What cards are accepted

[leeroy1798]

Hello again all,
Did anyone know what card types are accepted in the parks (and actually the area of Orlando, when it comes to it).
At home, we hardly ever use cash and plan to bring MasterCard or Visa cards (our bank accounts have a feature too).
I'm aware revolute is common but we really don't want to get a card just for this vacation.
We'll obviously bring some cash but the majority will be on cards.
Thanks again in advance.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Mastercard and Visa are accepted everywhere that takes credit cards, including in the parks.

That said I think you should be more specific. Are you talking about credit cards? Prepaid cards? Trying to do a whole trip on pre-paid cards would be a nightmare due to pre-authorization holds. If you’re from a specific country and wondering maybe name the country and see if anyone here has experience with their cards in FL.

 

[leeroy1798]

Hi. That's for the reply.
I'm from the UK.
We've got a few options: credit cards are our backup ("damn it, we've spent too much") but we do have prepaid availability.
These are Mastercard or Visa and are linked to bank accounts. That means we can easily transfer money into the prepaid.
I do this the entire time for Europe and they're set up so no authorisation is needed (the usual security still applies though). Hence not wanting another card for this trip.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Update your title to include “UK cards” and you’ll undoubtedly get people with experience of your system

 

[_19disnA]

Most places in the US that accept credit cards honor both Visa/Mastercard. I live in the US and have never heard of 'Revolute' so no idea what that is. Some cash is always a good idea for incidental expenses, small purchases or things like tips. There are many ATM machines on the Disney property and if any of your cards work in those machines, you can always get cash as needed and not have to worry about carrying large sums with you.

 

[DWillowBay]

If it is possible for you to use MC/ Visa, that's probably your best (easiest) option. If your card is tied to your band account, keep in mind that you may need to notify your bank, prior to the trip, that you will be in the US and for specific dates. That way, you won't run into any uncomfortable situations with your card being denied. "Some" cash is always advisable, but just for incidental situations where cards are not accepted. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Dug720]

Most places in the US that accept credit cards honor both Visa/Mastercard. I live in the US and have never heard of 'Revolute' so no idea what that is. Some cash is always a good idea for incidental expenses, small purchases or things like tips. There are many ATM machines on the Disney property and if any of your cards work in those machines, you can always get cash as needed and not have to worry about carrying large sums with you.

Add me to the "What is Revolute?" club.

MasterCard and Visa.

 

[leeroy1798]

Revolut (sorry, spelt incorrectly originally) is another prepaid card.
I thought it was a worldwide thing but appears it's UK based - sorry for the confusion.
For any of the Brits reading this, Tesco and a few of the big banks also do travel cards now.
Tesco are linked/affiliated with MasterCard - like most it seems now. The online rate is WAY better than in-store.
For the bank version, you set it up and just use your day to day card - but just enter the currency when prompted. My bank doesn't have any fees and in setting it up it automatically approves the transactions - so no hassle with pre-auth etc. only potential issue is you can only draw out £200 cash in a 30 day period, so only really any use for card transactions.

 

[R&RsMom]

I’ll piggyback on what DWillowBay said above about holds. Disney puts a $100 hold on whatever card you put on file for charging. When you spend that $100, Disney puts on another $100 hold. The difficulty is that for debit cards, different banks take varying amounts of time to process the release of the holds. People have ended up with significant $$ held before the holds fell off. Credit cards don’t have that problem.

 

[leeroy1798]

Wow! Thanks for that.
Is that just if you store the card on file e.g. on your magic band? Or is it for all transactions?
Some of our pay-at-pump gas stations have a similar concept but only 1p (or it may be £1, I can't remember) and that's taken off the overall total. It's essentially just a check to make sure the account is valid.

 

[lanejudy]

Wow! Thanks for that.
Is that just if you store the card on file e.g. on your magic band? Or is it for all transactions?
Some of our pay-at-pump gas stations have a similar concept but only 1p (or it may be £1, I can't remember) and that's taken off the overall total. It's essentially just a check to make sure the account is valid.

It's for charges that go through your WDW resort folio -- such as using MB. If you pay with at each transaction (restaurant, shopping, etc.) you should be good. It's not only to make sure the account is valid but has enough funds for the charges. You may find gas stations and car rentals do similar. It's not a problem if the financial institution drops the holds in a timely manner, but it can mean you have double funds unavailable if the financial institution doesn't drop those holds after the charge goes through.

 

[Best Aunt]

Is that just if you store the card on file e.g. on your magic band?

Maybe you know this, but you don't store a card on your magic band.

You give a card to the hotel when you check in (or do online check in).

You use your magic band to charge purchases to your hotel room.

The hotel will charge your credit card for what has been charged to your room.

Sometimes people go to the front desk periodically and provide a gift card, so that they can use the gift card to pay for for what they have charged to the room. People post about how often you have to do this, and when the hotel will charge your credit card. I haven't paid attention, but you should be able to find it if you search.

This is why you can only use your magic band for charging if you are staying at a Disney-owned hotel. If you are staying elsewhere, you can use your Magic Band for theme park admission, Lightning Lane, photopass, ride photos, etc., but not for charging purchases.

 

[Anthony1971]

Revolut processes on the Visa/Mastercard network so it will be accepted anywhere in the USA that accepts Visa/ Mastercard.
Most networks will be able to process any credit card as all Networks are open for at least 10 years. Meaning Years ago AMEX had its own network as did Discover and more this is no longer the case. With a side warning small places with older credit card machines that refused to change may not able to process but I would never hand them a credit card anyway as this is the easiest way to have your information stolen.

 

[_19disnA]

In the US, there are often different rules relating to use of debit vs credit cards. If you only have one card to bring, I would suggest a credit card instead of a debit to avoid those issues and they tend to be more widely accepted with fewer restrictions. US gas stations often verify a card is valid and sometimes process a minimal amount before they let you charge.