Disney Visa Card

[ConstanceIrene]

So sad. My school won't take Visa or Amex. My two favorite vacation cards. We've only purchased 1 ticket and use miles for 14 the last 5 trips so Amex is good for us. Even with the annual fee... those are cheap tickets. I use my DV when they don't take Amex.

Sorry to hear that. I don't think it's right for colleges to restrict payment to checking accounts. They are running a business and should accept payment like any other business would. Still, you can use the card for lots of other things .

 

[sublimesting]

We charge everything and pay it off each month. I currently have over $400 for my trip in October

 

[JillC LI]

I have one for the primary purpose of Disney discounts and the photo opp. I almost never use it since I have another Rewards credit card with no annual fee that enables me to get free airline tickets which is far more useful to me in terms of a trip to Disney than the Disney card rewards would be. Still, like I said, I have one.

If you get one, you may notice that there are different promotions out there (i.e., $15 credit vs. $50 credit). Try to get the best promotion you can find.

 

[PirateFrank]

We throw EVERYTHING on our Disney Visa card. Even things that we would otherwise pay for outright, we use the disney card for and simply pay the bill immediately. Tuition, furniture, car down payments....heck, I just added some more DVC points to my interest at Bay Lake...and I used the card for that too.

Then we go down every trip spending our disney cash back on our trip. It's a great deal for us....


If you don't have a regular card...using the disney visa for everyday household expenses is a great way to cut into the cost of your vacation.

 

[Phonedave]

Sorry to hear that. I don't think it's right for colleges to restrict payment to checking accounts. They are running a business and should accept payment like any other business would. Still, you can use the card for lots of other things .

It's because the credit card companies charge THEM when you pay with a credit card.

Mechants pay that fee because they figure they will make up that difference in increased sales from people who don't have cash.

College is not an impluse buy. And bounced checks at a college are not really a problem, because you have to go there to use the product, so they know how to contact you.

When credit cards charge merchants 2% (Visa and MC) or 2.5% (Amex) thats not a small chunk of change the colleges have to pay. I would rather they make my pay by check and keep the tuition 2% lower, than let be get 1% in Disney dollars back on my 2% increase.

-dave

 

[ConstanceIrene]

It's because the credit card companies charge THEM when you pay with a credit card.

Mechants pay that fee because they figure they will make up that difference in increased sales from people who don't have cash.

College is not an impluse buy. And bounced checks at a college are not really a problem, because you have to go there to use the product, so they know how to contact you.

When credit cards charge merchants 2% (Visa and MC) or 2.5% (Amex) thats not a small chunk of change the colleges have to pay. I would rather they make my pay by check and keep the tuition 2% lower, than let be get 1% in Disney dollars back on my 2% increase.

-dave

I am aware of how the merchant fees work with regard to credit card use.

I have serious doubts about whether a college tuition would be less if credit cards are not allowed for payment. I've never met anyone who looked into what method of payment is available for tuition before deciding whether to apply for a school. I've paid for private and state university tuitions, as well as Catholic school tuitions, with my Disney card. Had my daughters chosen schools that did not allow credit card payment, I would pay with a check and say, "Oh well".

Guess we just lucked out.

 

[franksharonri]

Its worth it! 2x and 3x for grocery gas and drugstore, is not a big deal. The do not consider Super Walmart a grocery store even though you can buy all grocery items there. I imagne it is the same for Target, Costco and Sam's Club BJ's. They carry other items than grocerys. Same for gas.

 

[Phonedave]

I am aware of how the merchant fees work with regard to credit card use.

I have serious doubts about whether a college tuition would be less if credit cards are not allowed for payment. I've never met anyone who looked into what method of payment is available for tuition before deciding whether to apply for a school. I've paid for private and state university tuitions, as well as Catholic school tuitions, with my Disney card. Had my daughters chosen schools that did not allow credit card payment, I would pay with a check and say, "Oh well".

Guess we just lucked out.

That's my point. People WILL avoid stores that do not take credit cards. Some restaruants seem to do fine not taking credit (Peter Lugers springs to mind) but most other retailers HAVE to or they will have no customers.

Colleges don't have that problem, so there is really no reason for them to take that 2+% hit.

-dave

 

[WDW 3]

I just got an email for 3X on every dollar over $1000 and it asked me to enroll by clicking on a link. And thanked me for enrolling.

 

[WDWFigment]

Eh, it's an okay card as far as rewards go, but certainly not our primary card unless we get a mailer or email for the _X promos. The other perks justify us keeping the card. Even after accounting for their annual fees, we have other cards that easily outperform it.

If you don't already have a credit card with good rewards, I would NOT look to the Disney Rewards Visa.

Also, remember that even if you pay the card off in full each month (and there's absolutely no point in getting it if you don't), your credit card still is negatively affected if you have too many open lines of credit.

Here is one way to get a lot of points - buy your DVC membership with the card, then pay it off.

-dave

Here's one way to save even more money - buy your DVC membership via resale and not pay the exorbitant amounts charged by Disney Direct.

 

[nolatron]

My wife and I have Disney Visa. It's our only credit card.

We pretty much charge everything we can to it. Groceries, gas, bills, household items, trips, airfare, etc... If it's chargeable, we charge it.

We also pay it off in full every month. Chase has yet to collect a single dollar in interest from us.

We usually earn about $450 reward dollars each year and we use this pay for all of our dining while on vacation. Found out last trip you can pay for parking with the rewards card, so we paid for that with reward dollars too.

