4 Ways to Save Money with Disney Gift Cards

Disney vacations are full of special moments, unforgettable memories and tons of magic, but they do come with a large price tag. So to get my frugal husband on board with our first family trip years ago, I went hunting for the best way to maximize our vacation budget and found a trick that we still use...Disney gift cards. Did you know that you can use gift cards to pay for your entire vacation including your resort stay, park tickets, souvenirs and so much more? It's a great option for extended family who want to gift you part of your trip for birthdays or holidays, but it also gives you a way to stack the savings by pairing discounted gift cards with the package deal your travel agent finds for you. So here are a few of my tricks for scoring these gift cards at a discount:

1) Target RedCard

My favorite way to purchase Disney gift cards is also the simplest since it's a one-step process. If you sign up for a Target RedCard (either the credit or debit option), you will receive 5% off of every purchase that you make with the card both in store and online, and this includes gift cards! This means you can grab a $100 Disney card in the store, but only pay $95 for it. It may not seem like much, but when you add them up to pay for your entire trip, it's a big savings! And FYI, they carry gift cards for some airlines as well!

2) Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale Club

If you are a Sam's Club or BJ's Club member, you have another option to snag discounted gift cards. Both of these warehouse chains carry packs of Disney gift cards that you can purchase both in-store and online. The discount can fluctuate, but on average it will save you about 4%. You do have to purchase a yearly membership to buy these gift card packs, so I only recommend this option if you are shopping one of these warehouse clubs already or you can snag an online only membership at BJ's for just $10 a year.

3) Cash-back rewards credit cards

There are many options out there when it comes to credit cards that give you rewards for your purchases, including Chase, Bank of America and American Express. This option isn't a direct way to purchase a discounted Disney gift card, but it is a way to further stack your savings. If you use one of these cash-back rewards cards to purchase those discounted gift cards at a warehouse club, not only will get you the 4% off that the club offers, but on average you'll also get 2% back from the credit card, making your savings roughly 5.9%.

4) Fuel rewards at Kroger stores

If you live near a Kroger grocery store or one of it's affiliates, then this deal is for you! Every so often, Kroger will offer 4X fuel rewards on gift card purchases when you add the coupon to your free Kroger membership card. This means that for every $1 you spend on gift cards, you will earn 4 fuel points. So if you purchased $250 worth of Disney gift cards during this deal, you would earn 1,000 fuel reward points which equals $1 off each gallon of gas for one fill-up (up to 35 gallons). With this option, the gift cards themselves are not discounted but you are still seeing a savings elsewhere and it's also stackable with your cash-back credit card as well.

So what's the catch? Honestly, the only downside to paying for your Disney vacation with Disney gift cards is that in the rare instance that you would receive a refund from Disney, it would go back on to those gift cards instead of your credit card. But if you are like me and love Disney, this really isn't a deal breaker because you can then use that refund to pay for part of your next trip or you can pick up some magic at home since these gift cards also work at the Disney Stores or ShopDisney website. This is why I also recommend combining the huge stack of gift cards you'll accumulate using this method into one gift card. You can easily transfer the balance online and then by using that one gift card to make the payments on your vacation, not only will it simplify the payment process for both you and your travel agent, but it will also guarantee that you know exactly which card would receive any refunds. 

And now that you know my family's secret to maximizing your Disney vacation budget, let's plan your family's dream vacation and save you some moola in the process!

 

10 Dollar Store Hacks for Your Next Disney Trip!

 

Disney vacations can be expensive, especially when you are taking the whole family. But a quick pre-trip run to the dollar store can help you save some money without missing out on the magic! Here's my list of must-have dollar store hacks for your next vacation.
 

1) Glow sticks – When the sun goes down, Disney becomes all a-glow with light-up toys, necklaces, ears and more, and your budget could quickly go out the window when your tired kiddo sees those carts full of goodies. But by grabbing some glow sticks and wands at the dollar store before hitting the parks, you can provide your kids with that glow-in-the-dark magic at a fraction of the price!

2) Bubbles – Most days the Disney parks are full of floating bubbles since they make for a great way to distract little ones during long wait times. But the bubble wands you can buy in the parks will cost you a pretty penny, so I recommend grabbing some at the dollar store and saving your souvenir dollars for something else.

3) Plastic zipper baggies – These baggies have tons of uses! Everything from packing up meal leftovers for snacking on later to keeping your phone dry on rides like Splash Mountain. You definitely won't regret snagging a box or two to bring with you into the parks.

4) D.I.Y. Stroller Rain Cover – Florida is well-known for it's random bursts of rain on a sunny day, and the quickest way to sour a day in the parks is getting off a ride or coming out of a table-service meal to find your stroller soaking wet. Rain covers made for strollers can be super expensive, but there's a cheaper solution. Grab a plastic shower curtain liner, cover the parked stroller and clamp it on with some clips. You can find both of these at the dollar store and it will waterproof your stroller for pennies!

5) Activities for the plane or car – Keeping your kiddos sitting still on the plane or car ride to Disney can be challenge, but by grabbing some coloring books and stickers at the dollar store you can make the journey to the parks both magical and quieter. Especially if you can find Disney ones that let you discuss all of the characters they will get to see over the next few days.

6) Nightlights – Some of the hotels can be very dark, making it even tougher for some kids to fall asleep in a new place. But by grabbing one of these nightlights, you can give them the comfort of home. Then if you forget to unplug it before you leave, it's not a huge loss because it only cost you a dollar.

7) Autograph journals and pens – Meeting their favorite characters is a magical part of every kid's Disney trip and getting their autographs is a classic souvenir opportunity. But instead of dropping big bucks on the autograph books in the parks, you can pick up a cute Disney themed journal or notebook and a fun character pen at the dollar store.

8) Tissues and wet wipes – No matter where you are traveling with kids, these are always good items to keep on hand, and while you can find them in stores at the parks, you will pay a lot for them. So I recommend stocking up at the dollar store before your trip.

9) Travel toothbrushes – If you are anything like me, you cringe at the thought of using old toothbrushes that have been sitting in your travel bags for months. So by picking up new toothbrushes at the dollar store before your trip, not only do you know that they are clean but you also lose the guilt that comes with tossing them after you are back home. And some of them even come with travel toothpaste...score!

10) Plastic cups – Make sharing on the go quick service meals and snacks like popcorn easier with fun plastic character cups. You can get a different character for each kiddo so they have a cup just for them and you can easily store them in the basket of your stroller to pull out when it's time to divide up those treats. Plus you can use them in the hotel room for a bedtime drink of water.

Now that you know my top 10 dollar store finds, you can be more prepared for your next Disney trip. And if you want to get even more out of your next trip, I would love to discuss more of my money saving tips! Just shoot me an email at sheena@ropedroptravel.com.