Using Disny Gift Card to Pay Onboard Account

[TheBigErn]

I'm paying my onboard account with gift cards. Can I prepay early in my cruise similar to having a credit card on file? For example, let them swipe a card that has $1000 on it? Or do I have to wait until the end of the cruise to settle up my account?

 

[PrincessAriel14]

You can prepay early. We load some gift cards onto our account as soon as we board the ship. Just know, whatever you don’t spend would go back on a gift card.

 

[Kennywood]

Disney gift cards are the only way we prepay our onboard account. It would be helpful to both you and Guest Services if you could put as much on one card as possible. You can consolidate cards and each card can have a maximum of $500.00. It's easier to scan one $500.00 gift card than ten $50.00 gift cards.

As the previous poster said, whatever balance remains on your account after the cruise is then put back onto the cards, so hang onto them.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

At https://www.disneygiftcard.com/ you can consolidate your small denomination cards into one card up to $1000.00 each. Just be sure to hold onto that plastic well past disembarking, because as PPs stated, refunds will go back on that card.

 

[VTNuke]

You can go to guest services and apply a gift card at any time prior to them charging your credit card. I'd recommend doing it before the next to last day. They run your credit card at that point.

 

[Lisa F]

I always keep a backup card too (physical card) in case I lose my primary so I can log on and transfer funds onto another card if I need to.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

You can go to guest services and apply a gift card at any time prior to them charging your credit card. I'd recommend doing it before the next to last day. They run your credit card at that point.

The one problem with waiting until the next to last day is that a lot of other people do the same and the lines at guest services can get long. I usually put a card on file on the second day of the cruise. The lines from embarkation day are gone and there isn't the crush of people trying to put gift cards on their accounts before credit cards are run the last night of the cruise.

 

[diznymom]

We always pre-pay early.
I make up a budget and pre-pay everything I can (a little at a time). I actually got a refund last year.

Keep all of your Gift Cards. Any refunds will go back on the cards in the reverse order they were used. (last used gets refunded first).

 

[remlap]

I generally do a guestimate of what my fixed charges will be. Gratuities, Palo, etc and apply that early in the cruise when I happy to be walking by and they don't have a line.
I do a second follow up later in the cruise to cover any impulse purchases, bar, store, etc.

5% off from Target is 5% off.

As others have said, please consolidate any gift cards onto one card up to $1k before you get on the ship.

 

[rere101399]

Will the guest services desk accept an e-gift card on my phone?

 

[TamaraH]

We've always called ahead and had them loaded before we even boarded. Then we didn't have to worry about anything but enjoying the ship and get right to vacationing.

 

[TheBigErn]

I booked my cruise through Costco. If I want to call ahead do I call Costco or Disney Cruise Line?

 

[TamaraH]

I booked my cruise through Costco. If I want to call ahead do I call Costco or Disney Cruise Line?

I've always called DCL. The only time I had to reach out to Costco was to make payments. Once it was all paid in full I went directly through DCL for everything.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

Great to know - thanks for sharing the tip to call ahead to have gift cards loaded to account!

 

[huey578]

We've always called ahead and had them loaded before we even boarded. Then we didn't have to worry about anything but enjoying the ship and get right to vacationing.

You just give them your gift card numbers and it's notated in your folio?

 

[allashore]

yes you are buying on board credit, we had a piece of paper in our cabin the first day indicating how much we purchased
once on the ship you can see $ amount on the app
when I bought the OBC I asked for an email to confirm the amount purchased.
still keep original cards, if you do not use all it will go back on gc

 

[huey578]

yes you are buying on board credit, we had a piece of paper in our cabin the first day indicating how much we purchased
once on the ship you can see $ amount on the app
when I bought the OBC I asked for an email to confirm the amount purchased.
still keep original cards, if you do not use all it will go back on gc

Can you buy on board credit with a existing Disney Gift Card?

 

[allashore]

not sure what u r asking existing Disney gift card?
we just sailed in July and this is what I did:
I purchased my Disney gift cards from Bj's then called DCL and added them to my account

 

[Disneyluvr]

Can each adult in your cabin put a gift card on file for their own purchases? Will/can excursions be charged to each individual adult?

 

[Dug720]

Can you buy on board credit with a existing Disney Gift Card?

If you mean one you have and reload? (Or one you have had for a while?) Yes. Not sure what else “existing Disney Gift Card” means...?

Can each adult in your cabin put a gift card on file for their own purchases? Will/can excursions be charged to each individual adult?

When you do online check-in, you set up who is responsible for whose bills. So yes, each adult can have their own account. Excursions and such will be billed to that person’s account and whoever is responsible would be charged.
IF you are all setting up cash accounts and then using gift cards, it would be best to wait until you are on board and each person go to Guest Services to apply the card to THEIR account. Otherwise it will get mixed up.

Just hold onto the gift cards because anything remaining goes back on them.