Halloween Party Early Purchase for Disney Visa Holders

[Harold]

I have to say, I am always a little disenchanted when I see the hard facts that drive the Disney money machine. We are DVC members, AP holders & D23 but I always tune out when I hear the word Visa. I have never really paid much attention to the Disney Visa offers, but I heard today that DVC members and Disney Visa card holders could purchase the Halloween party tickets before the AP holders on July 9th. Great!

So I call... No Mr. Harold, that offers is only for Disney Visa card holders. Are you sure I ask? Yes. As I take a second and try to digest how the tens of thousands of dollars I have thrown at Disney, has been trumped by the individuals who hold this magical little card. He asks if I would like him to double check on that info, only if it's wrong I reply, and now I am on hold. When he returns, turns out he was wrong, it is for both and would I like to buy them over the phone? Yes. Will you be using a Disney Visa... No.

Here is the thing, what people do with their money is none of my business. However, I am pondering how many more vacation points, annual passes, D23 renewals I will consider purchasing given the value Disney is placing on the revenue generated by:

INTEREST RATES AND INTEREST CHARGES

14.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.a

0% Promo APR for the first six billing cycles following the purchase date for each qualifying Disney vacation package purchase, provided your account is not past due on the purchase date.d After that, 14.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.a

Balance Transfer APR

14.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.a

Cash Advance APR

19.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.b

Overdraft Advance APR

19.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.b

Penalty APR and When It Applies

24.24%. This APR will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate.c

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How Long Will the Penalty APR Apply: If your APRs are increased for any of these reasons, the Penalty APR will apply indefinitely.

FEES

Annual Membership Fee - None

Transaction fees

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I am guessing I will get plenty of responses from those of you whose first thought runs to "Quit complaining and just get one, do not carry a balance and pay it on time. That's what we do." or "Why wouldn't you get one, It's free and the perks are as good or better than DVC, AP & D23".

Some of the offers include "Sign here and I'll give ya fifty bucks", "We will give you 1% of the merchant fees we collect from your purchases, from any business you patronize.", "Loan shark Meet N' Greet with photo", "All of the discounts DVC, AP & D23 get and discounts at Disney Store which they do not." Not to mention today's offer.

The people I do not expect responses from, are those who make Disney Visa card holders so valuable. Given the status you command, I am guessing you "valuable ones" are a fairly large group. I am also curious how many "valuable ones", understand why they are so "valuable"?

To sum up, if you are not able to get a Halloween party ticket because they were sold out, do one of the following before the next one.

Join Disney Vacation Club, 12K minimum + yearly dues

Buy an Annual Pass, $450 minimum per year

(Unsure if D23 will get a crack at it but it's 80 something a year)

Or join a club where the dues are generate by it's members borrowing money, and a statistical guarantee that a significant percentage of the club's members will repeatedly have an inability to repay that loan on time. Hey, "No Annual Membership Fee" though.

 

[Harold]

Given that these special ticketed events reduce the park hours available on annual passes, sort of an extra kick in the teeth that they would offer the advanced advanced double secret probation purchases to Visa & DVC members before AP's. How long before we see "Tuesdays with Michael", park closes Tuesdays at 3pm and anyone willing to pony up $69 can lay down a wager with Michael Vick on the outcome of Pluto & Goofy in the Haunted Mansion stretching room. Where is the line drawn on these things? As fun as these events are, If I am an premium pass-holder (currently only deluxe), I begin to wonder how much they can reduce the available park hours to hold events that I now have to pay to access, during times the park should be open and now have second to last dibs on getting tickets.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

I want to preface my post by saying I agree with some of the points you make. I will also say that I do have the Disney Visa Card and did use it to purchase the party tix. I only use it for vacations as I get 0% on all vacation packages. I am not a lover or a hater of the card. It is what it is... a credit card.

I think you are forgetting one important aspect... It is the Chase Disney Visa Card. This is a cobranded card. I don't work at Chase but I am pretty familiar with credit cards, cobranded credit cards and banking. I would think that all the income from APR's, fees, interchange, etc goes directly to Chase not Disney. My assumption is that Disney earns a per new card commission, small piece of interchange and maybe an annual bonus based on cardholder spend. The kickbacks - $50 for opening the card probably come from Chase not Disney. The direct mail is probably paid for by Chase but the mail list is provided by Disney.

