Paying Dues in January question

[ClaraOswald]

I like to pay my annual dues in full in January. This was my first year and I just put it all on my CC. But next year I think I'm going to use Disney gift cards that I purchased with my Target card (getting 5% off.) I think the Disney gift cards can only hold a total of $1000.

My question is - how many different forms of payment are you allowed to use? If my dues are around $3000, can I enter in 3 different Disney gift cards? Plus a credit card for any additional amount I may owe over $3000? Or is there a limit of how many cards you can use?

 

[karen4546]

You can apply payments at any point before the due date after you get you statement until the balance is paid in full.

 

[karen4546]

I like to pay my annual dues in full in January. This was my first year and I just put it all on my CC. But next year I think I'm going to use Disney gift cards that I purchased with my Target card (getting 5% off.) I think the Disney gift cards can only hold a total of $1000.

My question is - how many different forms of payment are you allowed to use? If my dues are around $3000, can I enter in 3 different Disney gift cards? Plus a credit card for any additional amount I may owe over $3000? Or is there a limit of how many cards you can use?

If you pay online, the balance goes down after each payment. So, technically no limit on how many different payment methods you use.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I mean, I'd want to pay it all at one time as soon as the statement is out in January. Just didn't know if I could enter 3+ cards at that time or not.

 

[kes601]

Like the original reply you received said, you would make 3 separate payments. If your dues are $3,000 you would enter the first gift card and pay $1,000. Then it would say you owe $2,000. You'd enter another gift card and submit payment. Then it would say you owe $1,000. Enter the last gift card and submit payment and you are done.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Oh, okay. the way I read it, I was thinking I had to do it at different times/days or something.

Thanks.

 

[kes601]

Nope, you could do it as quickly as the pages will load.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Perfect. I'm just going to add to my Disney gift cards monthly. It just feels nicer to essentially pay for it gradually over time (in the form of my Target CC bill) instead of in one big swoop in January.

 

[achinforsomebacon]

I mean, I'd want to pay it all at one time as soon as the statement is out in January. Just didn't know if I could enter 3+ cards at that time or not.

Any reason you want to pay it all at once vs monthly using gift cards? It's a little more work (have to manually pay with gift card every month before they auto debit your bank account) but you can then take advantage of the 5% Target discount and hold onto your money longer.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Honestly, I'd probably forget to do it on time monthly. Paying it all in January when we get our statement is just easiest, I think. Getting the 5% off doesn't save us a lot but I'll take what we can get.

 

[CarolynFH]

Honestly, I'd probably forget to do it on time monthly. Paying it all in January when we get our statement is just easiest, I think. Getting the 5% off doesn't save us a lot but I'll take what we can get.

If you’re going to buy the GCs this year, you can apply them and pay down next year’s dues each time you buy a GC. You don’t have to wait until you get the bill in December. They’ll just build up a credit balance that will be applied once dues are assessed for the new year.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Really? I had no idea! Thanks.

 

[Flossbolna]

Any reason you want to pay it all at once vs monthly using gift cards? It's a little more work (have to manually pay with gift card every month before they auto debit your bank account) but you can then take advantage of the 5% Target discount and hold onto your money longer.

ETA: see next post, it appears that I had old info!
The way I understand it is that if you have auto payments set up is that any payment you make will be taken from the total balance owed, not from the monthly payment. Let’s say you owe 1200 in dues, January, February and March have been paid, 100 each, you still owe 900. Then you pay 100 before the April auto debit happens, it will reduce the balance to 800 and the new auto payment will be 88.89 instead of 100.

 

[CarolynFH]

The way I understand it is that if you have auto payments set up is that any payment you make will be taken from the total balance owed, not from the monthly payment. Let’s say you owe 1200 in dues, January, February and March have been paid, 100 each, you still owe 900. Then you pay 100 before the April auto debit happens, it will reduce the balance to 800 and the new auto payment will be 88.89 instead of 100.

I think they used to do it that way, but the last couple of years they’ve applied the payment to as many of the next monthly amounts due as it will cover partially or completely. Then you get a message saying something like “Your next payment of $xx.xx is due on (date).” The amount due monthly remains the same. I guess it saves them (the computer) the task of recalculating the monthly payments for however many members pay like that.

 

[Flossbolna]

I think they used to do it that way, but the last couple of years they’ve applied the payment to as many of the next monthly amounts due as it will cover partially or completely. Then you get a message saying something like “Your next payment of $xx.xx is due on (date).” The amount due monthly remains the same. I guess it saves them (the computer) the task of recalculating the monthly payments for however many members pay like that.

That’s great news!! I haven’t prepaid for a long time because I didn’t like the old system. I do like the new system better. This means you do monthly payments and still use a credit card. Thanks for the info!

 

[CarolynFH]

Really? I had no idea! Thanks.

Yes, I like to do it that way so I don’t have to worry about losing a GC. It was especially exciting last fall, when several places offered DGCs at greater discounts than Target. I’d buy an e-GC, it would arrive via email, I’d open the member website, apply it to our contracts, and print out the page saying we now had a credit of whatever amount that would be applied to next year’s dues. Those e-GCs were all spent within a few minutes of arriving in my inbox!

 

[DisTravels]

Yes, I like to do it that way so I don’t have to worry about losing a GC. It was especially exciting last fall, when several places offered DGCs at greater discounts than Target. I’d buy an e-GC, it would arrive via email, I’d open the member website, apply it to our contracts, and print out the page saying we now had a credit of whatever amount that would be applied to next year’s dues. Those e-GCs were all spent within a few minutes of arriving in my inbox!

Agree, unless saving the gift cards for some other possible Disney trip/expenditures - might as well pre-pay not have to worry about where you put them.