Spending money in Disneyland

[IamgoingtoDisney]

Hi,

I am planning our first trip to Disneyland (actually first time in the USA) and have questions about spending money.

I was thinking of getting a travel card but I am reading so many bad reviews.

I saw something about a key to the magic card. Does this mean I can charge everything I purchase throughout both parks & the hotel back to our room? We are staying at the Disneyland Hotel.

Does this include food, restaurants & Downtown Disney? I was thinking if I charged everything back to our room then I will only have one big lump sum at the end of our trip rather than lots of smaller multiple transactions throughout the 7 days we will be there.

We will also be staying a couple of nights in LA so will need some sort of travel card as we wont be able to charge things back to our room when staying there. What kind of card will I have the least problems having accepted in USA? AMEX, Visa or Mastercard?

Thanking you all in advance

 

[kailuagirl]

Yes! It's a great thing and you don't have to carry much else. But there are a few places in DLR and CAP that do not take it like the little food cards/stands (popcorn, corn dogs, etc.) so you will need some cash. But the bulk of it you can put on your room key. I have no clue about Downtown Disney. I never thought to try it?? Sorry.

As for your LA nights, Visa or Mastercard are the mostly widely taken card. We use AMEX the most as that one provides us with the most cash back and there are several places that do not take it and we have to use something else. So I would go with something else just to be safe because you probably will encounter a place that it is not accepted.

Have a great first visit to Disneyland and the US!!!

 

[Malcon10t]

My card of preference is Amex, but VISA is sometimes easier at smaller locations.

You can charge to your room from the parks or on hotel property locations. But Downtown Disney locations (other than Disney stores) will not charge your room.

 

[kappyfamily]

Like everyone has said you can charge everything to your hotel at Disney. Personally I would do a visa. Amex is sometimes not accepted at certain places but visa pretty much is. Have fun!

 

[shannon006]

What are the charge limits at the DLR Hotels room key? For example, at WDW, value resorts can charge $500, mods $1000 & deluxe $1500. We are staying at the GC and never even thought about this until this thread

 

[8lovesmickey]

I'm not sure about charge limits, but I believe you can pay off your room charges at the front desk every night if you want to -- it kind of defeats the 'lump sum' principle, but then you could use the room keys during the day and not worry about maxing out.

Don't forget the Disney gift cards, too - you can pre-pay for those and use them pretty much everywhere at the resort. (We find them great for keeping the kids on a budget -- and those even work at most of the carts.) You can buy those on the Disneyland website or at a grocery store.

As far as a credit card, we have never found a place in all of Southern California that doesn't accept Visa. Maybe you should look into a Disney Visa? Not the best rewards program in the world, but you do get some benefits.

Have fun!

 

[valiamo]

Almost any card that you can use at home (Debit, Visa, Mastercard, Amex) you can use as easily at Disneyland. On a lark, I looked at the Commonwealth Bank website and they have loads of options for the Aussie travelers.

The only thing you want to keep in mind is the exchange rate between AU$ and US$, and if your bank charges a fee for that exchange rate.

You may want to get the bulk of your finds in US$ travelers cheques if you want to avoid some of the charges, almost every place in Disneyland will honour them. Remember to bring some US$ cash for those times you want to pay for an item, and it does not make sense to use a credit card (street vendors etc)

Have a great trip!

 

[IamgoingtoDisney]

Thank you all so much for your tips. The Aussie dollar is dropping so wanting to exchange some money before it drops further.
I have looked into a few travel cards but are there any recommendations? Especially from other Aussies? Am I able to get Disney gift cards sent here?