How to Save Money on Your Disney Vacation By Using Gift Cards

Have you been debating purchasing Disney Gift Cards to pay for your Disney Vacation? Maybe you’ve been wondering exactly how using a Disney Gift Card to pay off your Disney Reservation works.

Disney Gift Cards can be used to pay for your entire vacation reservation as long as you are staying on Disney property, purchasing your tickets through Disney and completing your booking through Disney (or a Disney Travel Agent). They can even be used to pay your vacation package deposit.

There are a few things to remember, however. If you are booking online, you can only use 2 Disney Gift Cards to complete your transaction. You can, however, call Disney and have as many Disney Gift Cards as you like applied to your reservation. Even better yet, allow me, your authorized Disney travel agent, to book your magical Disney vacation for you and I’ll make sure every gift card you have gets applied to your account!

TIP! If you have a big stack of cards probably have a nice stack of cards that you’re keeping track of, the best way to manage them is by combining them on DisneyGiftCard.com so you only have a few “master” cards to manage. Your DisneyGiftCard.com wallet allows you to:

• transfer the full balance from one gift card to another (partial transfers are not supported)

• manage five gift cards simultaneously (you can delete a zero balance gift card in order to transfer balances between more than five cards)

• monitor the balances of your gift card(s), up to $1,000 per card

You can only transfer the full balance of a gift card so if you want smaller gift cards for kids to use for souvenirs and treats, you may need to manage a second account due to the five card limit. Be sure to set those cards aside before you get started.

I recommend having one or two primary master gift cards that you use to make your resort deposit and larger purchases. If you pay for a Disney resort or package with a gift card, Disney’s policy is to provide your refund back to the gift card. It is much easier to keep track of one or two cards than 10 or more! (Note: If you no longer have your gift card, Disney will issue a new one.)

It doesn’t stop there, however! You can use Disney Gift Cards for most everything in the parks and at the resorts including meals, tips on meal, merchandise and spa services. The only thing you cannot use a Disney Gift Card for are those items that are cash only, including balloons from balloon vendors or vendors that sell light up toys before the parades.

TIP! Bring all of your spending money in the form of Disney Gift Cards. Then use your MagicBands to charge any purchases back to the room and then head down to the front desk every evening and have gift cards applied to cover those charges.

This strategy helps to keep you from having to carry several credit cards or large amounts of cash with you into the park. You can also leave your gift cards locked securely in your room so you don’t have to worry about losing them during the day in the parks. Keep in mind, however, that in order to add charging privileges to your MagicBand you will need to have a credit card attached to your resort reservation. That card will not be charged until checkout unless your total charges reach $500. This is why you should pay off your balance each evening with your Disney Gift Cards.

How to Save Money on Your Disney Vacation Using a Disney Gift Card to pay for a Disney Vacation has an even bigger appeal than just convenience, however. It can be used to save you money!

Using your Target Red Card you can purchase Disney Gift Cards either in stores or online and save 5%. Discounts are also available on Disney Gift Cards at Warehouse Stores, such as Sam’s Club or BJ’s Wholesale Club. On a $3,000 vacation a 5% savings is $150! I don’t know about you, but my family and I can find a lot of things in Disney that we can spend extra money on! The savings adds up!