Tips for Disney Gift Cards
Disney gift cards are more than just a great present for the Disney fan in your life! They can also be a source of savings for that next Disney trip, a vacation budgeting tool, or a means to make your vacation payments a little smoother. From how to get discounted gift cards to how to create a DIY substitute for the Disney Dining Plan, here’s how to get the most out of your Disney gift cards!
Save 5% or More on Gift Cards
While you can buy Disney gift cards directly from Disney, there are better ways to get them discounted. The most consistent source of savings is through purchasing them from Target and paying with a Target Circle Card for 5% off. This discount is available year-round.
Around the holiday season, you’re likely to find other deals from places like Sam’s Club, Best Buy, and BJ’s Warehouse. For example, BJ’s Black Friday deals have sometimes yielded up to 6% off, depending on the denomination purchased. When stacked with a credit card deal such as the 5% cash back offer from a Chase Freedom credit card, you could save more than 10% off! End-of-the-year deals like this are perfect for DVC Members who need to pay their annual dues in January.
Create a DIY Disney Dining Plan
The Disney Dining Plan at Disney World allows you to prepay for your meals and offers the convenience of an all-inclusive vacation. For guests who like the convenience of the dining plan but perhaps don’t love feeling like they have to order the most expensive menu items to get their money’s worth, Disney gift cards can offer a good alternative.
Guests can purchase gift cards based on a dining budget that works for them and then use the cards to pay for their meals throughout their trip. This gives the same convenience of prepaid dining without some of the restrictions that come with the dining plan (e.g., menu items and drinks that are excluded from the plan or needing to order an entree, dessert, and beverage for every table service meal).
Budget for Your Trip
Similar to the idea of creating your own dining plan, you can purchase gift cards little by little to help budget for your trip–that goes for Disney World, Disneyland, and even Disney Cruise Line vacations! On a smaller scale, you can also set budgets for snacks and festival foods using gift cards. (The wristlet gift cards are especially helpful for the festivals when you may need a free hand to carry your food and drinks.)
Need your kids to stick to a budget when buying souvenirs? Load gift cards for them to use, so they can have some freedom in how they spend their money while be limited to a set amount. When it comes to shopping, don’t forget that you can use Disney gift cards at select locations in Disney Springs, Disney Store outlets, and even the Magic of Disney store at Orlando International Airport.
Connect Your Gift Card for Easy Digital Access
While on vacation, sometimes it’s easier to have your gift card linked to a digital wallet, so you don’t have to fish the physical card out of your wallet or bag whenever you need to pay. You can add Disney gift cards to your Apple Wallet; however, this currently only works for the e-gift cards. The email containing the e-gift card should have an “Add to Apple Wallet” button that will link the card to your digital wallet.
If you’re looking to pay for mobile orders and mobile checkout with a gift card in the My Disney Experience app, there isn’t a direct way to save your gift card number. However, it can help to save the number to your phone’s note app, so you can quickly copy and paste the number whenever you need it to checkout.
There’s also no direct means of linking a gift card to your MagicBand or MagicBand+, but as an alternative you could use your band to charge back to your room and then go to the front desk to pay off the room charge balance with your gift card.
Combine Your Card Values
To avoid traveling with a bunch of Disney gift cards, you can combine up to $1,000 per gift card by going online to disneygiftcard.com. This works for both physical gift cards and e-gift cards. In fact, you could transfer funds from a physical card to an e-gift card, which would then allow you to have the funds available in your Apple Wallet.
Start planning your next Disney vacation by renting a stay in a DVC villa, and save up to 65% off! Browse the confirmed reservations, or check DVC villa availability and pricing.