I bet that the contract that Visa and Disney share requires Disney to have a certain amount of cardholder perks. An example is the private character meet and greet. The Halloween Party is probably another one. While it may anger some loyal Disney lovers Disney may see this as an easy way to meet a contractual obligation.

Again, I don't work for Disney or Chase. I am making suggestions based on my professional experience.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Halloween tickets have never sold out prior to being released to the general public....in fact they don't usually sell out until a few weeks before. We've bought Halloween weekend tickets a month in advance before. Am I surprised Disney Visa gets tickets before APs? Yes, its usually at the same time. Is it any reason to get your panties in a bunch? Nope!

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,

I am both a PAP holder and a Disney Visa Card member. Generally those two cover everything I need from Disney. I only use my Disney Visa Card when I need a Disney perk...for example I purchased my Halloween Party Tickets with my Disney Visa.

Quite often the Disney Visa perks are the same as the PAP perks. But not so in this case.

Understand your frustration.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Love my Disney Visa card. I use it like a debit card, buy everything with it. But I also make sure there is no balance at the end of the month. They may be able to game you with interest rates, but you can game them right back by not carrying a balance. Kind of nice going to DL with $300 extra Disney bucks a year from the card.

 

[2Brave]

Understand OP frustration. I purchased my Halloween tickets with my Chase Disney Visa card and will pay off the balance right away. I never use my Chase Disney Visa card anymore as I found better cards that paid more cash back. In fact I got my new card in 2010, never activated it until 5 minutes before calling and purchasing the tickets last week.

I like the points made about may be some agreement with Chase. Maybe this is why the early purchase was never advertised by Disney.

 

[dkrahne]

Would it sound awful if I say thanks, you reminded me to get my tickets? I'm really really excited about going this year!!!!!

 

[Harold]

This is not s statement on the "quality" of the consumer debt product offered by Disney/Chase, but more a statement about consumer debt products, and what affords the credit card issuers the ability to offer such nice perks. Like I stated above, I am sure the "we pay it off every month and never incur a fee club" will be the people we hear from in this thread. But think about it, the rewards you earn are paid for by the _______ in your club who are paying 15% - 29% + fees on revolving debt every month (assuming they can) as a result of the get it now, and pay for it later mentality. These "rewards" are not created in a vacuum, and Chase and Disney know exactly how to lure new _______, in this case, Disney is the lure.

One of the issues I take with this is that a rather large percentage of this debt is borne by young adults (our kids). Like new smokers, get them when they are young. This business is predicated upon the lack of a true understanding of the product being offered and that lack of understanding being passed down. Like the warning label that comes on cigarettes (which I doubt a single person has ever heeded), watermark the interest rate and not a cartoon on the front of the card, or at least have Joe Camel holding a sign with the interest rate & fees. I wonder how many good, responsible people have found themselves under the compounding snowball of missed payments and accrued interest having never considered it a possibility?


Like I said in the beginning, these are the "hard facts" that are the world we live in, nothing Disney or Chase are doing is illegal, and "predatory" unfortunately contradicts my belief that everything that happens to someone is a direct result of their own actions. It is just unfortunate that Disney is supporting a reward program funded by the financially uneducated, including some of your children. Funny, we still have yet to hear from the core of the club, the late paying 29%'s. If you think for a minute that these cards exist without the 29%'s, you have truly missed the point. If you do understand this concept, you perpetuate a reward system based on the ignorance of others. Go get em' sport, don't forget to grind your heel into their thorax on your way to the meet n' greet. Oh, and don't try the merchant fee argument, I pay these fees. Merchant fees go to the clearinghouses and Visa, it is the issuing banks and partners that collect the interest and fees and co-brand the cards with folks like Disney who provide the "lure".

I love Disney, always have. Over the years I have thrown money hand over fist at the mouse. I loved it as a kid, and I enjoy it even more with my kids. I have on many occasions modeled my own business practices on that of Disney. All that being said, sometimes you still need to ask, "hey, is that your thumb"?

