Customer Loyalty Rewards

[CaptainAmerica]

My main argument with the Disney Visa is that the cash back (Disney Dollars only) is pretty minimal (1%) and you could easily get that or more with another card (Discover is I think 1% or 2% normally and then they have revolving 5% categories). The big difference is that what you get back on Discover (or any other brand, practically) is something that could be used anywhere.

So let's say you spent $12,000 on your Disney Visa over the last year and you're planning on using that towards a vacation at WDW. 1% is DD120 (only can be used at Disney). 1% from any other card is $120 (can certainly be used, at your discretion, at Disney but could be used anywhere else).

If you spent $12,000 on something like Discover then I think (correct me if I'm wrong) you get 2% back in cash as a standard which would be $240 which could certainly work at Disney BUT works everywhere else but if you'd probably get more back because you'd probably qualify for 5% back on various purchases throughout the year (hard to calculate because it depends on what you buy but it'd all equal to more than 1%).

I've had this discussion with Disney Visa folks on this and other forums before and the answer they always give me is the same: "But this 1% helps go towards our vacation." That's usually where it dies.

Having had a Disney Visa in the past the other perks can be useful like at Disneyland they'll flat out ask you if you have a Disney Visa card and I think it qualifies you for 10% off on meals and merchandise and it appears to be fairly universal (not like "Oh - you need to go to this particular merchant or dining location"). So that's good.

I'm not trying to knock you for it - just saying that the 1% back on Disney Visa never made much sense to me.

It reminds me of the scene from The Office:

Michael: Gift baskets are amazing, Phyllis. Gift baskets are... the essence of class and fanciness. They are the ultimate present that a person can receive.

Andy: What about cash? With cash you can buy anything you want, including a gift basket, so... it's kind of the best gift ever.

Jim: What about a gift basket full of cash?

Andy: Yes! Cash basket! Nice work, Tuna.

People somehow think that 1% back in Disney rewards is better than the 1.5% or 2% you can get back in cash from other cards. When the rewards are in the form of cash back, you can do anything you want with it, including using the money towards your Disney trip. The only arguments that work in favor of the Disney VISA are emotional, not financial or mathematical.

 

[sgtbtlbailey]

My main argument with the Disney Visa is that the cash back (Disney Dollars only) is pretty minimal (1%) and you could easily get that or more with another card (Discover is I think 1% or 2% normally and then they have revolving 5% categories). The big difference is that what you get back on Discover (or any other brand, practically) is something that could be used anywhere.

So let's say you spent $12,000 on your Disney Visa over the last year and you're planning on using that towards a vacation at WDW. 1% is DD120 (only can be used at Disney). 1% from any other card is $120 (can certainly be used, at your discretion, at Disney but could be used anywhere else).

If you spent $12,000 on something like Discover then I think (correct me if I'm wrong) you get 2% back in cash as a standard which would be $240 which could certainly work at Disney BUT works everywhere else but if you'd probably get more back because you'd probably qualify for 5% back on various purchases throughout the year (hard to calculate because it depends on what you buy but it'd all equal to more than 1%).

I've had this discussion with Disney Visa folks on this and other forums before and the answer they always give me is the same: "But this 1% helps go towards our vacation." That's usually where it dies.

Having had a Disney Visa in the past the other perks can be useful like at Disneyland they'll flat out ask you if you have a Disney Visa card and I think it qualifies you for 10% off on meals and merchandise and it appears to be fairly universal (not like "Oh - you need to go to this particular merchant or dining location"). So that's good.

I'm not trying to knock you for it - just saying that the 1% back on Disney Visa never made much sense to me.

Brad, with the 1% you get from the regular Disney Visa card, I agree with you. With the premier card, we get 2% back on gas, groceries, and restaurants, which really adds up - and I've found I can usually score double points for shopping at Walmart and Target since they both have "super" versions that include grocery stores and Chase therefore categorizes them as a grocery store--even if I only bought clothes for my kids for example in that particular visit. In my family's case, we can't afford to go to Disney every year, so having the rewards rack up on their own for things we'd normally buy anyway (or bills we already pay every month), it helps offset some of the cost.

 

[rob0519]

It reminds me of the scene from The Office:

Michael: Gift baskets are amazing, Phyllis. Gift baskets are... the essence of class and fanciness. They are the ultimate present that a person can receive.

Andy: What about cash? With cash you can buy anything you want, including a gift basket, so... it's kind of the best gift ever.

Jim: What about a gift basket full of cash?

Andy: Yes! Cash basket! Nice work, Tuna.

People somehow think that 1% back in Disney rewards is better than the 1.5% or 2% you can get back in cash from other cards. When the rewards are in the form of cash back, you can do anything you want with it, including using the money towards your Disney trip. The only arguments that work in favor of the Disney VISA are emotional, not financial or mathematical.

Everyone needs to make their own decisions. I get a better interest rate and better Cash Back bonus from Discover than I do would from Disney Visa. A simple solution is to just put a Mickey Mouse sticker on your Discover Card.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

It reminds me of the scene from The Office:

Michael: Gift baskets are amazing, Phyllis. Gift baskets are... the essence of class and fanciness. They are the ultimate present that a person can receive.

Andy: What about cash? With cash you can buy anything you want, including a gift basket, so... it's kind of the best gift ever.

Jim: What about a gift basket full of cash?

Andy: Yes! Cash basket! Nice work, Tuna.

People somehow think that 1% back in Disney rewards is better than the 1.5% or 2% you can get back in cash from other cards. When the rewards are in the form of cash back, you can do anything you want with it, including using the money towards your Disney trip. The only arguments that work in favor of the Disney VISA are emotional, not financial or mathematical.

Isn't there some sort of 10% discount for Disney Visa purchases at certain shops and resturants at the parks? I mean it has to have SOME sort of advantage in certain situations, right?

Edit: yeah, it does https://disneyrewards.com/shopping-perks/

I've been hearing that Disney Visas are basically useful at the parks and no where else.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

We have had the Disney Premier Card for several years. Yeah, there are other cards that are mathematically better, but we just like seeing that amount builds up as we anticipate our next trip, and it forces us to spend it on the trip. If we just got straight cash, we would probably blow it on useless stuff.

We have also done well on the referrals.

 

[Brad Bishop]

We have had the Disney Premier Card for several years. Yeah, there are other cards that are mathematically better, but we just like seeing that amount builds up as we anticipate our next trip, and it forces us to spend it on the trip. If we just got straight cash, we would probably blow it on useless stuff.

We have also done well on the referrals.

To me this is a straight up honest answer to my derisions on the Disney Visa card. You like it. You use it to build up to your next Disney trip.. You feel that if it were in some other form it'd blow away in the wind of daily nonsense/expense..

 

[parkhopper1213]

I never felt like Disney appreciated repeat customers. Annual passes increased- benefits decreased. They know they are the only game in town and don't have to work to earn our business.