Disney vacations are pricey- Disney Gift card savings can make a big difference when you are racking up the spending on your Disney budget.  Check out these 7 Tips on how to save money on Disney Gift cards, as well as how to combine these savings with other Disney Budget tips!

 

In this helpful guide on Disney gift card savings, you will learn the various ways you can save money while enjoying the magic of Disney, including savings on Disney restaurants, resorts, merchandise, and more!

7 Insanely Helpful Tips for Disney Gift Card Savings and boosting your Disney Budget!

Disney only offers overall discounts on tickets and hotels a few times per year, and sometimes they can come with restrictions that might not fit your vacation- Disney gift card savings can save you money all year long, on any Disney-related item.  It might be a small discount but every dollar adds up!

This post is all about Disney Gift card savings and how to save money on your Disney budget.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

1. Understanding the Value of Disney Gift Cards

 

Disney gift cards are not just a convenient way to pay for your Disney purchases, they can also be a valuable tool in saving money on your Disney vacation. By purchasing discounted Disney gift cards, you can stretch your Disney budget and maximize the magic.

But how do these gift card deals work? It’s simple really. Many retailers offer promotions where you can purchase Disney gift cards at a discounted rate, generally between 3-6% off at certain retailers.

Once you have your discounted gift cards in hand, you can use them to pay for everything from park tickets to dining reservations to merchandise. The savings really add up when you consider all the expenses associated with a Disney vacation (check out the example below to see just how much you can save). Here are some examples of the ways you can use your Disney Gift Cards for a Disney vacation:

 

Resort stays

Use a gift card to pay for Disney Resort Hotels at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani, Disney Cruise Line, Hilton Head Disney Resort, Vero Beach Disney Resort, and Adventures by Disney Trips.

Disney Theme Park Tickets

Using a Disney gift card to pay for your park tickets is easy- but remember to combine the balance onto one card (see below for tips on this) to make it easier on you.

You can also use Disney gift cards to purchase Genie Plus at the parks.  You will need to enter the number and pin so please be sure to have that handy.

Shopping

You can also use a Disney Gift Card while shopping in the Disney Parks or sometimes even in the Disney Springs or Downtown Disney shopping areas (any Disney-owned and operated shop will but some of the non-Disney shops do not accept Disney gift cards).

Dining 

All Disney-owned restaurants will allow you to use Disney gift cards to pay for your meals.  Both in the parks and in the above shopping areas there are some restaurants that are not owned and operated by Disney so they may not always accept Disney gift cards, though most will.  You can also now use Disney gift cards to pay for mobile order, but again you will need to have the card number and pin handy.

So why not take advantage of these deals and make your dream trip even more affordable? With a little bit of planning and some savvy shopping, saving money on Disney gift cards has never been easier!

2. Finding Discounted Disney Gift Cards

Finding discounts on Disney gift cards is easier than you might think. There are a few retailers where you can save and they include Target (if you have a Target RedCard), and wholesalers like BJ’s and Sam’s.

Target RedCard Discount

If you have a Target RedCard you can save 5% on all purchases made at Target using the RedCard, and this includes buying Disney Gift Cards.

So how does what seems like a small savings add up to save you real money?

Let’s say you buy Disney Gift Cards throughout the year at Target using your RedCard and you accumulate $3,000 worth of Disney Gift Cards, your savings would be $150! This could buy you a nice meal with your family or friends OR more than pay for one park day of tickets for one person (well depending on the year- those prices vary).

I have another Target Disney Gift Card savings tip so keep reading!

BJ’s and Sam’s Wholesale Clubs

For these Disney Gift Card discounts, you must be a member of BJ’s (or get a free day pass online for BJ’s) or Sam’s wholesale clubs  Being a member requires you to pay an annual membership fee, which you can make up for by (not only) saving money on Disney gift cards but also on groceries, furniture, pharmacy items, and more!

For the BJ’s discount, you can go online, or to a local store.  You can generally save 3% and use a free day pass so that you don’t need to pay a membership fee, but you must purchase the Disney gift cards within that 24-hour window.

To purchase the discounted Disney gift cards at Sam’s you can just go online or to an actual store.  The discount is usually 4-5%.

2. Save 10% on Disney Gift Cards (sometimes)

Occasionally Best Buy will run a discount on digital Disney gift cards, and the savings are double what you see anywhere else.  You can save 10% when this deal comes around!  Keep in mind though that they only allow you to buy one gift card, and it’s hard to know when they will run this promotion but getting on their email list should give you a heads-up.

3. Purchase e-cards instead of physical Disney Gift Cards

Not only does this save you the time (and time is money) of going to the store, but it also saves the packaging and the chance that you will lose the card before you use it.  These make fun and easy gifts also, and you can ask for these in place of gifts for holidays and birthdays if you are saving for a Disney vacation!  They come in many different fun styles and character options.

Check out my tip below on how to consolidate all of your Disney gift cards into one!

