NO AMEX DISCOUNT FOR DVC MEMBERS THIS IS DISNEY's POLICY and verified BY MEMBER SERVICES!

[minimahaki]

A DVC Member friend of mine returned from a recent WDW vacation. He was informed that he was no longer entitled to the American Express Discount of 20% at Downtown Disney because he is a DVC Member. Can anyone explain WHY this benefit was eliminated?

I JUST CALLED AMEX AND WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS A MERCHANT'S POLICY AND NOT AMERICAN EXPRESSES!

I just called Member services and yes they verified the no AMEX Discount for DVC Members staying on points.
I will be calling my guide to get her input.



Lauretta
DVC Member since May, 1993
<IMG SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused">

[This message was edited by minimahaki on 04-25-01 at 08:31 AM.

[This message was edited by minimahaki on 04-25-01 at 11:10 AM.]

 

[scottarcj]

How would the merchants know they were DVC if paying with AMEX? Did they have to show there guest ID?

Happy ºoº-ing
Alan & Cindy

1991 (Alan) - off-site
1992 - Dixie Landings
1995 - Dolphin
1996 (Alan) - off-site @ DL
1997 - Wilderness Homes & Caribbean Beach
1998 (Alan) - DL-Paris
1998 - DLHotel @ DL
1999 - All Star Sports (purchased DVC)
1999 (Alan) - Tokyo-DL
1999 - Contemporary Tower & BWV (first time as DVC)
2000 - DL-Paris
2001 (planned) - BWV

 

[Dean]

This has come up before and the discount should apply.

Dean

 

[Nanajo1]

We were told the Amex discount is only for those with "cash" stays at WDW resorts. You are asked to prove you are staying at WDW resort and then pay with the AMEX. We asked which discount was the best when we were paying, DC or Amex and were told Amex if you are staying at a WDW resort. We told them we were at BW and they rang up the 20% discount. During the conversation we mentioned we were DVC and the CMs said to be quiet because DVCs staying on points were not eligible for the larger discount even if paying with Amex. They could not explain it.I'm thinking of contact Amex. We charge everything to Amex, airfare, all chargeson our room card and I feel we should get rewarded for that

Nanajo DVC 8/98

Offsite 5/78
Contemp 11/85
BWV 3/99
OKW 11/99
BWV 3/01
OKW 11/01

 

[PamOKW]

This keeps coming up and with different responses. Someone here contacted DVC and was told that we were to get the discount. I agree that maybe getting an answer from AMEX may be the way to go.

 

[minimahaki]

I just called the Platinum division of American Express and was informed that the policy of DVC members not receiving the 20% discount is a merchant's policy and not American Express's policy. Boy this makes me upset! Being penalized because we are members! This is just not fair!
Lauretta
Minimahaki
DVC Members since May, 1993

 

[PamOKW]

Don't get mad, yet. I know someone here (can't find the post) discussed this with DVC and was told we do get the discount. Now we know which side to deal with (Disney) to get an answer.

 

[DebbieB]

I thought you just had to pay with AmEx and show your resort ID to prove you were staying at a WDW resort, I always got the discount this way (I thought it was 15%, $50 min). About a year ago, I handed my AmEx and resort ID to the CM at WoD and she asked if I had charged my room to AmEX (I was staying at GF that time). I said no and she said to get the discount you have to use AmEx for your room charge to get the discount. <IMG SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused"> I then used MKC and got 10%.

 

[KNWVIKING]

I've plopped down on the counter my AMEX, DC, PAP, DVC card, resort key and simply asked which is best.I've never gotten the 20%, 10% is pretty easy everywhere. One shop would have given the 20% on AMEX if my purchase was over $50.00. The best and most relible discount is at Epcot,in Dec when we purchase the Candle Light Processional dinner package. On the day of your performance you wear a lanyard with appropriate paperwork and get a 15% discount,no arguments,no grief.CM's knowledge of the various discounts ranks right up there with pool hopping.

 

[LIDisneyFan]

I had the same experience as Debbie B. We would told at OKW 2 weeks ago that you can now only get the discount if you pay cash for your room. If you are charging incidentals to your room, and using points (like I did - by the way, incidentals ran about $1400 this last trip), the discount (Amex's White Glove program) would NOT be applied.

Is it me, or are the serious, consistant issues with communication of policies/benefits for DVC members?

