Pay hotel bill with cash

[Alex4265]

Hello,

I'm off to Disney world next month and was wondering about paying off the hotel bill.

I understand you can use the magic bands to buy pretty much anything at WDW! I really like the idea of not having to carry around hundreds of dollars. The problem is we have already bought our dollers (We're from the UK).

So my question is... Can i go to the front desk on check in and hand them a wad of dollars so I can use the magic bands without getting my card charged? (I understand you need to leave card details on check in incase you want anything charged to your room and this is normally how magic bands are charged).

I have seen posts about people doing this with disney gift cards but like I say, I already have my currency.

Anybody done disney world this way?

 

[Tuvalu]

What you can do is pay cash towards your charges after you have incurred them. You cannot put cash down towards any future charges, as a MagicBand works as charge, not a debit. Simply visit the front desk after charging and they will apply the cash you give towards the room charges.

 

[Alex4265]

What you can do is pay cash towards your charges after you have incurred them. You cannot put cash down towards any future charges, as a MagicBand works as charge, not a debit. Simply visit the front desk after charging and they will apply the cash you give towards the room charges.

This is good as i doubt we'd spend more than the $500 cut off in a day. Ill just nip down every day or two before getting the bus to the parks and pay off what we owe. Thanks for your feedback

 

[Tuvalu]

This is good as i doubt we'd spend more than the $500 cut off in a day. Ill just nip down every day or two before getting the bus to the parks and pay off what we owe. Thanks for your feedback

Happy to help!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

My wife once insisted we put down a $10K deposit on a car in cash. The manager actually gave us a really hard time about it because he didn't want it sitting in the office over the weekend.)

Like actual cash? Like US currency? Not a bank check? I'm surprised they even let you do that. We always pay "cash" for our cars, but it's cash like money from our bank, not physical cash.

OP, I'd put all of that money on a gift card. You can register at DisneyGiftCard.com and then you're protected in case anything gets lost or stolen.

 

[tglancy]

Hello,

I'm off to Disney world next month and was wondering about paying off the hotel bill.

I understand you can use the magic bands to buy pretty much anything at WDW! I really like the idea of not having to carry around hundreds of dollars. The problem is we have already bought our dollers (We're from the UK).

So my question is... Can i go to the front desk on check in and hand them a wad of dollars so I can use the magic bands without getting my card charged? (I understand you need to leave card details on check in incase you want anything charged to your room and this is normally how magic bands are charged).

I have seen posts about people doing this with disney gift cards but like I say, I already have my currency.

Anybody done disney world this way?

This is exactly what I do when I go. Run down every night and settle up the charges. Makes me feel better about knowing exactly how much I have left to spend. The staff is super great about it too.

 

[Alex4265]

This is exactly what I do when I go. Run down every night and settle up the charges. Makes me feel better about knowing exactly how much I have left to spend. The staff is super great about it too.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease. Seems like the way to go!

 

[MickeyMomV]

Yes, like actual U.S. currency, all $10K in 100 dollar bills. I tried to talk her out of it. The bank tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted for her own personal reasons. For the record, we've never done anything like that again.

Once you hit that $10k mark the theory of cash is king kinda goes out the window and is replaced by you must me a drug dealer or are somehow cheating the government out of taxes they are entitled to. The additional paperwork required for transactions over $10k is stupid.

 

[Alex4265]

Ok, kinda going off topic here. Don't really care how much money anyone put down for a car deposit or if that makes them a dealer or not (probably does though tbh).

Grateful for all the relevant feedback though!

 

[tractor tipper]

We're all about going off topic. How do you think we can get to 100 pages.

 

[zakattack99]

Yes, like actual U.S. currency, all $10K in 100 dollar bills. I tried to talk her out of it. The bank tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted for her own personal reasons. For the record, we've never done anything like that again.

Did you get a good deal on the car? And if you dont mind me asking how long ago was this and what kind of car? I know I'm just dragging this further from the original topic, but it seems that the question has been answered and this seems like a story worth hearing lol!

 

[abcxyz]

I've done it three ways:

I've put a CC down to charge stuff on the magic bands and just have them put all the charges on that CC at the end of the trip. Done this at several resorts.
I've had a CC linked to my magic band account but also put a cash deposit down at check in, and indicated I wanted my charges deducted from that amount, nothing charged to my CC. I last did this in 2016 at Saratoga Resort check in.
I've had a CC linked to my magic band account, but gone to the front desk and paid my bill off in cash prior to checking out....with this you've got to mention it to them when you check in and make sure you go pay it off prior to check out or they will automatically just charge your CC on file. Most recently did this at Beach Club in January of this year. I prefer this method because three times I have found discrepancies within my charges for the week, and it is MUCH easier to get it taken care of at the desk and in person rather than at home, after the trip when you are checking out the account details.
I hope this helps - I am a cash hoarder so to speak, so I'm always tucking away a bit hear and there for my trip, and I prefer to pay in cash, although even I must admit that being able to link the CC to the magic band account is super easy.