4. Maximizing Rewards and Cashback Programs

Maximizing rewards and cashback programs is another great way to save money on Disney gift cards. Many credit card companies offer cashback or reward programs that allow you to earn points or cashback on your purchases. By strategically using these programs, you can accumulate rewards that can be redeemed for Disney gift cards.

Amex

Some credit cards like Amex offer bonus points when you make purchases at certain retailers.  Best Buy is often one of these retailers so you can use your Amex card to buy Disney Gift Cards at Best Buy and earn extra reward points.  If you are lucky enough to combine this with the Best Buy 10% off deal you will save even more! You can then take these rewards dollars and use them to purchase more Disney Gift Cards for your trip.

Chase

Another way to get extra savings at wholesale clubs like BJ’s or Sam’s is by using a credit card like the Chase Freedom card that offers quarterly promotions like 5x points for purchases at these wholesale clubs.  You save the 3-5% I mentioned above, and get the bonus rewards points too!

5. Special Savings at the Pump

Though this is not a direct savings on Disney Gift Cards, many grocery stores such as King Soopers, Safeway, Albertsons, Stop and Shop, Giant, and many others offer additional fuel rewards through the purchase of gift cards, including Disney gift cards. This bonus can be anywhere between 2x to 5x the number of points accrued with the purchase.  These extra savings at the pump add up to extra money you can then put toward more Disney gift cards for your vacation (or other everyday purchases of course…).

For instance, if normally you get 1 fuel point for every dollar spent, during one of these times you can get 4 or 5x that! This can be significant savings and oftentimes save you several dollars at the pump!

6. Combining Disney gift cards on Disneygiftcard.com

Combining Disney gift cards on Disneygiftcard.com is a convenient way to manage your gift card balances and maximize their use. Once you have multiple Disney gift cards, you can visit Disneygiftcard.com and navigate to the “My Cards” section. From there, you can enter the individual card numbers and PINs to consolidate them into one single card. This not only makes it easier to keep track of your balances but also allows you to use the combined amount towards purchases at Disney stores, resorts, or even online.

By combining your gift cards, you can avoid any potential hassle of carrying multiple physical cards and ensure that no funds are left unused.  You can also add Disney e-gift cards to your balances here. Disney gift cards do not expire so this is a great place to store unused balances just be sure to keep track of the card that holds the balances!

7. Use Chase Disney Visa reward dollars combined with Disney Gift Cards for your Disney vacation

A Chase Disney Visa reward dollars combined is another way to save even more on your Disney vacation. The Chase Disney Visa credit card offers exclusive perks and rewards specifically tailored for Disney fans. By using this card for your everyday purchases, you can earn reward dollars that can be redeemed for Disney redemption cards. These reward dollars, when combined with discounted gift cards purchased through other means, can significantly reduce the overall cost of your trip.

Using this card to pay at restaurants, grocery stores, or gas stations, or any purchase on ShopDisney, at a Disney park, or on Disney travel in general, and even for your Disney + subscription, you can earn 2% in Disney Dream Rewards Dollars.  All other purchases earn you 1% in Disney Dream Reward Dollars.  You can then add these reward dollars to a Disney Chase Redemption card which works the same as a Disney Gift Card. If you prefer a Disney Visa (not premier) there is no annual fee and you can earn 1% reward dollars on all qualifying purchases.

In addition to being able to redeem Disney Dream Reward Dollars toward Disney vacations and merchandise, Disney’s Premier Visa Cardmembers can also redeem toward airline travel, with no block-out dates. You can buy airline tickets with your Chase card and then pay yourself back by redeeming reward dollars for a credit on your monthly statement. For this option, redemption rewards start at 50 reward dollars for a $50 airline statement credit toward tickets.

Bonus Tip!

Here’s my bonus hack for Target Circle members- it’s a bit complicated so stay with me! Target Circle is a savings program that is free of charge and allows you to have special savings at Target stores.  A few times a year they will offer Target Circle members “challenges” to complete.  An example of such a challenge would be “Spend $140 on four separate Target shopping trips within 4 weeks and get $40 back”.  This challenge could be completed online or in a Target store, or a combination of both.  I often participate in these challenges and will buy Disney gift cards as part of the $140 I spend.  I do most of my shopping at Target so I will also buy groceries, clothes, cleaning products, etc.

When you complete the challenge Target will load $40 (in this example, I have also seen $60 back) into your Circle account.  You can then use that $40 to buy items at Target, including purchasing Disney Gift Cards!

As you can see there are many ways you can save on your next Disney vacation and part of that is using your Disney Gift Card Savings! Though the savings may seem minimal on a small Disney gift card purchase, the money really does add up and every penny counts when setting your Disney budget.

This blog was all about Disney Gift Card savings and saving on your next Disney trip. 

You may also like:

How to plan a Disney Budget in 5 easy steps

9 Insanely Helpful Tips to Plan a Disney Vacation