 

[DVCajun]

I still don't see how the CM would know if you were a DVC member or not. I can see why you wouldn't be able to get BOTH discounts. I can also see why Amex would say it was the merchant's policy-- because it isn't theirs. They probalby don't know what Disney does, they are just saying that because if there is such a policy it must be Disney's and not theirs. I really doubt this is accurate. Sometimes you get a CM who doesn't know what they're talking about. Regardless, you know what discounts you are entitled to (my point is that you don't necessarily need to plop down every card in your wallet for the CM to inspect), and if Amex offers a higher discount than DVC, use it.

Pixie dust!!

Audrey

 

[PamOKW]

Audrey, to get the AMEX discount you have to show your AMEX card and your Disney Resort ID. In the past, this has always included DVC resorts as well. When you show your ID, it is clearly marked "DVC Member". That's how the CM knows.

You are right that you only can use one discount at a time. I've had CMs help me figure out which is the best discount since they change the dollar limits, stores, etc. so often it's sometimes hard to keep track.

If they have taken this WDW resort guest perk away from DVC members, I am not very happy. I think this is more valuable than pool hopping!

 

[CarolAnnC]

The CM ringing up your sale knows if you are DVC because in order to get the 15% Amex off your $50 or more purchase, you must also show your room key proving you are staying at a WDW Resort. If you are staying on points, it states DVC Member on the key. Interestingly enough, my last visit I was staying a couple of nights on points and several on cash, but check in night was on points, so my room key stated "member". I had to argue the point that the day I was purchasing, I was a cash paying WDW Resort guest. They did give me the Amex 15% however.

<font size=4><font color=purple><font face=BrushArt>Carol</font></font></font>

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[LIDisneyFan]

There is some connection to your room bill. If I remember this correctly, Disney approves the discount based upon you paying your room bill with Amex. Therefore, they can deny the discount.

Otherwise, the discount could be used by ANY Amex card holder whether they paid for ANY of their vaction using Amex at all, (or were even staying at a WDW resort)

 

[godzilla]

<font color=green>
...just last week. We brought our purchases to the WoD cashier and presented our Amex and DVC card. We were politely told that the DVC/Amex 20% discount only is applicable if you are staying at a DVC resort as a guest and not as a member!!

Now, where did this policy come from?? I explained that we've received the discount before but our claims were shot down on all points (no pun intended! ).

I agree that there should be a clarification from DVC, AMEX, WoD or a combination of all three as I'm getting tired of hearing a different story every time we're down there....

Just my $0.02 ... FWIW

-g
</font>

 

[minimahaki]

Audry
Trust me I suspected this was Disney's policy and not AMEX I made the call this morning.
Lauretta
DVC Member since May. 1993.

 

[PamOKW]

Since we have been receiving this discount in the past, I think DVC should at least make the members aware of the change. It's ridiculous to have us arguing at the DD stores and to be unsure of what the policy truly is. If we use our AMEX as the card at check-in I don't see any reason not to be entitled to the discount. A few expensive dinners can easily surpass what someone charges to their All-Star discount rate account.

 

[minimahaki]

I called member services and they verified the fact that we do not get the AMEX discount when we stay at WDW on points. I feel very violated and discriminated against as a DVC member. You know , a few years after we became members (it could have been sooner), they stopped serving munchies at the Gurgling Suitcase. Another member stated on more than one occasion" They got your money now so why should they give you those little extras!" I disagreed with him at that time and told him that as DVC members we are at WDW so frequently we just begin to see through the magic. I reflect back I think of incidents that happened and continue to happen such as this discount and I wonder if this member was correct. Don't misunderstand me, I LOVE MY DVC MEMBERHIP. If it were not for this club I would never be able to travel the way I do. And if I am that unhappy I could sell my points. In fact, if I were to sell my membership I would probably make money. I used to feel special being a DVC Member now I feel discriminated against because I am a member.

 

[PamOKW]

minimahaki I don't like hearing this either. I don't think it's so much that they've got our money as that the "club" has grown so large. We truly used to be treated special but there were less than 25,000 of us then. I'm guessing the number of members is probably heading close to 100,000 these days.

I don't like that they haven't offered us a ticket discount and I really don't like that they are taking this benefit away from us as well. It hits us both as AMEX cardholders and as DVC members.

 

[tfranci]

We just returned from WDW. We stayed at the Poly using points and did get the AMEX discount by showing our resort ID.