Gift cards?

[GPC0321]

I've often seen DISers posting about using gift cards while in the parks. Is there any advantage to using them? I saw some $25 ones at Wal-Mart Saturday and was tempted to grab one or two. I thought about maybe getting one or two per month until our trip and then a few extras around Christmas and tax refund time. Seems like a neat little way to put money aside specifically for the trip.
I'd love to hear from those who use them, how they use them (dining, souvenirs, room?), and why they use them over other payment methods.
TIA!

 

[Mckymousefn]

There is no advantage of using them. But for me, I like using the gift cards because 1...... security and 2....easier to save.

With peoples accounts getting hacked into now a days, I like using the GC's because its not tied to a checking or savings account. And as far as savings, I know once I put the money on the GC... I can't just use it anywhere, it would have to be something to do with Disney so it helps to save.

 

[wdwrich]

I've often seen DISers posting about using gift cards while in the parks. Is there any advantage to using them? I saw some $25 ones at Wal-Mart Saturday and was tempted to grab one or two. I thought about maybe getting one or two per month until our trip and then a few extras around Christmas and tax refund time. Seems like a neat little way to put money aside specifically for the trip.
I'd love to hear from those who use them, how they use them (dining, souvenirs, room?), and why they use them over other payment methods.
TIA!

There can be a $ advantage in that in some instances, you can buy the gift cards at a discount. As an example, if you purchase the Disney gift cards at Target using their Red Card, you get a 5% discount on the purchase, so buying $100 worth only costs you $95.

 

[tlmadden73]

For one reason that I know

You can buy them at Target with your Red Card to get 5% off. Buy enough of them and you can pay for your whole vacation at 5% discount.


The thing is it is a pain to carry around $50 cards.

So what I did is I bought several hundred dollars worth of them .. charged everything to my Magic Band .. and then used the gift cards to pay off my resort room bill every night.
Occassionally I would take one with me in the park to pay for a big meal, but mostly just used them at the front desk.

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

People have been using very creative was to get gift cards for less than the face value.
Some use Target Redcard (I just bought a $50 when I was purchasing some other things and got 5% off the gift card.
Some are doing some forms of "stacking" to get even more money off.
I haven't done it yet but there are online websites that you can take survey's and watch videos and do offers that earn you points to turn in for free gift cards for places that sell Disney cards. (I read in the policies not to post links to them so I'm not clear even if this board would allow me to post the site names so I'm playing it safe.)

Back to the 5%, just doing that and saving the $2.50 (5%) makes sense to me. It's better than my Disney Visa 1%.

Oh I found BJ's whole sale club has a bundle of 3 $50 cards for $144.99.

Also I believe there is a way to combine gift cards so I'll be figuring that all out.

Good luck.

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

For one reason that I know

You can buy them at Target with your Red Card to get 5% off. Buy enough of them and you can pay for your whole vacation at 5% discount.


The thing is it is a pain to carry around $50 cards.

So what I did is I bought several hundred dollars worth of them .. charged everything to my Magic Band .. and then used the gift cards to pay off my resort room bill every night.
Occassionally I would take one with me in the park to pay for a big meal, but mostly just used them at the front desk.

Didn't know I could pay my credit card off at the front desk with Gift Cards. Hmmm
Well it doesn't really matter because right now I'm saving for my 2017 vacation, so my Disney Visa rewards and whatever gift cards I don't end up using will go towards that vacation. It's kind of a game, but if you have time to play it.....you save some money to add extras to the vacation.

 

[Mckymousefn]

FYI, I was just at Target last week to get GC's and you don't get the discount on purchasing them with the Target card anymore

 

[Mckymousefn]

People have been using very creative was to get gift cards for less than the face value.
Some use Target Redcard (I just bought a $50 when I was purchasing some other things and got 5% off the gift card.
Some are doing some forms of "stacking" to get even more money off.
I haven't done it yet but there are online websites that you can take survey's and watch videos and do offers that earn you points to turn in for free gift cards for places that sell Disney cards. (I read in the policies not to post links to them so I'm not clear even if this board would allow me to post the site names so I'm playing it safe.)

Back to the 5%, just doing that and saving the $2.50 (5%) makes sense to me. It's better than my Disney Visa 1%.

Oh I found BJ's whole sale club has a bundle of 3 $50 cards for $144.99.

