Few brands enjoy the kind of customer loyalty that Disney does.
But for consumers, that also means sky-high prices for anything “Disney.” Finding meaningful discounts on Disney trips, merchandise, cruises and services can be a monumental task. Instead of renting out Disney Vacation Club points or paying for countless fanciful online ads promising discounted magical excursions, purchasing Disney gift cards is one of the most reliable ways to save money on all things Disney.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Your Disney Vacation
Disney Gift Cards can be converted to digital credits through the Disney Gift Card website. You can use those credits to pay for almost anything at Disney World or Disneyland, including hotels, meals, park tickets, annual passes, and Disney cruises.
However, don’t expect to find Disney gift cards at 50% off. In fact, the discount is 5% to 10%. But, when a family of four can spend more than $2,000 on park tickets alone, even a small discount can make a big difference.
Warehouse clubs
Warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club have been the most reliable places to find discounted Disney gift cards for the past few years. The best deals are usually found on or around Black Friday. However, Sam’s Club is pretty good at discounting Disney gift cards a handful of times throughout the year.
While occasional discounts are usually limited to gift cards valued at a few hundred dollars, Black Friday specials have featured higher-value cards in the past. You can usually expect to save between 5% and 10% at Warehouse Club, but you may see slightly bigger discounts around the holidays.
target
There have also been numerous online reports of Target Circle cardholders being targeted for spending offers that give them extra cash back on Disney gift card purchases.
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Information for the Target Circle Card credit card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For no-cost help planning and booking your next Disney vacation, check out TPG’s Disney Booking Partner, Mouse counselors.
Amex offers
If you have an American Express card, you’ve probably heard of it Amex offers. This is a money-saving (or bonus points-earning) offer that periodically targets American Express cardholders. For example, a recent Amex offer gave $25 cash back when you spent $250.
You can often find Disney gift cards at Best Buy, and Amex offers for Best Buy usually don’t exclude gift cards if you buy one in person at a Best Buy store. You’ll still pay the sticker price for the gift card, but you’ll get a $25 statement credit, which is basically extra cash in your pocket to spend on vacation.
RELATED: How to Rent Disney Vacation Club Points and Save Hundreds of Dollars on Your Vacation
Cash-back portals and apps
- Physically clicking through a portal on a desktop or mobile site so cookies can track your activity.
- Linking your credit or debit card to the application so that it can register when the card is used at a participating merchant.
Depending on your activity and the terms of your card, it will reward you with points or cashback.
RELATED: How to Use Points to Buy Disney Tickets
Cashback Monitor If you want to quickly analyze which traditional shopping portal currently offers the most cash back or points on purchases, this is a great resource to use. Remember that gift cards are usually excluded from the terms and conditions, although sometimes cash back or points may still be offered. Keep an eye on Rakuten, one of the most trusted cash-back sites (where you can also earn Amex Membership Rewards points), and TopCashback for cash-back stacking opportunities.
Credit Card Bonus Categories
You can also stock up on Disney gift cards while taking advantage of rotating cash-back categories on some credit cards. Credit cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® offer 5% cash back on a rotating quarterly calendar of merchants and store types (up to $1,500 per quarter; quarterly activation required). In the past, Chase Freedom has offered 5% cash back on grocery purchases for three months each year (usually the first quarter of the year). It has also offered 5% cash back at Warehouse Club in the past, usually after a year.
Related: Is the Disney World Annual Pass Worth It?
Bottom line
Once any Gift Card is in your possession, Load them into your Disney Gift Card account Easily maintain balances and prevent fraud – which is rampant with gift cards these days.
Disney gift cards don’t expire, so it pays to keep your eye out for deals to save on your next vacation. Anything less than a 5% discount on a gift card is probably not worth it because you can get a 5% discount in a variety of ways.
At the end of the day, when you’re spending thousands of dollars on a Disney vacation, these 5% to 10% discounts really add up. The cost of a Disney World or Disneyland vacation isn’t going down anytime soon, and Disney cruises aren’t getting any cheaper. You’ll thank us when you save hundreds of dollars on Disney gift cards with a little effort. It’s not just “Disney math” – it’s real math!
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