Using Gift Cards for charging at PORS instead of CC!

[colodisneyrado]

Hello,
I have a couple of questions about check-in at PORS. I have looked in previous threads and not found a satisfactory answer for my questions. Thanks in advance for any help. I checked-in online for my May 25 – Jun 1 trip, so excited! I linked a credit card to the account when I did my online check-in. However, I really don’t want anything charged, or hold placed, to the credit card, but I want to use the KTTW card for charging at restaurants and stores.
My question:
I have $600 worth of $50 Disney gift cards. Can I, at check-in link those gift cards to my account so I can charge up to $600 dollars to the gift cards throughout my trip?
If so, my children have a couple of gift cards each; can I just add those to their KTTW cards? Basically have $600 charging to my wife and I’s KTTW cards and $100 for each kid KTTW card. So can each KTTW card have different charging privileges? Again, thanks for any help!

 

[WDW_Emily]

I can't answer about gift cards but I know for credit cards it's only 1 card per room. A couple years ago I went with my friend and she put her credit card on her key to the world and they wouldn't let me put mine on because we were sharing a room. This was back in 2010. Not sure if anything has changed.

I'm interested in the answer to this I have saved up by using gift cards and would love to put them all on my key to the world if possible.

 

[lunchbox1175]

I am pretty sure you can't link the gift cards, however, you can go to the desk every day and pay off your daily charges with the gift cards, that way your credit card doesn't actually get charged.

 

[RedDad]

Yes, you can add the gift cards as a "credit" to your room account. We did this at Pop 2 trips ago. It took some prodding of the CM at the front desk - his first response was, "just come pay it off later using the gift cards", but after we insisted he was perfectly happy to add them (along with some cash) as a credit to our account.

Either way, they will not place any hold or charge your card on file until you reach the limit of $1,000 on your room charge account.

There is no way to separate your kids' charging from yours, but you can just add their gift cards to your room account and give them charging privileges. Of course, you then have to make sure they don't go past their $100...

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Your credit card will not be charged at all until you check out. So if you do put a card down to make charges to your room. The night before check out, head to the front desk and pay your balance with the cards. Disney will not put a hold on your card, at all. And as far as I know, any charges on the cards will go back to your room under one account so have limits on individual KTTW cards... Im not sure if you can do that.

 

[Rob562]

Here's some additional info/clarification:

-Since the OP has already input their credit card info during online check-in, that will be the card associated with a single room charge account for everyone on the reservation. You *can* visit the desk and change it, but that's how the keys will be coded when you arrive.

-When using a credit or debit card, there is no hold placed on the card. They simply run an authorization for $0.00 to ensure that it's a valid account.

-Separate charge accounts can be created, one for each room key. This must be done at the front desk. While it has been possible for a number of years, it was a long and involved process that not many CMs knew about. Since an upgrade to the system a year or two ago, it's become much easier to set them up. (We did so back in November at both AK Lodge and Saratoga Springs. Two accounts at AKL and three or four accounts at SSR)

-Gift cards *can* be used as a payment type on a room charge account. I'm not sure if they pre-charge the amount off of the gift card, though. Presumably this also means that each room key can have its own card or set amount, but it may be limited to one card per key.

-As others have said, even if you set up a charge account with a credit/debit card, you can visit the front desk at any time and pay down the balance using any other form of payment (cash, gift card, different credit card, etc). This should be done by midnight before you check out as all charges will be pushed through to the card on file in the overnight hours.


-Rob

 

[colodisneyrado]

Thanks for the help! This is my families first trip to Disney World. We have been to Disneyland numerous times and I can honestly say Disney World requires a bit more planning. So many more options! However, I can also say Disney World seems to be less expensive as whole. Probably do to the options and size as well. Thanks again!

 

[RonAnnArbor]

By the way, this advise is wrong:
"Either way, they will not place any hold or charge your card on file until you reach the limit of $1,000 on your room charge account."

The amount is different if staying in a Value, vs a Moderate, vs a Deluxe so check on the amount at check in. They also reserve the right to limit credit for people with bad credit in general, and the amount might be significantly lower than this.

 

[RedDad]

By the way, this advise is wrong:
"Either way, they will not place any hold or charge your card on file until you reach the limit of $1,000 on your room charge account."

The amount is different if staying in a Value, vs a Moderate, vs a Deluxe so check on the amount at check in. They also reserve the right to limit credit for people with bad credit in general, and the amount might be significantly lower than this.

Yes, the charge limits by resort level are $500/$1,000/$1,500 for Value/Mod/Deluxe. The OP stated he was staying in PORS, which is why I assumed the $1,000 charge limit for Mods would apply - at least that is my understanding?

I've never heard of them limiting the amount based on poor credit (not sure how Disney would know this?) but I could certainly be wrong.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

That information is readily available to hotels/car rental agencies/etc directly from the credit card companies. My business runs credit checks all the time when extending credit to clients. Same at WDW.

 

[colodisneyrado]

Wow! I didn't know they didn't put a hold of any sort on the CC! It also sounds like they don't put anything on it until the end of the trip or $1000 dollars for mod.'s. That just doesn't make sense on the part of Disney. How do they guarantee that they get their money at the end of the trip. Is there something I am missing!

 

[englanddg]

Wow! I didn't know they didn't put a hold of any sort on the CC! It also sounds like they don't put anything on it until the end of the trip or $1000 dollars for mod.'s. That just doesn't make sense on the part of Disney. How do they guarantee that they get their money at the end of the trip. Is there something I am missing!

I have put a card that was invalid (for being reported compromised) on file before, no one said a word. I had used this card when I did online checkin, and had the card reissued with new numbers right before the trip (USAA overnighted to me). When I hit the charging limit, I called the front desk and used the new card to pay off the room charges. They even let me do it over the phone, which was neat.

As I said...no one said a word to me about it.