Pay for tickets with Rewards Points??

[mrsabbott]

Okay, here is the plan: We aren't going to Disney until either Spring or Fall 2012. We were going to go this year but a variety of issues (surprise pregnancy and DH going through the process of either being medically discharged or medically retired from the Army) we have decided to put it on hold until next year.

We just signed up to get the Disney Rewards Visa Card. We don't do credit cards at all. We have a visa debit card and that's it. But we thought this seemed like a good deal. We get 200 points for signing up. My plan is to use the card to buy groceries, gas, etc.. and pay it off right away each month. My hope is that by the time we do take our vacation that we'd have enough in points to maybe pay for our park tickets. Or at least pay for a chunk of our expenses.

Has anyone done this with success? Also, this might seem like a stupid question but.. it says that we get points for ever $100 we spend. Does that just go towards the current balance of the card? Say I spend $350 on it one month and pay it off. And I spend another $150 the next month. Do I only get $4 in points or do I get $5? Make sense?

Also, does Disney Visa ever offer discounts on tickets or resort costs? I looked online and only saw that there was none offered "at this time".

 

[eeyorethegreat]

Okay, here is the plan: We aren't going to Disney until either Spring or Fall 2012. We were going to go this year but a variety of issues (surprise pregnancy and DH going through the process of either being medically discharged or medically retired from the Army) we have decided to put it on hold until next year.

We just signed up to get the Disney Rewards Visa Card. We don't do credit cards at all. We have a visa debit card and that's it. But we thought this seemed like a good deal. We get 200 points for signing up. My plan is to use the card to buy groceries, gas, etc.. and pay it off right away each month. My hope is that by the time we do take our vacation that we'd have enough in points to maybe pay for our park tickets. Or at least pay for a chunk of our expenses.

Has anyone done this with success? Also, this might seem like a stupid question but.. it says that we get points for ever $100 we spend. Does that just go towards the current balance of the card? Say I spend $350 on it one month and pay it off. And I spend another $150 the next month. Do I only get $4 in points or do I get $5? Make sense?

Also, does Disney Visa ever offer discounts on tickets or resort costs? I looked online and only saw that there was none offered "at this time".

I don't have a D-Visa but don't forget you can get Discount tickets for being Military so long as you able to keep Ids and there is also Shades of Green which might be a good deal depending on your Dh rank

 

[mrsabbott]

If they decide to retire him then I read that we're still eligible for the discounts. We will still have our ID's but instead of active they'll be for retired. But if they medically discharge him then we won't have ID's anymore and won't be eligible for any discounts. It all depends on what percentage of disability that the med board gives him. We have no way of knowing. I have my doubts that he'll be retired, so I'm not counting on it!

 

[DZNEE4US]

We usually use our points every year to purchase park tickets. We buy our tickets at the Disney store, so I never have to worry about loosing my Rewards card on vacation. I think you are on the right track.
I have been w/ them since day 1. We don't always pay off our balance every month, and points are earned when you use the card. I don't think they withold them until you pay it off. We use ours for EVERYTHING!!! It does add up to rewards, but it takes a long time to add up for tickets. Now I don't ever expect to cover all of our tickets w/ Reward points, but every little bit helps when they cost so much.
The only park type of reward I've used is the free photo that you get taken at Epcot. I think you get a discount if you spend over $50 at the World of Disney Store at DTD. I have an annual pass, so I use that discount first.
Good luck!

 

[Marionnette]

Okay, here is the plan: We aren't going to Disney until either Spring or Fall 2012. We were going to go this year but a variety of issues (surprise pregnancy and DH going through the process of either being medically discharged or medically retired from the Army) we have decided to put it on hold until next year.

We just signed up to get the Disney Rewards Visa Card. We don't do credit cards at all. We have a visa debit card and that's it. But we thought this seemed like a good deal. We get 200 points for signing up. My plan is to use the card to buy groceries, gas, etc.. and pay it off right away each month. My hope is that by the time we do take our vacation that we'd have enough in points to maybe pay for our park tickets. Or at least pay for a chunk of our expenses.

Has anyone done this with success? Also, this might seem like a stupid question but.. it says that we get points for ever $100 we spend. Does that just go towards the current balance of the card? Say I spend $350 on it one month and pay it off. And I spend another $150 the next month. Do I only get $4 in points or do I get $5? Make sense?

Also, does Disney Visa ever offer discounts on tickets or resort costs? I looked online and only saw that there was none offered "at this time".

Thank you to your husband for his service to our country and to you for the sacrifices that your family has made so that he could fulfill his duteis.

The Disney Visa will give you 1% back on you charges. That 1% will be in the form of Disney Dream Rewards Dollars. It's figures out to 1 rewards dollar for every $100 that you spend. They round your spending up or down to the nearest $100 to calculate your rewards for the month. So if you spend $225, you get 2 reward dollars. If you spend $275, you will get 3 reward dollars. There is no "rollover" from one month to the next.

Every once in a while, Chase will offer bonus rewards dollars for spending above a certain threshold in a month. Those thresholds are usually based on previous spending pattern. My most recent offer was for 3X rewards for those charges over and above $3000 in a single month. Wasn't going to happen here. The card went into a drawer until they can come up with something a little more reasonable. Before they came out with that ridiculous offer, we used the card for all of our auto-pay bills and purchases from gas to groceries.

I have never seen ticket discounts from the Disney Visa but I have seen room discounts and package discounts offered. They are usually the same as the ones offered to the general public but they have a different code and come out a couple days earlier.