Visa Disney Card

[TW1]

I have one, but don't use it much. I've been busy racking up miles on my American Airlines card. But I just cashed a bunch of miles in and wiped out my account so I started think maybe I should use the Disney Visa card and earn Disney points instead.

Can someone remind me please how many points you earn for each dollar spent? And is it relatively easy to use those points to buy park passes or pay maintenance fees, etc?

Thanks

[idratherbeinwdw]

I have one, but don't use it much. I've been busy racking up miles on my American Airlines card. But I just cashed a bunch of miles in and wiped out my account so I started think maybe I should use the Disney Visa card and earn Disney points instead.

Can someone remind me please how many points you earn for each dollar spent? And is it relatively easy to use those points to buy park passes or pay maintenance fees, etc?

Thanks

You get $10 for every $1000 you spend. You then transfer the points you want onto the a card they provide, called a Rewards card. It's extremely easy to use the card to pay for anything, easy as a credit card. I usually use the card to buy dinners and souvenirs in the parks, feels like I am getting them for free. I put EVERYTHING on the visa card that I can, including college tuition and utility/phone/other bills, and pay it all off monthly so I don't accure interest. I go to WDW 3 times a year and usually have at least $150 to spend each time with the Rewards card.

There is a website where you can move available points over to the rewards card when you are ready, it's very easy. One word of warning--ONce you transfer the points onto the card you must use them by the time the card expires, otherwise you lose them. So be careful not to transfer if you're not going to use them by expiration date of your current card. The points are good for a long time (5 years I think?) but once you transfer them from your rewards account to the rewards card they do expire when that card expires.

[lllovell]

It is easy peasy lemon squeezy TW1.

You earn 1% of purchases (sometimes more of they are running a "special"). When you want to use the Disney Dollars earned, you call them and "order" a card (or do it online). The first time you order, there is a minimum transfer of 10 points to the card. After that, you can transfer any amount you choose to the card at any time. The only thing you have to be careful about is that the card has an expiration date, so if there is any chance that you won't use all the points, then don't transfer them.

You can use the point card anywhere on property (including Downtown Disney) that takes Visa. It is treated just like a Visa card (sometimes they have even asked me for identification) and is even accepted at the snack kiosks, etc. You can also use it online at the Disney Store (or whatever it is called these days) or you can use the points to pay your annual maintenance fees by calling Member Services.

I love mine. We pay it off every month to make sure to get the value. You get special offers from time to time through the website (it is a Chase card), special mailings in the bill and other Disney programs. Currently, I think the downpayment for points can be put on the card at 0% interest for 6 months for DVC.

I would give it a whirl! We use our points for "splurges" like snackies and LegoLand *big announcer voice* for our WDW trips. Sometimes we even have enough to pay for some of our meals as well.

Laura

[TW1]

Geez, you guys are great.

So the Rewards card is "like a Visa card" meaning I can't use it at my local gas station, but I can use it in the parks like Disney dollars, right?

So, if I wanted to buy a park hopper over the phone, I'm assuming that can be done as well?

[lllovell]

Right - it is good at pretty much ANY Disney location (or services) that takes Visa.

It even looks like a Visa card with a number and expiration date, signature line, magnetic strip.

I think lots of DVCers use it for their dues, but I LOVE using it as mad money like Mar does. It makes spending the dollars more fun to me!

Laura

[TW1]

OK, one more question...

How long until they expire after you transfer points to the card?

[erikthewise]

While the reward (1% of purchases) is nothing special, the way you can use it is!
With airline miles it is not always easy to use them in the way you would like, and for that reason their value is uncertain. The same holds true to a lesser extent for hotel points, though they are a lot easier to use and get reasonable value for.

With Disney Reward dollars, I KNOW I will be using them within a year, and I know exactly what they are worth.

Rather than use the Rewards card all over WDW, I just have the reward dollars transferred to our room account at the front diesk, and then charge everything (meal, shopping, etc) to our room.

I believe the points expire one year after being transferred to the card. I don't transfer them until shortly before we leave.

