Welcome to planDisney, Hali! We are so glad you are here!
I'm so delighted to hear that you are planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation! If you're visiting any time throughout 2022, you are in for a special treat as you will get to join in the fun of
Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary Celebration. There are special celebratory sprinkles of pixie dust across the resort in honor of the big five-o, including the stunning
Beacons of Magic located at each of the four theme parks. You have never seen the theme park icons quite like this before, having been transformed with EARidescent color and light. My favorite is the spectacular projection on
The Hollywood Tower Hotel at
Disney's Hollywood Studios. If you look close enough, you'll see some of the hotel's haunting guests enjoying a dance in the ballroom at the top of the hotel. See, everyone is joining in on the celebration!
But, before you can get partying, we need to get your question answered! When linking a payment method to your
Magic Band, you're actually linking to your Disney Resort hotel account rather than to the credit card itself. Meaning any purchases made by tapping your Magic Band are being charged through your resort reservation and will then be charged to the credit card you put on file at check-in. So, if you are not staying at a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel, you cannot use your Magic Band to make purchases in the parks.
Now, you mentioned wanting to have a different payment method for the adults in your group. The only way to do this is if the adult members of your party have separate Disney Resort hotel reservations. If this is the case, you will want to start the
Online Check-in process available in the
My Disney Experience app 60 days before your arrival by logging into your My Disney Experience App and navigating to "Resort Hotel." From here, you will see the option to "Start Check-in" and can follow the prompts to complete the process. Included in these steps will be the opportunity to add a credit for charging privileges. If you want to use the card on file for purchases in the parks, you will set up a four-digit pin that will be used to authorize the charges when using your Magic Band, and you are all set!
I would also recommend checking to make sure your Magic Bands are properly linked to your hotel reservation by opening the menu in the My Disney Experience app (the three horizontal lines on the bottom right corner). Then, scroll down to "Link to Account," click on "Link Magic Band or Card," and follow the prompts to get them added to your account. Of course, you, one of the fabulous Cast Members at your Disney Resorts Collection hotel, will be happy to help you with this should you decide to check into your hotel in person.
Hali, I hope this answer has been helpful to you! If you have any other questions as you continue planning your vacation, please don't hesitate to reach out again!
Have a magical day!
Diana