What if My Band Doesn't Work at TS?

[Networth]

Just to clarify you do know Disney will want a credit card when you check in simply for "incidentals" like any other hotel. You don't have to link it to your bands but their gonna want to see a Credit card at check-in.

 

[BudgieMama]

I understand what OP said about not having money in the bank to spare, but wouldn't that be the whole point of carrying a CC? You don't need money in the bank (it's a credit card, not a debit card) and it's a handy back up in case of emergency? Could you not cover cost on CC and claim back from Disney before you even leave (and certainly before you pay any interest)?

Sorry if that's a stupid question- maybe they work differently over in the US, but I used to work for a charity and regularly lived in my overdraft. I had to buy train tickets home as an emergency and paid on my CC so I could just go (and then got the money from my mum when I arrived) and not need to worry about the money till the end of the month....

 

[DebbieB]

Just to clarify you do know Disney will want a credit card when you check in simply for "incidentals" like any other hotel. You don't have to link it to your bands but their gonna want to see a Credit card at check-in.

It's optional. If you don't want room charging, you don't have to give a card. I've done no room charging on trips with friends. Not everyone has a card for whatever reason. Some by choice, some with credit problems. If it was required, they would have to disclose it on the reservation confirmation.

 

[Jennasis]

Just to clarify you do know Disney will want a credit card when you check in simply for "incidentals" like any other hotel. You don't have to link it to your bands but their gonna want to see a Credit card at check-in.

You don't have to give them a CC.

 

[aml3679]

We are here now and there has been a few glitches but every time, it got straightened out so quickly that it did not bother us.

 

[AmyB2006]

We are asked IF we want to put a CC down.

Just to clarify you do know Disney will want a credit card when you check in simply for "incidentals" like any other hotel. You don't have to link it to your bands but their gonna want to see a Credit card at check-in.

This is exactly what I was talking about. I know charging to your card/room is an option, but they've always asked for a cc when we check in, for "incidentals". It's never been an option for us. They've never said, "If you like..." or anything like that. Now I'm going to have to ask at my next check in. LOL They've never posed the question as an option. Maybe since I never said or asked about it?

Yeah, we always end up getting the DxDp, with the two of us, the way we eat (we like three course meals), the number of sigs we eat at combined with the number of character lunches/Breakfasts we do it actually does make sense for us. =) Esp when you take into consideration that we both prefer seafood which tends to be pricey.

If we ever did the DDP we'd do the deluxe too. We eat at least 2 TS meals a day, usually character breakfasts and dinners, and some are 2 credits. We skip out on an organized lunch and either just snack or grab something quick.

 

[honeymo78]

This is exactly what I was talking about. I know charging to your card/room is an option, but they've always asked for a cc when we check in, for "incidentals". It's never been an option for us. They've never said, "If you like..." or anything like that. Now I'm going to have to ask at my next check in. LOL They've never posed the question as an option. Maybe since I never said or asked about it? If we ever did the DDP we'd do the deluxe too. We eat at least 2 TS meals a day, usually character breakfasts and dinners, and some are 2 credits. We skip out on an organized lunch and either just snack or grab something quick.

I think they assume most people will leave a card and most people assume it is required. But it is definitely only optional. Disney and even their cruises are the few places that does not a cc imprint at checkin.

 

[NickyKnack]

We've never set up charging before, it's too hard to keep track of.
I spend the whole vacation stressing how much I have and haven't spent and what I may or may not have done to our bank account. Easier just to have the money in hand as either cash or a gift card and move from there so I know once that's gone - I'm done.

So have you ever set up charging on your account before? If so, did you only use giftcards?

Yeah, the way they do things over here is in my opinion a little stupid. I couldn't get a CC even if I wanted to (all we have is a debit card). Because I'm what my banker, and the guy at the car dealership referred to as a "ghost". I don't have bad credit - I just don't have any credit at all. Up until we had to buy this new Car in January, I had never bought anything I couldn't buy straight up with cash. For big stuff I just saved up and then bought it when I could afford it. So CCs have never been an option for me.

