Updated Disney Gift Card Deals and More

[havaneselover]

I think the best deal at Staples is the Mastercard gc deal. I had no issues using the entire balance when checking out of Universal Royal Pacific Resort. I cannot say the same with Visa gc's as they withheld 20% Tip Tolerance on each card.

Easily remedied by buying Amazon gc with remaining balances but it certainly caught me off guard. I had both Mastercard & Visa gc's to pay for our room and ONLY our room. There were no other charges. The remailing balance had to be put on our credit card.
Just saying.

I use prepaid cards to buy money orders and have been told to avoid the Mastercards. So like everything else in these games we're playing, it really depends on your intended purpose I guess. That's why hearing everyone's data points is so important. I had no clue that mastercards might be better than visas for a hotel stay. Thanks for sharing and for staying on top of all of these deals for us!

 

[robinb]

My husband's Christmas gift arrived today exactly as seen in the image, two separate boxes and both labeled "Leg Lamp" which my husband saw! So much for surprising him this year

View attachment 541643

That stinks!

 

[FoxC63]

That stinks!

Yes it does, thank you. Not fun!
I clearly remember when we went to Kroger with the intentions of him purchasing the gnome, I swear he was in man hunt mode looking for it. Came up to me, It's gone! They're all gone! And then on Christmas morning the look on his face when he saw it. Priceless. For a gnome people!!! I'm still shocked!

But this year, well, I guess I have to accept the expression on his face when he read the boxes. He was very happy and said Look, it has fra gil e actually written on the box!

 

[disfanforlife]

I think the best deal at Staples is the Mastercard gc deal. I had no issues using the entire balance when checking out of Universal Royal Pacific Resort. I cannot say the same with Visa gc's as they withheld 20% Tip Tolerance on each card.

Easily remedied by buying Amazon gc with remaining balances but it certainly caught me off guard. I had both Mastercard & Visa gc's to pay for our room and ONLY our room. There were no other charges. The remaining balance had to be put on our credit card.
Just saying.

I only recently started buying the Visa gift cards at staples. I was wondering about using them online. Is that the easiest thing to do with the small left over balances on them - buy Amazon GC?

 

[FoxC63]

I only recently started buying the Visa gift cards at staples. I was wondering about using them online. Is that the easiest thing to do with the small left over balances on them - buy Amazon GC?

Honestly, I didn't know either but that was suggested to me. It was super easy. By the time we left Universal and the CS zapped those VGC almost daily, I ended up with $1.88 on each card. Hopefully others will respond.

 

[havaneselover]

I only recently started buying the Visa gift cards at staples. I was wondering about using them online. Is that the easiest thing to do with the small left over balances on them - buy Amazon GC?

Costco autodrains them. So does Kroger. But I use Amazon.

 

[disfanforlife]

Costco autodrains them. So does Kroger. But I use Amazon.

I was at Sam's yesterday and was not able to use one that had about $12 left but was told by that it was because I went to self check out. So, next time I go if I want to use them up there I will go to the regular check out line. Or I might just try adding that one card to Amazon to see how it works.

 

[FoxC63]

I was at Sam's yesterday and was not able to use one that had about $12 left but was told by that it was because I went to self check out. So, next time I go if I want to use them up there I will go to the regular check out line. Or I might just try adding that one card to Amazon to see how it works.

I was instructed to add the Visa to my wallet first, then buy a gift card for that amount. Make sure when you go to check out to click on that Visa as your method of payment.

 

[disfanforlife]

I was instructed to add the Visa to my wallet first, then buy a gift card for that amount. Make sure when you go to check out to click on that Visa as your method of payment.

Ah ok. I will try that. I was hoping maybe it could just be added to my amazon gift card that I have saved there.

 

[FoxC63]

Ah ok. I will try that. I was hoping maybe it could just be added to my amazon gift card that I have saved there.

Sure, try that. I didn't have one.

 

[havaneselover]

I was at Sam's yesterday and was not able to use one that had about $12 left but was told by that it was because I went to self check out. So, next time I go if I want to use them up there I will go to the regular check out line. Or I might just try adding that one card to Amazon to see how it works.

