Why pay full price when you can pay less? Or even better, get for free? Read this ultimate guide to getting discount Disney gift cards.
Learn where to purchase discount Disney gift cards, how you can stack discounts and rewards together for maximum savings, and even how you can earn gift cards for free!
Discount Disney Gift Cards; Everything you need to know (2019)
This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Table of Contents
- What can a Disney gift card be used for?
- Why should you use a Disney gift card instead of cash?
- When does it not make sense to use a Disney gift card?
- How to find discount Disney gift cards.
- Which option is best?
- Checking your Disney gift cards balance
- How to combine multiple Disney gift cards
- Other important Disney gift card information
What can a Disney gift card be used for?
Disney gift cards can be used for many Disney related items, including many vacation costs. Some examples of things that can be purchased with a Disney gift card include:
- Walt Disney World (admission tickets, annual passes, hotel rooms, spa experiences, merchandise, dining, and recreation)
- Disney Land (admission tickets, annual passes, tours, merchandise, and dining)
- Disney store purchases
- shopDisney.com purchases
- Disney Cruise Line (reservations, spa treatments, shore excursions, photographs, on-board merchandise)
- Adventures by Disney
- Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort
- Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
Why should you use a Disney gift card instead of cash?
You may be asking why purchase a Disney gift card instead of using cash. After all, Disney gift cards can be used for all things Disney, but cash can be used practically everywhere.
The main reason is because you can often find discounted Disney gift cards, which make them a better value than cash. If you can receive a $100 Disney gift card for $95, that is better than paying $100 in cash.
Disney gift cards have no fees and do not expire, so you can slowly save up for your next Disney vacation.
There are many ways, outlined in the article below that walk you through how to buy Disney gift cards for cheap or even get them for free.
When does it not make sense to use a Disney gift card?
There are times when it may not make sense to use a Disney gift card.
For one, Disney gift cards are limited to Disney related purchases (as outlined in the list above). If you are booking a Disney vacation through a third-party seller, booking company, or other travel agency, they may not accept Disney gift cards as a form of payment. Before you scoop up all the Disney gift cards, be clear on where you plan to use them.
There are often third-party companies (like Undercover Tourist) that offer much larger discounts than you would get if you booked a trip with Disney directly, even after using Disney gift cards.
There are also some agencies that allow the use of Disney gift cards to pay for travel. (You can read here how we used an agency to book a 6-day trip for 4 to Disney for under $1,850 at a deluxe resort. As an FYI, we were able to use gift cards to pay for this trip.)
Disney gift cards are also only valid in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
If you are staying at the Swan or the Dolphin at Disney World, note that these resorts will not accept Disney gift cards (as they are technically owned by Westin and Sheraton respectively.)
Bottom line is research is key. Before you decide to go down the path of purchasing Disney gift cards at a discount for your trip, make sure you are getting the best deal when comparing to all other options.
How to find discount Disney gift cards
There are several ways you can find discounted Disney gift cards. We will outline the options that fall within each category, but let’s explore the options at a high level first.
- You can purchase Disney gift cards at a discount.
- Under this approach, the cash price you are paying for a gift card is less than the value of the gift card. For example, buying a gift card worth $100 for $95.
- You can purchase Disney gift cards for full price, and receive cash back or other rewards points as a result of your purchase.
- Under this approach, you are paying full price for the gift card, but earning discounts as a result of your purchase. As an example, you may earn 3% cash back on purchases, or x number of fuel points resulting from your purchase. A $100 gift card will cost you $100 to purchase, but you will receive savings or discounts after your purchase.
- Combination of options 1 and 2 to “double dip” savings.
- Under this approach, you are buying discounted gift cards for less than the face value of the card, and also receiving additional discounts or cash back after your purchase. For example, you may buy a $100 gift card for $95, and then also receive 3% cash back on your purchase.
- This is also referred to as “stacking” or “double dipping” on savings. Stacking refers to using more than one technique to save money or purchase your Disney gift card at a discount.
- You can earn (FREE) Disney gift cards by accumulating points/rewards, and using those to purchase Disney gift cards.
- Under this approach, you complete the required steps via a specific program to earn points or rewards that can be exchanged for Disney gift cards.
Option 1: Purchasing Disney gift cards at a discount
Use your Target REDCard to buy Disney gift cards at a discount
About the Target REDCard:
Did you know that you can receive 5% off purchases made with your Target REDcard (both online and in-stores)? This includes Disney gift cards!
