Gift Cards for dinner

[CTKaeleyJ85]

So, this May we will be taking our 4th trip to Disney, our original plan was to finally stay on property, but unforunitaly that did not work out. We decided that we wanted to pay for my fiances father to come with us, so the compromise was to stay off property and get a second room.
My husband came up with the plan to use Google maps and look up restaurants close to our hotel. So we made a list of some of the places that we would like to eat, and out plan is to now go and purchase gift cards for these restaurants so that many of our meals are paid for ahead of time.
My question to everyone is if anyone has every tried anything like this and how it worked out for you.
Our budget was a little smaller than we had originally planned for because I broke my foot this past year and was out of work for two months, and we are surprising my future father in law by paying for his trip as well. Any ideas for how to stretch our budget are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kaeley

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

You can get $25 certificates for just $2 when restaurant.com has their sales. Just type in the zip and you'll get lots of local options.

We've used them just offsite at Giordano's before and gotten $35 worth of food for $10!

LOVE Giordano's !!

 

[CTKaeleyJ85]

You can get $25 certificates for just $2 when restaurant.com has their sales. Just type in the zip and you'll get lots of local options.

We've used them just offsite at Giordano's before and gotten $35 worth of food for $10!

LOVE Giordano's !!

Thanks, I will keep an eye out for the restaurant.com sale. We have also never tried Giordano's, but I have heard good things, so I think we may try it on this trip.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

to the DIS!

Unless you can save money by buying the gift cards (if you have a Target Red Card, you can get 5% off restaurant and Disney gift cards), I would probably just put the money away (in an envelope, piggy bank, savings account, etc.).

You might decide to stay in the parks longer than you expected and want to grab fast food because you are tired. You might have a big lunch and only want a small snack for dinner. You might just not feel like going to a particular place that week, or it might be crowded and you don't want to wait. If you have the discipline to put the money away and not touch it, I would save the equivalent amount of money that you would have spent on gift cards. But it might work great for you. Disney is all about planning meals months in advance!

I do buy some Disney gift cards in advance because I know we will use them.

 

[Tinknalli]

VISA gift cards are definitely a loosing proposition as far as restaurants go. They are only valued at 80% when used at restaurants. I could not believe when a friend told me, but others confirmed this to be true.

 

[AZMermaid]

I was told (by the cashier at the buffet in a Vegas when my Visa gift card was declined) the bill must not take more than 80% of your existing balance... Sou gave enough for a tip. Maybe they authorize the charge plus 20% the first time it's run. So if you had a $200 gift card and the bill was. $50, you'd ge fine. But I had like $60 and the bill was $55, so it was declined because it couldn't cover the bill plus 20%.

 

[supersnoop]

Your husband can up with a way to bring your fiancé's father with you?

This sounds like a way to force yourselves to eat offsite. That's the only reason I can see to do it.

 

[dpswift]

I agree with the PP who said not to stock up too heavy on offsite giftcards. There is soo much to do in the parks that it is a hassle to pull yourself away. I would much prefer counter service in the parks than sit down off site.

One year my father was staying in Orlando and he picked me and my 2 DSs up for dinner a couple of times. It was in March and the restaurants were not that crowded.

I have never used Restaurant.com. However that deal that PP mention would get me to look into it. As far as non deal giftcards, I only buy them for restaurants that are close to us. I used to take a stack on roadtrips only to bring them back home.

 

[Judique]

VISA gift cards are definitely a loosing proposition as far as restaurants go. They are only valued at 80% when used at restaurants. I could not believe when a friend told me, but others confirmed this to be true.

Really? I just used one for a lunch with my son. It was for $25. My check was $27 plus change. We handed her the check plus gift card for $25 and $3. We then put our tip on the table. She brought our change back which was then dropped on the table with the tip.

I do have other Visa gift cards which I earn from my credit card. With those, which are usually $100, once I use part of the balance, I need to keep track of the rest, because if I don't know the balance, it won't process unless the amount I am spending is the amount on the card or a smaller amount.

I buy some gift cards at Target to use for traveling. We drive to Disney so I like the occasional Cracker Barrel breakfast. Sometimes we will stop at Chick Fil A or Burger King. Also Olive Garden, Chili's or Carrabba's and Outback. These I keep in the car ready to use, but I don't depend on them for Disney. They are usable at a few other places also. I stay onsite, so use Disney gift cards at most places. Oh, forgot Starbucks! I crossover with those at the Bakeshop and of course can use them at the Outlets as there is a Starbucks there.

But, for me this is part of my overall travel pattern. I go to the Disney area 3-4 times per year. I go to Hilton Head at least twice a year for a 4-5 day beach vacation. And I go other places by car, where these type restaurants are plentiful, so I am saving a bit over many trips.

I wouldn't focus on offsite restaurants using gift cards in your case. Maybe just for one meal if I knew there was a chain I liked right next to where I was staying - like walking across the parking lot close.

 

[Brer Shay]

When we stay offsite, we've purchased giftcards for a few restaurants to use while we're there. I do get a Giordano's one and a mexican restaurant one through restaurant.com. The others I purchase are for restaurants that are near us at home as well in case we don't use them: Cracker Barrel, Outback, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Lobster/Olive Garden, IHOP. One of our favorites, and inexpensive, is Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney which we can pay with Disney giftcards. We're able to buy cards through a program at school and earn money for school fees, so I don't mind paying for the cards.

 

[Marionnette]

I was told (by the cashier at the buffet in a Vegas when my Visa gift card was declined) the bill must not take more than 80% of your existing balance... Sou gave enough for a tip. Maybe they authorize the charge plus 20% the first time it's run. So if you had a $200 gift card and the bill was. $50, you'd ge fine. But I had like $60 and the bill was $55, so it was declined because it couldn't cover the bill plus 20%.

It's my understanding that Visa permits restaurants (and other places where tipping is traditional) to do this. However, it is the restaurant's policy to do it and not Visa's policy. So, this is definitely a case of YMMV, depending on where you are dining.

 

[Marionnette]

So, this May we will be taking our 4th trip to Disney, our original plan was to finally stay on property, but unforunitaly that did not work out. We decided that we wanted to pay for my fiances father to come with us, so the compromise was to stay off property and get a second room.
My husband came up with the plan to use Google maps and look up restaurants close to our hotel. So we made a list of some of the places that we would like to eat, and out plan is to now go and purchase gift cards for these restaurants so that many of our meals are paid for ahead of time.
My question to everyone is if anyone has every tried anything like this and how it worked out for you.
Our budget was a little smaller than we had originally planned for because I broke my foot this past year and was out of work for two months, and we are surprising my future father in law by paying for his trip as well. Any ideas for how to stretch our budget are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kaeley

This isn't going to save you any money unless you are purchasing those cards at a discount. In fact, it may end up costing you money if you don't use the GCs completely or not at all.

The restaurant.com GCs can save you money but make sure that you read the fine print completely before you purchase. They put restrictions on them that can make them difficult to use or force you to spend more money at the location than you would have intended to do. For instance, that $2 restaurant.com certificate that is worth $25 may require a minimum purchase of $50 that does not include tax, tip or alcoholic beverages. There may be restrictions as the days of the week on which it can be used or the time of day. You cannot use more than 1 certificate per table.

I'm not saying that the restaurant.com certificates are not worth it. They can save you a lot of money if you can use them under their restrictions. I've been able to dine at some restaurants that I may have never tried otherwise just by using restaurant.com GCs. I'm just letting you know that you need to understand what you are buying before you put your money down.

 

[DVC Sue]

I've seen some of the restaurants at the Swan offer certificates on restaurant.com. I think they have some marvelous restaurants there.