Disney Chase Visa Card - Students??

h&D3

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
I'm not sure if this would be the right place for this, so please excuse me if it's not.

So my son is almost 16 and has a nice part time job.

He has had his own checking account for a few years and has maintained that without any issues.

Now that he is driving, he would love to get a credit card vs. using his debit card for purchases like gas, etc. (at least a credit card gives you a little more purchase protection against fraudulent charges vs a debit card) I know I use my credit card vs. debit card for this very reason.

My question is, does the Disney Chase Visa offer a student credit card?

If not, can I add him as an additional card holder on my account, but maybe set a limit for him of $250 or $500. Just so he can build a credit history as well as be protected on his purchases.

I would prefer that he has his own card so he can be a little more independent and start building his own credit history.

Thoughts?
~D
 
My DD18 is an authorized user on my Disney Chase account. The card is in her name but the account number is the same. We don't have any limits set with Chase, but she knows when she is allowed to use it, so there aren't any surprises when I check the bill. I don't know if it builds her credit history or not since I am responsible for it.

Now that DD is getting ready to go to college, she gets offers daily about student credit cards. But I think the Disney card is harder to get than many, so I would be surprised if they allowed a 16 year old to get one on his own, even though he has a job. I would just call them and ask.
 
I would suggest getting a credit card from the bank where your child has a checking account. We faced this same dilemma when my older son left for college. He has been a authorized user on our Chase disney card for years, but needed his own card to start building HIS credit.

We opened him up a checking account with Wells Fargo. They have a student checking account, savings account and credit card package. His little credit card started out with a $300 limit. He is now up to a $1500 limit after successfully using and paying it off for a 3 years.
 
Thanks for the info. I actually called Disney Chase Visa, and they will not issue one for him on his own account until he turns 18. However, they would put him on mine, but I couldn't set a spending limit for him. (want to start him out slow with credit and not have him go gangbusters and get in over his head. (not that he would but.... we're talking teenagers here.)

So I also have a Delta AMEX card. I called them and they set him up as an additional person on my account, and I was able to set a credit spending limit of $200.00. Which his purchases will also go to my account for any FF miles. So that's the route we are going with for now.

Once he turns 18 and he can apply for his own account, then maybe he can do the Disney Chase Visa one. Until then, at least this way I can help monitor and make sure he doesn't get in over his head.

~D
 


My kids had Chase checking accounts for a few years at college before they applied for Chase Freedom (entry level card). Meanwhile I had them as authorized users on my cards.

If they have checking accounts at Chase, they will eventually start getting directed offers for the credit card with some kind of spending bonus (I think $150 for $400 in 3 months was one of the ones we got). If you get these, open the account at the branch using the offer. If you try to do it online, they sometimes get rejected. Once they have that for awhile (along with a job) he will be able to get the next level card (like Sapphire if he wanted it). I think the Chase Freedom with the 5% spending categories or Freedom Unlimited with 1.5% on everything is more worthwhile than the Disney Visa.
 
It's tough getting them their own card to start out with. With my 2 older kids, they got a VISA from their university credit union. That helped them establish their own credit history. Both also were AU on a card of mine. With my DD18, she has been an AU on one of my cards for 2 years. She got a Chase SW mailing, so she applied and got rejected...not enough credit history. She starts college this fall and I think I'll have her check into the credit union to get started.
 


Check with your local Credit Union, ours had a great cc tied with our local university (you didn't have to be a student there) and it had really low interest rates and after a certain time the limit would be raised (I think it starts out at $500) if paid on time. My DD got it when she graduated and her credit score is now 695 after 2 years. That's the only credit she has.
 
My dd20 applied for a Disney Visa when she was 18 and was turned down. She has been working for the same place for 4 years now and has a healthy savings and checking account and they turned her down. I got an authorized user card for her (and for my ds17) linked to our Disney Visa. They both got to choose their own cards. She applied for a Wells Fargo college card and they approved her right away. I think Disney Visa is a hard one to get.
 
I was authorized on my mom's Disney visa when I was 15 or so, but I don't think I could have gotten an account on my own, and I do remember they wouldn't set a spending limit for me. As soon as I was 18, I applied for and received the discover student credit card. I'm not sure if they still do this since I'm mid twenties now, but if so it's a great card to start with because the rotating categories really taught me from the very beginning to pay attention to cash back bonuses.

I believe they started me out with a $500 limit, and two years later at age 20 I applied for and received the Disney visa with an $1800 limit.

I think you did well to start him out on your Amex. I learned a lot from being in my parent's account first because it taught me to be accountable for every purchase since I had to sit down with them every month to discuss what I had charged and why. :)

Good on you for helping him set up with credit responsibility and eventually his credit score early in life. It has helped me exponentially. So many of my friends in their mid twenties still don't have credit in their name and it really holds them back! Good luck with everything!
 
We opened him up a checking account with Wells Fargo. They have a student checking account, savings account and credit card package. His little credit card started out with a $300 limit. He is now up to a $1500 limit after successfully using and paying it off for a 3 years.

I can't speak to Chase or Disney but we did the Wells Fargo student account with both our kids. I imagine most banks have something similar.
 
Thanks for the info. I actually called Disney Chase Visa, and they will not issue one for him on his own account until he turns 18. However, they would put him on mine, but I couldn't set a spending limit for him. (want to start him out slow with credit and not have him go gangbusters and get in over his head. (not that he would but.... we're talking teenagers here.)

So I also have a Delta AMEX card. I called them and they set him up as an additional person on my account, and I was able to set a credit spending limit of $200.00. Which his purchases will also go to my account for any FF miles. So that's the route we are going with for now.

Once he turns 18 and he can apply for his own account, then maybe he can do the Disney Chase Visa one. Until then, at least this way I can help monitor and make sure he doesn't get in over his head.

~D
Chase will be hard for him to pick up until he's built his own credit history. He'll do better trying for college student-focused credit cards when he's 18.
 
Agreed, at 18, not very likely. My kids both just got one from my referral, but my son is 24 with a 795 score, a few cards (two other Chase cards) and a car loan.
My dd 21, still in school, also just got one. She has two cards of her own prior, Target and Cap One, and is auth user on 2 of mine. As usual Chase surprised me with a bigger credit line than I thought they would do for someone with a very limited income.
My son started with the Citi Thank You college card and my dd started with the Capital One Card, Journey I think? After a year they moved her to a Quicksilver. Definitely try student cards first.
 

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