Hi Adam!
Welcome back to planDisney.
Thank you for sending this question to us! I love to talk about
Disney dining plans as they are a great way to budget for our holidays and know that our food (or most of it!) is paid for in advance.
Disney dining plans are very flexible in the way they can be used, and this flexibility extends to tipping your server. You certainly can use your MagicBand to do this and have it charged to your room account. Also, if you have ordered additional drinks or menu items that are not included in the dining plan you can charge them to your room in the same way. You are also welcome to use cash to tip your server if you wish.
You can use your dining plan in any way you want to - subject to having some meals or snacks remaining on your balance. Maybe you'll want to use it for more meals one day, and less on another, and any time you want to check your balance you can find it on your My Disney Experience mobile app, or at the bottom of any dining receipt. If you'd like a copy of all your dining plan transactions, and how many you have left you can stop by the Front Desk of your Disney Resort hotel and ask a Cast Member for a print-out.
I always bring some cash with me for tipping - especially for
Bell Services if they store my luggage (if my room is not yet ready when I arrive, or on my last day after I've checked out of my room), or if they deliver it to my room for me. I will always use cash to tip Cast Members for valet parking too.
Please come back and visit us if you have any further questions, and you can
send me a direct question if you wish. We will be very happy to help you plan your magical vacation at Walt Disney World Resort.
Sue