[TW1]

While the reward (1% of purchases) is nothing special, the way you can use it is!
With airline miles it is not always easy to use them in the way you would like, and for that reason their value is uncertain. The same holds true to a lesser extent for hotel points, though they are a lot easier to use and get reasonable value for.Exactly why I think I'll start using the Disney Visa. I've airline miles on four major carriers and it's very difficult to use them. Finally, I'm down to less than a ticket's worth on Delta, United and USAirways I can just see them sitting there, worthless, can't transfer them to anything worthwhile anymore (i've enough magazine, thank you!)
At least I can still give them to Make a Wish and send kids to WDW!

[Deep-Thots]

OK, one more question...

How long until they expire after you transfer points to the card?

The points expire when the card expires. We ordered a card last September and it expires this December. (Though we used all the points on it. We'll have to transfer more over for our trip this October.) So, it looks like 15 months is about the length the card stays good for. Remember Mar's caution, though: once you transfer points to the card, they cannot be transferred back to your account. So, if you transfer more than you use on a WDW trip and your card is due to expire soon, you'll be "forced" to go online to Disney Shopping (or some other Disney venue) to expend the points.

[Plutofan2]

I just got my new card in the mail today. They have a special up to 6 months no interest for new purchases from June 1 through December 2006. There appears to be no limit. It is very tempting to use for a DVC add on before the price increase if there is no limit.

[idratherbeinwdw]

I just got my new card in the mail today. They have a special up to 6 months no interest for new purchases from June 1 through December 2006. There appears to be no limit. It is very tempting to use for a DVC add on before the price increase if there is no limit.

I am fairly sure your credit card has some limit. When I first got my card I believe it was $7500, but through the years it's gone up considerably. I am not sure how many points you want to add on, but I doubt you have unlimited credit.

[lllovell]

I read that differently - as if Pluto was saying there is no limit on the zero percent for DVC points.

I haven't seen anything recently, but before, it was capped at $2500 I believe, so do check the fine print before charging all your new points.

Laura

[doombuggy]

Basically, you get $1 Disney Reward Dollar for every $100 you charge on the card. I see plenty of people come in our shop & use the reward card for purchases and they have alot of $$ on it. Boggles my mind a little bit.

I am a charter member of this card, but I don't use it too much. I did put some of my DVC purchase on it - mind you they charged my card on 3/15 although I don't settle on the contract until next week. :upsidedow

I'm down to less than a ticket's worth on Delta, United and USAirways I can just see them sitting there, worthless, can't transfer them to anything worthwhile anymore

It is my understanding that you could combine the United and US Air miles, as they are both part of the Star Alliance. I don't have enough in either of mine, but I considered combining these with some from my dad's to purchase a ticket for my trip to DL in August (we did not, I used all of my dad's American miles). Just a thought for you.....

[cobbler]

Yes it is 1% but you can work the system a bit. For purchases 49 or less it rounds down and for 51 and above it rounds up. So if you spen 149 you will get 1 reward dollar, if you spend 151, you will get 2.

You can earn a max rewards of $750 per year (meaning you would have to spend $75000 to earn that).

Also it can't be used at gas stations, only at WDW. Kind of like a WDW gift card that can be used at WDW locations. So anywhere at Disney that accepts Visa you can use it.

I have earned almost 300 in the year that I have had it. I charge everything I can and pay it off each month.

I even pay extra on my DVC loans to earn the points :)

[gopherit]

Well, everyone else seems to be enjoying theirs, so I must be the only stick-in-the-mud non-Disney Visa luvin' rodent around, LOL. Frankly, I think they've made it too complicated for this gopher's taste. Our TRUs Visa send us a $10 card for every $1000 spent. We can use as many of these on a purchase as we like (now granted, not everyone needs TRUs, but with 3 young kids I assure you we do, LOL - makes xmas and birthdays so easy!) Our LLBean visa sends us certs in the same manner, too. (And we get free shipping and monogramming - love that). Since the TRUs card is through Chase (like the Disney visa) I sort of wish they would adopt a similar rewards policy for the Disney visa. I'm sure there are benefits to the current system, as many of you have noted and utilized - maybe folks prefer the single card with big bucks on it. But for this shopper, ordering a card, putting Disney bucks on the card, then worrying about value expiry on the card - it's just not my idea of "simple", not compared to being sent ready-to-use cards or certs right to my home, automatically.

