Hi there, Susan!
Thanks for stopping by planDisney with your question!
I'm excited to hear you have an upcoming Walt Disney World Resort vacation in the works. It's a wonderful time to visit, as Guests
Return to a World of Magic. I've visited several times since the reopening last summer, and each time is better than the last!
Guests staying at
Disney Resorts Collection hotels have the privilege of using
MagicBands to charge food and merchandise to their Disney hotel room during their stay. I love being able to use my MagicBand, and not have to reach for my wallet every time we stop for a snack or purchase a fun souvenir! With a quick tap of your MagicBand to a touch point, and a 4-digit PIN for security protection, MagicBands help Guests travel light, and stay cashless and contactless. While you'll need a credit or debit card linked to your My Disney Experience account to use this charging privilege, your card wont be charged directly when you use your MagicBand for a purchase. It will add the purchase to your resort hotel bill, and you can absolutely use Disney Gift Cards to pay the balance of your resort room charges.
When planning for a Walt Disney World vacation, I like to stock up on Disney Gift Cards to help offset the final bill on my trip. Using disneygiftcard.com, I'm able to combine the balance of my gift cards onto one primary card, up to $1000. Make sure to make note of the number on that specific primary card, as that will be the one you'll want to have with you on your vacation.
Disney Resort Collection hotels will allow Guests to charge up to a certain amount before charging the credit card on file. If you want to use a Disney Gift Card to pay down your balance, I recommend stopping by the Front Desk every couple of days to make payments on your resort bill before your credit card is charged. (You'll be able to see your accumulated charges in the
My Disney Experience app, under the "Resort Hotel" tab.) If you wait until the end of your trip to apply the gift card to your balance, make sure to visit the Front Desk before 2am on your final night, as your card on file will be charged at that time.
I hope this helps with your planning and budgeting for your upcoming trip! Please come back and visit us here at planDisney with any questions you have before your visit. We love sharing tips and advice to help add a little extra magic to your Disney vacation!
Diane W.