Paying DVC dues - cheapest place for gift cards!

[Genie+]

We never bothered with Disney GCs in large value before buying DVC. For our trip next week we accumulated over $1k worth of GCs. We’ll use them for table service and merch. The combo of GF and DVC discount adds up. Whatever goes unused will be applied to our dues in Jan.

 

[maui22]

Kroger groceries periodically offers 4 times fuel perks. During the promotion, buying $250 in Disney GCs provides 1000 fuel perk points. For every 1000, receive 10 cents off in gas so it's $1 off per gallon of gas. Can fill up to 35 gallons.
Maximum savings if using all 35 gallons is $35/$250, so 14% savings.

If using a credit card with additional cash back savings, you can save even more.

We fill up vehicles and if necessary, fill up gas cans to maximize our savings.

I believe it was October of this year, Kroger (in our state it's Pick N Save) started allowing us to use up to 2000 points for a single gas fill up (saving $2/gallon).

 

[eticketplease]

You don't have to pay in full all at once and can make multiple payments.

You can’t pay in full all at once with a giftcard (unless you have a very small contract)

I just know you couldn’t use gift cards when I started unless you selected the monthly payment option. Then you had to select which contract you wanted to pay. Then it would advance your next payment date by the payment amount and possibly lower it as well. I.e if your monthly payment was $75 and you paid $200 it move the next debit from your bank account date by 2 months and the amount coming out would only be $25 and then reset to the $75 the next month.

I just pay off all of my contracts when they post assuming the site is working that is

I’m glad you can just do it all at once now without going through the hassle of the monthly payment setup.

 

[eticketplease]

We never bothered with Disney GCs in large value before buying DVC. For our trip next week we accumulated over $1k worth of GCs. We’ll use them for table service and merch. The combo of GF and DVC discount adds up. Whatever goes unused will be applied to our dues in Jan.

Table service Merch and you still have leftovers? I would love to know what that is like someday

 

[Genie+]

Table service Merch and you still have leftovers? I would love to know what that is like someday

Probably will not have leftover balance lol.

But I like the thought of applying what’s left to dues instead of leaving dollars tied up on a card. That made me feel better about purchasing large amount and not worrying if it’s too much. Lol - no it never is

 

[DisDVCfam]

Kroger groceries periodically offers 4 times fuel perks. During the promotion, buying $250 in Disney GCs provides 1000 fuel perk points. For every 1000, receive 10 cents off in gas so it's $1 off per gallon of gas. Can fill up to 35 gallons.
Maximum savings if using all 35 gallons is $35/$250, so 14% savings.

If using a credit card with additional cash back savings, you can save even more.

We fill up vehicles and if necessary, fill up gas cans to maximize our savings.

I believe it was October of this year, Kroger (in our state it's Pick N Save) started allowing us to use up to 2000 points for a single gas fill up (saving $2/gallon).

SC you can only do up to 1000 ($1). I was just in Tennessee and they allow as many points as you have. I got 35 gallons for $1.02!

 

[Lumpy1106]

So, unless I'm confused ... we cannot actually put Disney Gift Cards into our MDE account, but would have to carry the cards with us to the Parks, and when Mobile Ordering enter the 16+ digit number for each and every purchase? (Plus keep purchase receipts for each card in case it does not work, and make sure not to damage them so the numbers stay visible). PLEASE tell me this is not true I feel like getting Gift Cards was such a horrible decision.

Charge everything to your MB. The night before you check out, go down to the concierge and pay off everything with the gift cards. We don't even buy the gift cards until we are ready to pay. I usually get on the Disney gift card website and consolidate the cards down to just a couple, but I had trouble with that on my last trip and ended up just taking the card numbers down to the concierge. They were able to enter them there by hand and everything was paid off by the gift cards.

 

[mort1331]

For those like me who are international. The GC exchange at the days rate. So I know some who pay dues or food with CC. Well there is almost always another 2 or 3% that the CC charges above that . So paying with GC saves that amount.

 

[pirate33]

Charge everything to your MB. The night before you check out, go down to the concierge and pay off everything with the gift cards. We don't even buy the gift cards until we are ready to pay. I usually get on the Disney gift card website and consolidate the cards down to just a couple, but I had trouble with that on my last trip and ended up just taking the card numbers down to the concierge. They were able to enter them there by hand and everything was paid off by the gift cards.

This is The Way.

 

[TinkAgainU]

Charge everything to your MB. The night before you check out, go down to the concierge and pay off everything with the gift cards. We don't even buy the gift cards until we are ready to pay. I usually get on the Disney gift card website and consolidate the cards down to just a couple, but I had trouble with that on my last trip and ended up just taking the card numbers down to the concierge. They were able to enter them there by hand and everything was paid off by the gift cards.