As for princess "panties in a bunch", the $69 ticketed D23 "Bunch your panties with Minnie" event will be held on September 7th. Park closes to the general public and pass-holders at 10am. Event will be held @ Goofy's house, hot pockets & Jello shots will be provided. We will be offering advanced purchase to Visa cardholders, even though there is no reason for doing so.

 

[Harold]

Would it sound awful if I say thanks, you reminded me to get my tickets? I'm really really excited about going this year!!!!!

We have ours for the 26th, and are also very excited! This does not however make any of my previous statements untrue.

 

[Harold]

Love my Disney Visa card. I use it like a debit card, buy everything with it. But I also make sure there is no balance at the end of the month. They may be able to game you with interest rates, but you can game them right back by not carrying a balance. Kind of nice going to DL with $300 extra Disney bucks a year from the card.

You are dialed in my man! Keep your eyes closed, and Tinkerbell will keep printing up those Disney bucks to give away to special folks such as yourself.

The only people you are "gaming" are the folks who thought they could use it and not carry a balance. I can not imagine a circumstance where someone knowingly entered in to one these deals thinking "I am gonna rack up a big ol' balance and pay 29% on that bad boy for the next 20 years", so I am taking a shot in the dark here, that maybe a good percentage of the 29% club had a different strategy starting out.

I suppose I am a bit of a hypocrite, We love going to Vegas and although we enjoy the food, entertainment & amenities, at the end of the day it was all built on the backs of degenerate gamblers who probably though it was all built for their personal enjoyment. So I extend a big thank you to all of those people who ran to Vegas with the intention of "gaming" them, I absolutely love the resorts you have financed.

 

[gert]

You are dialed in my man! Keep your eyes closed, and Tinkerbell will keep printing up those Disney bucks to give away to special folks such as yourself.

The only people you are "gaming" are the folks who thought they could use it and not carry a balance. I can not imagine a circumstance where someone knowingly entered in to one these deals thinking "I am gonna rack up a big ol' balance and pay 29% on that bad boy for the next 20 years", so I am taking a shot in the dark here, that maybe a good percentage of the 29% club had a different strategy starting out.

I suppose I am a bit of a hypocrite, We love going to Vegas and although we enjoy the food, entertainment & amenities, at the end of the day it was all built on the backs of degenerate gamblers who probably though it was all built for their personal enjoyment. So I extend a big thank you to all of those people who ran to Vegas with the intention of "gaming" them, I absolutely love the resorts you have financed.

So responsible cardholders should lose sleep at night because consenting adults charge more on their credit cards than they can afford?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

As for princess "panties in a bunch", the $69 ticketed D23 "Bunch your panties with Minnie" event will be held on September 7th. Park closes to the general public and pass-holders at 10am. Event will be held @ Goofy's house, hot pockets & Jello shots will be provided. We will be offering advanced purchase to Visa cardholders, even though there is no reason for doing so.

Not sure what that second part is about. But my "panties in a bunch" statement was referring to this part of your OP:

To sum up, if you are not able to get a Halloween party ticket because they were sold out, do one of the following before the next one.

Because the facts are: if you aren't getting party tickets because they are sold out its not because they were sold to DVC, Disney Visa or even AP holders....its because you waited until the last minute or you are buying less than a month out for the most popular nights (ie the first party or Halloween night itself). It's not because the "elite" bought them all first. Even the most popular nights don't sell out until September, and tickets go on sale in July.

 

[Harold]

So responsible cardholders should lose sleep at night because consenting adults charge more on their credit cards than they can afford?

Although I consider the term "responsible cardholder" a but of a misnomer, I could not agree more about taking personal responsibility for your actions.

Maybe the "Gods & Clods" approach is the best way to approach this. However, if you do suddenly find yourself loosing sleep over reaping the rewards generated by the clods, you can use your Disney Bucks to buy a mild night time sedative. Better yet, just grab one of the clods by the noggin and squeeze, you can juice the serotonin right from the Pineal gland.

 

[Harold]

It's not because the "elite" bought them all first. Even the most popular nights don't sell out until September, and tickets go on sale in July.