Also I believe there is a way to combine gift cards so I'll be figuring that all out.

Good luck.

Yes, you can combine then GC's. If you go onto the Disney Gift Card site, you can combine them there.. as long as 1 of the cards is a reloadable card. And incase you didn't know... as long as the GC doesn't have an $ amount on the front, its reloadable.

 

[SUSIEQ]

FYI, I was just at Target last week to get GC's and you don't get the discount on purchasing them with the Target card anymore

That's strange. It worked perfectly for me yesterday.

 

[DisneyMandC]

FYI, I was just at Target last week to get GC's and you don't get the discount on purchasing them with the Target card anymore

You do still get the discount, just do it online. Some stores will let you get the discount in store as well, but the safest bet to always get it to work is to buy online.

 

[MischaOz]

Sam's Club sells packages of 3 $50 GCs for $143.

 

[Mckymousefn]

That's strange. It worked perfectly for me yesterday.

I was there last Tuesday and the cashier said that it no longer applies when you use your Target card. I did go to Sam's and got the $150 pack for $142.97 though.

 

[Marionnette]

I was there last Tuesday and the cashier said that it no longer applies when you use your Target card. I did go to Sam's and got the $150 pack for $142.97 though.

You don't ask the cashier (they're almost as misinformed as Disney phone CMs). You just swipe your Target REDCard to pay and the 5% automatically comes off.

 

[5kidsmommy]

I pay for my trip with gift cards that I purchase at the grocery store and get free gas from. For my upcoming trip the purchase of gift cards has given me three full tanks of gas in my suburban for $0. That's a pretty big savings for me and makes buying the gift cards totally worth it. Since I bought my gift cards when they were doubling perks my savings was about 12%, sure I paid face value for the git cards but I got savings elsewhere and all the money I spend comes from the same bank account so a savings is a savings.

 

[5Hfan]

Yes, you can combine then GC's. If you go onto the Disney Gift Card site, you can combine them there.. as long as 1 of the cards is a reloadable card. And incase you didn't know... as long as the GC doesn't have an $ amount on the front, its reloadable.

I just combined multiple gift cards 2 weeks ago and none of them were reloadable, just regular $50 increment Disney gift cards. Someone had posted a link on the board to the site.

 

[PantherPete]

My kids go to Catholic school. They have something called TRIP, which stands for Tuition Reimbursement Incentive Program. You can pick from about 75 or 80 different gift cards. Depending on which card you buy, you get a % credited to your tuition for next year. Disney is one of the choices. I could've gotten 4%. But, my local grocery chain is also on the list for 4% and they sell Disney cards AND give Fuel Perks, which amounts to $.10 for every $50 spent. So to pay for my upcoming trip, I bought many thousands of $ worth of my grocery store gift cards from my sons' school. Got that credit on tuition, then took those gift cards and bought enough Disney gift cards to pay for our entire trip and got myself about 7 free tanks of gas in the process.

 

[GPC0321]

I am in awe of the gift carding knowledge! Keep it coming! I'm taking notes!

 

[PantherPete]

What I'd like to know is if there is any way to link gift cards to magic bands. I'd like to give my kids the ability to buy some things on their own in the parks but don't want their magic bands linked to my credit card (for obvious reasons - made that mistake on their IPODS and $500 worth of extra candy crush lives later I had to have a little "talk" with them).

 

[wdwrich]

What I'd like to know is if there is any way to link gift cards to magic bands. I'd like to give my kids the ability to buy some things on their own in the parks but don't want their magic bands linked to my credit card (for obvious reasons - made that mistake on their IPODS and $500 worth of extra candy crush lives later I had to have a little "talk" with them).

No, as far as I/we know, there is no way to link a gift card to a magic band.

 

[DisneyMandC]

What I'd like to know is if there is any way to link gift cards to magic bands. I'd like to give my kids the ability to buy some things on their own in the parks but don't want their magic bands linked to my credit card (for obvious reasons - made that mistake on their IPODS and $500 worth of extra candy crush lives later I had to have a little "talk" with them).

Unfortunately, no. Or at least not when I went in April. You could always give them a gift card (if they can keep track of it) and tell them when it's out, it's out. Depending on how much you want to give them to spend, you can combine gift cards onto one so that way they're not keeping up with multiple.