Gift cards

[Kingdome8]

probably been said somewhere in here

But I'm planning my next trip in 2019.

If I start buying gift cards now for a way to save and not spend do they ever expire? Or charge any holding fees?

 

[BrianL]

It'll be no problem. They do not expire and there are no fees. I think you can still get 5% off of them using a Target Red Card, so if that's something you are interested in, it could be helpful. You can also combine balances of cards, so if you are saving up a lot, you can simplify by transferring the balances to one card.

 

[erionm]

Disney Gift Cards never expire and they don't charge any fees.

https://www.disneygiftcard.com/ProductInformation/About

 

[gap2368]

My local sam club you can get a discount of like $7-8 when you buy $150

 

[EdmondD]

I'm sure there are better details about this posted somewhere on here, but if you go to a place like giftcardzen you can discounted Target gift cards, often offered at about a 4 percent discount, which you can then use to buy discounted Disney gift cards. Stacking discounts you'll get about nine percent off. We did this a few years ago and saved nearly $1,000 (it was an expensive vacation).

You have to be on the ball and scoop up the Target cards when they drop.

Since your original question was answered, just offering another tip!

 

[Kingdome8]

Awesome thanks.
I get 3% back on my bank credit card at target and grocery store and gas points at grocery store.

If I get target red debit card can I link it to my credit card or have to be a bank acct.
I assume bank acct. it would like 8% back. Lol

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I'm sure there are better details about this posted somewhere on here, but if you go to a place like giftcardzen you can discounted Target gift cards, often offered at about a 4 percent discount, which you can then use to buy discounted Disney gift cards. Stacking discounts you'll get about nine percent off. We did this a few years ago and saved nearly $1,000 (it was an expensive vacation).

You have to be on the ball and scoop up the Target cards when they drop.

Since your original question was answered, just offering another tip!

I believe Target stopped allowing Disney gift cards to be purchased with Target gift cards a while back. You can still purchase Disney gift cards with the Red card and get the 5% discount.

 

[EdmondD]

I believe Target stopped allowing Disney gift cards to be purchased with Target gift cards a while back. You can still purchase Disney gift cards with the Red card and get the 5% discount.

Ah, thanks, and sorry for spreading bad info.

 

[Tomh]

My local sam club you can get a discount of like $7-8 when you buy $150

If you buy online from Sams Club, you can get about $19 off a $500 card after you pay $1 for shipping.

Indeed cards don't expire, and there are no fees. Combining only works to a point though, each card has a limit of $1000 that it can carry, so if you combine two $500 cards together, that is all you can do. Meaning if you are saving up $6000 in cards, you can't put that all on one card, you would still need 3 cards to carry that much money on.

 

[philbrody]

Ah, thanks, and sorry for spreading bad info.

BJ's has them for 5% off and used the Disney Visa to get another 2% back. The only hurdle I found was using them to buy DVC AP's on-line. The on-line system only allowed for the use of 1 gift card at a time. Has to combine 10 cards in one (max is $1,000 on a single card) then buy the AP's individually. It all worked, just took me an extra hour to combine cards, purchase ticket by ticket, recombine cards, etc.

 

[gap2368]

If you buy online from Sams Club, you can get about $19 off a $500 card after you pay $1 for shipping.

Indeed cards don't expire, and there are no fees. Combining only works to a point though, each card has a limit of $1000 that it can carry, so if you combine two $500 cards together, that is all you can do. Meaning if you are saving up $6000 in cards, you can't put that all on one card, you would still need 3 cards to carry that much money on.

good to know about doing it online, sounds about the same discount at in the store ( they have 3 $50 gift cards that you can get together) I normally go about a week before I go to Disney then use the gift cards to pay for my hotel balance

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Just to add on Sam's Club, occasionally the Chase Freedom Card will offer 5% back during a particular quarter for purchases on Sam's Club. That works on GC's as well. So you'll get the store discount and you'll get 5% back with your Freedom. Pretty solid!

 

[Tomh]

good to know about doing it online, sounds about the same discount at in the store ( they have 3 $50 gift cards that you can get together) I normally go about a week before I go to Disney then use the gift cards to pay for my hotel balance

The difference is in store the biggest denomination I have seen is $150, 3 $50 cards. Online, you can buy a single $500 card. If you are going to buy $3000 in cards, that is a lot of cards at $50 each. Entering all those numbers to combine them would drive me crazy.

 

[momma2ethan]

The difference is in store the biggest denomination I have seen is $150, 3 $50 cards. Online, you can buy a single $500 card. If you are going to buy $3000 in cards, that is a lot of cards at $50 each. Entering all those numbers to combine them would drive me crazy.

May not be at all stores, but my local Sam's now carries the discounted $500gc in store. I just purchased last week but I'm not sure when they added them.

 

[gap2368]

The difference is in store the biggest denomination I have seen is $150, 3 $50 cards. Online, you can buy a single $500 card. If you are going to buy $3000 in cards, that is a lot of cards at $50 each. Entering all those numbers to combine them would drive me crazy.

This is why I just hand them to the front dest CM and they run them like a CC, and since I do not have to pay ( only my deposit) until I check in I just do it at check in. works for me.

 

[mindy lou]

I believe Target stopped allowing Disney gift cards to be purchased with Target gift cards a while back. You can still purchase Disney gift cards with the Red card and get the 5% discount.

I believe that you are no longer able to buy a Disney gift card and pay with a Target gift card on-line. However, I have been able to buy a Disney gift card with a Target gift card within the past month (both at a regular register and self check out). Keep in mind, if you are paying only with a Target gift card you won't receive the 5% off. I tend to do this with the "free" gift cards that I accumulate when purchasing certain things at Target (ie: spend $20 in healthcare get a $5 gift card). Once I have $50 in "free" Target gift cards I buy a Disney gift card. Otherwise, I use my Red Card to take advantage of the 5% savings.

 

[mindy lou]

Also BJ's on-line offers a 5% discount and you don't need to be a member. You could use your credit card with the best rewards to maximize or stack the savings.


http://m.bjs.com/search?Ntt=Disney Gift Card&N=

 

[MagicPlanning]

You could also load them on a Disney Vacation Account: https://disneyvacationaccount.disney.go.com/

You'll earn an additional $20 for every $1000 you spend on a Disney package.

 

[ChristineOH]

Sorry, redundant post.

 

[VillainFavs]

You've got some great advice here. We definitely use BJs to buy discounted cards and pay off our balance. But I would suggest that 2019 is a long way off. A lot can happen in two years. Do you really want to have lots of cash tied up in Disney gift cards for that long? I know it's a horrible thought, but what if you have to cancel the trip for some reason?

Why not put it in a savings account for the time being and then buy all the gift cards closer to the time of your actual trip?