Elite would not be the word I would choose to describe the Visa group (unless indentured servitude is now an elitist endeavor). The Elite are the names that go on the payee line when you mail your monthly payments.

The discussion centers more around the value Disney places on the group generating revenue as a result of it's relationship with Chase bank and it's consumer debt product. Furthermore, how Disney in this instance may be the crazy bearded bug eyed dude in a trench-coat parked outside a middle school, luring kids to the car with offers of candy and prizes.

What I am discovering as more people respond, is how many consenting adults that think they are "gaming" (new word I picked up today) this psycho by scoring all the free candy while getting a free ride, oblivious to the idea that they might be heading for the woods for a good ole' fashioned buggering.

it's more a discussion about moral and ethical business practices (also becoming a misnomer), than the availability of party tickets and who gets to line up first to buy them. And just so we are clear and do not have to revisit the issue again. I agree, that anybody who wants a party ticket will probably get a party ticket, even the clods.

 

[mmlover74]

We pay our Disney Visa each month religiously. Is it tough sometimes, yes, but we still pay it. We usually use the Disney reward dollars for souvenears and food. However, we are now saving them for a cruise. Either way, it helps paying for part of the trip and allows us to budget foreach time we go.

 

[chrissiecutie]

It sucks that credit card companies work the way that they do, but it's our reality. Perhaps that will change in the future, but most likely not. IMO, it's up to the consumer to decide if they want to become a part of this "system". Disney or Chase for that matter, do not force anyone to open up their credit card. We as consumers make that decision and must be responsible for how we choose to use that card.

Yes, it can be super frustrating to non-Disney Visa members that they have to wait a little longer to buy the Halloween Tix. But as folks have pointed out, it's not likely to sell out until we get closer to the actual party dates. So it seems chances are pretty darn good that everyone will get a fair shot at buying tickets. Unless of course your some poor Joe who tries to buy them at the gate on Halloween night.

There's so many things about Disney that we could all have issues with. For example, why do only on-site hotel guests get daily MM? Or how come AP's have so many blockout dates? KWIM? But when you choose to stay at an off-site hotel rather then pay the higher on-site prices, you turn your back on this "perk". And likewise to buying an AP. You get lots of perks but it comes with lots of blockout dates. So for me, the same could be said about the Disney Visa. If you *choose* to open up a credit card, you will get the added perks. Like being able to buy Halloween party tix early. But you will also get a pretty crappy credit card.

Personally, I love Disney just as you do OP. And I'm sad that it doesn't seem to be the Disney that I grew up with. It's most definitely a money machine, more so then I think it ever was....but that doesn't keep me from visiting, from buying my Tigger Tails & Pluto hat for DS and using my Disney Visa to do it. I know that I'm being taken for a ride and I guess I'm ok with that...the perks sure are great!

 

[Gamegrl1]

Wow...I have July 16th marked on the calendar but will move it up now since I've got the Disney Visa! Well, it's just not smart to carry a balance at all but I never do so although I read the credit card agreements I don't worry about APR's. Just as long as there's no annual fee. I don't use the Disney Visa much anymore either since I got my Southwest Visa. The points on the Disney one take too long to accumulate. For the Southwest card, the lame thing is that one does have an annual fee but seeing as how I got a cross-country flight for a whopping $10 and just booked another one to southern CA for $5, I get my money's worth. We'll be flying to WDW in 18 months basically for free too! Sorry for the tangent. Sounds like there's some sour grapes out there, though.

P.S. I got $200 Disney dollars for signing up!

 

[Davids-Coco]

When I called to get my tickets, the CM was very clear that we could do it with my Visa or with my DVC member number. I would try calling back.

 

[Gamegrl1]

In case the other posts did not mention this, the MNSSHP tix went on sale in June...I believe it was 6/27. Anyway, you can get them *now* if you're a Disney Visa card holder, like the thread said. Bonus - I just called and got mine and they are only $46!!!!! (For the 10/9 date, anyway...they'll probably be more for the dates closer to Halloween) There was a $5 service charge which the Cast Member waived without me even asking.