Hi Charles!
Thanks for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel! This is a great question.
You can use either a debit or credit card at
Walt Disney World Resort. We have used both. You do have to have one or the other on file for incidental charges.
On the day of your arrival, your
Resort hotel will place a hold for any balance due on the reservation plus $100 for estimated expenses. If spending exceeds the original hold, additional incremental holds will be placed automatically. The holds will not exceed the current balance due plus $100. Folios are processed once per day, at the end of the day, so you should only see the charges/holds placed once per day.
Before I go on my magical vacations, I always try to call my bank and let them know we are traveling to Walt Disney World Resort so they will expect the charges/holds.
If you would like to, you can also pay for your charges with a
Disney Gift Card. To do so, you simply use the gift card when you pay for items. You also have the option to charge purchases to your room using your
MagicBand. When we use a Disney Gift Card, we stop by the front desk of our Resort hotel and use our Disney Gift Card to pay for our current charges. It typically takes very little time and is fairly effortless. When we have a Disney Gift Card to use, we try to clear out our charges using the gift card before they are charged to our debit/credit card.
I'm so excited for you as you continue planning your Walt Disney World Resort vacation!! I wish you a magical day and a vacation filled with pixie-dust!
Kari