I just wanted to share my experience purchasing and using Canadian Disney Gift Cards hoping it will help other Canadian families save some money!
For all my US Disney trips (
Disneyland and Disney World) I buy gift cards to cover the whole cost of the trip (or as much as can be covered with gift cards). I buy the gift cards for 2 reasons, 1) to save on the Foreign Exchange Fee the bank / CC company charges 2) to earn 5x the points by using my credit card at a grocery store - see note below. My grocery store sells gift cards up to $500 and I usually purchase 1-2 per month depending on how soon the trip is / how long I have to save up for the trip.
Here is how I use the gift cards:
Disney World - staying on-site at Disney Resort
- Book vacation online and pay deposit using gift card online (room and park tickets)
- Book special dining reservations requiring pre-payment (ex. dessert parties) by calling in to book and providing gift card number
- Paying the balance of the trip in increments using the gift cards when I notice a good exchange rate
- Charging all purchases (quick-service and shopping) made while at Disney World (can even be used at most places in Disney Springs!!) to our Magic Bands (can't use for Mobile Order though, but the times we go are during off season so the lines are not long)
- Paying with the physical gift card when dining at table-service restaurants (charging to Magic Band might work for this as well but have never tried because I don't know how they would charge the tip)
- Visiting the hotel reception every night before heading to our room to pay off the Magic Band balance for the day using the gift card (do not let your daily charges go over $1,000 though as they charge to your credit card on file once the $1,000 threshold is passed)
Disneyland - staying off-site + tickets and hotel reservation NOT booked through Disney
- Book special dining reservations requiring pre-payment (ex. dessert parties) by calling in to book and providing gift card number
- Paying for all purchases (quick-service and shopping) by presenting gift card (can't be used for Mobile Ordering)
- Paying for all table-service dining by presenting gift card
I find using gift cards at Disney World is more "worth it" than Disneyland as Disneyland has restrictions on using gift cards within their app to purchase Max Pass and order through Mobile Ordering, and we never stay on-site at Disneyland.
Note: For those who are looking for more unconventional ways of saving money for your Disney trip, take advantage of what your credit card offers! I currently have the AMEX Cobalt which offers 5x the points at grocery stores. I purchase my gift cards from my local Metro - the only grocery store near me which accepts AMEX. $5,000.00 in gift cards is equal to 25,000 AMEX rewards points which I then transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a rate of 5 AMEX points to 6 MB points = 30,000 MB points. 30,000 MB points is enough for 1 free night at a category 4 Marriott brand hotel during peak period, or 1 free night at a category 5 Marriott brand hotel during off-peak.