I assumed my MB (magic band) connects to my MDE (my disney experience) account - so it automatically pays everything with the credit card on file with my MDE. Will the resort front desk (I'm DVC - not concierge) substitute the credit card with my gift cards to pay the MDE charges for the last few days?

 

[Phatscott25]

I assumed my MB (magic band) connects to my MDE (my disney experience) account - so it automatically pays everything with the credit card on file with my MDE. Will the resort front desk (I'm DVC - not concierge) substitute the credit card with my gift cards to pay the MDE charges for the last few days?

They will authorize your CC on file but don't charge it until overnight (early morning) your check-out day. As long as you go to the front desk before check-out day and use the gift cards to pay off your balance, your CC won't actually get charged.

ETA: Even if you went too late and they did charge your CC, if you show up with gift cards to pay they'll reverse the CC charges and use your gift cards. But of course, it's easiest to just pay it off before they actually charge your CC.

 

[Phatscott25]

Some other things to note:

The aforementioned thread on the budget board, https://www.disboards.com/threads/updated-disney-gift-card-deals-and-more.3784942/ is fantastic and well organized. Most of the tricks on there result in much more than 5%. Some of the more lucrative tricks take some work but those reward nearly 20% in discounts. You'll find it's relatively easy though to save 10%, which can be very significant, especially if you're paying dues.

While it's true you can't charge mobile orders or mobile merch check-outs to your room, there are easy means to use gift cards for this that don't involve manually typing numbers. As someone else mentioned, you can save the numbers in a file on your phone to cut and paste. Better yet, many of the newer gift cards have a bar code that the app can scan when checking out, making paying on the app even easier with gift cards.

 

[CarolynFH]

I assumed my MB (magic band) connects to my MDE (my disney experience) account - so it automatically pays everything with the credit card on file with my MDE.

Your MB is linked to the CC on file with the resort. It can be the same CC that’s linked to MDE for mobile ordering at QS restaurants or Merchandise Mobile Checkout in a store, or it can be a different CC. When you mobile order at a QS restaurant or use Merchandise Mobile Checkout in a store, the charge goes directly to the MDE CC. When you tap your MB and enter your PIN in a QS or table service restaurant or at a merchandise location, the charge goes to your hotel account and will eventually be charged to the CC at the hotel, unless you go to the front desk and pay it with GCs.

Will the resort front desk (I'm DVC - not concierge) substitute the credit card with my gift cards to pay the MDE charges for the last few days?

As above, you’ll need to go to the front desk to pay with your GCs. The hotel will put an initial hold of $100 on your CC, and whenever your room charges get over $100 they’ll increase the hold, but they won’t actually charge the CC until around 6 AM the morning of checkout (and the holds will drop off). So you can make occasional visits to the front desk to pay down your room charges with GCs, including the night before checkout.

 

[CarolMN]

10% off at Costco. See this thread:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/costco-disney-gift-cards.3935561/#post-65193596

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

So, unless I'm confused ... we cannot actually put Disney Gift Cards into our MDE account, but would have to carry the cards with us to the Parks, and when Mobile Ordering enter the 16+ digit number for each and every purchase? (Plus keep purchase receipts for each card in case it does not work, and make sure not to damage them so the numbers stay visible). PLEASE tell me this is not true I feel like getting Gift Cards was such a horrible decision.

You are right that you can not put Disney gift cards into your MDE account but I have found a decent work around. Because I am hell bent on getting that gift card % discount I will do this extra work.

the red cards from BJs do not have a scannable QR on them so you have to type them into MDE every time you are mobile ordering. I noticed the gift cards directly from Disney do have a QR code. So I bought a few $10 cards and transfer my red gift card balances to these cards. I just keep the "good" gift cards with the QR codes to reuse for each trip. It also helps that I was able to get multiple designs (rather than all red gift cards) so keeping track of which card I am currently using is easier.

I hope this makes sense!

 

[eticketplease]

You are right that you can not put Disney gift cards into your MDE account but I have found a decent work around. Because I am hell bent on getting that gift card % discount I will do this extra work.

the red cards from BJs do not have a scannable QR on them so you have to type them into MDE every time you are mobile ordering. I noticed the gift cards directly from Disney do have a QR code. So I bought a few $10 cards and transfer my red gift card balances to these cards. I just keep the "good" gift cards with the QR codes to reuse for each trip. It also helps that I was able to get multiple designs (rather than all red gift cards) so keeping track of which card I am currently using is easier.

I hope this makes sense!

Good tip for those who want to use the Gift Cards at POS Locations.
The egift ones from Shop Disney can also be added to Apple Pay or Google Pay.

For us we just charge to the magic bands (Except for Mobile Order where we have a GC saved in notes to copy/paste) then every few days go down to the desk and wipe out the charges with the gift cards.

We generally only bring 1-3 with us in case there are issues swiping and transfer the money from other cards that were left at home that I have stored in a spreadsheet.