Disney Visa Card--are the perks worth it?

2

2Rebecca

New Member
I'm planning a trip to WDW in the fall and am debating on whether I should get a Disney Visa Card (or the Disney Premier Card). It has been 20 yrs since I've been to Disney, so I'm not sure what a "Disney Character Experience" really is or if it is worth taking time away from other things to do. Does anyone have one of the Disney Visa Cards? Are the card member & star wars perks worth attending? What about the 10% dining discount? Do you have to use the VISA card to receive them, or do you get the same discount if you use the redemption card they give you when you cash out points?

It appears I can get better cash back offers with other chase cards where the cash back can be used for anything and not just Disney related. I'll be making a few large purchases in the upcoming weeks, so if I'm going to get a new card, I need to apply for it now, so I can get points whether it be on a Disney Visa or a different card. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Disney card.

BTW, I always pay my balance off each month, so I'm not worried about interest rates. I also have a non-DVC timeshare, so the 0% for 6-month financing isn't something I would take advantage of because we will be staying offsite.
 
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RustySpork

RustySpork

Oscar Mayer Memer
The card member perks are generally worthless in my opinion except for access to the VISA lounge at Epcot, 2 disney dollars for every hundred with the Premier card (after you exceed the annual fee in disney dollars), and the dining discount. If you have an annual pass, the dining discount becomes worthless as well as you get the same discount at some restaurants with the AP. The character meet and greet is neat the first time, but it's almost always the same characters so there isn't a lot of value in going more than once. If you're going for the discount, show them the visa before paying with the rewards card and they'll give it to you. I've had a Disney Premier card forever, and found that my other perks cards are much more valuable.
 
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2

2Rebecca

New Member
Original Poster
RustySpork said:
The card member perks are generally worthless in my opinion except for access to the VISA lounge at Epcot, 2 disney dollars for every hundred with the Premier card (after you exceed the annual fee in disney dollars), and the dining discount. If you have an annual pass, the dining discount becomes worthless as well as you get the same discount at some restaurants with the AP. The character meet and greet is neat the first time, but it's almost always the same characters so there isn't a lot of value in going more than once. If you're going for the discount, show them the visa before paying with the rewards card and they'll give it to you. I've had a Disney Premier card forever, and found that my other perks cards are much more valuable.
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Thank you for your feedback. Is the VISA lounge at Epcot strictly for Disney VISA or will any VISA get us in the door? We do not have annual passes. I'm still doing a cost analysis to see if we would benefit from getting one, but since my Dad can get us the military salute tickets I doubt it will pay off to upgrade to an AP. (I'll likely start another topic with questions about the AP.) It sounds like you're saying if I don't have an AP it might be worth while to get the no annual fee Disney card for the dining discount?

CaptainAmerica said:
Annual fee cards are rarely worth it. You can get a no-fee cash back or travel rewards card that'll more than offset the cost of the Disney Visa.
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I agree on the annual fees. If I get the Disney card it will most likely be the one without the annual fee, unless someone here points out some benefit that I just can't live without. :) I just mentioned it because I was hoping to get feed back from folks who have either card, since the "card member & star wars perks" are the same with both cards.
 
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CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
2Rebecca said:
Thank you for your feedback. Is the VISA lounge at Epcot strictly for Disney VISA or will any VISA get us in the door? We do not have annual passes. I'm still doing a cost analysis to see if we would benefit from getting one, but since my Dad can get us the military salute tickets I doubt it will pay off to upgrade to an AP. (I'll likely start another topic with questions about the AP.) It sounds like you're saying if I don't have an AP it might be worth while to get the no annual fee Disney card for the dining discount?


I agree on the annual fees. If I get the Disney card it will most likely be the one without the annual fee, unless someone here points out some benefit that I just can't live without. :) I just mentioned it because I was hoping to get feed back from folks who have either card, since the "card member & star wars perks" are the same with both cards.
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The no-fee card only gives you 1% rewards. You're better off with a 1.5% or 2% cash back card and using the cash back to pay for Disney stuff. I personally recommend the BofA Travel Rewards card. 1.5% but no foreign transaction fees.
 
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Jahona

Jahona

Well-Known Member
2Rebecca said:
What about the 10% dining discount? Do you have to use the VISA card to receive them, or do you get the same discount if you use the redemption card they give you when you cash out points?
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The Premier Card is hard to justify. The double points don't always work at some restaurants and stores depending on how they are coded with the credit card company. You would have to put roughly $4000 to a max of $5000 on the card in order to justify the premier bonus.

The 10% on dining is ok but can't be used with a dining plan. Also the selection of restaurants limits your choices. The 10% on merchandise is a nice perk. I saved a decent amount on my last Disneyland Trip with it.

And yes you need to use the card to receive the benefits.
 
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TurboCaroline

TurboCaroline

Is it 5:00 yet?
The only reason I have my Disney Visa is to get the points. I have almost $800 and that has been accruing since I last took a trip to WDW which was June '15. I have had my card since 2004 and have probably used at least $2500 in points. It all depends on how much you spend though..
 
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RustySpork

RustySpork

Oscar Mayer Memer
2Rebecca said:
Thank you for your feedback. Is the VISA lounge at Epcot strictly for Disney VISA or will any VISA get us in the door? We do not have annual passes. I'm still doing a cost analysis to see if we would benefit from getting one, but since my Dad can get us the military salute tickets I doubt it will pay off to upgrade to an AP. (I'll likely start another topic with questions about the AP.) It sounds like you're saying if I don't have an AP it might be worth while to get the no annual fee Disney card for the dining discount?
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If you have or can get a card that offers better than $2 per $100 spent it would be a better option. You do have to have a Disney VISA to get into the lounge, however something to check with Chase; you may be able to use a Disney Debit card from Chase as well since it's also a Disney VISA. I'm not sure if you get the benefits with the debit card.