I understand what OP said about not having money in the bank to spare, but wouldn't that be the whole point of carrying a CC? You don't need money in the bank (it's a credit card, not a debit card) and it's a handy back up in case of emergency? Could you not cover cost on CC and claim back from Disney before you even leave (and certainly before you pay any interest)?

 

[LilyWDW]

You should ALWAYS have a backup way to pay no matter where you are. Things happen. Systems crash. There is always a possibility no matter how infrequent it happens.

 

[Tiggs14]

My magic band said it wasn't connected to an account when I tried to use dining/snack credits. This stated happening about 1/2 way through the trip and continued to happen right through to the end.

Luckily my husbands band continued to work so we just used his after trying mine.

 

[bumbershoot]

I assume that she meant she would bring the gift cards with her and use them on the spot - not charge back to the bands?

No, I think she wants to use the bands. Which means having a room charge set up. There's the title of the thread and this:

If we're using the MB and they fail at a TS, we wont have the funds to pay out of pocket, so what happens?

I realized my posts might have been confusing. We rarely set up a room charge situation. Therefore we rarely have to give them a cc. BUT when we have set up the room charge, that is when we have HAD to show a cc because they have to have someplace to charge it back to.

I thought in the past you could put a GC on your account but more and more I'm reading here that you can't. You can set up the account then go and offer the GC periodically to settle it, but it can't be originally be set up like that. Those reports might not be right.

If at the time of setting up the room account they can't so this to begin with (just put the GCs down) this will all be moot because they won't be able to use MBs anyway.

 

[BudgieMama]

Yeah, the way they do things over here is in my opinion a little stupid. I couldn't get a CC even if I wanted to (all we have is a debit card). Because I'm what my banker, and the guy at the car dealership referred to as a "ghost". I don't have bad credit - I just don't have any credit at all. Up until we had to buy this new Car in January, I had never bought anything I couldn't buy straight up with cash. For big stuff I just saved up and then bought it when I could afford it. So CCs have never been an option for me.

That's a pain. We have a similar problem over here- when I first asked for an overdraft at 21, I had no credit score, so the computer said no. Fortunately, it's normal to be able to ask the member of staff to look at your file and make a decision themselves. The guy I dealt with said "You have no credit score. Ah, you've had no credit. Let's sort that out" and it was done.

I hope you come up with a workable solution. Good luck

 

[NickyKnack]

I completely disagree.
I paid for the DxDp that means that I did my part, if their system screws that up, they should be the one to fix it. I did my part.
If Disney can't keep their act together and take care of things on their end once I've done my part? Well, then there's always at least 3 other parks to go visit in Orlando. Not to mention the vast array of vacation spots outside of Disney.

When I bought the DxDp I was promised that my meals would be taken care of, not maybe they would be taken care of and maybe they wouldn't. Disney needs to find a way to honor their promise, not expect the paying guest to pick up the slack.

You should ALWAYS have a backup way to pay no matter where you are. Things happen. Systems crash. There is always a possibility no matter how infrequent it happens.

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

OP, are you driving or flying? I am asking because I can't imagine going on vacation with absolutely no money or CC as backup. I totalled my car on the way home from Disney once and I need a good bit of money to get us home. I had to book a room at a hotel that night since it was a Sunday evening and was raining (that's what caused the accident). On Monday I had to contact my insurance and find a rental to drive home in. The weather was still horrible that day so we ended up getting another room that night because I was too scared to continue driving. In the end it cost me over $300 in hotels, food, and the rental that I hadn't expected to spend.

Another time we had a tire blow out on my car on vacation. We had driven past an accident in which a bunch of furniture was scattered on the highway. Not long after we passed the accident we had the blow out. When we got to the tire place both of my back tires needed to be replaced. That was an almost $500 unexpected expense that we definitely had not anticipated.