I think I'm disappointed too just in the changes from the old AMEX perks relative to the Disney Visa, but hey, nothing is for free in this day and age, I suppose. Disney Visa perks haven't really done much for me (not really able to go to early movie releases, not a big Felds entertainment fan, and I have lots of nice Disney watches already). They haven't been offering many promos lately, either. I recall 2 yrs ago that they were doubling your points for about 3-5 months if you made certain purchases. Of course, they did it for select "markets" - some folks were offered double pts for gas and groceries, some were offered double pts for all purchases over a certain threshold - and some folks weren't offered anything! They haven't offered any promos like that since, that I can recall, anyway. We used our Disney visa quite a bit that year, and built up about $200 on it for our trip. BUt when I went to use it - many places did NOT know how to handle it. Perhaps that has improved some over the past 20 months. Mouseworks (at WDW) did a real number on me by triple-billing my card and when I went to use it at Pooh Corner - well to my embarrasment I found myself about $80 bucks short. You wouldn't believe how many phone calls it took to straighten it out. Oye vey. LIke I said - not so simple. With smaller denom gift cards, you know right there at the counter what you're working with. I just used 4 of those TRUs cards tonight... no sweat. If there had been an issue - I would have known, right there at the counter (Not the next day, in mid-purchase at Pooh Corner...) Hoepfully they have worked out kinks like this.

I will say, we still have our Disney Visa and I've been diligently filling out the good ol' survey (have you guys been participating in that? You have to answer 3 separate surveys and they give you $10 at the end.) I still have survey #3 yet to go. We have a bit of mooolah on an existing rewards card - we will try to use that up on our trip this summer. So we do use the card, and I have no plans to ditch it - it carries no annual fee and as with any of our cards, we don't leave any balance due on it. I just don't think it's very user friendly in how it dispenses your reward bucks back to you, relative to other company's means of handling reward dollars. It is perhaps better than airlines, though, I will agree to that!

[cobbler]

I am part of the survey too. THey say that was sent to select people and not to forward it so I wondered how many actually get it.

I actually did make suggestions like I think the rewards are to low. 1% isn't much at all. But I still use it because besides my debit card, that is the only one I have so why not get at least something for it.

I suggested they maybe give 2% when using it at Disney for resorts, shopping and dining and 1% everywhere else.

I think they need to make the rewards a little more attractive than 1% when others give 5%.

I still like it, again its between that and my debit card so I use it. I don't do any of the movie screenings either, I have used the disneyshopping discount but not much.

[gopherit]

I suggested they maybe give 2% when using it at Disney for resorts, shopping and dining and 1% everywhere else.

I think they need to make the rewards a little more attractive than 1% when others give 5%.



ITA, and I said as much in my responses too. We get 4% back on purchases at TRUs, and I am thinking LLBean gives extra buckage for purchases at Bean as well - though that may have been a limited time offer. Nonetheless, upping the % is a surefire way to up the usage in our household. WHen they increased our % two yrs ago, we used the card exclusively.... and afterwards, we've hardly touched it.

Of course, I also am willing to bet that we aren't exactly their "favorite" type credit customer, since we never carry a balance and always pay off each month....

[Plutofan2]

I read that differently - as if Pluto was saying there is no limit on the zero percent for DVC points.

I haven't seen anything recently, but before, it was capped at $2500 I believe, so do check the fine print before charging all your new points.

Laura

Thanks. I was refering to that there was not set dollar limit listed on how much you could spend under the 0% promotional rate. Of course your over all limit is based upon the credit limit that the card issuer gave you. On previous promotions there was a cap of $2500 for DVC add ons. But by all means check with your credit card company before making any purchases under the new promotion.

[mushu]

We use our card all the time, always pay it off on the first bill thu, no interest.

