Using Disney Vacation Account & Disney Gift Cards for DL trip

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

So, we are taking our first trip to DL & have money saved in a Disney Vacation Acct. & Disney gift cards.

I think I can use our DVA to purchase theme park tickets (in advance), but not to pay for a room-only reservation at a Disney hotel (you can only use a DVA for packages at DL, it appears).

Would it be possible to make a room-only reservation, paying the required deposit with a credit card, and then make payments (either on the phone or at the hotel front desk) with Disney gift cards? With WDW, I did that once.

Can someone also tell me when the full balance would need to be paid for a room-only reservation? Is it when I am on my vacation? I ask because I expect a spring discount to come out if the past is any indication, but it may not come out until a few weeks or so before I go. I would like to avoid paying with gift cards and then having to have any overpayment credited back to the gift cards. Also, can the original reservation be modified to reflect a discount, or do I need to rebook it entirely?

Many thanks for any help! I am so excited for the trip and have found so much great help from the DISboards & DISunplugged already.

 

[millie0312]

The DVA is not super helpful at DLR imo- we ended up trading in the money for gc's before we went because it was not able to be used for anything we needed. We also had an issue with DVA not processing our first GC request and hat was a pain too- always follow up if you don't hear from them after a week. We didn't try to use it for tickets, but for room only it won't work. If you want to pay with gC's you can just use them when you check in- it doesn't need to be paid any earlier. You can also use gc's for tickets- not sure about DVA for that. As for the discount it should be able to be changed (not sure if they technically rebook or not but you just call them) as long as the discount is still available as they only have it for certain rooms and a certain number I believe. I've heard lots of good experiences with people on here calling to get the discount as long as you call as soon as it comes out or even calling until a room is available with the discount if you initially missed out. Hopefully that helped.

 

[gottalovepluto]

No experience with DVA but lots with Disney Gift Cards.

Deposit: You can use a gift card to cover the deposit after you arrive at the resort. Until that point I had to put it on my credit card. Upon check-in I told them I wanted to pay the deposit with my gift card not my CC. It took a lot of time because they had to call a separate department to reverse the credit card charge but they were able to do it. So allow an extra 20-30 mins when checking in. My credit card was refunded about a week later. Note: We've done that twice, most recently before xmas and it wasn't a problem. The first time they told us they couldn't do it and it became a big problem we had to pull in a manager and argue for like an hour. It was ridiculous. Eventually they processed it. I did again last time because the savings I got on the gift cards would have been worth the hassle. Ultimately there were no problems but just be ready.

The rest of the hotel payment is due upon checkout. You can't give them all the gift cards at the beginning because they can't charge your gift card until the actual charge shows on your account. (Some people say Disney allowed them to run a credit but this has NEVER been my experience.) We paid on our account every evening because I hated having that much in gift cards around. Your room charge amount will process one day at a time, so you can pay that off come morning. If you don't want to pay daily you can pay on checkout day as long as you do it BEFORE check out time. At that time all remaining charges on your account process through to the credit card on file.

Also everything in the parks (except for a couple small shops I believe) can be charged to your room via room key and then you can pay the charges off with a gift card all at once. We find that to be very convenient.

If you have multiple gift cards you can combine up to $1000 on each via disneygiftcard.com I think it allows each user to register up to 5 cards.

I too have heard of good experiences with getting the discount applied after they come out.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Minniekins]

.....
..The rest of the hotel payment is due upon checkout. You can't give them all the gift cards at the beginning because they can't charge your gift card until the actual charge shows on your account. (Some people say Disney allowed them to run a credit but this has NEVER been my experience.) We paid on our account every evening because I hated having that much in gift cards around. Your room charge amount will process one day at a time, so you can pay that off come morning. If you don't want to pay daily you can pay on checkout day as long as you do it BEFORE check out time.....