I know they autodrain at Kroger self checkout but haven't tried costco because we just got self checkout. I'll have to give it a shot and report back. But honestly Amazon is so easy.

 

[anricat]

I don't have a BJ's membership, what gc did you buy?

DGCs.

 

[pasealfondo9]

How can an international traveller get a hold on discounted gift cards? I don´t have any memberships like Costco, Target or so. If I am not a member of all these stores, is there any way I can purchase gift cards without paying the full value of it?

 

[FoxC63]

How can an international traveller get a hold on discounted gift cards? I don´t have any memberships like Costco, Target or so. If I am not a member of all these stores, is there any way I can purchase gift cards without paying the full value of it?

I think you already know this but I still have to say it...

You can buy discounted gift cards while in the US with cash or CC's.
Uber can take you anywhere you want to go or you can walk to save money. Offers will vary from store to store and the CC's you use will matter especially if they charge foreign transaction fees.

Is it against the law for a friend to buy discounted gift cards on your behalf? Absolutely not. However, you can loose out on potential earnings on your credit cards. We also need to look at the Exchange Rate on both sides based on the date of purchase. An agreement must be reached prior to the exchange of funds/gift cards.

I will look further into this. Currently what seems to be popping up are International Visa Gift Cards but having more options would be desirable. You are on my radar.

 

[pasealfondo9]

I think you already know this but I still have to say it...

You can buy discounted gift cards while in the US with cash or CC's.
Uber can take you anywhere you want to go or you can walk to save money. Offers will vary from store to store and the CC's you use will matter especially if they charge foreign transaction fees.

Is it against the law for a friend to buy discounted gift cards on your behalf? Absolutely not. However, you can loose out on potential earnings on your credit cards. We also need to look at the Exchange Rate on both sides based on the date of purchase. An agreement must be reached prior to the exchange of funds/gift cards.

I will look further into this. Currently what seems to be popping up are International Visa Gift Cards but having more options would be desirable. You are on my radar.

This all makes sense, however I would prefer to buy these gift cards while still in my home country and not just before arriving in the US, so an internet purchase would be ideal. My idea behind purchasing GCs is to buy them months in advance as a way of "saving" for my trip and use them for buying tickets and so on, months in advance.

 

[jenhelgren]

Has anyone logged into DGC site today? My primary card balance shows as Invalid and all my other card balances are showing as $0.00!

 

[FoxC63]

My idea behind purchasing GCs is to buy them months in advance

Yes, I took that into consideration with Option 2.

In terms of buying them yourself, you'll have to look at what's going in your country and at the stores there which I'm completely oblivious to. Have you tried looking into social media, bloggers and websites posting what gift cards are on sale and which credit cards to use?

Here in the US we even have sites that specifically target stores and warehouse for discounts; Totally Target, Bargains to Bounty, My BJs Wholesale and, and and. Surely your country has the same?

 

[disfanforlife]

Has anyone logged into DGC site today? My primary card balance shows as Invalid and all my other card balances are showing as $0.00!

I know that it was posted on the website that they were going through some upgrades but that wasn't supposed to happen until January. Maybe it is a glitch? Do you still have the physical cards?

 

[jenhelgren]

I know that it was posted on the website that they were going through some upgrades but that wasn't supposed to happen until January. Maybe it is a glitch? Do you still have the physical cards?

I do have the cards still but have some digital that I wanted to transfer over today. I knew about the upgrade but the site doesn't say anything about technical issues today so I was curious if it was my account and I should contact Disney or its a sitewide issue and I should wait it out.

 

[pasealfondo9]

Thanks FoxC63 for your comments, I have looked at the sites you mentioned and came out even more confused. The WDW market is not particularly big here in Peru, as well as we don´t have such an exhausting coupon/gift card/supersales culture... I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. Still, I do not have an American CC, nor an American bank account and am not able to become a member of say, Costco, in order to buy discounted GCs. Wish there was some sort of place where I could buy a discounted GC with my old fashioned Peruvian credit card no questions asked or memberships required.