Paying down the balance...

[wizneather78]

With all of the hype about the Target gift card deal & cancellation of orders, I'm happy I didn't get caught up in that!! For me, I'm not comfortable attaching my debit card information to Target and I steer clear of that.

With that said, I just purchased 6 sets of $150 Disney gift cards from Sams Club online and paid only $857.88. I also used my Disney Visa and earned $8.58 in rewards. I've done this from the beginning since we booked our trip and the savings are racking up. Our trip balance will be paid off next month and that's a GREAT FEELING!!

I know there are several deals and ways of saving money out there, but I have found this one to be easy and a sure thing.

One day closer to our December trip....!!!

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I totally agree about Target. To me it just seems like too much of a hassle especially with the stories of nonactivated cards to missing orders. I get my gift cards at BJs and still get a decent discount plus earn 1.5% on my CapitalOne card.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

I was talking to a co-worker about this and he just said, "No thank you. I'd rather just give Disney my credit card than go through all that work." This is after he had just said that he struggles to pay bills etc. etc.

Each person is willing to put in a different amount of work. I don't mind putting in a little more work (actually, might be less than some since I don't have to physically go anywhere to get my Disney gift cards) so I can get an extra 20% off my food and tickets. I'm saving an average of 20% off my gift cards, some more, some less. I don't mind the very rare occurrence of a faulty card. I'm saving $400! To me, the extra "work" is worth it. It's just a bunch of clicking. No debit cards involved.

 

[peg110]

I agree @CalDisneyMomof2 If I can spend 3 or 4 hours jumping through "Hoops" to save $400.00 then I suppose that "$100/hour" (or so) could be worth. For those that only save a little bit and otherwise make more at their job then maybe it's not worth it. There have been things that I didn't want to do and I am willing (or accept that I have to) pay for it, while other things I am okay with playing the "Hoops" game to get what I need. That may also change based upon the occasion too. If I get laid off from a job, I might be more inclined to look for the bigger deal.

 

[wizneather78]

Oh I totally understand! All in all with this December trip, I'll save our family about $240 doing it via Sams Club online with my Disney Visa! I'm calling it my daughter's BBB "free money"!! May have some left over also to help with our reservation at Afternoon Tea @ the Grand Floridian!

Hey, it's $240 in our pocket that we didn't have to shell out and I'm totally pleased with that!!

 

[5kidsmommy]

I just get mine from Giant Eagle. It actually works out to be a better deal especially when I use one of my rewards cards. I get free gas which to me is a huge savings. Plus I can get cards in large denominations.

 

[Majesty1919]

For me, I would be open to using my Sam's Club except I've found that I'm only saving around 5%. I don't know if $100 cards fair better or combinations of cards yield a higher discount. I don't keep checking back. 2 dollars just isn't enough to keep go around and around.

Until now, I use my Disney visa card to buy a Cardpool $100 Target card every month. That saves me 7% ( plus I earn 1% in rewards too.) My red card yields me another 5%. That breaks down $7.00 (cardpool) plus $5.00 (Red Card) plus + .88 on my visa reward balance. So $88 for a $100 gift card works for me. Please note: If you don't intend to pay off the Disney card by each statement balance due date, it will not help you at all. Doing this once a month allows me to save food and souvenir money gradually and at a discount.

One strategy is I pay for my groceries and gas using the Disney card. When I get home from the store, I go online and pay it off right away. If not, I may forget and get the credit card bill and become shocked. A little here and there adds up quick. Items that I'm going to buy anyway are good choices.

 

[Majesty1919]

With all of the hype about the Target gift card deal & cancellation of orders, I'm happy I didn't get caught up in that!! For me, I'm not comfortable attaching my debit card information to Target and I steer clear of that.

With that said, I just purchased 6 sets of $150 Disney gift cards from Sams Club online and paid only $857.88. I also used my Disney Visa and earned $8.58 in rewards. I've done this from the beginning since we booked our trip and the savings are racking up. Our trip balance will be paid off next month and that's a GREAT FEELING!!

I know there are several deals and ways of saving money out there, but I have found this one to be easy and a sure thing.

One day closer to our December trip....!!!

What did Sam's Club charge you for a $150 card? Just wondering.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

What did Sam's Club charge you for a $150 card? Just wondering.

I'm going to assume $142.98. That is $857.88/6.

 

[peg110]

I'm going to assume $142.98. That is $857.88/6.

Which would make it just less than a 5% discount

 

[jenf22]

With all of the hype about the Target gift card deal & cancellation of orders, I'm happy I didn't get caught up in that!! For me, I'm not comfortable attaching my debit card information to Target and I steer clear of that.

I just wanted to point out Target has a credit card option as well. I am anti-debit card as well but LOVE my Redcard!

 

[wizneather78]

I'm going to assume $142.98. That is $857.88/6.

Yep, correct!

 

[Narnia_girl]

I do the discounted Target cards/Target debit/Disney cards but I also do Sam's Club. Generally I exchange my Swagbucks for Walmart cards and go to my local Sam's to buy either the three pack Disney cards you mentioned, or three pack Southwest. I like buying from Sam's because I can have them in my hand within 15 minutes.
I think both methods have advantages. If you have lots of time before your trip the Target route can save a lot more, and it's not much effort.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I have had a Target red card for a long time. Save 5% every single time I shop there and gets paid off every month so no interest. With all the time I spend in Target that 5% adds up. Yes, it's a credit card but I just use it responsibly.

I did get into buying the Target cards at a discount and ordering Disney cards online. All total, I saved well over $300 for our trip! Okay, took me a couple hours to do the ordering and entering. But I don't make $150 an hour at my job! If anyone told you they'd pay you $300 to work for a couple hours, you'd do it, wouldn't you?

As for the hassle, yes, I had one order that never showed up and had to be cancelled. I called Target once and they checked on it and told me to wait a few more days. They sent me a $10 gift card for my trouble. The following week I called to follow up because they still hadn't come in. Yes, they cancelled the order and I had to re-enter it. For my trouble that time, they gave me a $50 gift card!! So that's an extra $60 on top of the $300+ I saved. I'd say I made out pretty well and I'd do it all again!

 

[calypso726]

I tend to focus more on earning airline miles but also like to save money too. We like to shop through the American Airlines shopping portal when Staples is offering 4 American Airline miles per dollar. Then we use our Chase Ink credit card to purchase Target gift cards at Staples and earn 5 Ultimate reward points (Office Supply purchase) that can be transferred 1:1 for United, Southwest, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and more airline miles. Then we purchase Disney gift cards online at Target and get 5% off since we have our Target pre paid red card set as a default but we use those Target gift cards from Staples to pay for the purchase. 9 miles per dollar plus 5% off is a great deal for me!

 

[Kacie]

I think it is a bit of a thrill of chasing a deal to see how you can hack a trip. Like yeah, there were a bit of hoops to jump through .... Ebates/Swagbucks to Raise to Target etc. but if it works? Yeah you are cutting some good costs for not a ton of time.

I wondered if it would be better for me to do Sam's vs. messing with Target. I don't have a Sam's Club membership and wouldn't likely go often, so I would have to factor that into my savings.

I did get some Disney GCs from Target before the big coupon code thing happened, and it saved me I think 12-14% or so.