[PoohsPal]

I love my card! You can use teh Rewards Card online at DisneySHopping.com too. Just lkike a creadit card. I transfered my points just before MF's were due. You can also contrrol how many you transfer to the card too, because the card does expire (Seems like they expire Dec 31 of the year after you the card.)

Happy shopping!

[doombuggy]

Good tip Cobbler about the rounding up.

I have several credit cards, and since i moved here, I have not been using them much - I have been trying to pay them down. I usually use my debit card and that's it. I have other cards that have a better interest rate, so again, Disney Visa is not my first choice. The thought of putting my dues on that one sometime in the future is not a bad idea, thanks for hat tip.

I am not part of the survey, but I agree that better rewards would probably encourage more people to use it. The 2% back on Disney purchases is a great idea.

[TW1]

OK what's the deal with this...

Our Sunday newspaper ran an ad for a sneak preview of Disney's Cars for Visa Signature Card holders.

So what are Disney Visa card holders? Chopped Liver?

[DSNY FN]

Well, everyone else seems to be enjoying theirs, so I must be the only stick-in-the-mud non-Disney Visa luvin' rodent around, LOL. Frankly, I think they've made it too complicated for this gopher's taste. Our TRUs Visa send us a $10 card for every $1000 spent. We can use as many of these on a purchase as we like (now granted, not everyone needs TRUs, but with 3 young kids I assure you we do, LOL - makes xmas and birthdays so easy!) Our LLBean visa sends us certs in the same manner, too. (And we get free shipping and monogramming - love that). Since the TRUs card is through Chase (like the Disney visa) I sort of wish they would adopt a similar rewards policy for the Disney visa. I'm sure there are benefits to the current system, as many of you have noted and utilized - maybe folks prefer the single card with big bucks on it. But for this shopper, ordering a card, putting Disney bucks on the card, then worrying about value expiry on the card - it's just not my idea of "simple", not compared to being sent ready-to-use cards or certs right to my home, automatically.

I think I'm disappointed too just in the changes from the old AMEX perks relative to the Disney Visa, but hey, nothing is for free in this day and age, I suppose. Disney Visa perks haven't really done much for me (not really able to go to early movie releases, not a big Felds entertainment fan, and I have lots of nice Disney watches already). They haven't been offering many promos lately, either. I recall 2 yrs ago that they were doubling your points for about 3-5 months if you made certain purchases. Of course, they did it for select "markets" - some folks were offered double pts for gas and groceries, some were offered double pts for all purchases over a certain threshold - and some folks weren't offered anything! They haven't offered any promos like that since, that I can recall, anyway. We used our Disney visa quite a bit that year, and built up about $200 on it for our trip. BUt when I went to use it - many places did NOT know how to handle it. Perhaps that has improved some over the past 20 months. Mouseworks (at WDW) did a real number on me by triple-billing my card and when I went to use it at Pooh Corner - well to my embarrasment I found myself about $80 bucks short. You wouldn't believe how many phone calls it took to straighten it out. Oye vey. LIke I said - not so simple. With smaller denom gift cards, you know right there at the counter what you're working with. I just used 4 of those TRUs cards tonight... no sweat. If there had been an issue - I would have known, right there at the counter (Not the next day, in mid-purchase at Pooh Corner...) Hoepfully they have worked out kinks like this.

I will say, we still have our Disney Visa and I've been diligently filling out the good ol' survey (have you guys been participating in that? You have to answer 3 separate surveys and they give you $10 at the end.) I still have survey #3 yet to go. We have a bit of mooolah on an existing rewards card - we will try to use that up on our trip this summer. So we do use the card, and I have no plans to ditch it - it carries no annual fee and as with any of our cards, we don't leave any balance due on it. I just don't think it's very user friendly in how it dispenses your reward bucks back to you, relative to other company's means of handling reward dollars. It is perhaps better than airlines, though, I will agree to that!


Ah don't worry Gopher we don't even get them in Canada as Chase doens't have an affiliate bank crossover in Canada to offer their visa through. It was MBNA but they are Mastercard in Canada and no bank can offer both Visa and Mastercard under banking laws in Canada.