 

[righttrack]

Yes, like actual U.S. currency, all $10K in 100 dollar bills. I tried to talk her out of it. The bank tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted for her own personal reasons. For the record, we've never done anything like that again.

I don't know about elsewhere but in the U.S. this is a red flag. Florida is a state that has civil forfeiture statutes. That means that if the police stop you and know you have 10k on you they will seize the cash and not return it. It is because this is how drug lords operate. Please, get American Express Travelers checks if you must travel this way.

 

[JIMINYCR]

We travelled with a friend who didnt have credit cards and he always carried a large amount of cash with him, paying cash as he needed. At the Disney resort he felt uncomfortable using the small wall safes that are available in the rooms, because they looked cheap and he had heard about the unreliability of these types in hotels so he went to the resort desk. They told him they could store highly valuables items or large amounts of cash for him in the main resort safe which he did. I have no idea of the amount he had with him at the time.

 

[EOD K9]

So carry $9,000 in cash. Problem solved.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Just a suggestion....

In the event you carry a LARGE amount of cash, right in your wallet? Consider carrying a 2nd fake wallet. Expired license, expired CC, and a nice crisp $20 in the cash compartment. If robbed? Hand this over (or toss it onto the pavement and run). VERY similar to how one treats Bears while backpacking .

 

[allgiggles]

This is good as i doubt we'd spend more than the $500 cut off in a day. Ill just nip down every day or two before getting the bus to the parks and pay off what we owe. Thanks for your feedback

FYI - They increased the charging limits at the resorts a few years ago. The last I knew it was $1500 for values and moderates and $2000 at the deluxe resorts.

 

[MickeyMomV]

I've done it three ways:

I've put a CC down to charge stuff on the magic bands and just have them put all the charges on that CC at the end of the trip. Done this at several resorts.
I've had a CC linked to my magic band account but also put a cash deposit down at check in, and indicated I wanted my charges deducted from that amount, nothing charged to my CC. I last did this in 2016 at Saratoga Resort check in.
I've had a CC linked to my magic band account, but gone to the front desk and paid my bill off in cash prior to checking out....with this you've got to mention it to them when you check in and make sure you go pay it off prior to check out or they will automatically just charge your CC on file. Most recently did this at Beach Club in January of this year. I prefer this method because three times I have found discrepancies within my charges for the week, and it is MUCH easier to get it taken care of at the desk and in person rather than at home, after the trip when you are checking out the account details.
I hope this helps - I am a cash hoarder so to speak, so I'm always tucking away a bit hear and there for my trip, and I prefer to pay in cash, although even I must admit that being able to link the CC to the magic band account is super easy.

I assume when you say "Magic Band account" you are referring to your My Disney Experience account?

All of the ways you use are actually the same process. You have a card linked to your MDE account to make your dining reservations.This card will set as default for the stay at a resort hotel and you verify the card at check in (in person or online). During your stay you have the ability to charge food and merchandise to your room by using the Magic Band. At some point before the last night of your stay you can go to the front desk and settle your bill in cash (or whatever method of payment you want) before your card gets charged during overnight check out processing. If you charge a lot to your room you may want to settle the bill earlier as each hotel has a room charging limit depending on the resort level. It is always good, at Disney or any other hotel, to verify your room charges to make sure they are accurate.
I've never heard of Disney taking cash in advance of charges. They are not in the habit of holding onto money for you in the event that you might charge something and then refund it back if you don't.

 

[Dave B]

I don't know about elsewhere but in the U.S. this is a red flag. Florida is a state that has civil forfeiture statutes. That means that if the police stop you and know you have 10k on you they will seize the cash and not return it. It is because this is how drug lords operate. Please, get American Express Travelers checks if you must travel this way.

People don't actually accept the travelers cheques everywhere nowadays

 

[jaklgreen]

Yes, like actual U.S. currency, all $10K in 100 dollar bills. I tried to talk her out of it. The bank tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted for her own personal reasons. For the record, we've never done anything like that again.

I hope you realize that you can ONLY bring up to $10,000 cash into the USA with you without having to declare it. If you have a penny more an do not declare at customs they will make it hard on you and possibly seize it. Because it is very unusual for normal individuals to carry that much cash and most that have that kind of money gain it from illegal means. They have the money sniffing dogs at customs at most international airports. At worse, they will take you aside and question you. Not a good way to start a vacation. Although I never recommend a husband disagree with his wife, but it this case, I would tell her that no way are you going to travel with that much cash. Either put it on a gift card or just use a credit card that does not have a foreign transaction fee and pay it off when you get home. I can't even begin to tell you what a horrible idea this is. Good luck.