Gift Card usage

[nngrendel]

Started purchasing Disney Gift Cards for our trip in September.

I been thinking about how I should use these cards to pay for our expenses while there. I have thought about just using the GC's at the parks and resort but I worry about losing these. If the card is lost your just out. No replacing of GC's if you happen to lose them or have them stolen.

My next option would be to add charges to my room and pay upon check out. I guess my real question is can you add these GC's to your room?

If you can what happens if you have a balance after your stay that you didnt use? I just hate the thought of having a card with me that if lost I would have a difficult time replacing. One reason I never liked taking cash. We also want to budget and only spend the money we have saved throughout the year.

Comments or suggestions?

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I don't think you can apply them to your room ahead of time. You can charge your purchases to the room and then go to the desk and pay off the balance with the cards.

 

[nngrendel]

I don't think you can apply them to your room ahead of time. You can charge your purchases to the room and then go to the desk and pay off the balance with the cards.

Thanks thats what I thought. I did a quick search through the forums but didnt know for sure. I suffer from OCD sometimes I think with cash and cards like this. I will be in a hurry to use them so I dont worry so much about losing them. However I think its a great way to save and budget for your trip. Ive dedicated a drawer in my home just for these cards along with all receipts. :ROFLOL:

 

[disneygirl1]

Started purchasing Disney Gift Cards for our trip in September.

I been thinking about how I should use these cards to pay for our expenses while there. I have thought about just using the GC's at the parks and resort but I worry about losing these. If the card is lost your just out. No replacing of GC's if you happen to lose them or have them stolen.

My next option would be to add charges to my room and pay upon check out. I guess my real question is can you add these GC's to your room?

If you can what happens if you have a balance after your stay that you didnt use? I just hate the thought of having a card with me that if lost I would have a difficult time replacing. One reason I never liked taking cash. We also want to budget and only spend the money we have saved throughout the year.

Comments or suggestions?

This typically how I pay for everything in Disney... I use a GC and cash. I pretty much carry the cash for little things likes tips and such and use the gift card for everything else.

The previous poster is correct, you can not put the GC on the room account ahead of time, but you are more then welcome to go to the fromt desk of your resort and pay off your room balance any time you lke during youe stay.

 

[Rob562]

As the previous poster said, you *can* open your room charge account with a gift card (it's the same as if you used cash, where you're pretty much pre-paying the account beforehand, and then debiting your purchases from it as you go).

The one glitch might be that it sounds like the OP is buying numerous cards at the store, presumably in $25, $50 or $100 increments. (That's what my local grocery store has) I don't know how the Front Desk would handle setting up a room charge with so many different gift cards. It could be possible, I just don't know.

If you're buying the gift cards at your local Disney Store, just bring the same card with you each time you go and have them add money to it. A gift card can hold up to $1500.

Another possibility, which is what we typically do when we use gift cards, is to open up the room charge using a credit card. Then, you can use the gift card(s) to pay down the balance. Just make sure to pay down the balance by the night before checkout. Otherwise all charges will get pushed to the credit card in the overnight hours and it's a pain to get straightened out.

In terms of safety of the gift cards, make sure to photocopy the information off the back of the card, perhaps along with the receipt from when you bought it. Then keep that info separate from your card. If lost, it can often be replaced. (Though unlike a credit card, if it's used before you report it, you're out of luck and the money is gone)

-Rob

 

[minniemickeyfan]

I recently purchased gift cards for my trip and got some great help:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=796075

 

[CaptainShortty]

You can't use a giftcard for the back-up for the charging privileges from your KTTW card. That being said, what you should do is as follows.

When you check into the hotel, put a credit card on file for charging privileges to your room key. Go head on your vacation and charge all your purchases to you room. (Be sure to not exceed the limit though or they will charge your credit card. It's $500 for value, $1000 for moderate and $1500 for deluxe). Sometime BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU CHECKOUT of the hotel go to the front desk with your giftcards and ask them to apply those to your outstanding charges. This will mean that your charges will be charged to the giftcards instead of the credit card you put on file and you'll be all set.

Hope that helps you! If it's confusing or you have other questions feel free to ask away. =)