• On May 13, 2022
    Stephanie from MN Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    I know you talked about being able to put a gift card balance on the account. If I charge something with my MagicBand does it go on the account so I can use the gift card later or is it immediately charged to my credit card?

    Stephanie,

    Thanks for asking me a question at planDisney!

    Typically when you are charging something on your MagicBand, like for instance purchasing a souvenir at one of the great stores on Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom Park, the charge would go to your Disney resort hotel account balance right away. From there a few different things could happen.

    Gift Card Credit
    If, like me, you have moved some of the value of a gift card over to your resort hotel account, the MagicBand charge would be deducted from the positive balance you have on your account. So, some of that gift card credit would be spent.

    Credit Card On File
    Assuming you have not put any money down on your resort hotel account already, either with a gift card or cash, Disney still does not then immediately charge the credit card you have on file. They will wait until some predetermined amount of money is tallied up on your account before they would then charge that amount to the credit card. What that number is can vary, so ask the Cast Member at the front desk about that amount. But that means that if you have returned to apply gift card credits to your account before that automated charge is made, you could still apply that gift card value before your credit card gets charged.  

    For me, it is about making sure I go back to the front desk periodically and add more of my gift card balance to the account before that credit card billing is triggered. Of course, on our family vacations we often spend a bit more than we ever had on gift cards, but this practice helps me walk the line between not losing any of my gift card money if we happen to spend less than that amount and avoiding a large credit card charge that might have been lowered by the remaining monies on my gift cards.

    Clear as mud, right? But the bottom line to your question is that a MagicBand charge goes to your room account right away and will be applied either to any gift card balance you have placed there, or in the absence of that positive balance, to your credit card when charges reach a certain amount. 

    BONUS TIP #1
    As mentioned in earlier answers, but worth repeating now, is the fact that you should not put all your gift card balances over to your resort account at the start of the trip. Why? Well, Disney cannot refund any of those transfers 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.

    When I go, I put down only that amount that I know I will spend, and every couple of days I will return and use more cards as I get closer to spending that credit balance. 

    BONUS TIP #2
    Remember that you can always check your balance from your My Disney Experience app!

    Please do write me back if you have follow-up questions, or if I did not hit your question exactly how you meant it. 

    Have a Magical Vacation!

    Doug
thumbnail image for Doug

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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