Lisa,
Thanks for asking your question to planDisney!
Yes, you absolutely can use gift cards to pay for purchases made at Walt Disney World. As you have learned, Disney still requires you have a traditional credit card down on the room, but I have used Gift Cards (both Disney gift cards, and other varieties) on many a trip to Walt Disney World.
Also, to your question, yes, the shops and restaurants in the theme parks and Disney resort hotels will charge your purchases to your Disney hotel room account.
Here is what I like to do, and what I think will help you with your money management planning.
Sometime after checking in to your hotel, visit the front desk and have the gift card credits applied to your resort account. When you charge food or other purchases to your MagicBand the purchase 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 rather than bill the credit card you have on file for your room.
Do be sure when you charge food or merchandise that you select the option to apply the charge to your room bill. Sometimes the
My Disney Experience App will initially opt to a different payment type, like Apple Pay. You just have to select your room as your primary charge, or toggle to it when paying.
BONUS TIP #1
One very important note to be sure of. If you have several cards, I do not recommend that you put all their 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 to the front desk and use more cards as I get closer to spending that credit balance. Oh, and remember that you can always check your balance from your My Disney Experience app!
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Gift cards are a great item for kids to list on birthday or Christmas wish lists. My teenagers have a hard time finding gift idea suggestions for relatives that are reasonably priced, so this gives them a lot of flexibility. It also gives the gift giver a lot of room to give what they deem appropriate.
Please feel free to
write me back if you have any follow-up questions.
Have a Magical Vacation!
Doug