Has anybody used the Disney vacation account?

[DizArielFan]

I am planning to go to WDW in December and I was going to set up a separate savings account to save up but then I saw an ad for the vacation account. Is this a recent thing? One advantage I see is that I can pay for the vacation just using the account so no need to use my own credit card. Who else has used it?

 

[Lord_Vader]

Oh and also if u need to ''withdrawal'' your funds at any time without penalty

They will credit whatever account or card you used to make your deposits. If you use gift cards they put them back on the cards, cash/credit get credited to your account. If you are not 100% sure you are going to use the money for Disney, whether it is Disney Store or Disney Travel then I highly recommend the gift cards, otherwise Credit/Debit cards.

 

[KLinder7]

Disney Parks Blog just came out with this today. Sounds like it's brand new, and on topic! Going to try it out for my next trip I believe.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ps-you-plan-save-for-future-disney-vacations/

 

[Lord_Vader]

Disney Parks Blog just came out with this today. Sounds like it's brand new, and on topic! Going to try it out for my next trip I believe.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/04/disney-vacation-account-helps-you-plan-save-for-future-disney-vacations/

It has been up and running for a couple years now, it does work though and works well.

 

[KLinder7]

It has been up and running for a couple years now, it does work though and works well.

Oh didn't know that, thanks!. Love how the article made it sound brand new, and funny how the link doesn't work anymore now (getting page not found).

 

[OneDNP]

For those that have used this for a while, if you make a purchase before the account has been open 120 days, does it still count toward your $1000-spent/$20-bonus? I know you can't ask for the $20 bonus until the account has been opened for 120-days, but some folks on other forums have said purchases before 120-days counted to the $1000 total.

 

[Disnee4Me]

No. A $100 gift card is $96 (at BJ's for sure... it varries). So you've made 4% instantly.

Yes, I've bought gift cards at BJs ($300 worth) for $96 each and charged then on my Discover card ... I had $300+ on my Discover card, so when the Discover bill came in, I cashed in the $300 to cover the $288 that I paid for the Disney Gift Cards, so I earned some more $$$s by charging the gift cards, and basically got the gift cards for FREE. Due to medical bills for my husband (end of 2013) which I paid off all during 2014, along with other charges on my Discover card, I now have over $800 on the card. So soon I'm going to buy $800 in Disney gift cards (which will cost $768), charge them on Discover, and then cash in the Discover $$$s to pay the bill. That's a total of $1100 in gift cards for free!!

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Not sure I see the advantage to the program, unless you are making use of discounted gift cards purchased when you have the money/see a bonus offer on them.

Myself I'd rather save up the money in a higher interest account and later (if it was the best option) purchase the gift cards.
i.e. just a couple of weeks back I opened an account (UK) which I could open with up to £250 (c$385) and credit a further £250 each month, earning 6% over 12 months.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Not sure I see the advantage to the program, unless you are making use of discounted gift cards purchased when you have the money/see a bonus offer on them.

Myself I'd rather save up the money in a higher interest account and later (if it was the best option) purchase the gift cards.
i.e. just a couple of weeks back I opened an account (UK) which I could open with up to £250 (c$385) and credit a further £250 each month, earning 6% over 12 months.

Here in the US, most banks offer no where near 2% APR on savings accounts. With the DVA, you can put money in via whatever source and "spend" it right away. The only requirement is that the account must be open for 120 days, after that you can put money in today and apply it this afternoon getting 2% of your purchase immediately. Save in your account at 6%, put $20 down in DVA and wait until you are just about ready to pay off your vacation then wash it through the DVA giving you an extra $20 per $1000 with very little effort.

 

[amy1985]

We're using it for our November 2016 trip, primarily because the 2% return ($20 gift card) is better than any interest rate we'd get by sticking the money in a savings account. If I werent so lazy, I'd switch the automatic deposit from our debit card to our disney visa to get an even better return.