If you are not yet a Target REDcard member, you can sign up here: Save 5% and get Free Shipping at Target – Apply for a REDcard
Target offers credit and debit REDCards. Both allow you to receive a 5% discount on all purchases as well as free 2-day shipping on online purchases and an extended return window.
If you are not interested in opening a new credit card, the Target Debit REDcard May be the perfect solution for you! The Target Debit REDcard links directly to your checking account and does not require a credit pull.
Note that as of June 2018, you cannot use Target gift cards to purchase Disney gift cards. (There is a lot of outdated information on this method on the web!)
Purchase Disney gift cards at warehouse clubs for a discount
You can often purchase gift cards at a discount at warehouse clubs, including Sam’s Club and BJs in select locations.
Disney Gift Cards at BJs Wholesale Club
You can purchase Disney gift cards at a discount of 4% at BJs Wholesale Club. A $100 gift card can be purchased for $95.99.
In order to purchase, you must have an online or in-store membership. (As of July 2019, there is no online fee (for a limited time), however in the past online memberships have cost $10 annually, and the gift card ships for free.)
For additional savings, stack this savings with a cash back credit card that includes warehouse clubs. You can often receive 2 – 5% cash back, which would be an additional $1.92 – $4.80 in savings, or a total cost of between $91.19 – $94.07 for a $100 value Disney gift card.
Disney Gift Cards at Sam’s Club
You can purchase Disney gift cards at a discount of 4% (typically; sometimes varies) at Sam’s Club.
A $100 gift card can be purchased for $95.99, or a pack of 3 $50 gift cards can be purchased for $144.98. (Additional denominations are available.)
In order to purchase, you must be a member.
You can earn additional savings if you stack with cash back credit card offers (as outlined in the BJs Wholesale option above, but the real savings come when you purchase in conjunction with an app called Dosh. Refer to the option below on how to combine this with Dosh for maximum savings.
Purchase Disney gift cards at a discount from gift card resellers
There is a world of resellers out there that purchase unwanted gift cards at a discount, and then turn them around to sell them to others.
Take a look at sites like Raise, Gift Card Granny, or Cardpool, or Giftcards.com to check out the prices they offer for Disney gift cards.
The exact discounts available for Disney gift cards purchased on a gift card reseller site will vary by supply (and demand), but they are often in the lower digits of savings, making this option not the highest in terms of savings.
Gift card resellers to check out:
- Cardpool
- Raise
Option 2: Receive cash back or other rewards as a result of Disney gift card purchase
Earn Kroger fuel points with the purchase of a Disney gift card
If you have a Kroger grocery store near you, you may be able to score additional fuel points when you purchase a Disney gift card.
While the cash price for your gift card will typically match the face value (i.e. a $100 gift card will be purchased for $100 dollars), you can get savings after the fact in the form of fuel points.
Typically, Kroger offers 1 point per dollar spent. However, at various points during the year, Kroger will offer 4 points for per dollar spent on gift cards. During this period, a $100 gift card will earn you 400 points.
Points can be exchanged for fuel at Kroger gas stations. Every 100 points will earn you a $0.10 discount per gallon (up to $2 off per gallon). That $100 gift card purchase, will earn you $0.40 per gallon.
If you have a 20-gallon tank in your car, that’s $8 in savings!
For even more savings, be sure to pair this option with a cash-back credit card, that offers a high percentage of cash back for grocery store purchases.
Earn rewards at other grocery stores
It would be impossible to list out all of the grocery store rewards programs across the country and where you can earn points or rewards for Disney gift cards. Further programs are always changing.
In this article, you can read about how we earned both money off and gas rewards at our local grocery store from Disney gift card purchases, however the offer does not appear to be around anymore.
My suggestion to you would be to ask your local grocery store about their offers for gift card purchases.
They may also offer seasonal discounts or promotions that they can tell you about.
Earn American Express Membership Rewards points for Disney gift card purchases
If you have an American Express Membership Reward card, you can typically earn 1 point for every dollar in purchases. Throughout the year, they also offer special offers and benefits when making purchase at select stores.
While these offers changes frequently, it’s a good idea to check them out throughout the year, and add offers to your card for easy savings.
As an example, one offer on their site at the time of writing this article is spend $40 at Staples, get 1,000 membership rewards points. Assuming you buy a $50 Disney gift card at Staples with your eligible American Express card, you will get 50 in regular Membership reward points, as well as 1,000 bonus points.
At an approximate value of $0.02 per point (per the Points Guy), these points would be worth $21!
While this isn’t cash back; American Express Membership Rewards points can be used on many purchases, with the best value often transferring to travel partners.
