Is Disney Visa worth it?

[marlaine8]

Thinking of applying for the Disney Visa--I got a $200 incentive a couple of years ago and threw it out--now the only one is $40.
We go to WDW annually. I know you can have a special character meet in Epcot, but are there any other benefits that make it worth getting it? I've thought about getting one for a couple of years, and I've read here on the Budget Board that the benefits have been cut back.

 

[threeboysmom]

I think it's worth it... for the reward dollars alone. I've had my card since Day 1 and it's been put to good use.

I usually rack up about $400 reward dollars a year. Love being able to use that money to cut down on the expense of a Disney trip.

Hmmm... I don't even know what the other "benefits" are to having the card, lol.

 

[marlaine8]

So you get points towards a gift card when you use it? If I get one, I know I'll put our trip on it and pay it off right away. How much do you get per dollar spent?

 

[gillenkl]

1 Disney rewards dollar per $100 spent. This is the only credit card we have and I make all my purchases on it and pay off each month - otherwise if you're paying interest it defeats the purpose. I earn $300-$600 a year in reward dollars.

 

[gillenkl]

Here's a link to the benefits of the cards:
http://www.mychasecreditcards.com/d...&jp_cmp=cc/N05BRDisneyExact/sea/na/DisneyVisa

 

[marlaine8]

Thank you very much!

 

[DawnM]

We have had the Disney Visa for year, but this year we switched to Fidelity American Express.

Disney has 1% cash back (in the form of Disney cards)
Fidelity has 2% cash back on all purchases.

So, I can have double the amount to spend at Disney with Fidelity rewards if I so choose.

Now, some don't like Fidelity because you do have to open up a savings account with them and your rewards are deposited in there, but we have had our savings in Fedelity for a while and it is linked to our regular bank account, so we can transfer as needed/necessary quite easily.

Dawn

 

[amcnj]

There are other cards with rebates greater than 1%, and you can get cash back for the points so can in effect use them anywhere. The card is not bad, but may be a better choice as a backup card to use after you have maxed out the benefits of a more generous card.

 

[ToddyLu]

We use this card exclusively as well and had over $400 reward dollars for our last trip. I usually get a smile out of folks with Mickey and the Gang.

 

[DawnM]

Some of you spend way more than I ever do. $40K in spending equals $400 rewards......we don't buy enough with credit cards to come close.

Even when we had home repairs (new roof, new a/c, paint) we paid with cash because they gave us a huge discount for paying with cash......

Dawn

We use this card exclusively as well and had over $400 reward dollars for our last trip. I usually get a smile out of folks with Mickey and the Gang.

 

[kkmcan]

We use ours for just about everything except mortgage and car payments. We earn about $500 per year in reward dollars. I saved them up and used that towards our DL annual passes this past October.

 

[sara mom]

0% interest for 6 mos on Disney stays...hotels and cruises!

 

[budafam]

I would personally wait for a better sign up bonus. $40 isn't that much compared to their previous offers. I signed up when it was a $300 bonus and cashed out with an extra $500 for a vacation. I signed up for a Chase Freedom card that offered a $300 bonus and then a Southwest Visa which I just used the points this morning to purchase 5 round trip airline tickets for $190 total. Can't beat that.

The Disney card is okay but there are better ones out there. If you're someone who finances their trip before they pay for it, then you can get 6 months with no payments and no interest, which is worth it. Otherwise look into something like a Chase Freedom where you get 5% back on certain items (they change every 3 months).

 

[DreamLiveLoveDisney]

We've had ours for less than a year (maybe 7 or 8 months?) and already have $300+ in reward dollars. We have booked our next trip for January 2013, so we should have a nice amount of spending money, since this was not money we planned on having.

 

[nilseks]

In a word, NO. Not worth it. There are so many other reward programs out there that are better, and you could still put the $$$ toward your vacation. We had the Disney card for years and yes I accumulated a lot of $ but then I started looking around and really doing some research. IMO, Chase Ultimate Rewards is the best--you can earn up to 40% (yes, seriously) on some purchases through their mall. Discover comes in second. Again, just my opinion.

When I dumped my Disney card I started using the Chase Ultimate Rewards and in 3 months, I had enough points to get 4 free passes to Universal. That was over a $300 value. It would have taken me nearly a year to get $300 worth of Disney reward dollars.

 

[olecow]

I think it depends on what you're looking for. We tok advantage of a $200 reward dollar promotion in August (which was used towards our upcoming January trip).

I knew full well that there are cards with better rewards. However, with the Disney card it forces me to use the rewards for Disney vacations (which my family loves). If we received a regular cash card we may be tempted to waste the rewards on frivilous items like food and clothing. I just don't trust that I would use the rewards for a Disney trip. With the Disney card I have no choice.

Like others we charge everything on it and pay it off each month. I anticipate we'll earn between $400 and $500 "Disney Dollars" each year. For us it's worth it.

 

[hollypoast]

I've had the Disney card for years... it's so darn cute!

However, I'm switching to the Southwest card. It's a much better deal.

 

[tchrrx]

We used Chase for years, but maxed out on rewards and they quit offering us such good deals. We switched to Disney Visa after that. Last year we were able to purchase APs with the money that we'd earned. Couple that with our DVC and we were really only out the price of flights & food.

 

[luvdisney00]

There are other cards with better rewards and I do have some of those, but I still like my DV. As someone else posted the rewards are kind of a "forced" vacation savings and they do add up. DH gets to pay and get reimbursed for some work related expenses and we use it for all of our food and purchases and the rewards do start to accumulate. It's even better if you get a special offer which I have done in the past.

Just this week I did the DVC phone tour and got a $40 GC. This was an easy $40 and was only open to DV card holders. I think it's worth it.

 

[itutorfortravel]

Let me start by saying that we are the kind of family that charges EVERYTHING to a credit card but pays the balance in full each month.

That being said, we got the Chase Disney Visa a few years ago and enjoyed getting the points for our Disney trips. Then, about a year and a half ago I got an offer for the Amex Blue Sky card. I got some bonus points upfront which was nice. In addition, I get one point for every dollar I spend. When I reach 7500 points, I get a $100 travel credit on my account. So, if I want to apply it to ANY travel charge I make (hotel, cruise, etc.) I can do that, not just for Disney. (PLUS it takes 10,000 points to get $100 in Disney Dollars.)

The other nice thing is that with (I think 10,000) points you can get a general credit to your Amex account, not just for travel.

I am sure there are other cards out there that are good as well. I just find the Amex works for me, and I don't like opening too many accounts as I want to keep my good credit looking good