GIFT CARDS AND MAGIC BANDS

[jltdone]

Does anyone know if you can link a gift card or CARDS to a magic band. I am thinking and have read a few things now. Someone said that you can get deals for buying gift cards like 5% off at certain places I think I read Costco but would really LOVE to know where. I was wondering this for a few reasons.
1 is dining if it can be linked to our magic bands then I wouldn't have to carry cards around all the time.
2. Shopping so I wouldn't have to carry around gift cards all the time.
Thanks

 

[got2lovedisney]

No, you can't link a giftcard to a magic band. What some do is use the magic band to charge to the room and then just go down before check out and pay off with the gift cards.
I'm staying offsite this trip so what I do is get the gift card you can put on your wrist (currently available at Food & Wine Festival). That way, I don't have to keep reaching for my wallet whenever I make a purchase.

 

[GrandmaLT]

Does anyone know if you can link a gift card or CARDS to a magic band. I am thinking and have read a few things now. Someone said that you can get deals for buying gift cards like 5% off at certain places I think I read Costco but would really LOVE to know where. I was wondering this for a few reasons.
1 is dining if it can be linked to our magic bands then I wouldn't have to carry cards around all the time.
2. Shopping so I wouldn't have to carry around gift cards all the time.
Thanks

We buy gift cards at Sams Club in our area and pay $146 for $150 card.

To avoid carrying the gift cards we charge everything to our resort room (meals and purchases) with the magic band and then go to the desk to pay off the bill with the gift cards.

 

[Ntw25]

Can you pay for everything with your band ?

What about stores in Disney Springs (I assume not)

Thanks.

 

[amcnj]

There is a credit card charge balance amount at which they will automatically process a credit card payment. You don't want that to happen before you use the gift cards to pay down the balance. I asked and was told the amount less than two months ago, but can't recall the figure ($1200?). So depending on your spending level while there, you might have to make multiple trips to the front desk.

BJ's has $100 gift cards online for $94.99 (and free shipping). I have read on this site that you don't need to be a member to order them, but I personally can't confirm that.

 

[Darbie]

Can you pay for everything with your band ?

What about stores in Disney Springs (I assume not)

Thanks.

Yes. There are only a few carts throughout the parks and Disney Springs that are cash only. Everywhere else you can use your Magic Bands to pay.

 

[Darbie]

There is a credit card charge balance amount at which they will automatically process a credit card payment. You don't want that to happen before you use the gift cards to pay down the balance. I asked and was told the amount less than two months ago, but can't recall the figure ($1200?). So depending on your spending level while there, you might have to make multiple trips to the front desk.

The amount varies by the level of resort.

 

[amcnj]

The amount varies by the level of resort.

Ok thanks for that info. So it is something you have to verify with the resort then.

 

[Darbie]

Ok thanks for that info. So it is something you have to verify with the resort then.

The info is floating around on the Dis somewhere. The amounts were increased in the last year, and I think values are now $1000, mods $1500 and deluxes $2000.

 

[erionm]

Ok thanks for that info. So it is something you have to verify with the resort then.

It's $1500 at Value & Moderate Resorts. $2000 at Deluxe & Deluxe Villas (DVC) Resorts.

 

[jltdone]

because I am from Canada we get charged a premium for using our visa in the states. Unless we have a U.S. visa which they offer but the cost of it to get it pretty crazy. I guess we will just carry gift cards around with us. We can pay for dinner with them thou right?
When the 180+ 10 days come up can you book 180+10 without a dining plan?

 

[Ceilidhscot]

If you're staying on site you could pay using a gift card and get the item sent to your hotel as well I think. That way you know exactly how much you have spent up front and each person could have their own card / allowance. Cards not in use can be stored in the hotel safe so you're not carrying them round with you.

 

[cigar95]

BJ's has $100 gift cards online for $94.99 (and free shipping). I have read on this site that you don't need to be a member to order them, but I personally can't confirm that.

I can confirm it. Since Sam's Club upped their prices on the $500 cards a few months back, BJ's has become my go-to source for saving on gift cards, even though now I have buy five times as many cards and link them all.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

No you cannot link a gift card to MDE and use your magic band.
Only credit cards can be linked.
You could charge to your room and then go to the front desk every couple days to pay off the charges with a gift card although personally I think that is such a waste of time and its just as easy to just pay with the gift card at the time of purchase.
You could merge your gift cards together so you just have to carry around one if you want.