Just wanted to comment on gottalovepluto's comment italicized above, so I cut most of the rest of the post. My experience paying for any charges to my room are from our stays at WDW, so it may be different than at DLR. I was informed by other dissers that my balance needed to be paid before they charge my CC on file, but they charged in the middle of the night, well before I'd go check out, before morning. So, the two times I paid with gc's, I paid before we turned in on our last night, middle of the night actually, after we got back but still before they charged our cc. Just wanted to mention that just in case. If we would have waited till, say, 10 a.m., before the 11 a.m. check out time, they would have already charged our CC. At WDW resorts, in my experience, they usually deliver our check out papers by like 8 a.m.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Just wanted to comment on gottalovepluto's comment italicized above, so I cut most of the rest of the post. My experience paying for any charges to my room are from our stays at WDW, so it may be different than at DLR. I was informed by other dissers that my balance needed to be paid before they charge my CC on file, but they charged in the middle of the night, well before I'd go check out, before morning. So, the two times I paid with gc's, I paid before we turned in on our last night, middle of the night actually, after we got back but still before they charged our cc. Just wanted to mention that just in case. If we would have waited till, say, 10 a.m., before the 11 a.m. check out time, they would have already charged our CC. At WDW resorts, in my experience, they usually deliver our check out papers by like 8 a.m.

Good point! I have heard the same reports on WDW. Better safe than sorry! OP maybe consider just asking when checking in so you don't have any mixup onsite about it. Better safe than sorry! ...But you know since you can't pay for the last night until the next morning they have to let you pay post-midnight- at least on that charge. But now I'm about to get lost in my own logic lol! Anyways we haven't had problems settling our hotel bill with gift cards, minus the deposit part, though we pay on the account each afternoon or evening just for our peace of mind (and it's easier to keep an eye on the charges one day at a time). As suggested do ask the CM when you check-in just to be sure of DLR's current gift card procedures. Gift cards are a great way to save some money for Disney trips but they do have their quirks!

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Wow. Thanks for all the great responses. So helpful!

If you want to pay with gC's you can just use them when you check in- it doesn't need to be paid any earlier.

Thanks! I think I'm just used to packages at WDW. Rarely have done room-only.

I've heard lots of good experiences with people on here calling to get the discount as long as you call as soon as it comes out or even calling until a room is available with the discount if you initially missed out. Hopefully that helped.

Yay! I really want to get the discount to make it fit the budget. I'm thinking of going through Dreams (travel), but would need them to do the adjusting then. (I assume they could watch for a discount or at least call to adjust it if I hear of a discount coming out and ask them to.) The question is - can I give up the reins? I generally handle this stuff alone.

You can't give them all the gift cards at the beginning because they can't charge your gift card until the actual charge shows on your account. (Some people say Disney allowed them to run a credit but this has NEVER been my experience.) We paid on our account every evening because I hated having that much in gift cards around. Your room charge amount will process one day at a time, so you can pay that off come morning. If you don't want to pay daily you can pay on checkout day as long as you do it BEFORE check out time. At that time all remaining charges on your account process through to the credit card on file.

So helpful to know! I also get a little nervous having the gift cards around. I will keep them in the safe and swing by the desk for payments a few times then.

Also everything in the parks (except for a couple small shops I believe) can be charged to your room via room key and then you can pay the charges off with a gift card all at once. We find that to be very convenient.

I hadn't really thought of using gift cards for room charges, but will probably do that if I have any extra. (I also love using my Disney Visa on purchases over $50 for the discount, so that will take care of some of my spending.)

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

We cannot wait!!

I was informed by other dissers that my balance needed to be paid before they charge my CC on file, but they charged in the middle of the night, well before I'd go check out, before morning. So, the two times I paid with gc's, I paid before we turned in on our last night, middle of the night actually, after we got back but still before they charged our cc. Just wanted to mention that just in case. If we would have waited till, say, 10 a.m., before the 11 a.m. check out time, they would have already charged our CC.

Thanks for the tips. I think I will make sure to use the gift cards to pay my balance before our last night and then if I cannot time the final payment right, it is fine for a night to go on the CC.

But you know since you can't pay for the last night until the next morning they have to let you pay post-midnight- at least on that charge. But now I'm about to get lost in my own logic lol! Anyways we haven't had problems settling our hotel bill with gift cards, minus the deposit part, though we pay on the account each afternoon or evening just for our peace of mind (and it's easier to keep an eye on the charges one day at a time). As suggested do ask the CM when you check-in just to be sure of DLR's current gift card procedures. Gift cards are a great way to save some money for Disney trips but they do have their quirks!

I agree - they are a great way to save money, but they do require some planning, extra effort, and caution.

Again, thanks so much for your help everyone.

 

[Minniekins]

You're welcome! I love using the gift cards! It's always a little extra sweet knowing I've saved money by buying gc's with a discount! It's like a sale, and who doesn't love a great sale?! That always make buying more fun and you feel great when you get extra for your hard earned money!

Hope you have a wonderful trip filled with lots of pixie dust!