Be on the lookout for upcoming offers! Another common one seen in the past is 3,000 points for a $300+ purchase at Best Buy. While we don’t know what American Express will offer in the future, these savings are too good to not check back in frequently.
Click here to learn more about the cards offered through American Express.
Use a high percentage cash back credit card to purchase Disney gift cards
You can often earn up to 5% on purchases when making that purchase with a high percentage cash back credit card.
My favorite credit card for earning points on Disney gift card purchases is the Chase Freedom.
Each quarter, the Chase Freedom offers 5% cash back on select categories (on a rotating quarterly basis) and 1% on all other purchases.
Depending on the quarter, you can often earn 5% cash back at warehouse stores, office supply stores, and grocery stores. All of these places are great to buy Disney gift cards.
When the offer is for warehouse clubs, you can find Disney gift cards at BJs Warehouse Club or Sam’s Club.
When the offer is for office supply stores, you can find Disney gift cards at Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot.
When the offer is for grocery stores, you can find Disney gift cards at most stores and can often double dip in savings if your store also offers fuel rewards. (See the Kroger example mentioned above.)
They also frequently include Chase Pay as in one of their quarterly promotional offers, which can be used at Best Buy, and can score you 5% cash back when purchasing Disney gift cards.
Learn more about the Chase Freedom card here.
Option 3: Double dip on savings
Use Dosh at Sam’s Club with a rewards credit card to triple dip on savings
About Dosh:
Dosh is an app that allows you to earn cash back when making purchases with a linked credit card. You can see a savings close to 10% when purchasing gift cards at Sam’s Club, after linking your Dosh account.
Sam’s Club typically sells Disney gift cards at a 4% discount. Dosh will give you 5% cash back when making purchases at Sam’s Club. Assuming you also use a credit card that gives 2% cash back at warehouse clubs, you will save 10%!
Here’s an example…
You can buy a three pack of $50 Disney gift cards for $144.98 at Sam’s Club (online; in store may vary.) When using your linked card on Dosh, you will get 5% cash back, for a savings of $7.25.
By using a credit card that also provides cash back (or points), you can get another 2% back. (Note that warehouse clubs are often included in special promotional offers for up to 5% cash back, so this estimate is conservative!)
Total value of gift cards: $150 Total cost (out of pocket minus additional cash back): $134.83
Total savings: $15.17 (10.1%)
Note you are limited to $20 in Dosh cash back per day at Sam’s Club so you can purchase a maximum of 3 sets of 3-pack ($150 Disney gift cards) a day under this deal.
Additional note: Within the Dosh app, it says gift cards are excluded for Sam’s Club cash back, however this limitation does not appear to be enforced.
Why is Dosh so awesome? Because you don’t have to do much to earn money! It’s not like other apps that you need to go back to frequently. After you link your card, you automatically earn cash back just by using it at applicable stores. And when you load a card into the app, you automatically get $5 in cash back.
Friends, this is good for cash back outside of Disney gift cards too! This is one I would definitely download and start to use, pronto!
Limitations: There are a few limitations you should be aware of:
- You can’t link credits cards that you’ve already linked on similar cash back sites (like Swagbucks, etc…)
- It’s valid only in the US
How to sign up for Dosh
- Download the dosh app
- Link credit cards
- Watch money come in!
Other techniques for using Dosh
Be sure to link (and use) your credit card that offers the best rewards for warehouse purchases.
You can frequently find special offers and deals throughout the year for bonus points for purchases made at warehouse stores.
The Chase Freedom typically offers 5% cash back on warehouse clubs in at least one of its quarterly promotions. (When not on promotion, it will earn 1%)
Use Swagbucks & Best Buy & Credit Card to earn Disney gift cards
About Swagbucks:
Swagbucks is an online rewards program that allows you to earn gift cards and cash for online shopping, watching videos, searching the web, answering surveys and finding great deals. (It’s owned by MyPoints, mentioned below, so you may see some similarities across their platforms.)
You can use Swagbucks in conjunction with Best Buy to earn 12.5%+ on Disney gift cards. There are multiple steps required to get this savings, but it’s worth it to maximize your discount.
Step 1: Sign up for Swagbucks. For easiest use, download the app.
Step 2: Sign up for a Best Buy rewards number
Step 3: Go to Best Buy (in person) and grab a $100 gift card. Upon checkout, provide your Best Buy rewards number (or phone number), and have them scan the QR code within the Swagbucks app.
- To find the QR code, open your Swagbucks app or website. Type Best Buy into the search bar and select Best Buy. Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see a photo of a QR code. Select Get Code and your code will display on your phone.
