Please help me decide on a DVA

[FortWildernessLoopy]

Quickly: we let our passes lapse. I am a full time (non-paid) caregiver who can neither leave the home for 6 months, nor work outside of the home. My husband makes a modest paycheck working full time in a job he loves. We have no, human children. We are planning to purchase 2 Weekday Select passes and a few trips to Fort Wilderness this fall. I don't believe I will have/need $1000 before the end of the year, BTW. More than likely (unless something changes) we will just be putting the initial deposit on the APs and paying month to month on those and we tent camp at the Fort only a few nights. Dining is up in the air. Usually breakfast is at the campsite, we eat at a sit-down or buffet for lunch then either QS or I bring something for dinner. If I got the DVA, I would just kep it open throughout next year as well, I mention not doing the $1000 by the end of the year because I believe it states that's when the promotion ends. Here's my multi-part question:

What are the Pros and Cons of a Disney Vacation Account for me? Should I buy Gift cards and add them as I go or are there not enough discounts to make it worth it? Thank you for opinions!

 

[ashkash]

After my experience with DVA, I would not recommend it. I funded mine over the last year, but we decided to rent DVC points instead of booking directly through Disney. I requested a Disney gift card for $1000 to use for our dining purchases, plus a refund of the remainder to my credit card, almost 2 months ago. They did process the partial refund to my credit card, but they haven't even shipped my $1000 gift card & can't tell me anything about it, other than to keep waiting. If I had known what a hassle it would be, I would have just requested a full refund instead. My advice would be to just open an account at a bank, so that you retain complete control over your money.

 

[robinb]

I do use the DVA, but that's because I funnel my DVC dues through it. Frankly, I don't see a huge value to the DVA if you're only looking to save about $1000. Your money ends up permanently in "Mouse Money". If I were you, I would open up a new savings account and fund that with real money. You can buy gift cards (at a discount https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-gift-card-deals.2941964/page-1287#post-57358420) when you're ready to travel.

 

[FortWildernessLoopy]

Thank you, both! Every little dime helps and if there's no real advantage, then I will just funnel it into my own little DVA at my own bank.

 

[robinb]

Thank you, both! Every little dime helps and if there's no real advantage, then I will just funnel it into my own little DVA at my own bank.

It's, at most, a 2% savings.

 

[BruinEd03]

After my experience with DVA, I would not recommend it. I funded mine over the last year, but we decided to rent DVC points instead of booking directly through Disney. I requested a Disney gift card for $1000 to use for our dining purchases, plus a refund of the remainder to my credit card, almost 2 months ago. They did process the partial refund to my credit card, but they haven't even shipped my $1000 gift card & can't tell me anything about it, other than to keep waiting. If I had known what a hassle it would be, I would have just requested a full refund instead. My advice would be to just open an account at a bank, so that you retain complete control over your money.

I think your disaster situation might have been avoidable. You can use the DVA to pay for your dining purchases. E.g., the DVA can be accepted where GCs are accepted. I've used it to purchased park tickets. You could have then spent your $1000 using DVA for the dining purchases, plus a refund of the remainder to your cc (which you acknowledged did occur). This would have resulted in a $20 card reward for you.

 

[BruinEd03]

It's, at most, a 2% savings.

2% may not be a lot to you, but every little bit counts. You're on the budget board. E.g., we buy gc for 5% off on BJ's, will get an extra 1% off from ebates. Using DVA that just expands that to another 2%. If you spend $1000, you save $70. That's real money for a lot of people. Not a lot individually, but you add them up and it becomes a lot.

 

[BruinEd03]

I do use the DVA, but that's because I funnel my DVC dues through it. Frankly, I don't see a huge value to the DVA if you're only looking to save about $1000. Your money ends up permanently in "Mouse Money". If I were you, I would open up a new savings account and fund that with real money. You can buy gift cards (at a discount https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-gift-card-deals.2941964/page-1287#post-57358420) when you're ready to travel.

I would also open up a DVA account ($10 min to open) and let it age during the year that you need it. You need the DVA account to be open for at least 4 months to spend on it and get the bonus. Once you are down with the traditional savings account and are ready to spend, spend through the DVA and get your bonus of $20/$1000 spent. Keep in mind the rewards is only triggered as to when you spend it (not when you accrue it).

So the traditional savings account makes a lot more sense in the beginning and the DVA at the end. You have a lot more financial flexibility.

 

[1st*toright]

I think BruinEd03 has some really good advice- the promo doesn't kick in at all until your account has aged for 4 months, so setting one up early is a good idea if you think you may want to use it. I put $200 in it to start it off last fall, and now that I'm just a couple of months from my trip, I've been funneling gift cards through it and making payments on my stay - now that I know exactly what I will need to pay Disney. We are doing a package, so it makes it pretty easy because we are paying Disney in one big chunk for a lot of our trip expenses. My plan is to use the DVA in even $1000 increments, then stop funneling any more money through the DVA. It does seem to take them an awfully long time to process the gift cards (I requested a "bonus" gift card a few weeks ago - no sign of it yet), so I'm not super enthusiastic about it except to use it to pay disney directly - getting the "extra" back seems to be a big pain.

