Is this a change to paying dues with gift cards?

[Lorana]

Did anyone else see this notice in their DVC dashboard?

2025 Autopay Guidelines
While you are enrolled in Auto-Pay for Annual Dues, Disney Gift Cards and Disney Rewards Redemption Cards are not acceptable forms of payment per our terms and conditions. To make a payment with a Gift Card or Rewards card, please first un-enroll by selecting My Annual Dues > Manage Auto-Pay > Cancel Autopay. After making your payment, please re-enroll in Autopay by February 14 for any remaining balance due. If you are not re-enrolled in Autopay by February 14, any outstanding Annual Dues balance will be considered past due on February 15, subject to late fees and interest, and due in full. If you removed Autopay to pay in full , please remember to re-enroll if you want to continue with automatic payments for future years.

Is this just referring to paying your dues all at once with Gift Cards, and not about monthly payment enrollments? Like, I don't have to unenroll to pay with gift cards each month now in 2025 and risk late fees and interest if I do, right? I can still make a one-time payment to prepay the amount due? I will be very unhappy if they take away the ability to prepay my monthly amounts due with gift cards.

 

[JackosinDIS]

It look to me like they have removed the ability to pay monthly with gift cards

If you have to un-enroll, you wouldn’t be able to re-enroll after February 14.

 

[jennypenny]

I always put my rewards dollars towards dues every month and auto-pay adjusted to whatever was left for that month. I hope that option isn't gone.

 

[Sandisw]

It does look new to me and that you can’t just cover it monthly with the gift cards any longer every month.

 

[CarolynFH]

Not being able to pay monthly (or even pay several months in advance) with gift cards is very disappointing. We currently have enough in gift cards to pay all of 2025 dues, but we're also visiting in January and were counting on using those GCs to pay for meals, LLs, etc. and then using what's left - if any! - to pay dues, covering the remainder with GCs purchased through the year. Now to rethink our plan....

 

[Sandisw]

It mentioned something regarding th rules of monthly payments so I am trying to search for those.

 

[Hubalorian]

You could never auto pay using a gift card? I had to call each month to make my monthly payment with a gift card? I don’t see how that statement changes anything?

 

[CarolynFH]

You could never auto pay using a gift card? I had to call each month to make my monthly payment with a gift card? I don’t see how that statement changes anything?

You couldn’t autopay with GCs, but you could set up autopay and then pay online using GCs before a given monthly payment was taken from your bank account. You could even pre-pay several months at a time by manually applying GCs online.

We’re concerned that the new policy means you can’t do that anymore.

 

[Hubalorian]

You couldn’t autopay with GCs, but you could set up autopay and then pay online using GCs before a given monthly payment was taken from your bank account. You could even pre-pay several months at a time by manually applying GCs online.

We’re concerned that the new policy means you can’t do that anymore.

Okay I see what you mean after a closer read. I wonder if they will allow in gift card payments in 2026

 

[CarolynFH]

Okay I see what you mean after a closer read. I wonder if they will allow in gift card payments in 2026

I hope they’ll let us make incremental payments with GCs this coming year, although DH and I just reworked our plan.

 

[Sandisw]

I hope they’ll let us make incremental payments with GCs this coming year, although DH and I just reworked our plan.

I just tried to use a GC while enrolled in auto pay to put a credit on my dues and it would not let me.

It said it will only accept a Disney Visa or other CC….so, it does seem like this may indeed be a change.

 

[Sandisw]

To add, I still had my December amount on one contract left and it would also not let me use a GC to pay the remaining balance…I had to use a CC

I did not unenroll in autopay to see if the option for GC would come up because I don’t want to mess it up.

Definitely is different…will be interesting to see how it works once dues post.

 

[Cfabar1]

I did not realize this was an option - I had thought with gift cards you had to pay in full... Can you do autopay monthly with a normal credit card? or does it have to be a bank account?

 

[Disneycouple99]

So when I go and pay balance for dues and select the payment method, I click new card and the option for gift card or Disney rewards card are there as well as adding a new credit card.

 

[Sandisw]

I did not realize this was an option - I had thought with gift cards you had to pay in full... Can you do autopay monthly with a normal credit card? or does it have to be a bank account?

Only a bank account.

I just re read the notice again and it’s definitely been changed and you can not use a gift card when enrolled in auto pay as it says it’s not allowed under the rules. It doesn’t even give me that choice any longer.

It goes on to say to pay with the GC, you have to un enroll, pay and re enroll, but be sure to do so by Feb 15th or a late penalty will occur

What I am now wondering is if someone decides to get out of the auto pay in say March to use the gift card if it will automatically take on a late fee before they have a chance to re enroll.

I certainly won’t be trying that!! I guess the gift cards I just bought will be used for the trips and to pay for mt Disney cruise in March!!!

 

[CarolynFH]

It goes on to say to pay with the GC, you have to un enroll, pay and re enroll, but be sure to do so by Feb 15th or a late penalty will occur

Yes, that statement made me wonder whether you could unenroll, pay with GC, re-enroll, and repeat each time you wanted to make a payment with a GC. Seems like a lot of work, but if they’d let us, I’d do it in order to pay with discounted GCs!

We’ve decided to pay our 2025 dues in full with the GCs we have and also buy more to use on our January visit. And if we don’t have enough GCs to cover trip expenses, we’ll pay with our Disney Visa and get reward points!

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, that statement made me wonder whether you could unenroll, pay with GC, re-enroll, and repeat each time you wanted to make a payment with a GC. Seems like a lot of work, but if they’d let us, I’d do it in order to pay with discounted GCs!

We’ve decided to pay our 2025 dues in full with the GCs we have and also buy more to use on our January visit. And if we don’t have enough GCs to cover trip expenses, we’ll pay with our Disney Visa and get reward points!

I hope someone is willing to risk a late fee to try! I just have a feeling this change was to prevent thr partial payments once auto pay was selected.

 

[CarolynFH]

I hope someone is willing to risk a late fee to try! I just have a feeling this change was to prevent thr partial payments once auto pay was selected.

Maybe some of us were cutting it too close to the 15th (I paid by the 10th), and they were having troubles stopping/starting the drafts from the banks? No, paying with a CC would be the same, wouldn’t it, so that’s probably not the reason. Has to be something about GCs vs. CC.

 

[JackosinDIS]

I think they just don’t want people taking advantage of interest free payments over the 12 months, but then paying by gift cards in any event. Disney probably views the interest free period as being made available in return for having security that it will receive payments from the bank. I don’t see any terms and conditions which specifically prevent early payment by GC, although the language in the home resort rules and regs does say
“The monthly payment option
is only available on a direct debit basis from a U.S. bank account”
Overall, seems a little spiteful by DVC!

 

[Cfabar1]

Can you still make monthly payments on the credit card if you do it the way gift cards used to let you?