What forms of money should I bring/ easiest to use while there?

[DisneyDreamer0610]

What forms of money should I bring/ easiest to use while there? Cashiers checks, credit card, plain cash, Disney gift cards, gift card credit cards, Amex gift cards?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I like Disney GCs, I look at it as pre paying for meals, the room, the tickets, souvenirs.

I like to have just one or maybe a few DGCs *but it is wise to buy them discounted or with perks ~ Target or Kroger *gas rewards.

I email the card(s) number and pin - that way if I lose a card I can get it replaced.

You can add money to a DGC by calling DelivEARS ~ 877-560-6477 *you give the CM your credit/debit card info & the gift card info and they mail you the receipt. Last time I did this *a couple months ago* the $$ was on the GC the next day. You can add what ever amount you'd like as often as you'd like.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I like the Disney gift cards too. I usually have a big one ($$ wise) and get some smaller ones too. I give DH one, in case he wants to run out for coffee, a snack, what ever. Same deal for the older kids.

Now sometimes I get the $50 ones from Target, to save 5%...... but that means I have a pile of $50 GCs, that all look alike. So I number them with a Sharpie, and also enter them into my Disney GC app on my iPhone. (it tracks the balances in case I get confused )

 

[pocomom]

What forms of money should I bring/ easiest to use while there? Cashiers checks, credit card, plain cash, Disney gift cards, gift card credit cards, Amex gift cards?

I like using the Disney gift cards and some cash. I don't like coming home to surprises on the credit cards and I don't want to have to think about my totals when on vacation. Bigger things like reservations I'll have on the CC, but it is a set amount. Food, incidentals all get paid with cash/gc. I know exactly where I'm at with the cards and cash without having to think about it. I normally have the rewards card with between $100-200 on it and a couple of 20's and that's what I carry each day at the parks and replenish with some other smaller giftcards (bought at giftcard resellers) and cash as needed.

I am normally a debit card person, but outside of the parks in Orlando I try to use cash/gc too. There have been lots of debit/credit card scams at stores, restaurants and gas stations there. While it would always be a pain to deal with, having the checking account wiped out or the credit cards maxed out on vacation would be a nightmare.

 

[Angela72181]

We took a bunch of Disney Gift Cards that we purchased at Target. With the Red Card you get 5% off. Not a lot but every penny helps with as expensive as it is to get in. We used the gift cards up first and then used our Debit Cards. I preferred not to keep much cash on me when in the parks though.

 

[sk!mom]

Any vacation- anywhere- We travel with credit cards and then maybe a couple of hundred in cash- just in case. Without fail, we return home with most of the cash. We charge everything. Might as well get the rewards on vacation.

 

[CluelessDisFan]

We like charging everything to our room and it's taken right out of our checking. Just like using our debit card. That way we're not carrying around a bunch of cards. 1 card does it all, they had it right with 'Key to the World". Can't wait to try out the new RFID in a week.

 

[ssawka]

I know many on this board won't agree with me, but I like tying a CC to my account and charging back to the room. That way, I get a consolidated bill with all the charges at the end of the trip. DW and I are disciplined enough to not over spend. I also think it is safer, because if you lose a GC you're SOL, but if you lose your room key it is very easy to revoke your old one.

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

I know many on this board won't agree with me, but I like tying a CC to my account and charging back to the room. That way, I get a consolidated bill with all the charges at the end of the trip. DW and I are disciplined enough to not over spend. I also think it is safer, because if you lose a GC you're SOL, but if you lose your room key it is very easy to revoke your old one.

This is what I do also and just go up to the front desk every other day and pay it off with cash, this way I'm also keeping a tab on what we're spending.

 

[msmama]

I agree with a few earlier people. If you're staying onsite then link to your KTTW card and use that for anything.

Actually, you can pay your KTTW balance with gift cards or cash, too. But I like the convenience of only carrying one card around and nothing else.

 

[ssawka]

As an added bonus, if you have a rewards CC then you will get points for everything you spend.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I bring $100 for spending and about $20 in ones for tips if I need more there are Chase ATM all over disney.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

We bring Disney gift cards, singles for tipping, cash for snack stands that can't run cards ( have run into this a few times) and either kttw card or debit for any additional expenses.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[edk35]

This past trip we used our room key cards a few times but mostly paid in cash. ON a couple of trips we used our key cards but I would go up every couple of days and pay the balance off with Disney gift cards.

 

[ICF]

Any vacation- anywhere- We travel with credit cards and then maybe a couple of hundred in cash- just in case. Without fail, we return home with most of the cash. We charge everything. Might as well get the rewards on vacation.

Same here. Almost all CC's with a little cash

 

[ceecee]

I agree with a few earlier people. If you're staying onsite then link to your KTTW card and use that for anything.

Actually, you can pay your KTTW balance with gift cards or cash, too. But I like the convenience of only carrying one card around and nothing else.

We usually use our rewards card from Disney or just use the key and charge it, it's so much easier than carrying cash. We actually lost our rewards card (Earl of Sandwich kept it!) and we called and had it replaced and the old # was inactivated.

 

[princessfionasmom]

I like the Disney gift cards too. I usually have a big one ($$ wise) and get some smaller ones too. I give DH one, in case he wants to run out for coffee, a snack, what ever. Same deal for the older kids.

Now sometimes I get the $50 ones from Target, to save 5%...... but that means I have a pile of $50 GCs, that all look alike. So I number them with a Sharpie, and also enter them into my Disney GC app on my iPhone. (it tracks the balances in case I get confused )

Thank you so much for mentioning that app. I just downloaded it and added all my gc's on it. What a great way to keep track of them. Thanks!!

 

[mm1971]

What forms of money should I bring/ easiest to use while there? Cashiers checks, credit card, plain cash, Disney gift cards, gift card credit cards, Amex gift cards?

Easiest to use is to bring a credit card and have it attached to your room key and just use that. You can go everywhere with just one card.

Other than that, it really doesn't matter. They all work pretty much the same.

 

[olecow]

We use gift cards, a credit card and cash. When we arrive we apply all of our gift cards to our "account", then we link a credit card to our KTTW card and charge everything to our room. We also carry minimal cash for the few places that don't take our KTTW card. Like other posters have said, we like to earn rewards while on vacation, and we usually bring home most of the cash.

 

[Nakkira]

I should not confess this but I am a cash girl.
I save whatever I can in a fireproof lock box.
When I am ready to go I divide the amount by the number of days I am going for and put that amount in a separate envelope for each day.
Then every morning of my vacation I give myself my daily "allowance" which gets added to any left overs I have from previous day. I like the system because then I really don't have to worry about running out of money before the end of my vacation. There is a refill (even if small) everyday!


I know it is risky to do cash, it's just how I have always done it and we are talking about amounts like $50-100 per day so it's not Thousands or anything.
I am thinking of doing a similar savings and division method, but switching to gift cards. I just don't want to pay for that many gift cards. At $4-6 per gift card, buying 6 of them could kinna dig into my spending money.