Prepaid cards

[godders]

Hiya,

Anyone used Prepaid cards for a trip to Disney and the Darkside? Thinking about it for my upcoming trip so I don't get charged every time I buy something (I plan on getting ALOT of HP merchandise) but it might also cull my spending a little. Just wondered a)if anyone had used one and b)if they'd linked it to their Disney bands.

Thanks guys!

 

[scoobydooby]

I used one for the first time last trip. More of a pain to keep track of what I had spent but much safer than cash. Didn't link it to my magic band. I linked my CC to that but paid off my balance at the front desk using my pre paid card before they could charge anything to my CC.

 

[paymerich]

about 3-4 months before trip we buy Disney Gift cards at local Stop-n-Shop grocery store in $25-$50 increments. I do this every week during regular grocery shopping. It really helps soften the blow during the trip .

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Highly recommend them, but, do not link to your Disney band, what will happen is that you will not be able to use the card during the trip. I used to work for Travelex, but, for the life of me cannot remember exactly why not, but, the card company will not allow payments while it is linked to a hotel reservation, any hotel not just Disney, it's the same if you use it with regards to hiring anything, it is only useful for purchases for which it is ideal, I used mine the last two trips with no problems whatsoever, you will get charged if you use it in a ATM, but, only the local ATM charge that everyone gets stuffed for, even locals, but, you won't get the Non Sterling Transfer charge (hooray!)
When you check in put another card on, but, make sure you pay it off at the end of the trip using the Pre paid card, the night before you go is probably best then don't charge anything after that.
If you can, go for a company that allows you two cards on your account, put one in the safe and the other one with you, so if you lose the original card you cancel it, but, as the second card has a different 16 digit number you cancel the first one and will still be able to use the one in the safe, but, make sure you cancel the first one. Make sure you know the pins for both cards, I admit mine are the same on both of them, but, very few shops do chip and pin.
The cards are either Mastercard or Visa and are accepted anywhere that takes these cards, always keep a tally of what you have and remember that when you unload them you will get the companies buy back rate as if you were changing back cash, so make sure you only put on what you need and top us as you go along, which you should be able to do online or ever the phone. Don't forget to take cash as well.

Added note. The launderette at FQ now only accepts cards to use the washers and dryers, if you used a debit or credit card you would be paying just as much in charges, the PP Cards are ideal for these too, I went nuts when I went to FQ last November to find this, I should have complained to Disney, I still may do so, Pop on my visit in May still took cash.

Oh yes, you can use them to purchase stuff on the internet from the US, I ordered stuff from the US Disney Store that couldn't be shipped to the UK and got free shipping using the PPC and I used it for Garden Grocer with no problem. Added bonus

 

[pickers1982]

I used one for the first time last trip. More of a pain to keep track of what I had spent but much safer than cash. Didn't link it to my magic band. I linked my CC to that but paid off my balance at the front desk using my pre paid card before they could charge anything to my CC.

I agree

 

[godders]

Wow! That is great to know!! Thanks for letting me know they don't work when linked to my hotel!

Definitely helped me to make my mind up!

 

[wilma-bride]

We use a pre-paid card on every trip (Fairfx card). It really is the safest way of taking your spending money (if you aren't going to be using a credit card).

As a previous poster said, don't link it to your room charge as they will put a hold on the card and you may have difficulty using it at other places. Similarly to scoobydooby, we also link a credit card to our room and then pay off the balance using the pre-paid card before departure (be sure to settle the account before midnight the night before you checkout as the credit card linked to your card will be charged with any outstanding balance at that point).

I don't find it difficult to keep track of my balance at all, however I only use it for large purchases (room charges, paying for meals at restaurants) and just kept a running total - it took no more than 5 minutes each night to just deduct what we'd spent using receipts we kept from that day. You can also check your balance online but, be aware that in restaurants they will charge the check amount to the card but, if you add a tip, it may take a little longer for the final amount to be deducted so the balance showing online may be inaccurate.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Wilma is right, keep all receipts and go by that as some purchases do take a couple of days to show up.