A trip to Disney World is fun, magical, full of delicious eats and drinks (at least if you’re anything like us), and more. But, it’s also downright expensive.
Slinky Dog Dash
In fact, seeing the final price tag on a Disney vacation might make your jaw drop, and we don’t blame you. Between securing your hotel, purchasing park tickets, planning out your meals, and more, the cost of your trip can add up fast. But, that’s why it’s so important to us that we help YOU save as much money as possible with Disney deals and discounts! And we have another little tip that can help you save even more!
Disney accepts many forms of payments — cash, credit card, MagicBands, and Disney Gift Cards. And though you might think to use a Disney Gift Card to pay for merchandise at a souvenir shop or for those iconic Mickey Ice Cream Bars at a snack kiosk, did you know you can also use Disney Gift Cards to pay for your entire vacation package? Disney gift cards can be used for practically all things Disney:
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To pay for Disney vacations, including hotels and tickets. These include visits to: Walt Disney World resort, Disneyland resort, Aulani, Disney Cruise Line, Hilton Head, Island, Vero Beach, and Adventures by Disney
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For pretty much anything else you purchase from Disney at those locations
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At Disney Stores nationwide
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At ShopDisney.com
Dollar-for-dollar, Disney gift cards are (like all gift cards) worse than cash since they can only be spent at Disney locations. But if you’re already committed to spending a significant amount of money at a Disney destination, then they’ll be basically as good as cash for you.
Disney 100 Gift Card
There are even ways to get discount Disney gift cards, and that’s where the real value lies. If you’re taking a Disney vacation anyway and are able to get Disney gift cards at a discount, there are some good opportunities to save.
How Much Can You Save?
You can reasonably expect to save between 5% and 10% on your trip using discount Disney gift cards.
You can also find ways of getting gift cards for less by using credit card points, or cash-back incentives, but we’re not going to dig into the financial pros and cons of credit cards, interest, reward programs, annual fees, and all that goes into a decision to get a credit card. We just wanna address the easiest way to find Disney Gift Cards for less.
Who wouldn’t love Mickey saying Happy Birthday?
The more straightforward discount is when you purchase a gift card for less than the value of the card. Like getting $50 in Disney gift cards for $45 cash is a purchase of discount Disney gift cards.
Where To Buy Disney Gift Cards
You can buy Disney gift cards at a discount at many locations both online and in a store, such as:
- BJ’s Wholesale
- Sam’s Club
- Target
BJs Disney Gift Card Discount Pros & Cons
BJ’s is a wholesale club that offers a variety of discounts on Disney gift cards of different amounts. The discount availability varies, but members can typically get a $500 gift card for $480, or 4% off. There are occasionally additional sales and bonuses available, like around the holiday season when you might get up to 6% off.
Aurora Gift Card
Let’s look at some quick math. If you want to book a stay at Disney’s Port Orleans-French Quarter for 6 nights from November 5th through November 11th, it’ll run you about $1,983. If you pay for that with 4 Disney Gift Cards purchased with the BJ’s discount, you’ll end up saving yourself $80! That savings can buy you 10 Mickey Pretzels!
- Pros: can pay with any method
- Cons: only save 4%, must have a club membership, limited locations
BJ’s has a $55 minimum annual membership fee. Occasionally, they may offer a one-day pass or a free trial, so if you happen to stumble across one of these options, then this deal might work out in your favor.
Target Disney Gift Card Discount Pros & Cons
Target issues “REDCards,” and when you make purchases from Target using your REDCard, you get 5% off. While this discount excludes purchases of Target gift cards, it does NOT exclude purchases of Disney gift cards, which you can purchase at Target. That’s an easy 5% to save if you can’t access the best method.
Disney Gift Card
Let’s look at that same scenario above. If you want to book a stay at Disney’s Port Orleans-French Quarter for 6 nights from November 5th through November 11th, it’ll run you about $1,983. If you pay for that with 4 Disney Gift Cards purchased with the Target REDCard discount, you’ll end up saving yourself $100! That savings can buy you 6 Turkey Legs!
- Pros: can get them in-store or online, 5% savings
- Cons: must pay with a REDcard
Sam’s Club Disney Gift Card Discount Pros & Cons
Sam’s Club is also a wholesale club that offers a variety of discounts on Disney gift cards of different amounts. The discount availability varies, but members can typically get a $200 gift card for $185, or 7.5% off. There are occasionally additional sales and bonuses available, like around the holiday season.
OoooO The Perfect Gift for a Disney Movie Fan
- Pros: save 7.5%, can pay with any method
- Cons: must have a $45 membership
Let’s take a final look at that same scenario above. If you want to book a stay at Disney’s Port Orleans-French Quarter for 6 nights from November 5th through November 11th, it’ll run you about $1,983. If you pay for that with 10 Disney Gift Cards purchased with the Sam’s Club discount, you’ll end up saving yourself $150! That savings can buy you 21 Pineapple DOLE Whip Floats!
Buy one or…21 with your savings!
These are our tried-and-true gift card discounts. Around the holidays, you might find additional discount offerings, like when we found some $50 Disney Gift Cards at Best Buy for only $45.
We hope this little tip helps you save some money! With all the recent price increases and added expenses in Disney World, every little money-saving tip can help! Be sure to stay tuned as we look for more Disney deals and other news.
51 Free Things to Do in Disney World in 2023
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The post How To Get Discounted Disney Gift Cards first appeared on the disney food blog.