Hiya Gillian - welcome to
planDisney!
Thanks so much for stopping by with your question for our team of panelists. We love to help Guests just like you plan magical Walt Disney World Resort vacations!
I'm excited to hEAR that you have a trip coming up at the end of this week. I'm sure you've already done your homework - there is so much to be excited about! The
Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration brings new
attractions, entertainment, food, and so much more to experience. Get ready to make some magical memories!
Disney Gift Cards are pure magic - it's like your own personal piggy bank that can only be used on Disney purchases!
If you are staying at a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel, your Magic Band will be linked to your Resort account. Rather than having the charges you make using your Magic Band paid with your credit card on file each day, you can stop by the Front Desk of your Resort and apply funds from your Disney Gift Card to your account to cover those expenses! This works for most Guests, although if you are trying to budget or limit the spending of someone in your party to the amount available on a gift card, they will simply need to exert some self-control. If you are not a Guest of a Disney Resort, your Magic Band can't be used to make purchases of any kind.
Keep in mind that you can also use a Disney Gift Card as a method of payment within the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. Whether it be purchasing the Disney Genie+ Service, Individual Lightning Lane entries,
Mobile Ordering food, or paying for merchandise using
Merchandise Mobile Checkout, all will allow you to enter a Disney Gift Card as a method of payment. Currently, there is
not an option to add a Disney Gift Card to My Disney Experience as a
saved method of payment, so you will need to enter the gift card information when you need to use it. Instead of carrying a gift card around with me, I like to keep a note on my smartphone with the details so I can simply copy and paste them into the app if I want to use it!
I hope this information is helpful as you make final preparations for your trip -
let me know if I can help answer any other questions!
Ryan J.