So who else travels with cash, at WDW?

[nikkij]

Magic bands only! The less we carry the better


In my opinion if they don't take MB they do not deserve my money and if the system is "down" Disney will make sure to get it up and running as they don't want to lose more money. We monitor our spending while there, keep our receipts, call for room charges, etc. Our next trip will be with 2 teenagers so I'm sure we will need to be more mindful with their spending, but I'm a firm believe that if they aren't mature enough to appropriately use it then they lose it and I will stop the charging privilege on their bands and they can be with us adults all the time. But they are good kids so I doubt we will worry. Oh, and if they do over spend they will be working off their debt!

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I can't possibly be the only one who uses cash on a Disney vacation.

I understand that some people register the magic bands with their credit card information, so they don't have to carry cash, and/or their credit cards. I do the opposite. I carry about $50 cash each day, and my credit card. I don't spend much on my Disney vacations. I am not into a lot of souvenirs, and gave up long ago collecting pins, and other cute Disney collectibles.

I don't do many ADR's and if I do, I might sometime use the credit card there. Otherwise, my cash is definitely enough to cover my food. Special purchases, emergencies, and or a unique item that I might find can always be bought with my credit card.

I travel alone, and my cash allotment has almost always been enough.

So who besides me uses cash, rather than putting everything on a credit card that they linked to their magic band?

We use some cash, and also a lot of Disney gift cards. I am like you, I do not like to spend a whole lot on souvenirs and random stuff. We do a lot of ADR's, but that's what we bring the gift cards we have accumulated for.

 

[LaurenT]

I carry just a little cash in case there's a problem with my card, but I typically charge everything I can. I pay my cards in full every month, so it's more cost effective to use them than to pay cash. I use my Amex card for gas and groceries because I get 5% back for those purchases. At Disney and for other things ... Even the drive thru, I'll use my Southwest Visa cause that gets me free travel back to Disney!

 

[kastoney]

I typically don't carry cash anywhere these days, but learned my lesson last year when my daughter wanted a balloon and if was cash only. Had to hit up the ATM since the balloon man didn't take the not so magical magic band. Now I carry a little cash for those balloon emergencies.

 

[Gottahavemorecowbell]

Cash? Never heard of it.

I take a few bucks for tips but that's about it.

 

[Jennasis]

We have the cash for our trip set aside. Generally, just before the trip I will deposit it all into the account we use for vacations (my checking account) and use my card for ALL purchases. Sometimes we keep a few bucks aside. DH doesn't want to link my card to MDE. Too much room for error. Plus we are traveling with another couple who are on our MDE account.

 

[dawnhaze]

On my first WDW trip, I carried some cash 'just in case' and didn't spend any of it, so now I don't really bother. I just don't buy much stuff, other than food/drinks, and I don't buy those at any cash-only locations.

If I was going to use cash at WDW for budgeting reasons, I'd do as a previous poster suggested - charge to the room and just pay it off at the front desk each day. I actually already do this with gift cards.

 

[DaisyNY]

We use credit cards for meals...cash for purchases, though there are less of these with our kids getting older...Also try to break up our expenses before hand...airline tickets one month...park tickets, next month, etc...

 

[puffkin]

No cash. I charge everything, and I mean everything. I think the only cash I used the entire trip was the tips to mousekeeping and to bell services. I find in my daily life if I have cash on hand I spend it too fast so the habit sticks in Disney. Plus, I just don't feel comfortable with more than $20-$30 on me when travelling.

I do either track my costs on a check book app (I just set up an account and log all my purchases) on my phone or I stop and get a copy of my room charge every day or two to keep track. We don't buy much outside of food in the parks (and I usually have a pretty good idea at those costs ahead of time) so we almost always are under budget.

 

[wdw4rfam]

All cash here. We have DDP so only need tip money and small amount for extra drinks/ snacks. Too easy to overspend with room charging. We bring xx amount with us per day, when it's gone, it's gone. Each one of us also has a gift card for souvenirs, when that's gone ,it's gone too.

 

[Networth]

Everything gets charged to the room which it turn gets charged to my CC that gets double points on travel and ANYTHING I purchase on Disney property is considered "travel". I treat my CC's like most people treat their debt cards I pay them off monthly so if I charge 10k I pay off 10 that month.

I carry about $150 in cash in small bills for tipping only.

 

[kmb584]

I mainly use cash and bring about $1,200 with me per trip. The credit card only comes out if I absolutely need to use it and I think that's happened twice over our last 10 trips. It's too easy to overspend when all it takes is a swipe of plastic.

 

[Aurora0427]

The idea of paying down your bill every night with gift cards is genius. I can't believe I never thought of that! I'm going to start collecting them and try that idea next trip!

 

[CNYDisneyFan]

Me.

 

[MadameMim]

Cash all the way.
We have a set amount of cash we take on each trip and all incidentals come from that - all snacks and food beyond DDP, all gratuities, souvenirs, etc. Saving up for our "cash stash" leading up to the trip is just part of the routine.

 

[GillianP1301]

I rarely use cash anymore at Disney or anywhere else. At home I use my debit card for smaller purchases (<$10) and my credit card for everything else. I pay my card each month, so it's not an issue of carrying a balance for me and I like to have the itemized list on my statement of what I spent on each month. I find that helps me budget. So, Disney is no different, I use the credit card for everything. I bring about $100US with me for my week to have for incidentals (like balloons or a snack cart that is cash only or for a pack of gum at the airport).

Everyone has their own system, to each their own really. Even pre the days of all transactions being linked to easily to your card, I would travel with traveller's cheques and not cash. Carrying around large amounts of spending money makes me nervous about loss or theft. Just not worth the risk to me at all.

 

[nkereina]

We're two adults and do DDP. We do link a card to our MBs, which we use to buy food/meals outside of the meal plan, souvenirs, etc. We bring about $200 in small bills (cash) to use for tips only. This works best for us.

 

[kbmartin]

If we want to pay down our MB expenses with gift cards, do we need to tell the concierge when we check in to our hotel? I really don't want my credit card to get charged accidentally (I've heard horror stories of credit cards getting charged when guests intended to use gift cards...). Do you think every other day is reasonable to pay off the charges? I couldn't see us spending more than $300 in two days' time... that would be the maximum (if that helps to figure out our question).

Oh, and do we pay off charges at the front desk???

Sorry - I haven't been to Disney in a while! I'd love to stock up on gift cards and go that route!

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

If we want to pay down our MB expenses with gift cards, do we need to tell the concierge when we check in to our hotel? I really don't want my credit card to get charged accidentally (I've heard horror stories of credit cards getting charged when guests intended to use gift cards...). Do you think every other day is reasonable to pay off the charges? I couldn't see us spending more than $300 in two days' time... that would be the maximum (if that helps to figure out our question).

Oh, and do we pay off charges at the front desk???

Sorry - I haven't been to Disney in a while! I'd love to stock up on gift cards and go that route!

Each resort type has a limit that once it is reached they charge it. I think value is something like $300, moderate $500 and $800 for deluxe. I know I'm probably wrong on the numbers but it's a rough estimate to give you an idea.

I honestly don't know why anyone would pay any other way! Unless someone has a credit card that offers more than 10% back- I guess some people just don't need to save.

Edit: Ok, I looked it up and it's $500, $1000, & $1500 max. Unless it's changed.

 

[L&Lfan]

Another cash only traveler here. I don't even give the front desk my card for "incidentals". I bring $5000 with me and usually only spend about half of it.