I am considering applying for Disney Visa- is it worth it?

[rgf207]

I just go the disney visa and I think it's worth it but I'll tell you why. My situation is a little different. I travel a lot with business and I spend about $5000 a month on travel. I use my disney visa for all of my travel costs(Hotel, Airfare, Rental Car and Food). My company will reimburs me within 2 weeks of travel so I never pay an interest rate. On an average of 5000/month * 12 months is about 600 points which works out great for me

 

[J and R's mom]

We received our cards when they were first offered in 2003 (charter members, they called us). Instead of using our check card for everything we started using our DV for everything. I even use it to pay our bills (the ones that accept credit cards, anyway) instead of through our bank's on-line bill pay. Now if only our mortgage and auto companies would just start taking credit cards for payment (which they most likely will never do) we'd really be in the points. I also use it when I'm paying annual fees for DVC (Disney Vacation Club) which is a nice way to get "money back" from Disney for paying Disney.

So far we have accumulated over $450. (Yes, for you folks that can do math, that's over $45K spent.) However, I'm not purchasing or paying for anything that I wouldn't normally pay for...I'm just paying for it differently now.

Of course, this only works well for us because we NEVER carry a balance forward. We ALWAYS pay it in full each month. If you don't, the points earned aren't worth the cost (interest charges). So if you don't plan on paying it off each month, the rare discounts and points aren't that beneficial.

Since we plan on going to WDW once a year (or at least every-other-year), the points work out well for us. They go towards park tickets and meals on-site.

As is true with everything, it all depends on your own needs and preferences.

 

[ccgegg]

The discounts are lousy, and the 1% back falls far short of the 5% cash back alot of other cards offer.

Not to turn this into a financial thread, but what credit cards are paying 5% cash back? Can't imagine they'd be in business very long.

Back to the topic, I recently signed up for the Disney Visa with no intentions of using it. I'm just hoping it gets me on the pin code list.

 

[WisMom]

Hi ccgegg
II have a card that gives 5% back on pharmacy, grocery and gasoline purchases. It's a Citibank Dividend Platinum Select. It's 1% back on everything else. It's only up to $300 a year - so we have two cards. It's cash - no miles or anything. We don't travel much so this kind of reward program works well for us.

WisMom

 

[Liz]

The BIG caveat is that you MUST pay the balance every month or you will be in the hole in a big way as they use a 2-cycle balance for calculating interest charged- double dipping in the WORST way!

What does the 2-cycle thing mean? I see that sometimes on credit card offers but I don't understand it.

 

[mom22boys]

In my mind the credit card rewards game is an interesting one to play, also a risky one if you don't pay your balances off every month. As long as you pay your balance off every month, the question then becomes which credit card offers the best reward. We have a Disney Visa, but we also have another Visa. The other one offers a 5% rebate at grocery stores, gas stations, and pharmacies and 1% everywhere else. So.... obviously we use it where we can earn 5% off, and then we use our Disney Visa where both cards only earn 1%. As much fun as it is to accumulate Disney Reward Points, $20 is still $20. So if you are earning $20 in free gasoline or $20 off of your Disney Hotel, you are saving money. My advice is don't let the Disney Visa tempt you just because it is Disney! On the other hand, I do admit that ours is open, just in the slight chance it will help us get a pin code or discount somehow!!!!!

 

[ribbot]

ccgegg,

Some cards do give back 5%, but it's only on certain items--like gas or groceries. The other stuff is usually 1%. But the kicker is, is that the place that sells you the gas or groceries HAS to mark the item as gas/groceries or you don't get the 5%, but only 1% Even if it says Pennzoil Gas Station, they still only give the points if the item column says GAS. If it's marked other or misc, you get 1%

Missypie,

Same thing happened with me. I was supposed to get double points and I noticed I wasn't. So I called. They said if the companies don't mark the items specifically as Gas, Groceries (or whatever items are supposed to be doubled), you don't get the doubled points. And it's not like you can call all these companies and tell them to change how they mark it on the credit card bill. It's a big promotional ripoff.

On the good side though---I just used $441 from Disney points at the parks for my PS meals and a few souvenirs and it was nice not to have to worry about a bill when I got home. It worked out fine---except for Rainforest Cafe who wouldn't take it-probably cause they're a franchise. A lot of the servers had no idea what the card was and would ask me if it was a Visa..and I'd tell them no it's reward points.

You'd also get a printout receipt after you spent points as to how much was left on your card.

 

[fam4jc]

HI. We have the disney visa. Only had it for about 6 months. I have about 50 points and pay it off every month. We split our cc purchases between AE Gold and disney. It is not a good idea to use a cc for everyday purchases unless you are committed and have the cash flow to pay it off each month. We have a reigiste on our fridge that we put our expeditures on so I can keep track of how much we are spending.
As for the rewards, it's arealy poor paying card. There hasn't been good discounts in a long time. We keep it because we can use the few points for dining or something special while at wdw. As far as rewards go our prefered gold double card does much better but it has a HUGE annual fee. we use those for air tickets so we still come out ahead with the fee.
If you want it, get it. Just don't expect it to make a huge difference in your disney trips. It probably won't.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

In addition to paying off the balance in full each month, I'd be certain to keep enough money in my checking account to cover another month's worth of bills, just in case. Paying all your expenses each nomth with a credit card does have some advantages if you can stay on top of it, but it is playing with fire. Miss a payment, and you're screwed. The bigger the amount, the more risk.