Linking different credit cards to different MagicBands: can it be done?

[MagicHappens1971]

Can magicbands be linked to giftcards instead of credit cards?

 

[Rob562]

Can magicbands be linked to giftcards instead of credit cards?

Yes, kinda.... And there's multiple ways to handle it.

The easiest solution is to open a room charge account with a credit/debit card and then visit the front desk sometime during your trip and have them apply your gift cards to your account. (You just want to make sure to do that by the night before checkout because all charges will push to the credit card on file in the overnight hours going into your checkout day). Anything beyond what the gift cards pay for will then go onto your credit card on file.

But if you want to actually use *just* the gift card as your source of funding, it's a bit more involved. A room charge can be set up with a *lower* limit than the 500/1000/1500 default if you want. You can also set up a room charge with cash. They simply lower the limit to whatever amount of cash you give them and then they pre-pay the room charge account giving you a negative amount due. You then chip away at that amount as you use the room charge. If there's anything left over at checkout, they refund the balance to you.

I'm 90% sure the same can be done with a gift card. They pre-charge whatever amount you say off of the gift card, set the account limit to that amount and you then chip away at it as you go. Anything left over would be put back on the gift card at checkout.

Now the problem with using either the cash or the pre-charge gift card route comes when you approach that limit and try to make a purchase that will exceed the amount available. Under a credit card on file, the cashier can call the resort for you, you can authorize them to charge your card on file and open a new charge limit. But with a pre-pay account there's no way to do that. And unless you know the exact amount left on the account, the cashier in the park can't do a split-payment transaction to use up the remaining balance on the room charge account. (If you were using the physical gift card at the register, the system would automatically use up the balance of the gift card and you'd then have to use another payment method to finish the transaction)

So bottom line, yes it can be done, but the easiest way is to use a credit card to open the account and then use the gift cards to pay-down the account mid-trip.

-Rob

 

[Minthorne]

Yes, kinda.... And there's multiple ways to handle it.

The easiest solution is to open a room charge account with a credit/debit card and then visit the front desk sometime during your trip and have them apply your gift cards to your account. (You just want to make sure to do that by the night before checkout because all charges will push to the credit card on file in the overnight hours going into your checkout day). Anything beyond what the gift cards pay for will then go onto your credit card on file.

But if you want to actually use *just* the gift card as your source of funding, it's a bit more involved. A room charge can be set up with a *lower* limit than the 500/1000/1500 default if you want. You can also set up a room charge with cash. They simply lower the limit to whatever amount of cash you give them and then they pre-pay the room charge account giving you a negative amount due. You then chip away at that amount as you use the room charge. If there's anything left over at checkout, they refund the balance to you.

I'm 90% sure the same can be done with a gift card. They pre-charge whatever amount you say off of the gift card, set the account limit to that amount and you then chip away at it as you go. Anything left over would be put back on the gift card at checkout.

Now the problem with using either the cash or the pre-charge gift card route comes when you approach that limit and try to make a purchase that will exceed the amount available. Under a credit card on file, the cashier can call the resort for you, you can authorize them to charge your card on file and open a new charge limit. But with a pre-pay account there's no way to do that. And unless you know the exact amount left on the account, the cashier in the park can't do a split-payment transaction to use up the remaining balance on the room charge account. (If you were using the physical gift card at the register, the system would automatically use up the balance of the gift card and you'd then have to use another payment method to finish the transaction)

So bottom line, yes it can be done, but the easiest way is to use a credit card to open the account and then use the gift cards to pay-down the account mid-trip.

-Rob

I've been told by a front desk CM that while you can apply a negative balance to a room with cash or a credit card (pre-pay) they will not allow you to use the gift card to create a negative balance. I am not sure if this was correct or not as I generally do the method you suggested and use a credit card on file but settle the bill with gift cards before it would post to my credit card.

 

[DVCOwner]

My last trip to Walt Disney World we had three couples and a single all staying in one Disney Vacation Club Villa. We linked each set of Magic Bands to each couple and the single. So everyone had there own credit card linked to their Magic Band. At the end of our four day stay, all charges made on any band end up on my credit card because the room was reserved in my name. This had not happen before. I called Disney and they informed me that if charges are made on any band it goes to the room account and does not get individually charge.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Yes, kinda.... And there's multiple ways to handle it.

The easiest solution is to open a room charge account with a credit/debit card and then visit the front desk sometime during your trip and have them apply your gift cards to your account. (You just want to make sure to do that by the night before checkout because all charges will push to the credit card on file in the overnight hours going into your checkout day). Anything beyond what the gift cards pay for will then go onto your credit card on file.

But if you want to actually use *just* the gift card as your source of funding, it's a bit more involved. A room charge can be set up with a *lower* limit than the 500/1000/1500 default if you want. You can also set up a room charge with cash. They simply lower the limit to whatever amount of cash you give them and then they pre-pay the room charge account giving you a negative amount due. You then chip away at that amount as you use the room charge. If there's anything left over at checkout, they refund the balance to you.

I'm 90% sure the same can be done with a gift card. They pre-charge whatever amount you say off of the gift card, set the account limit to that amount and you then chip away at it as you go. Anything left over would be put back on the gift card at checkout.

Now the problem with using either the cash or the pre-charge gift card route comes when you approach that limit and try to make a purchase that will exceed the amount available. Under a credit card on file, the cashier can call the resort for you, you can authorize them to charge your card on file and open a new charge limit. But with a pre-pay account there's no way to do that. And unless you know the exact amount left on the account, the cashier in the park can't do a split-payment transaction to use up the remaining balance on the room charge account. (If you were using the physical gift card at the register, the system would automatically use up the balance of the gift card and you'd then have to use another payment method to finish the transaction)

So bottom line, yes it can be done, but the easiest way is to use a credit card to open the account and then use the gift cards to pay-down the account mid-trip.

-Rob

So if it was on my parents credit card I could just charge it to that and then on the morning we check out just apply it to the room balance?

 

[Rob562]

My last trip to Walt Disney World we had three couples and a single all staying in one Disney Vacation Club Villa. We linked each set of Magic Bands to each couple and the single. So everyone had there own credit card linked to their Magic Band. At the end of our four day stay, all charges made on any band end up on my credit card because the room was reserved in my name. This had not happen before. I called Disney and they informed me that if charges are made on any band it goes to the room account and does not get individually charge.

Sounds like the person who checked you in didn't set up the charging accounts properly. We had 4 different accounts for 4 different people at Saratoga Springs back in November, and 4 accounts for 5 people the year before. Never had an issue with charges not ending up on the correct account.

So if it was on my parents credit card I could just charge it to that and then on the morning we check out just apply it to the room balance?

If you're talking about using the gift card(s) to reduce your balance, you should visit the front desk *before* you go to bed your final night. If you don't, overnight all charges will automatically go to the credit card on file and it takes more time for them to correct that after-the-fact than using the gift card beforehand.

-Rob