

I don't give gift cards because my kids would lose them (8, 8, 4 & 3yo) but I give them a spending limit. I usually budget $50 per kid since WDW items tend to be more expensive. They'll want all kinds of things they see but when they have to budget, they tend to be more selective and buy less junk that will be tossed aside once home.

 

[clambert1273]

OMG the pins....... my DH, DS and little all got into that... I swear they bought almost $400 in pins .... This time they all get gift cards lol so I have started ordering $150 gift card packs from Sam's Club for $142... save any way I can

 

[Dawnlight]

I gave each of my kids, ages in signature, a $50 gift card for our vacation. We are not big souvenir spenders and only 1 (the 15 year old) used his entire allotment (bought a Monty Python shirt at World Showcase and a mug in Epcot). Two didn't use any of their amount, and 3 used just a small portion (Sven plush toy, extra snacks, jewelry).

I think $50-$75 is reasonable.

Edited to add: I kept hold of the gift cards. I used a sharpie to write each child's name. We applied the unused GCs to charges to our room (tips).

 

[lily2521]

I gave each of my kids, ages in signature, a $50 gift card for our vacation. We are not big souvenir spenders and only 1 (the 15 year old) used his entire allotment (bought a Monty Python shirt at World Showcase and a mug in Epcot). Two didn't use any of their amount, and 3 used just a small portion (Sven plush toy, extra snacks, jewelry).

I think $50-$75 is reasonable.

Edited to add: I kept hold of the gift cards. I used a sharpie to write each child's name. We applied the unused GCs to charges to our room (tips).

I'd hold onto her gift card too, I wouldn't expect DD (6) to keep it without losing it. If I budget $20 per park day, that's $100 so I think that might be a good limit. I like the idea too of being able to apply any leftover to the room, I didn't know you could do that, and I was actually wondering about the remainder (if any!)

 

[clambert1273]

I'd hold onto her gift card too, I wouldn't expect DD (6) to keep it without losing it. If I budget $20 per park day, that's $100 so I think that might be a good limit. I like the idea too of being able to apply any leftover to the room, I didn't know you could do that, and I was actually wondering about the remainder (if any!)

I keep the gift cards in my back pack ... I have them in labeled baggies so they know which one belongs to who lol

 

[Disneylover99]

We give each child a $50 gift card. Everytime they see something they think they want, they take a picture of it and the price. The last few days are for shopping. The things they want at the beginning of the trip are not necessarily what they want towards the end, so it works out well.

 

[buzzandzurg]

We give each child a $50 gift card. Everytime they see something they think they want, they take a picture of it and the price. The last few days are for shopping. The things they want at the beginning of the trip are not necessarily what they want towards the end, so it works out well.

Same here. Works out well for us. Things my oldest son were begging for at the beginning of the trip weren't even a consideration at the end.

 

[lily2521]

We give each child a $50 gift card. Everytime they see something they think they want, they take a picture of it and the price. The last few days are for shopping. The things they want at the beginning of the trip are not necessarily what they want towards the end, so it works out well.

If they end up wanting to buy something they saw at a certain park or something though, don't you run into the risk of not being able to get it? Like if she sees something at Epcot or AK, we're only there for 1 day, can I find that same item elsewhere?

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

We also try to save the actual buying for the end, and it really helps DD (and me) prioritize the best souvenirs. Most things really are available in the bigger stores in each park or resort, but we do allow a little time for park hopping at the end if we need to do that for a one-of-a-kind item.

 

[philschrek]

We didn't do individual gift cards the last few trips but last year we averaged about $100 per child (4 kids) for a 7 day stay. We didn't really limit them much since we usually go every other year and don't do big vacations or a ton of shopping in between WDW trips. This year we did buy giftcards, $50 for each and will go from that point. Since we were just there last year I don't anticipate spending as much on souvenirs.