Spending Accounts

[timandlesley]

Hello!
I have a question for everyone. We are going on a trip to Disney in June. I have heard you can put money on a spending account and then you use a card or something in the parks and at the resort. How does this work? We would love to call down ahead of time and put money on an account so we can carry less cash when we are there is this possible? Any help with this would be very beneficial such as explaining is there an actual card or something you use? Can we call and put money on the account in advance? Where can the money be spent? Any details and experiences would be very helpful. THANKS SO MUCH!
Lesley

 

[mad4themouse]

If you're staying onsite, your room card can be used to charge purchases in the parks to your resort account. If you pay for your room-only reservation in full before arriving, you might be able to put more money on it that the balance that you owe.

Or, you can add money to your account at checkin.

If you're staying offsite, this option would not be available to you. However, there are pre-paid Mastercard and Visa cards that you can purchase and use to pay for any purchases that you make both onsite and off as long as the merchant accepts Visa or Mastercard. The cards cost a small fee. I remember seeing them at my local CVS at the checkout. You can also purchase them thru credit card companies like Bank of America.

 

[timandlesley]

Thanks. O.K. so how does this work then. We ARE staying onsight. When you say our room card, what do you mean by that? The credit card we reserve the room with?
Has anyone called in advance and put more on the account? We will be using all cash and travelers checks and we just wanted to have most of it on an account so we wouldn't 1) spend it ahead of time and 2). loose the cash
Thanks again for the answers.
Lesley

 

[mad4themouse]

The "key" to your room is a credit-card-like piece of plastic. It unlocks your door and acts as your resort ID. You can have charging privileges placed on any or all of the cards.

When you check in, you can hand the CM cash and have it placed on your bill as a room credit. You would need to keep track of your spending, so that you do not go over that amount.

Paying extra on the room can get tricky, because Disney does not want to act like a bank. Most people who have a room credit when they check in have one because they paid in full and then were able to get a room discount or shortened their stay by a day or two. You can always call and ask the CM if it is possible. As with everything else Disney, it can sometimes depend on who you speak with.