 

[MrInfinity]

When I hear about people having problems w the DVA, it's usually to do with getting money out that they decide not to spend with Disney. It's not meant for general saving (0% interest), so if that is your goal, then there is no point. But if you will spend the money with Disney, then it's a win-win. I use it a lot... and it works great for what it is -- a glorified gift card that you can keep adding to.

The 2% kicks back automatically for me. Say I've spent $800. And then I spend $400. 2 days after I spend the $400, I get an email saying a $20 GC has triggered, and a week later it's in my mailbox. I don't request them.

If you're only talking about $1000, then I agree w @robinb - not worth the time to open any account for $20. But if you'll take trips yearly then it will be handy to have it open and it'll become a regular thing to process your payments thru it.

 

[FortWildernessLoopy]

So, I can use it straight from the account? ie, when purchasing my APs, dining in the parks, souvenirs? For some reason, I thought you had to get it in GC form to be able to use it on site.

 

[Marionnette]

I think your disaster situation might have been avoidable. You can use the DVA to pay for your dining purchases. E.g., the DVA can be accepted where GCs are accepted. I've used it to purchased park tickets. You could have then spent your $1000 using DVA for the dining purchases, plus a refund of the remainder to your cc (which you acknowledged did occur). This would have resulted in a $20 card reward for you.

Actually, the bolded statement is only partially true. You can use the DVA for online purchases that accept GCs without a PIN, such as paying DVC dues or purchasing tickets from Disney. You can use it when you call Disney to make a payment on your package or to book a tour. But you cannot use it onsite to pay for tickets, food, resort charges, etc.

 

[robinb]

2% may not be a lot to you, but every little bit counts. You're on the budget board. E.g., we buy gc for 5% off on BJ's, will get an extra 1% off from ebates. Using DVA that just expands that to another 2%. If you spend $1000, you save $70. That's real money for a lot of people. Not a lot individually, but you add them up and it becomes a lot.

I do use the DVA because I have approximately $2000 of annual DVC dues. The extra 2% is worth it to me because I have an ongoing yearly expenditure. I load up the DVA with gift cards and use it all in one day. If I didn't have that kind of ongoing expected Disney expenditure I don't think I would do it. It's kind of a PITB and frankly the $20 is not worth having my money tied up in Mouse Money. I don't buy Disney Gift Cards in advance for the same reason. The other problem is that you are very limited in what you can use the DVA for and get your bonus.

 

[BruinEd03]

Actually, the bolded statement is only partially true. You can use the DVA for online purchases that accept GCs without a PIN, such as paying DVC dues or purchasing tickets from Disney. You can use it when you call Disney to make a payment on your package or to book a tour. But you cannot use it onsite to pay for tickets, food, resort charges, etc.

Thanks for the additional clarification! I've used it for prepaid stuff and forgot about those additional limitations.

 

[FortWildernessLoopy]

Can you use the DVA to put your balance on your resort room for incidentals? ie After I pay for my tickets and room, and I have let's say $300 left over, can I ask them to put the balance on my room so I can charge to my account and then have the balance refunded to me after my stay?

 

[sk!mom]

I do use the DVA, but that's because I funnel my DVC dues through it. Frankly, I don't see a huge value to the DVA if you're only looking to save about $1000. Your money ends up permanently in "Mouse Money". If I were you, I would open up a new savings account and fund that with real money. You can buy gift cards (at a discount https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-gift-card-deals.2941964/page-1287#post-57358420) when you're ready to travel.

2% may not be a lot to you, but every little bit counts. You're on the budget board. E.g., we buy gc for 5% off on BJ's, will get an extra 1% off from ebates. Using DVA that just expands that to another 2%. If you spend $1000, you save $70. That's real money for a lot of people. Not a lot individually, but you add them up and it becomes a lot.

Yes, this is the BUdget Board but I agree with robinb. The OP's budget seems too tight to have money tied up in Disney dollars. It isn't worth the hassle for such a small reward. Save it In real money and then it's yours to use as needed.

 

[Marionnette]

Can you use the DVA to put your balance on your resort room for incidentals? ie After I pay for my tickets and room, and I have let's say $300 left over, can I ask them to put the balance on my room so I can charge to my account and then have the balance refunded to me after my stay?

No. But you can ask to have your unused balance refunded to you on a Disney GC and then use the GC to pay for purchases in the parks or resorts. However, that amount will not apply toward your $1000 in qualifying purchases.

 

[cruisnfamily]

When you get teh $20 bonus gift cards, can you load them back into the DVA account?

 

[Eighty8Keys]

When you get teh $20 bonus gift cards, can you load them back into the DVA account?

Yes, you can.

 

[DaisyJ]

So, I can use it straight from the account? ie, when purchasing my APs, dining in the parks, souvenirs? For some reason, I thought you had to get it in GC form to be able to use it on site.

No, the DVA can't be used on site in the parks.