The free Disney Visa photo-op is nice cause you can luck out and good a good group of characters. The first year (2009) was a nice one-on-one with the characters. They only had only family in the room at a time, This past November it felt very rushed though. While you were photo taking, the family behind you was already being brought into the room. So not sure if they changed the line flow, if it just depends on the CM's that day.

But anyway, we're not big into rewards, airline miles, etc.... with credit cards, so we've been happy with our Disney Visa cause it does help cover a good chunk of our vacation budget.

We've also used the 10% discount a few times at the Disney Store here and at The World of Disney at Downtown Disney.

 

[fosse76]

Eh, it's an okay card as far as rewards go, but certainly not our primary card unless we get a mailer or email for the _X promos. The other perks justify us keeping the card. Even after accounting for their annual fees, we have other cards that easily outperform it.

The Disney Visa doesn't have an annual fee.

Also, remember that even if you pay the card off in full each month (and there's absolutely no point in getting it if you don't), your credit card still is negatively affected if you have too many open lines of credit.

No it isn't. Your credit score is based on your debt-to-credit ratio (in addition to payment history, of course). You credit only drops upon the initial opening of another account but increases thereafter once a few cycles go buy.

 

[kachow85]

We have had our card since July, and have never gotten a "bonus" points offer. Is there a "trick" to getting these? Or is it just luck of the draw like pin codes?

 

[pluto77]

If you don't already have a credit card with good rewards, I would NOT look to the Disney Rewards Visa.

Also, remember that even if you pay the card off in full each month (and there's absolutely no point in getting it if you don't), your credit card still is negatively affected if you have too many open lines of credit.

I actually think the Disney Visa card isn't a bad card to have for your first rewards card. I'm not shouting it upon the rooftops or anything. I'm just saying it's not bad. There may be better cards out there (I'm sure there are), but it all depends on how you use them and what your interests are. The fact that there is no annual fee is a huge plus for most people. And it's so easy to earn and keep track of your points. Plus if you call and complain about your card the customer service rep will add points to your card for free. (found that out when I was actually going to close my other chase card).

No it isn't. Your credit score is based on your debt-to-credit ratio (in addition to payment history, of course). You credit only drops upon the initial opening of another account but increases thereafter once a few cycles go buy.

Agreed. Credit is determined by so many things. As long as you don't open up a bunch of cards at once (especially department store cards) your credit will more than likely be fine just to add one more card. Like you say, it may take a minor dip at the beginning, but nothing that is going to hurt you in the long run. It may even end up being a good thing. I have an old card that I hardly ever use (the other chase card I was talking about), but I've heard from multiple sources that it may be better just to keep it. First of all, because it's my oldest card. Secondly, it will reduce my debt to credit ratio by closing out that account.

 

[WDWFigment]

The Disney Visa doesn't have an annual fee.

Never said it did. I said, "Even after accounting for their annual fees, we have other cards that easily outperform it."

This may not be true for everyone, but we use our credit cards enough to justify paying an annual fee. For those who won't pay an annual fee on principle, you might want to check out your spending habits and the fee before assuming it's a bad deal. If you spend a lot and the rewards on the fee card are good, it may not be such a bad deal.

No it isn't. Your credit score is based on your debt-to-credit ratio (in addition to payment history, of course). You credit only drops upon the initial opening of another account but increases thereafter once a few cycles go buy.

The way I stated this definitely didn't make it clear, but what I meant is that constantly opening new cards can be negative because it impacts the median age of your credit cards, which also impacts your credit score. If you have two credit cards that are ~60 months old each and you open another card, it takes significantly longer than "a few cycles" for the hit to your score to be absorbed.

 

[MissMinnieMouse]

I don't know if anyone can give suggestions to this, but it's worth a shot, I guess.
I'm currently paying off a car loan. My credit score is in the mid 600. I was denied by the Disney Chase Visa card 2 times in the past year (i applied 6 months apart too). I am sad because I really want that card. If I get a credit card, I want the disney one so I can get the rewards and perks while gaining more credit. While I'm not a AP or go down to wdw that often, I do shop from their site/stores alot and it would be great to built points.
Do you need a certain score to get this card and maybe that's why they declined me? The do send me letters explaining but it makes no sense. I could probably call them and ask, but I figured maybe if someone who owns one could give me a little insight. Thanks!

 

[yellowb]

Did you apply for the standard card, or the premium card? Not sure if there is a difference in the application terms.

 

[njDizFan]

Premier Card has a $49 annual fee but you get more points and more perks. There is no credit rating differentiation for the two cards.

 

[fmingo36]

Just upgraded to the premier card. Heading to Disney in September and will be booking the trip next week. 5X the rewards is definitely worth it for me!

 

[majorrfb]

It's worth it - you just have to know how to WORK it.....

Use it for EVERYTHING on your current vacation. When you get back? Pay it off immediately. Collect points. If you have kids going to College? Pay tuition and R&B - Pay it off immediately. Collect Points.

Use points on NEXT vacation.

This card often has "3X Points" offers. Sign up for them. Do NOT expect to get 3X points - there are so many loopholes that it works out to about 1.5X to 2X points in practice. Still worth it if you PAY IT OFF IMMEDIATELY.

I had the basic Chase Disney Visa card for a couple of years and decided to upgrade to the premium card. As a reward for doing so, you get 5% on everything for the next 3 months and then the card reverts back to 2% and/or 1%, depending what you are purchasing.
In addition, airplane tickets costs can be off set with the points you earn besides Disney offerings. In one month, I had racked up 50 points so far. :sohappy: