Disney Visa?

[rufio]

I'm looking into getting a Disney Visa. I see that there are two different cards, one with a $49 annual fee and one with no annual fee. Is the annual fee worth it? Also, what can you use your reward dollars on? We are DVC members so we wouldn't be using it toward a room. We get DDP - can it be used toward that? Can it be used in the stores at WDW? Thanks!

 

[rsoxguy]

I'm a little late to be chiming in here, but I thought that I would make a comment or two. I think that you have received good comments and advice from others. I have a Disney Visa, and it primarily serves a psychological purpose, of sorts. In my mind, I consider it to be a source of designated savings for WDW. I realize that I can save in many other ways, and I can designate any card's points toward Disney, but the Disney Visa helps to set in my mind that there is a certain amount of money that is set aside specifically for WDW. That is my sole purpose for using the card.

 

[NYwdwfan]

I'm a little late to be chiming in here, but I thought that I would make a comment or two. I think that you have received good comments and advice from others. I have a Disney Visa, and it primarily serves a psychological purpose, of sorts. In my mind, I consider it to be a source of designated savings for WDW. I realize that I can save in many other ways, and I can designate any card's points toward Disney, but the Disney Visa helps to set in my mind that there is a certain amount of money that is set aside specifically for WDW. That is my sole purpose for using the card.

My reasoning is somewhat similar - except - I use it to show my husband we have designated savings for Disney. He LOVES going, but always says we won't go if we can't save specifically for it. The card serves that purpose.

 

[Weather_Lady]

When deciding which reward card(s) to use, don't forget to look into cards with air travel rewards. (I confess now, I don't know whether the Disney card does that - maybe someone else can enlighten me. ) For us, airfare is the most expensive component of our Disney vacation (costing more than either tickets or hotel), so we found it more to our advantage to join Jet Blue's (our airline of choice) rewards program and get a JetBlue Amex card, which we charge virtually everything to, and pay off completely every month. By the time of a 2013 trip, we will have accrued enough points for the four of us to fly for free -- a savings of around $1200, in exchange for a $40 annual fee.

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

I'm looking into getting a Disney Visa. I see that there are two different cards, one with a $49 annual fee and one with no annual fee. Is the annual fee worth it? Also, what can you use your reward dollars on? We are DVC members so we wouldn't be using it toward a room. We get DDP - can it be used toward that? Can it be used in the stores at WDW? Thanks!

I asked a similiar question some time ago in another thread.

I ended up getting the Disney Visa Card back in February. In the first 90 days of use my wife and I wracked up approximately $400 worth in rewards cash to use toward our family vacation in November. During the first 90 days, Chase gives you 3% in rewards dollars instead of the normal 1 - 2%. The key was to use the card on every purchase my wife and I made during the first 90 days and then pay it off at the end of the month. It gave us extra rewards dollars this way.

Another trick I did, which may not work for you, was to pay off the balance on our Disney Vacation using the card. Not only did we pay off the balance but we had Disney refund us what we had already paid toward the trip, using our debit card, and then put it all on the Disney Visa. This worked great and we had no issues at all. As soon I received the refund in my bank account I put it back towards the balance on the Disney card.

Now that the 90 days is over we have gone back to using our debit card. We don't generally use credit cards at all. I'll keep the card and will use it in the future to book other Disney Vacations and/or Disney Cruises. I love the fact that you have 6 month no interest period for vacations booked on the card.

The rewards dollars we have earned will be used for souveniers, snacks in the parks and tips at meals. Aside from paying for gas on the way down their and back we should not have to use any of our own cash once we start the trip. Yay!

Good luck.

 

[alawrence]

Yeah, that's basically the same formula as Discover.

Most 'cash' rewards programs will give you three options
- apply to statement balance
- mail me a check
- use towards shopping with a partner (usually with bonuses to encourage this)

The differences tend to be what is the minimum redemption balance you can cash out or units you must cash out (Example: must have minimum $50... or $50 increments)

'Any airline' Miles programs are almost always inferior to cash programs because they work on systems like '25,000 points for flights up to $250'. Ok, but what if your flight only costs $200? Same 25,000 points. And the points are accrued at the same rate as cash points.. so you paid $250 equivalent for a $200 flight. I always recommend people stick to the cash programs unless the airline rewards accrue at a much higher rate than the cash points.

That is what I like about the Venture Card, you pay for the airline with your card, then use that many points for the credit. $99 special fair price = 9900 points, $1,600 first class flight = 160,000 points. Simple as that. Plus, you can pay rental car, hotel, Disney reservation (Including tickets and dining plan), DVC dues... etc, with the same formula. There are no set prices or limits.

 

[Nicole]

We just upgraded to the Disney Premiere Visa (the one with the fee). It is my main credit card - we use it for everything (and pay it in full every month). On my last visit I was able to pay for almost all of my hotel room costs with "points". The Premiere also allows you to use points on airfare (the standard does not).

It depends on how often you go to Disney and how much you use your card. I like it because it works as almost a "Disney savings account" for us. Twice now we have only managed to squeeze in an extra trip to the World because we had so many points.

If I had a card that gave me points toward something else (or cash back) I would probably feel slightly guilty using it for Disney trips. This way I don't.

 

[flynnibus]

That is what I like about the Venture Card, you pay for the airline with your card, then use that many points for the credit. $99 special fair price = 9900 points, $1,600 first class flight = 160,000 points. Simple as that. Plus, you can pay rental car, hotel, Disney reservation (Including tickets and dining plan), DVC dues... etc, with the same formula. There are no set prices or limits.

Yes, capital one used to offer 'cash' back and 'miles' programs for free.. The miles card operates like I described. The miles card is a pretty common format and is really BS honestly and was done just to market to people as if 'any airline, any seat' was some uber-perk over standard airline cards.

With the Venture cards, they've shifted away from the miles redemption model, to basically a cash back card limited to 'travel' expenses which is pretty wide open. The Venture card is essentially a 2% cash back card for paying a $50 annual fee. That's a pretty common formula.. but once you get into annual fees, the field diverges quite a bit.

What is common now in the cash back cards is a 1% base, and anywhere from 2-5% promotional boosts on certain spending categories. Paying annual fees boosts your base rate. For $50, you need to spend $5000 just to break even. But if you average 2k-3k a month in credit card payments, that's obviously pretty easy to hit.

and of course all these cards offer some sort of great promo signup boost. Heck, that's why I got the Disney Visa, I think it was $150 credit they offered for signing up aways back. That's $15,000 worth of spending rewards.

 

[alawrence]

Yes, capital one used to offer 'cash' back and 'miles' programs for free.. The miles card operates like I described. The miles card is a pretty common format and is really BS honestly and was done just to market to people as if 'any airline, any seat' was some uber-perk over standard airline cards.

With the Venture cards, they've shifted away from the miles redemption model, to basically a cash back card limited to 'travel' expenses which is pretty wide open. The Venture card is essentially a 2% cash back card for paying a $50 annual fee. That's a pretty common formula.. but once you get into annual fees, the field diverges quite a bit.

What is common now in the cash back cards is a 1% base, and anywhere from 2-5% promotional boosts on certain spending categories. Paying annual fees boosts your base rate. For $50, you need to spend $5000 just to break even. But if you average 2k-3k a month in credit card payments, that's obviously pretty easy to hit.

and of course all these cards offer some sort of great promo signup boost. Heck, that's why I got the Disney Visa, I think it was $150 credit they offered for signing up aways back. That's $15,000 worth of spending rewards.

I agree. We do spend several thousand dollars per year on the card. Even with the $50, we have earned close to $1,000 worth of rewards with them in 10 months. Keep in mind $250 of that was a bonus given to us. IMO is way better than any other airline specific card, or other travel card that is offered to me in our area.

American's AAdvantage card sucks. They only allot so many seats per flight, and you have to have 25,000 points each way to do anything, if the seats are available. That is 100,000 for my wife and I to fly round trip. Now that American is the only airline that can fly non stop from Dallas/Ft Worth to MCO Orlando, we are pretty much stuck with them.

We used to be AirTran customers and quite honestly loved flying with them. But Southwest bought them out, and due to the Wright Ammendment, here in Dallas at Love Field, neither AirTran nor Southwest airlines can fly anywhere non-stop that American does. It is very complicated and hard to explain, but yes, American Airlines is the only airline (Other than Spirit?) that can legally fly from Dallas to Orlando non stop.

 

[rufio]

I agree. We do spend several thousand dollars per year on the card. Even with the $50, we have earned close to $1,000 worth of rewards with them in 10 months. Keep in mind $250 of that was a bonus given to us. IMO is way better than any other airline specific card, or other travel card that is offered to me in our area.

American's AAdvantage card sucks. They only allot so many seats per flight, and you have to have 25,000 points each way to do anything, if the seats are available. That is 100,000 for my wife and I to fly round trip. Now that American is the only airline that can fly non stop from Dallas/Ft Worth to MCO Orlando, we are pretty much stuck with them.

We used to be AirTran customers and quite honestly loved flying with them. But Southwest bought them out, and due to the Wright Ammendment, here in Dallas at Love Field, neither AirTran nor Southwest airlines can fly anywhere non-stop that American does. It is very complicated and hard to explain, but yes, American Airlines is the only airline (Other than Spirit?) that can legally fly from Dallas to Orlando non stop.

How much do you have to spend to get $1,000 in cash back rewards??? I was looking into it and it looks like even if I put most of my living expenses (not including car payment, rent, etc.) I would only end up with like, $50 in cash back at 1%.

 

[nolatron]

Most of it has been covered already but we used to have a Disney Visa but last year also switched to a Capital One Venture as it earns 2% on all purchases and has more options for claiming rewards on.

 

[flynnibus]

How much do you have to spend to get $1,000 in cash back rewards??? I was looking into it and it looks like even if I put most of my living expenses (not including car payment, rent, etc.) I would only end up with like, $50 in cash back at 1%.

you only spend $5000 a year? I spend more than 2x that on groceries alone

Basically what differs is people's lifestyles, where they live, and their family situation. I put everything except monthly bills on credit cards. Between kids activities, groceries, gas, tolls, household items.. etc that adds up to WAY more than I really care to face each month

 

[nolatron]

you only spend $5000 a year? I spend more than 2x that on groceries alone

Basically what differs is people's lifestyles, where they live, and their family situation. I put everything except monthly bills on credit cards. Between kids activities, groceries, gas, tolls, household items.. etc that adds up to WAY more than I really care to face each month

We're the same way. If we can charge it, we charge it! Even got a few bills on there. Doing this really earns those rewards back quickly.

 

[rufio]

you only spend $5000 a year? I spend more than 2x that on groceries alone

Basically what differs is people's lifestyles, where they live, and their family situation. I put everything except monthly bills on credit cards. Between kids activities, groceries, gas, tolls, household items.. etc that adds up to WAY more than I really care to face each month

No, my math was off... I'm an English major. Okay, so about $140 at the end of the year. That includes gas, groceries, and spending over the course of a year. Perhaps we would add on rent, cell phone, cable, etc. I'm not really sure. But seriously, what is $1000 1% of?

 

[alawrence]

How much do you have to spend to get $1,000 in cash back rewards??? I was looking into it and it looks like even if I put most of my living expenses (not including car payment, rent, etc.) I would only end up with like, $50 in cash back at 1%.

To get $50 back, you would have to spend $2,500 on the Capital one Card. If you are looking for $1,000 in return, you would have to spend $50,000. ($50,000 x2 points per dollar = 100,000 points. Knock off the last two digits, and you have $1,000.) That is if you do not do anything that will get you extra points.

That is on a double miles card like Capital One Venture. To get $1,000 on the Disney Visa, you would have to spend $100,000. When I signed up for the Capital One card, they offered 25,000 points if you spent $2,000 on the card in the first 90 days. ($250 bonus.) Now, it looks like they are only offering 10,000 bonus points if you spend $1,000 in 90 days. ($100 bonus)

Like a couple of people stated above though, there are several monthly bills you can pay with this card to really rack up the miles. We pay virtually everything but our mortgage and car payments with the card. Electric, other utilities, car insurance, cell phone... If you have $500 in these bills each month alone, that is giving you 1,000 points. That is $10 each month, or $120 each year. I know that does not sound like much, but you are making all of those payments anyway, you might as well pay yourself back. Plus, this is before you purchase any groceries, gas, clothing or anything else.

It took some explaining to do with my wife, but you are still spending the exact same amount of money. Why not put everything on the card, and pay it off at the end of every month? You only write one check, and everything is paid for. I have all of our bills connected to the card now, and they are automatically paid. Period. It is that simple. And, because of this, we are adding about $30 in rewards each month without even using the card one time around town, in a store or online. It all adds up quicker than you think.

 

[flynnibus]

No, my math was off... I'm an English major. Okay, so about $140 at the end of the year. That includes gas, groceries, and spending over the course of a year. Perhaps we would add on rent, cell phone, cable, etc. I'm not really sure. But seriously, what is $1000 1% of?

1% = Divide by 100
To go the other way where you want $Xin rewards, multiply X by 100 to see what to spend.
2% = Divide by 50, multiply by 50, etc

As you can see it's not a huge amount of money in rewards (hence why they can give them to everyone! ) but it is 'free money' that adds up over time. The big kicker is the promo offers.. giving you $100-$250 worth of credits up front is quite a bit of reward credit.

Note also, to pay all your bills with a card, you'll need a decent credit limit on the card. Not something everyone can get.. but you can always ask for an increase.

 

[71dsp]

If I remember correctly on the Premier card, 2% rewards are only on certain merchants, correct? How do you determine which merchants give you 2%? I couldn't find a list on the site.

I have a regular Disney Visa now, but after reading some of these posts, I'm going to have to look into the premier card again.

We charge quite a bit on the Disney card since we pay it off every month. We pretty much us it or the discover card on everything (and pay both off at the end of the month). I also use the Disney card for any bills I can pay with a CC to get a few more rewards.

 

[dreamfinder]

If I remember correctly on the Premier card, 2% rewards are only on certain merchants, correct? How do you determine which merchants give you 2%? I couldn't find a list on the site.

I have a regular Disney Visa now, but after reading some of these posts, I'm going to have to look into the premier card again.

We charge quite a bit on the Disney card since we pay it off every month. We pretty much us it or the discover card on everything (and pay both off at the end of the month). I also use the Disney card for any bills I can pay with a CC to get a few more rewards.

I believe the 2% is gas, groceries, and Disney. The classification is based on what your bill says. Not all stores will show up the same way. For instance, some Super Walmarts will show up as grocery, others just normal retail. So look at your recent bill, and see how they were classified.

 

[nolatron]

I have a regular Disney Visa now, but after reading some of these posts, I'm going to have to look into the premier card again.

If you're looking at the Premier Visa you should also look at the Capital One Venture. It's cost $10/year more for the fee but you earn 2% on *everything* and aren't limited to just Disney purchases with your rewards.

http://www.capitaloneventure.com

 

[71dsp]

^^ Good call. I'll have to look into that.