The premier card doesn't even pay out $2 per $100 for everything you buy, it's limited to specific purchases like gas, groceries, and purchases at Disney. I would have closed it a long time ago if I didn't live close to the parks.
 
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CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
TurboCaroline said:
The only reason I have my Disney Visa is to get the points. I have almost $800 and that has been accruing since I last took a trip to WDW which was June '15. I have had my card since 2004 and have probably used at least $2500 in points. It all depends on how much you spend though..
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If you had a 1.5% cash back card those numbers would be even higher.
 
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msteel

msteel

Well-Known Member
I have a Disney Visa. I have not been in the parks since I signed up so I cannot judge the perks there. For me the signup bonus was worth it, since it was a sizable Disney gift card, which I plan to use for parking, etc. The points are not as good as other cards I have, so I have not used it much.

(For what it is worth, I use ALL my credit cards solely for convenience and for what rewards they offer. I never carry a balance on any of them).
 
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contrariwise

contrariwise

Well-Known Member
We have had the "no annual fee" card for years. The perks are pretty minimal. We get the 1% rewards and have used them on vacation, but it's small potatoes. We have used the merch discount, but I think you have to spend $50 at one place to qualify. We have used the dining discounts, but really, they're only available at a handful of places. If you're going to use it for the discounts, and then pay it off, I would say it's probably a good idea. If you're going to carry a balance at all, it's not worth it.
 
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21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
msteel said:
(For what it is worth, I use ALL my credit cards solely for convenience and for what rewards they offer. I never carry a balance on any of them).
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Most important post on the thread.
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OP, if you just do Disney..then get one of their cards (preferably one without an annual fee)

If you travel more than Disney then Chase has other better rewards cards, as do Bank of America and American Express, with things like double points on gas and groceries.

If you put your large purchases on them..instead of using your debit card, and pay them off before the next billing cycle, then you can get a ton of rewards.
 
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CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
If you put your large purchases on them..instead of using your debit card, and pay them off before the next billing cycle, then you can get a ton of rewards.
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When I was doing my MBA, my employer reimbursed my tuition but I had to pay for everything up front. I ended up with hundreds of dollars of free points.

But yeah, debt is dumb. I only have one card. Cleaner and simpler to manage.
 
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RustySpork

RustySpork

Oscar Mayer Memer
21stamps said:
.
Most important post on the thread.
-----
OP, if you just do Disney..then get one of their cards (preferably one without an annual fee)

If you travel more than Disney then Chase has other better rewards cards, as do Bank of America and American Express, with things like double points on gas and groceries.

If you put your large purchases on them..instead of using your debit card, and pay them off before the next billing cycle, then you can get a ton of rewards.
Click to expand...

There's really no other way to have credit cards and get ahead.
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
I have a Disney VISA. I think we racked up something like $100 in rewards bucks to spend during our last Disney vacation, but that's really not much -- we'd have been smarter to use my Discover Card instead, which would have given me twice that amount in direct, cash-back rewards. Although we did do one of the cardholder-only M&Gs while at WDW, honestly, all we saved there was about 10 minutes in line compared with the separate line for the same character for non-cardholders.

In comparison, we saved $600+ on our airfare to Disney by making use of a JetBlue MasterCard during the same time period -- clearly, that was a far, far better use of our reward-earning capabilities, and in the future, we'll charge to that card instead of the VISA.
 
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21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica said:
When I was doing my MBA, my employer reimbursed my tuition but I had to pay for everything up front. I ended up with hundreds of dollars of free points.

But yeah, debt is dumb. I only have one card. Cleaner and simpler to manage.
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Awesome!

I am not a strict Ramsey follower.. but I take a big portion of why he says and apply it where it should be. I don't agree with him on everything.. I do not think car leasing is a stupid choice..but I do think leasing a phone/contact plan is incredibly stupid. Smaller scale, but the amount of people who fall for that kind of needless "debt" is overwhelming.

I'd kind of say the same about the Disney Vacation Account.. I first learned about it last year, originally it sounded like a good idea..but I figured out that my own money can make more without letting Disney hold on to it.
I do have a "Christmas account" at a bank. It earns a decent amount of interest during the year, and is a nice way for me to never see the money but reap a few rewards come November. it's really all mind games though.lol
 
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21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
dmw said:
I was thinking of Ramsey when I replied with my disclaimer. Ramsey would NEVER suggest getting a debit or credit card for any perks. In fact, he suggests the exact opposite. But... I don't have a debt problem (last three vehicles all paid for with cash, no other debt other than 11 years left on mortgage), and I am doing very well at managing our money. We use the cash/envelope system for most everything. The exceptions are large/major purchases (vacations), pay at pump for gas, international travel, and internet purchases (credit card).

However, I did decide to get the Disney Visa several years back to save money on Hoop-dee-Doo and K2K tours. Ramsey would not be happy... :(:rolleyes:
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I love car leasing..so he would never approve of me.lol. Really, you have to use his stuff as a guide and do what works best for you. If you keep your cards down to one or two..only use them for points and pay every month..then it's actually very smart (imo). His major flaw is that you still need to build credit some way, if you pay cash for everything then one day it will bite you if you need credit..car, house, any kind of installment loan. But I don't have books, seminars, and millions of followers.. so maybe we are doing it wrong ;)
 
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