Hi Nicholas!
I love a guy who knows where to come for good advice, and it’s so wonderful to see you return to us here at planDisney!
I purchase
Disney Gift Cards over the year, especially when I work a little overtime, as a way to help save up for our Disney trips. Before our visit, I go to the Disney Gift Card Website and combine my multiple smaller cards. You can transfer balances from one card to another and create a card with a maximum value of $1,000. This makes it easier to pay for items like
Theme Park Tickets or room charges.
While you cannot use the Disney Gift Card in the same way as a credit card, where it is officially linked to your
MagicBand and purchases are deducted off the gift card, there is a workaround. When you use your MagicBand to charge something at the Walt Disney World Resort, your credit card is not charged right away. The credit card you have on file is there as a “hold” and charges are put through in batches, usually at the end of your stay, or every few days if you have a lot of charges. While you can’t put the Disney Gift Card down in advance in place of the credit card, you can take the Disney Gift Card to the front desk of your
Disney Resort Collection Hotel after using your MagicBand, and pay those charges before the resort charges your credit card. I usually stop by the front desk every two to three days and pay down my room balance with my Disney Gift Card. It does take a few more minutes of my time, but it is worth it to me.
If you’ll be eating quick service during your stay, do know that you can now use a Disney Gift Card as payment with
Mobile Ordering. After adding your food items to your order, at the time of payment, you can choose to pay with the credit card linked to your My Disney Experience Account, an alternate credit card, Apple Pay, or with a Disney Gift Card, or a Disney Visa Rewards Redemption Card.
I hope this helps with your planning, Nicholas, and I look forward to more questions!
Have a magical day!
- Kate