[senecabeach]

I'm certainly the wrong person to ask about this card.:blech:

Lets see:
1. Its a cute card
2. $1. per $100. spent:lmbo: Oooops... $10. per $1000. spent (guess that sounds better??)
3. interest rate mid to upper double digits ( yep, dont carry a balance)
4. use my rewards @ Disney ..big whoop!

Nope... I'll keep using my (lower interest) 1:1 and in certain instances 3:1 card that gets me perks in the way of (free, yep nothings free) air fare ..anywhere ... and Marriott stays!! Certainly a "bigger bang for MY buck":Pssst:

[KNWVIKING]

I'm certainly the wrong person to ask about this card..............Nope... I'll keep using my (lower interest) 1:1 and in certain instances 3:1 card that gets me perks in the way of (free, yep nothings free) air fare ..anywhere ... and Marriott stays!! Certainly a "bigger bang for MY buck":Pssst:

First, ANY card, regardless of how low the rate, that you carry a balance on more than eats up any perk.Don't link interest rates to perks. Carry a balance, you lose any benifits, end of discussion.

Second, the 1:1 and 3:1 cards you mention don't offer any better benifits, just different math to come to the same 1% rebate. Goldpoints CC offer 3:1, but it takes 15,000 points - or $5000.00 in spending - to buy a Howard Miller Alarm Clock that I can purchase anywhere for $27.95. Works out to just over 0.5%. I could also redeem 15000 points to stay one nite in a low end Country Inn which can easily be had for $50.00.

Very few card offer any better than 1%. GM card offers a 5% with annual limits and redemption thresholds. GEICO CC offers 3% rebate - only redeemable against your ins premium - for the first $150.00 per month you spend on gas. After that, 1%.

IMO, THE BEST card is the Starwood Prefered, IF you want to stay at a tier 2 resort in Orlando. At cutrrent rates,a weekend for 6000 points @ a 1:1 spend ration, comes out to approx a 3% return.

The issue I have with the Disney card, and why I no longer use it - is because the 1% return is not inflation proof.Every time Disney raises the price of something, my unused balance just lost money.

[Deep-Thots]

Wow -- talk about resurrecting an old thread -- this one's back from May....

[TW1]

Unlike credit cards, this thread bears interest

[senecabeach]

Deep-Thots...
Sorry bout that, I didn't look at the date..must have been :catchingz

KNWVIKING... Yep...nothings even close to "free" !

[gopherit]

Very few card offer any better than 1%. GM card offers a 5% with annual limits and redemption thresholds. GEICO CC offers 3% rebate - only redeemable against your ins premium - for the first $150.00 per month you spend on gas. After that, 1%.

IMO, THE BEST card is the Starwood Prefered, IF you want to stay at a tier 2 resort in Orlando. At cutrrent rates,a weekend for 6000 points @ a 1:1 spend ration, comes out to approx a 3% return.

We have a Toys-R-Us Visa, and we get 1% back on all purchases, and 4% back on anything bought at TRUs. We also get lots of through-the-year coupons for discounts @ TRUs. For many of you, you may be saying - well, that's stinky - nothin' but a bunch of Geoffrey Giraffe cash for all my hard-spent dollars?

But for us - with 3 young kids, each with a birthday, and xmas, and lots of b'day parties to attend... plus their 12 cousins to purchase the occasional gift for... well, you can EASILY see how that might be handy. It is SO COOL to put all our xmas purchases on the counter and basically have it already paid for.

Of course, we are keeping our eyes open for that imminent day we need to transition, that day when our kids are not "kids" anymore. We are already beginning to spend as many bucks at Circuit City and similar electronics places, LOL. It's only gonna get worse, I bet....

