pre-booking blues

[goofy time]

As I looked around to find the most cost effective way to plan my next Disney trip I found myself getting down hearted. I ALWAYS enjoyed booking my next MOUSE-escape, how do you cope with the knowledge that they magic your way, isn't offering enough choices for you. I don't know if it's the value of a dollar these days or if I'm being cheap, I just can't find it in me to punch the buy it now button...
Anyone identify, any suggestions

 

[Deleted member 107043]

I consider Disney vacations and end up booking something else. Over the past few years I've done nothing Caribbean cruise, Palmings. Sydney, Australia. Rome. Disneyland is great, but if you do the full blown resort experience, which is what I prefer, it's crazy expensive.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Get the Chase Disney Visa card. The points back take the sting out of booking.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Get the Chase Disney Visa card. The points back take the sting out of booking.

Not much of a sting. I find the Chase Disney Card practically useless because it only distributes if Disney is connected. My other cards allow me to use the rewards any place I so desire. The discounts amount to almost nothing as well, so it remains mostly idol in my wallet. I use it once in a while just to keep it active. (what can I say, I like the pictures on the card)

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Not much of a sting. I find the Chase Disney Card practically useless because it only distributes if Disney is connected. My other cards allow me to use the rewards any place I so desire. The discounts amount to almost nothing as well, so it remains mostly idol in my wallet. I use it once in a while just to keep it active. (what can I say, I like the pictures on the card)

You may have noticed the OP was asking about saving money on Disney specifically, not other things. Therefore, a Disney rewards card makes sense.

If you don't use a credit card much, it won't help you.

If you use it like your checking account as I did (charging basically everything and then making payments to the account to cover them) you can end up with over $2K in points like we did in about a year and a half. That covered 2 Florida AP's, dinner at Victoria & Albert's with wine pairings, part of our lodgings, and a whole bunch of food & wine bites. Plus it helped defray the costs of several mini-trips along the way.

If you want to make it work, it can work. I think for most folks, saving a few hundred bucks would be awesome.

 

[goofy time]

I consider Disney vacations and end up booking something else. Over the past few years I've done nothing Caribbean cruise, Palmings. Sydney, Australia. Rome. Disneyland is great, but if you do the full blown resort experience, which is what I prefer, it's crazy expensive.

I did find myself looking at time shares both Disney and otherwise, which from what I can see are through RCI. I was looking at the Chase Card too as an option, then the want to Go NOW set in and I thought... I can earn points over time but what about this trip..
HMMM

 

[goofy time]

You may have noticed the OP was asking about saving money on Disney specifically, not other things. Therefore, a Disney rewards card makes sense.

If you don't use a credit card much, it won't help you.

If you use it like your checking account as I did (charging basically everything and then making payments to the account to cover them) you can end up with over $2K in points like we did in about a year and a half. That covered 2 Florida AP's, dinner at Victoria & Albert's with wine pairings, part of our lodgings, and a whole bunch of food & wine bites. Plus it helped defray the costs of several mini-trips along the way.

If you want to make it work, it can work. I think for most folks, saving a few hundred bucks would be awesome.

I was looking at the Chase Card too as an option, then the want to Go NOW set in and I thought... I can earn points over time but what about this trip. I am going to do that though, when I thought about the chase card 2 years ago, I had the same, I want to go NOW thing going on... I could go NOW and save money if I just did the Chase Disney then... lol

 

[goofy time]

Get the Chase Disney Visa card. The points back take the sting out of booking.

I took your advice and since I was looking to do it a few years ago, I bit the bullet... I am sure it is a decent choice

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I took your advice and since I was looking to do it a few years ago, I bit the bullet... I am sure it is a decent choice

For me, it's been a great help. Even if it gets us one free dinner, that's a big help.

Or maybe we'll stay at a moderate instead of a value because we pay the difference in points.

Note that you get 2% back on certain purchases: supermarkets, gas stations, anything at Disney, etc.

And for the first time, I just used points to pay for a non-Disney flight to New Orleans. You have up to 60 days after the purchase date to apply your points retroactively to that purchase.