 

[Lesley Wake]

There is a credit card charge balance amount at which they will automatically process a credit card payment. You don't want that to happen before you use the gift cards to pay down the balance. I asked and was told the amount less than two months ago, but can't recall the figure ($1200?). So depending on your spending level while there, you might have to make multiple trips to the front desk.

One thing they can do is reverse the charge. I had a room only reservation at Pop for 2 nights, which I had just paid with a credit card. Before checkout I went to put any charges on a gift card. They asked if I wanted everything, so I just said sure, not really thinking. Then when I went to use my GC at the shop they said it was empty-I was a bit surprised as there was only $200 on the room charges and $500 on the GC. I realized they had reversed the charge for my actual room and then used up the gift card for the room itself as well as food and merchandise. It didn't matter much to me (I would have used the extra GC $ for the rest of my stay), but is something to consider.

because I am from Canada we get charged a premium for using our visa in the states. Unless we have a U.S. visa which they offer but the cost of it to get it pretty crazy. I guess we will just carry gift cards around with us. We can pay for dinner with them thou right?
When the 180+ 10 days come up can you book 180+10 without a dining plan?

You can pay for dinner with a GC. You can also add on tip, but you have to make sure there is enough on the card to account for the tip (they will first run it thru for the meal, then again for tip if you add that to the receipt). The only things you can't pay for gift card are some locations at Disney Springs (mostly non-Disney owned locations).

The 180+10 is for anyone staying on-site. You don't need a dining plan. Dining plans only come into play when you are paying.

 

[otten]

Does anyone know if you can link a gift card or CARDS to a magic band. I am thinking and have read a few things now. Someone said that you can get deals for buying gift cards like 5% off at certain places I think I read Costco but would really LOVE to know where. I was wondering this for a few reasons.
1 is dining if it can be linked to our magic bands then I wouldn't have to carry cards around all the time.
2. Shopping so I wouldn't have to carry around gift cards all the time.
Thanks

Just so you know, you won't be able to find any US dollar Disney gift cards in Canada. I've heard you can now use Canadian Disney gift cards in the parks but the exchange rate is pretty terrible. So if you are wanting to use gift cards in US currency as part of budgeting, you'll need to either buy them in the US or buy e-gift cards. We did the latter on a Disneyland trip and it worked pretty well, though there were a couple places that couldn't take an e-gift.

Your magicband doesn't link directly to a credit card or gift card. It links to your room account which would have a credit card on file. As others said you can go to the front desk to pay off those charges with gift cards before they charge your credit card. That's what we plan on doing when we go in January. I'll be buying a certain amount in US dollar disney gift cards for our dining and incidentals.

 

[jltdone]

I can confirm it. Since Sam's Club upped their prices on the $500 cards a few months back, BJ's has become my go-to source for saving on gift cards, even though now I have buy five times as many cards and link them all.

So you buy $500 worth at Sams do they give you a deal or is it 500 for 500?

 

[jltdone]

Just so you know, you won't be able to find any US dollar Disney gift cards in Canada. I've heard you can now use Canadian Disney gift cards in the parks but the exchange rate is pretty terrible. So if you are wanting to use gift cards in US currency as part of budgeting, you'll need to either buy them in the US or buy e-gift cards. We did the latter on a Disneyland trip and it worked pretty well, though there were a couple places that couldn't take an e-gift.

Your magicband doesn't link directly to a credit card or gift card. It links to your room account which would have a credit card on file. As others said you can go to the front desk to pay off those charges with gift cards before they charge your credit card. That's what we plan on doing when we go in January. I'll be buying a certain amount in US dollar disney gift cards for our dining and incidentals.

I live on a border town so I can go to the states pretty easy in fact I can be at Detroit metro airport in 40 mins from my house. So I have no problem going over tot he Disney store

 

[jltdone]

so you can use the GC at every Disney restaurant on property?

 

[cigar95]

So you buy $500 worth at Sams do they give you a deal or is it 500 for 500?

Used to be that a $500 card sold at Sam's for $475, or a 5% discount. This is the same price as what one currently gets at BJ's when buying 5 $100 cards. So it was a better deal simply because it's easier to work with one card than to go through all the work of entering each card into the system and transferring the balance.
Now that the price has gone up from $475 to $480, the discount is down to 4%. Maybe it's worth the extra $5 to get it on a single card. (Sam's also charges a buck for shipping, but I always got them in my local store anyway.)