The LLBean card is sort of nice - nets you free monogramming and free shipping, and earns you LLBean bucks. But then, how much LLBean can one person use, LOL? We use this mainly to send xmas gifts to folks - the free shipping helps greatly, and then, we use the $$ earned on that purchase to buy the next year's gifts! ;)

FWIW - we never carry a balance. I would love to find a decent Mastercard to occasionally use. Now and then, ceertain places have Mastercard "deals" (Amerisuites had a promo wherein if you used a Mastercard for your stay, you got a $25 gift card.) All we seem to have are Visa, for some reason. ANd one Amex, but that's only for work. They sick the hounds on ya if you use it for anything other than business, and sorry, but I ain't paying someone to give me a credit card, so no way will I get an AMEX of our own.

I wouldn't mind getting a card that allowed me to earn $$ towards hotel stays, but we never seem to frequent just one chain. I suppose if I had to choose the place we stay in the most when we are going to/from on our big travels, it is either the Choice line (Sleep Inn, Comfort Suites), or the Hilton line (Hampton, Homewood, Hilton Garden). Anybody know anything about their cards?

[KNWVIKING]

You are correct gopher, people should find a card who's perk matches their immediate needs. Right now, if TRUs is your best value, biggest cash saver, than that's the one to use.

Want just cash back ? Emigrant Direct, an online bank, pays 5.15 apr on savings & offers a CC that contributes 1.4% cash into your account. Not to shabby a deal.

Every now and than Disney will have an incentive spiff for their CC. Not too long ago, they offered 3 or 5% rebate on all purchases online. Also had a code for free shipping. The Outlet had a bunch of clearance items that were exactly what we were looking for. Combining all the savings, we paid about 0.20 on the dollar for $200.00 bucks worth of stuff.

When your kids start college, find the hotel chain near their college and get that card. It will save you a fortune. Nothing racks up perks on a CC like tuition does.

When oldest DS started college, I planned out a family graduation trip. Five years later,SPG perks paid for two studios at the Sheraton Studio City on I-Drive, 7 night each, NFCU perks paid for 4 round trip airline tickets and the cash rebate on the GM card paid for the rental car, four Orlando Flex Tickets good for admission into US/IOA,Sea World and Wet-n-Wild and half our food.

[jackieslp]

I just received my disney reward card and the card had an expiration date of 12/07 - so it's only good for a little over a year....Jackie

[lllovell]

oooo - I had not looked at the Toys R Us card before Gopherit. I will have to check it out. While I love our Disney Dollars it sounds like TrU would be a better deal for us right now as well since we have the same number of little loves as you have small gophers running around :). Not so many cousins though, but just my 3 would probably make a big difference and I often shop their clearance sales on clothes and toys, etc.

Thanks!

[gopherit]

oooo - I had not looked at the Toys R Us card before Gopherit. I will have to check it out. While I love our Disney Dollars it sounds like TrU would be a better deal for us right now as well since we have the same number of little loves as you have small gophers running around :). Not so many cousins though, but just my 3 would probably make a big difference and I often shop their clearance sales on clothes and toys, etc.

Thanks!

Yep, it's our little "Christmas Club", LOL.

ANother great way to save at TRUs - join Dealpass (used to be Hotwire Savings Club). I think it's about $8 per month. Join now, buy your quota of TRUs gift cards (I think you can buy up to $200) and you will get 20% cash back. We joined Hotwire way back in 2003 when they used to sell the breakfast and Q&C vouchers dirt cheap, and when it became Dealpass, a lot of that went bye bye (and they hiked the price per month up a buck) but we still felt like we were saving moolah. We get Outback gift cards, Olive Garden, BK, Wendy's, Amazon.com, KMart and Target and Circuit city cards all at 20% rebate, no charge for shipping, sent direct to our door. :woohoo: The movie tix used to be a great deal (used to be $4.25 per ticket, good for any time of day, only stipulation: movie has to have been released for at least 2 wks. Well, any movie that doesn't last that long isn't worth seeing anyway, I say! But sadly, they raised the price on these - I *think* they are now $5.25, which is the same price as our afternoon matinees anyway.)

And best of all - you can charge all those gift card purchases on - you guessed it - your Toys R Us visa and earn more Geoffrey bucks.... every little bit helps, right?!? ;)