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Paying For Your Disney Vacation With Gift Cards

April 13, 2020

Whether you’re new to Disney Planning or you’ve been doing your research for awhile, you’ve probably heard about paying for your vacation with Gift Cards.

But, how does that work and what are the tricks to making them easier to work with?

Paying For Your Disney Vacation With Gift Cards

Paying For Your Vacation With Disney Gift Cards

Can you pay for your entire vacation with Gift Cards?

Yes! Disney allows you to pay for everything from Park Tickets, to Vacation Packages, to Special Event Tickets using Gift Cards.

Paying for your Package is no different than purchasing something through an online retailer.

A stack of Disney Gift Cards ready to pay off that next Disney vacation.
This is how I pay for my Vacations!

Why Pay With Gift Cards?

There are many reasons Guests prefer this form of payment.

  • Safety – Some people are hesitant to give out credit card information online, myself included. So, when I used a Travel Agent to book my first Disney Vacation, I paid off my balance with Gift Cards. Do I think she would have done something fraudulently with my information? Absolutely not! But, it was the form of payment I was most comfortable giving out via phone and/or email.
  • You may actually pay less for your vacation Sounds crazy, right? If you purchase discounted Gift Cards from stores like Target, BJ’s, and Sam’s Club you will be saving money right off the bat. At an estimated 5% Savings, that could mean a savings of $200 if you booked a $4000 Package. That’s souvenir money!
Tada Mickey!
Photo Credit: DisneyGiftCard.com

Does Having Many Disney Gift Cards Make It Hard To Pay Off My Vacation?

I purchase a lot of Gift Cards to pay for my Disney vacations. And because the Disney website tends to run a little slow for me, I like to pay off a large amount of money at one time.

Luckily, there’s a simple way to combine the balances onto one card. Disney Gift Card makes it super easy to combine Gift Cards.

Once I have a few hundred dollars loaded onto one card, I apply that dollar amount to my balance.

It’s as simple as that.

If you’re like me, you may want to keep all of your Gift Cards until your trip is over. Once the card is empty, it’s not necessary. But, I like to err on the side of caution.

So, I place them in baseball card pages and place them in a binder to keep everything together.

Photo op at Disney's Art of Animation

Keep Buying!

For many, once their trip is paid off, they stop buying Gift Cards.

But, I keep buying them. Because I purchase them for less than their face value, I like to think that I pay less for my souvenirs.

My credit card NEVER comes out during my trip!

It’s no secret that Disney is expensive. So, by only using Gift Cards, I know I can go home with money still in my checking account.

Always have access to your money

Lastly, another great thing I like about having your cards on Disney Gift Card is that you can access your money from anywhere.

Accidentally leave your Gift Card at home? You can easily transfer the balance to any Disney Gift Card in your possession.

Since my kids also keep their own Gift Cards, I like to think of it as an extra insurance policy. I don’t have to worry (as much) about them losing all of their money because I know I can always transfer their balance onto my card in a matter of seconds.

Got questions? Feeling a bit anxious? Not sure where to begin? We help families, just like yours.

Planning an entire vacation can be overwhelming. But, here’s the good news: we have the answers to the questions that have been stopping you from pulling the plug on your next vacation.

We understand the journey, the ups, and the downs. We’ve been through the training, made our fair share of mistakes, and learned valuable lessons from them. This is what makes us the perfect people to assist you.

From thoughtfully crafted itineraries to having direct access to your dedicated Travel Professional, our mission is to remove the stress from your vacation planning. With our simple 3-step process, we’re here to help you every step of the way, ensuring that your dream destination becomes an unforgettable reality.

  • Reply
    saltandskillet
    July 28, 2018 at 3:36 pm

    Yes!!!! We buy our Disney gift cards at BJs WITH our Disney VISA. That way we’re earning the 1% back on top of the gift card savings. We ended up saving $80 on our $2000 vacation package, so we are using it to go to California Grill for the first time!

    • Reply
      Catherine
      July 28, 2018 at 6:01 pm

      Awesome! It’s like having a free meal!

  • Reply
    BloomsandBeautifuls
    July 28, 2018 at 9:55 pm

    Even better yet, buy them when your local grocery store/gas station chain has the maximum fuel rewards. Save money on gas, And get the cards at a discount by purchasing them with a credit card that gives you percentage back. Right now we use a card which gives us 5 % cash back then matches that 5% for a total of 10% 🙂

    • Reply
      BloomsandBeautifuls
      July 28, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      Check out BloomsandBeautifuls.wordpress.com and go to our menu button and click on tips and deals. We list our credit card names!

      • Reply
        Catherine
        July 28, 2018 at 10:11 pm

        Thanks!

    • Reply
      Catherine
      July 28, 2018 at 10:11 pm

      Great tip and great savings! How could I forget that? I did that not too long ago! I received a $25 Kroger Gift Card from my Survey Mini App. I turned around and used that Gift Card to purchase a $25 Disney Gift Card during their Vacation Gift Card Promotion. Not only did I get a free gift cards, I got 4x the gas points! Win-Win!

      Unfortunately, these promotions vary by chain. I don’t ever remember the stores back home ever doing deals like this. 🙁

      • Reply
        BloomsandBeautifuls
        July 28, 2018 at 10:13 pm

        Wow very nice deal! 🙂

        • Reply
          Catherine
          July 28, 2018 at 10:14 pm

          Thanks! I love free Gift Cards! LOL

          • Reply
            BloomsandBeautifuls
            July 28, 2018 at 10:15 pm

            Right! I usually get the $250 I didn’t know you could get the $25 🙂

            • Reply
              Catherine
              July 28, 2018 at 10:20 pm

              The app I have only goes up to $75, but the Kroger Gift Card was only available to cash out for $25, which is why I got that one. Even if they didn’t have the promotion, I would have used it there for the free Disney Card. The gas points was just a bonus. 🙂

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