Why not point-based Dining Plan?

[TellTheHubbyLater]

What is the difference between spending $2000 on gift cards or keeping the $2000 in your checking/savings account to pay off a credit card bill when you return? There are potential issues with having so much tied up in gift cards, I'd rather have the money under my control. That is just me.

$80 if you buy them at BJ's.

 

[sharonabe]

Regardless of how it's done, dining plans are not designed to save you money except in very specific circumstances. I've been checking out all the various planes offered by Disney since about 1998 and none of them ever seemed like a good deal. Just pay out of pocket. It's just as simple and convenient as having a dining plan.

Well, the 2005 plan was a GREAT deal for our family. At $38 per adult, the TS included APP, entree, dessert, drink, AND TIP!!! We made out like bandits on that one.

 

[Mousemommy1]

$80 if you buy them at BJ's.

$100 if you buy them at Target!

 

[ErinsMommy]

What is the difference between spending $2000 on gift cards or keeping the $2000 in your checking/savings account to pay off a credit card bill when you return? There are potential issues with having so much tied up in gift cards, I'd rather have the money under my control. That is just me.

For me the $2K in savings vs. $2K in GC makes all the difference between a shopping spree and Disney.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

What is the difference between spending $2000 on gift cards or keeping the $2000 in your checking/savings account to pay off a credit card bill when you return? There are potential issues with having so much tied up in gift cards, I'd rather have the money under my control. That is just me.

I can purchase $2100 worth of gift cards through Sam's Club for $2001.72, so that's almost $100 in free money. That's why I use gift cards.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

I get that you can save up to $100 by buying and using gift cards. Unless these are in larger $ increments, I'd honestly hate having to keep track of 80 $25 dollar gift cards ($2000) while I was at Disney. Using my 2% cash back credit card, I will earn $40 in points by spending $2000 and the money is not tied up. Last time I looked at Sam's (Christmas time) I only saw the $25 dollar gift cards, heck even if they were $50 cards, that is still 40 cards to run around with.

I have also had to cancel a trip due to a death in the family and did not get back to Disney for 18 months. I'd hate to have $2K in gift cards sitting around until I could use them.

To each their own.

 

[Roxyfire]

I get that you can save up to $100 by buying and using gift cards. Unless these are in larger $ increments, I'd honestly hate having to keep track of 80 $25 dollar gift cards ($2000) while I was at Disney. Using my 2% cash back credit card, I will earn $40 in points by spending $2000 and the money is not tied up. Last time I looked at Sam's (Christmas time) I only saw the $25 dollar gift cards, heck even if they were $50 cards, that is still 40 cards to run around with.

I have also had to cancel a trip due to a death in the family and did not get back to Disney for 18 months. I'd hate to have $2K in gift cards sitting around until I could use them.

To each their own.

You can combine them into one card online, up to $1000 on one card. So for someone who wants to do that I see no problem. I would rather have the 2% back and pay the credit card off as I go. People do give me disney gift cards as gifts so I do like to combine it online for ease.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm not going down the GC card vs DDP road on this one, but will comment on the Points idea. Holy Nightmare to not only implement but to try to track and manage. I can make sure my credits are enough fur my entire stay and if I book more adrs, I know ahead of time what I plan to spend. Tracking everyone's points and hoping they all stick to the program (my crew would fail miserable here) would take the fun out of the food for me.

 

[cigar95]

I'm not going down the GC card vs DDP road on this one, but will comment on the Points idea. Holy Nightmare to not only implement but to try to track and manage. I can make sure my credits are enough fur my entire stay and if I book more adrs, I know ahead of time what I plan to spend. Tracking everyone's points and hoping they all stick to the program (my crew would fail miserable here) would take the fun out of the food for me.

Simplicity is a big selling point for the dining plan. DVC members, accountants, engineers, and various others would probably find a points-based system quite manageable. We could introduce that in parallel and call it "Disney Dining Plan for Smart People", but that would probably draw blowback from too many others.

(Counting down . . . . . . )

 

[cigar95]

I get that you can save up to $100 by buying and using gift cards. Unless these are in larger $ increments, I'd honestly hate having to keep track of 80 $25 dollar gift cards ($2000) while I was at Disney. Using my 2% cash back credit card, I will earn $40 in points by spending $2000 and the money is not tied up. Last time I looked at Sam's (Christmas time) I only saw the $25 dollar gift cards, heck even if they were $50 cards, that is still 40 cards to run around with.

The best savings are on the $500 cards, which Sam's Club sells for $480. (Until just recently, it was $475, so our savings took a quick 20% hit.) And right now, at least one credit card is offering 5% rebates on Sam's Club purchases, so we can piggyback that as well.
I understand not tying up the money - that's an issue for sure. With a bit more extra work, the savings add up, and it's worth the risk. Plus, if I'm staying on site, I can apply the cards to my room charge and not have to carry them around.

 

[Nancyg56]

Simplicity is a big selling point for the dining plan. DVC members, accountants, engineers, and various others would probably find a points-based system quite manageable. We could introduce that in parallel and call it "Disney Dining Plan for Smart People", but that would probably draw blowback from too many others.

(Counting down . . . . . . )

Lol!!! I am an accountant! My head would hurt with this and my crew! Lol!!!

 

[cigar95]

Lol!!! I am an accountant! My head would hurt with this and my crew! Lol!!!

Well, OK, scratch the accountants off the list. New name : "Disney Dining Plan for Cal Tech and MIT".

