By Laurel Stewart
The classic Disney gift card design
As a frequent traveler to Disney parks and the Disney Cruise Line, I’m a huge fan of Disney gift cards. They reduce my need for cash on hand, allow me to sock away money for trips, and make great gifts for people who will be in the parks. As this type of card becomes more and more ubiquitous, you may think you know all there is to know about Disney gift cards. But maybe not. Read on.
Here are just a few of the designs available on DisneyStore.com
Where Can I Purchase a Disney Gift Card?
As part of the day to day business of TouringPlans, I purchase a lot of gift cards for people who are doing dining research. Those are cards I buy from DisneyStore.com and ship directly to the recipient. Shipping is free unless you expedite it and the card usually arrives in the mail in about a week. They also have a large selection of designs to choose from. Note that DisneyStore.com sells two types of gift cards – the plastic kind you can use in the parks that we’re talking about here, and the online gift card that can only be used at DisneyStore.com.
Disney also has a dedicated site, DisneyGiftCard.com, which has the biggest selection of designs and even showcases cards that are no longer available (apparently old gift card designs are collectible). This site had some issues for me as described in the section on checking your balance.
When I’m in the parks and have a need for cashless purchasing, I buy a gift card at any merchandise location. This approach also works great when you want to let your kids be able to make purchases, but don’t want to hand over cash or give them charging privileges.
You can also buy gift cards in pre-determined amounts (usually $25 or $50) in big box stores like Target or Wal-Mart. Rarely, warehouse stores like Costco or Sam’s will also sell packs Disney gift cards at a small discount.
Finally, if you’re near a Disney Store, you can also buy Disney gift cards there, but be sure you’re buying the ones that can be used in the parks.
Where Can I Use a Disney Gift Card?
If you’re in a United States park or sailing DCL, pretty much anywhere that can take a credit card (that is any place with a card reader) – a very few kiosks are cash-only.
Walt Disney World resort
Disneyland Resort
Disney Cruise Line
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort
Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa
DisneyStore.com
The Disney Store (bricks and mortar)
Disney Outlet Stores (read more about these in Derek Burgan’s always-entertaining series, The Magic! Memories! And Merch!)
The Disney shops at Orlando International Airport – The Magic of Disney and Disney’s Earport
Other online Disney sites, like DisneyMusicStore.com, Club Penguin, and MyDisneyPhotoPass.com
Disney gift cards are not accepted in any of the international parks such as Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, or Hong Kong Disneyland.
What Can I Buy with a Disney Gift Card?
Sure, you know the usual stuff like food and merchandise, but here are some more ideas:
Park tickets
Apply to your onsite resort charges when you check in or before you check out
Disney resort reservations
Disney Cruise Line reservations
All or part of your Adventures by Disney trip
Put toward your Disney Vacation Club points or yearly dues
What CAN’T I Buy with a Disney Gift Card?
Purchases at non-Disney owned hotels like the Swan and Dolphin
RunDisney race fees (these are handled through Active.com)
Disney Dollars (this causes a potential fraud issue)
Deals and Discounts on Disney Gift Cards
One favorite of many readers for getting a deal on purchasing a Disney gift card is to use a Target Red Card to buy the gift card at the Target checkout. Because the Disney gift card is considered an “entertainment card” at Target’s POS, it is eligible for a 5% discount when purchased with a Red card (debit or credit). Additional discounts are sometimes available around Black Friday and when making prescription purchases.
Because I don’t like to have store credit cards, I use my Disney Visa from Chase (which we use for all our Disney expenses). We get 2% back on all Disney purchases when we use this card. I put the cash back on a Disney Rewards Card (explained below). The Disney Visa does have a yearly fee, but for TouringPlans, we charge enough that the 2% back is a good deal for us. If I did not have a Disney Visa, I would use my no-annual-fee credit card that gives 1% cash back into my bank account.
Another tactic I haven’t tried, but would love to hear about it you have, is online gift card exchanges. These are sites online where you can trade the gift card you got for, say, Williams-Sonoma when your mom knows the tool reach for most often in your kitchen is a takeout menu for a card you would use, like Disney, where you will buy your weight in Dole Whips. Or you can just buy other’s cards at a discount. I checked a few sites to see if they were selling any Disney gift cards at a discount and didn’t see any right now.
Guy and Morgan still have money on their cards!
How Can I Check the Balance on My Disney Gift Card?
Most often, you will just see the balance remaining on your receipt after you make a purchase with the gift card. Cashiers at shops inside Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts can also check your balance for you without ringing up a sale. Disney claims you can check your balance at DisneyGiftCard.com, but every time I tried while writing this, the site encountered a database error. For a more analog experience, you can call 1-877-650-4327 to get your balance (obviously you’ll need the card in hand for this). And for checking on the go, you can install the Disney Gift Card app (IOS only). This app lets you track the balances of multiple Disney cards on your iPhone (though it can’t take the place of a physical card, nor can you use it to reload a card).
How Can I Reload My Disney Gift Card?
Unfortunately, reloading your Disney gift card is not as easy as reloading other gift cards. You have two choices – do it in person at a Disney location that sells cards or do it over the phone. To reload your card over the phone, call 1-800-362-4533 option 5 then option 2 (this is not the customer service phone number on the back of the card – it’s actually Disneyland Resort Merchandise Services a.k.a. DelivEARS). While you can load more than one card per call, there is a $50/day limit on how much you can add at a time. However, when I wanted to add $200 to one of our researcher’s cards, Disney did say they could do it in four transactions over the span of four days. It’s a little clumsy, but it does the trick. They will also load more than one card per call.
Other Questions about Disney Gift Cards
How should I protect my card?
Like a ticket, you should take a photo of the back of the card, so you’ll have the number in case it’s lost or stolen.
How much money can I put on a Disney gift card?
When you purchase through DisneyStore.com or DisneyGiftCard.com, you can buy $25, $50, $75, $100, $125, $150, $200, $300, or $500 cards. You can reload up to $1000. Cards not purchased through Disney (like at Target) are in set denominations usually of $25 or $50. When you purchase gift cards at a POS station like a resort merchandise shop, you can choose any amount you wish.
I’ve been stockpiling Disney gift cards for my upcoming vacation – isn’t my travel agent going to get mad when I pay in denominations of $25 and $50?
We asked our travel agent friends and they said this happens all the time, so don’t sweat it.
I’ve paid for my trip with a bunch of Disney gift cards, now what?
Hold onto them! If you need to cancel your reservation for any reason, Disney will put the money back onto the cards.
What is a Disney Rewards Card and how is it different from a Disney Gift Card?
A Disney Rewards Card is connected to the Disney Visa from Chase. It functions like a gift card. Each month you earn rewards based on how much you spend and have the option of either moving the money to your Rewards Card or putting it toward a statement credit for Disney- and travel-related purchased you’ve already made. If your Rewards card has money on it, you can use it pretty much anywhere you can use a Disney gift card.
Does a Disney Gift Card Expire or Have Monthly Fees if I Don’t Use It?
No.
Where can I find more answers about Disney gift cards?
There is an FAQ on DisneyGiftCard.com.
Do you use Disney gift cards to help save for your trips or to make things easier for you in the parks? Did we miss any tips? Talk about it in the comments.
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