Hi Brian and welcome to planDisney!
Disney Gift Cards are a great way to pay for purchases made while on vacation at Walt Disney World! My friends and family know that a gift card is the perfect present for me since I always have a trip to Disney just around the corner. You can use them to pay for practically anything at Walt Disney World including merchandise, dining, and more! MagicBands are such a convenient way to make those purchases since there's no need to dig around in your bag for cash or a credit card and you can just tap your wrist to pay.
Disney Gift Cards are currently not capable to be linked to your
MagicBand, but you can use the gift cards to pay off your room charge balance for anything you have purchased using your MagicBand during your trip. I like to head to the front desk at the end of each day and pay off my balance with the gift cards so I can start the fresh next day. If you have multiple gift cards, you can combine them, up to $1000 per card, so you aren't carrying around a bunch of cards with you.
Another great use of gift cards is
Mobile Ordering for food and beverages or for
Merchandise Mobile Checkout right on the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. You can save so much time by skipping the line at many Quick Service restaurants by ordering right from your phone and heading to the pick up area when your order is ready. For Merchandise Mobile Checkout, scan your items right from your app, pay and head to the exit for confirmation and a bag for your new goodies. You can use your gift cards right on the app on the payment screen. I like to save the gift card number to a notes app in my phone or text it to my husband, so when I'm ready to pay on the app, I can just copy/paste it onto the payment screen.
Please stop back by if you have any additional vacation planning questions.
Have a magical day!
Leslie