I don't know what would have happened in these situations if we had "no money in the bank" or some other form of back up for these emergencies.

 

[NickyKnack]

We rent a car and get the insurance.
If by some odd chance we "total" the car the rental agency gives us a new one. The only thing we're out is time.

And just because I have a little extra for emergencies in cash doesn't mean I should have to fork it over for something I already paid for. Let's say I was forced to pay for a meal that should have already been covered - then on the way home something came up to the tune of 200 or so dollars (not hard to run up at a Sig when you do drinks, Apps, Dessert & Entree per 2 people.) now my emergency cash is gone because Disney messed up.

Another time we had a tire blow out on my car on vacation. We had driven past an accident in which a bunch of furniture was scattered on the highway. Not long after we passed the accident we had the blow out. When we got to the tire place both of my back tires needed to be replaced. That was an almost $500 unexpected expense that we definitely had not anticipated.

I don't know what would have happened in these situations if we had "no money in the bank" or some other form of back up for these emergencies.

 

[JanaDee]

They are phasing out KTTW. They have already stopped them at POP and All Stars. I don't know if they will issue one by request, if they will give you one without the magnetic strip to get fastpasses.

Disney has said all along you may use a KTTW in lieu of the magic band. Using magic bands isn't a requirement.

 

[FlipHipster]

I thought in the past you could put a GC on your account but more and more I'm reading here that you can't. You can set up the account then go and offer the GC periodically to settle it, but it can't be originally be set up like that. Those reports might not be right.

Eh, we were there the week before TG and bought a GC to use for meals. We were told you cannot put a GC on your account and use it with your MB or KTTW card so we just carried it around with us. Not sure if you can settle your account with it when you check out but not sure why you wouldn't be able too?

FWIW, we had way more problems with the GC not swiping than with our MB's.

 

[jmrothermel]

On our day of checkout, both our MB AND KTTW cards failed to read our entitlements left. We had to charge it to our room charge or CC and settle it with the concierge after we got back from Epcot. So it CAN happen that you need a backup form of payment!

 

[btk2333]

don't all hotels require you to keep a CC on file in case you decide to trash the room? Also I think its nuts to travel without a CC, even if you have money in the bank. But what's even more insane is that the OP is spending every last penny of savings to take the vacation. I am surprised there aren't more posters telling her she can't afford the trip and should not go at all.

This was my initial though too especially doing deluxe dining to use all of your money. I kinda thought it was a joke to criticize mbs from a different angle...but I don't know the ops situation.


I don't think the op has to worry about the mb not working and having to pay cash- that just won't happen- there are other contingencies and if somehow all of them failed I'm sure disney would be able to look up your reservation and pull your entitlements accordingly. Even if heck froze over and you had to pay cash for some reason then disney would reimburse you later on- probably the same day. This is a possibility but I don't think it's any more likely than before when they were just key cards... The op seems to be in a portion of the guests that Disney may not be able to entirely prepare for.

I find it hard to believe that Disney would even let you check in without providing a credit card- you don't have to activate chargin privileges but they need it in case you steal the tv or something and run off... That being said I've never tried not providing a credit card...

 

[NickyKnack]

Really? So because I am not as blessed financially as some I shouldn't go?
If I'm willing to sacrifice for the year before we go, too bad I'm too poor stay home? Really?

I couldn't travel with a CC even if I wanted to because I don't have access to one because unlike the rest of the planet I don't believe in debt so I don't have credit. So again, because I believe in paying for everything when I have the money instead of promising to pay for it later and hoping nothing goes wrong, I shouldn't travel?

don't all hotels require you to keep a CC on file in case you decide to trash the room?

Also I think its nuts to travel without a CC, even if you have money in the bank. But what's even more insane is that the OP is spending every last penny of savings to take the vacation. I am surprised there aren't more posters telling her she can't afford the trip and should not go at all.