• On Feb 1, 2022
    Jacquelyn from CA Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    How many gift cards can I use at check-in at the front desk of my Disney World resort to pay outstanding balance of reservation?

    Jacquelyn,

    Thanks for your question to planDisney!

    You can use as many Disney gift cards as you wish to pay for your hotel room bill.

    I use gift cards on most of my trips to Walt Disney World. It is a great way to save up for the cost of food, souvenirs, and other purchases that I am sure to get on my trips. I use both Disney gift cards, as well as those from other major gift card vendors. My kids always struggle to find good Christmas and birthday wish lists ideas for relatives, and a Disney gift card is great because it is easy for them to buy online, and it gives some flexibility for whatever gift amount they choose to send!

    You will want to transfer those over after checking in, since the resort will eventually charge your credit card on file when you hit a certain spending amount. Having these down as a credit on your resort account will help you avoid that. Go to your hotel front desk to have the gift card credits applied to your resort account. When you charge food or other purchases as your vacation moves forward the cost will go on your resort room account. With that balance of your gift cards already put onto your hotel account, they deduct those costs from your credit balance.

    There is one very important note to be aware of. I recommend that you only put enough cards down to cover expenses you are certain you will make. In your case it would certainly be enough to cover the reservation balance, but perhaps a bit more for dining or other purchases. But why? Disney cannot refund any of those transfers back to you, so if you put $100 of a gift card onto your resort balance and only spend $90 of that, you lose the $10 balance. So, pace yourself. 

    When I go, I transfer only the gift card amounts that I know I will spend, like to cover the room bill and some of what I think I will spend on dining and incidentals in the first few days. Then every couple of days I will return and put more cards down as I get closer to spending that credit balance. This way I can pay for as much of my trip as the cards will cover, and I won't lose any excess card value.

    BONUS TIP
    Remember that you can always check your balance from your My Disney Experience app!

    Write me back if you have any other questions.

    Have a Magical Vacation!

    Doug
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Meet the Panelist: Doug, Indiana

I am one of the Dads on the planDisney Panel, and I love to help parents plan their vacation, with a focus on showing them how it can be fun for them too. I am also here to help Dads plan some nice surprises for the Moms in their life (they deserve it!). Learn More About Doug

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