 

[Carie Young]

What is the difference between spending $2000 on gift cards or keeping the $2000 in your checking/savings account to pay off a credit card bill when you return? There are potential issues with having so much tied up in gift cards, I'd rather have the money under my control. That is just me.

We have a grocery here that offers GC's discounted ($50 card for $48) and also earn discounts off gas while still earning points on a reward credit card. So, sometimes GC are better

 

[Anthony1971]

The DP works on the law of averages... Unless you seek and book the most expensive places and order the most expensive thing on the menu you will likely have a net loss...and in most cases your loss will be significant when you combine it with most who simply will never eat that much especially over a period of a week.... The only time we saved money was when it was a lot cheaper and included the tip.. and even then we only beat it by maybe 70.00 over our family it was just way to much food.. subtract out the CS dessert back then and we would have broken even or had a loss.

 

[IrishNYC]

The amount of people who would actually order a table service, quick service and tow snacks a day (per person) is small. The % of those would would order an entree, dessert and n/a drink (not water, or a beer, etc....no apps or soup, etc) per table service is even smaller.

Peoples FEEL like they are getting a good deal because they see the receipt at the end and "what it would have cost" and they don't have to pull out their CC/cash and pay so again it FEELS like a bargain but for the LARGE majority it isn't. Alot of people accept it and pay for the convenience which there is nothing wrong with but alot of people are in pure denial.

Even if it's not a good deal for you, many people know that if they charge it, and swear up down, left and right that they'll pay it off when they get home, they just plain don't. DH and I fell into that trap 15 years ago when finances were tight, and worked hard to pull ourselves out of it. The peace of mind having everything paid, done, no temptation to "just charge a little bit" makes life and finances much better for us, and I am willing to bet for many other people that prefer the DDP method, too. Am I paying more up front? Right now, no. I know for a fact that for MY FAMILY we save money with the DDP with our dining style, family size, and child's age. I've seen posters here say it's downright stupid to think I saved money, but I did. Fact. Not only did I save money at Disney with the DDP, I paid for the trip with discounted gift cards, and I didn't charge a single penny of it so I didn't pay interest on the bill I swore I'd pay off but probably wouldn't have.

We'll be using the DDP again next trip, and calculating the ADRs we'll have, assuming an average price at each one for entree, two desserts (instead of 3 that we'll order with the DDP), average prices for QS meals, etc. we will, without a doubt, be saving money again, comparing cash vs. DDP cost. In fact it's become an even better value for us now, because there's no more dessert with QS credits, so we can use those extra snacks to fill in meals that aren't covered by the DDP, and still have the same number of snack credits available.

 

[LSUfan4444]

many people know that if they charge it, and swear up down, left and right that they'll pay it off when they get home, they just plain don't. DH and I fell into that trap 15 years ago when finances were tight, and worked hard to pull ourselves out of it. The peace of mind having everything paid, done, no temptation to "just charge a little bit" makes life and finances much better for us, and I am willing to bet for many other people that prefer the DDP method, too.

I completely get that. Many people are paying a premium because they don't want to do the budgeting themselves or they feel as if they can't. It's the same reason people finance vehicles and pay the convenience (interest) there. I finance a vehicle, but I also know it's not the most economical way of purchasing one.

I'm glad you feel the DDP works for you. There was a time I thought it worked for me too. Then I started going without it and saving every single receipt from every purchase I made. Including grocery store strips, alcohol, snacks, souvenirs, etc. I even thought about adding it for a couple days pre-cruise in May. But then I reworked the numbers changed a few things around and realized we'd be better off OOP again.

The hardest part in assessing the value is the DDP is that you can only really compare it when you don't have it. It's the only way to really see what you would have gotten if you didn't have it. When you eat what you want, when you want and where you want. Then see what you spend and compare that t what the DDP would have cost then add i the extras not covered by the DDP (alcohol, extra apps, soups, salads, etc). With the DDP changing so frequently (in pricing and structure) even then things change from trip to trip. What was true two days ago may not be true today with the recent DDP price increase but it doesn't have to be the best financial decision to be the right decision for each family.

 

[eeyoresmom]

I've always thought I would be more inclined to buy the Dining Plan if it were a bit more flexible across formats, perhaps point based. I'm tempted to buy the quick service plan, but want a couple of table service meals as well. But, I don't want to buy the deluxe plan that includes a table service every day, because I don't want to invest that much time every day to eat.

Actually,the deluxe plan is THREE ts per day.

 

[bumbershoot]

Or, just put it on your Credit Card like you would any other meal purchase at a restaurant. I don't know why people feel they have to use gift cards etc for meals when it is just as easy to just pay cash or credit for them like you would any other purchase on any given day. I can easily save my receipts and/or look at my CC statement and figure out what I spent.

What is the difference between spending $2000 on gift cards or keeping the $2000 in your checking/savings account to pay off a credit card bill when you return? There are potential issues with having so much tied up in gift cards, I'd rather have the money under my control. That is just me.

Many people use the doing plans because TA paid for ahead of time and they don't bring out their wallets (except for the tip). They wouldn't pay $20 for that meal but they would pay a TS credit for it. Even if they paid somewhere around $20 for that credit.

For those people, we suggest gift cards. You've prepaid for them. They are there for dining. You're not paying cash or with a credit card.

If you can easily do it the other way then the suggestion isn't for you.

Alot of people use it as a budgeting tool to help limit their spending to ensure the funds are there when it's time.

Yep.

 

[kittyab]

We skip the dinning plan because our DD would be charged like an adult but can not eat like one. I would be more open to a option that is more flexible.

We use TIW mainly now.