Step 4: Pay with a cash-back credit card. You can earn even more if you pay with a card that is offering a promotion for Best Buy.
Total Savings using Swagbucks + Best Buy + Cash Back credit card:
If you purchase a $100 Disney gift card using this method, you will receive 2 Swagbucks (SB) for every dollar, which will be 200 SB. There is a current bonus also, which rewards you with 750 SB in addition to the standard rewards. 950 SB is the equivalent of $9.50.
Your cash back credit card should offer between 2% – 5% of savings, depending on which card you have and which special offers are available. To go with 2% to be conservative, this would be equivalent to $2.00 in savings.
When you use your Best Buy Rewards program, you earn 0.5 points for every dollar spent. A $100 gift card will earn you 50 points, which is the equivalent of $1.00.
Total savings when you use this method for purchasing a $100 Disney gift card is $12.50!
Note that Swagbucks technically says that gift card purchases at Best Buy are not eligible for Swagbucks, but this has been tried (with success) by many over the years. There is always the potential that this rule is enforced, but at least right now, this technique works.
Option 4: Earn gift cards for free
Use Shopkick to earn Disney gift cards
About Shopkick:
Shopkick is an app for your phone or tablet. Through Shopkick, you earn “kicks” (points) which can be redeemed for gift cards. There are several ways to earn kicks, both in stores and online.
- Physically walk into a store (how easy is that!!)
- Scan barcodes of select products
- Make purchases with a linked card
- Submit receipts
- Visit an online store
- View products online
- Make online purchases
- Watch videos on the app
After redeeming your kicks, gift cards are sent to your phone digitally. How fast you can earn kicks varies greatly (depending on your purchases and store availability near you.
6250 kicks will earn you a $25 Disney gift card
Because gift cards are delivered digitally, it often makes more sense to load your digital gift card to a physical gift card. Follow the directions further down below on how to load (and combine gift cards).
How to get started with Shopkick
- Download the appiOS download
Android download - Set up your account
- Use referral code WALK250 for bonus points when signing up!
- Turn on location services and Bluetooth
- View Kicks Nearby or Kicks Online to start earning
Use Dabbl to earn Disney gift cards
About Dabbl:
Dabbl is a mobile app that rewards you with money for interacting with brands by watching videos, taking surveys, and answering basic questions.
It’s easy to use, and if you have some free time on your hand, you can quickly earn money to exchange for a Disney gift card (among other retailers.)
How to get started with Dabbl:
- Sign up for Dabbl and download the app.
- Enter your phone number and birthday.
- Start interacting with the app to earn points.
Once you have reached 5000 points, you can apply your earnings to a gift card of your choice. 1000 points equals $1.
Use MyPoints to earn points for free Disney gift cards
About MyPoints:
MyPoints is an online platform that allows you to earn points by shopping online, taking surveys, watching videos, reading email, printing coupons, playing games, searching the web, and more! You can redeem your points for gift cards, cash, or transfer to your United MileagePlus account.
While MyPoints doesn’t offer a direct option to exchange points for Disney gift cards, there are a few workarounds!
You can exchange your points for a Visa pre-paid card and then use your Visa card to purchase a Disney gift card on the official Disney gift card site (https://disneygiftcard.com/).
You can also exchange your points for a Walmart gift card, and then purchase a Disney gift card at either Walmart or Sam’s Club. (Sam’s Club is an even better deal, as they already offer a 4% discount on Disney gift cards!)
Note, while this method works together, there is an increasing number of companies who have stopped allowing gift card purchases for other gift cards, and rules can change at any time.
Finally, while not technically a Disney gift card, if you are visiting Disney World, and eating at select establishments, you can exchange your points for either a Landry gift card or a Rainforest Café gift card.
Landry gift cards can be used at the Rainforest Café, T-REX and Yak & Yeti, which are all restaurants at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.
How to get started with MyPoints:
- Sign up for MyPoints.
- Start earning points by using MyPoints shopping portal, taking online surveys, watching videos, and more!. Note that you will receive a $10 bonus (in the form of points) when you spend $20 or more through MyPoints.com website or BonusMail in the first 30 days of membership.
Use Fetch to earn points for Disney gift cards
About Fetch:
Fetch is a mobile app that rewards you for uploading your grocery receipts. Simply take a picture of your grocery receipt within the Fetch app, and earn points for eligible items.
Many other receipt upload apps require you to select which items you have purchased to earn points, however Fetch doesn’t require this added step. It scans the receipts for you, and marks eligible purchases, so you don’t have to.
Most offers earn you between 250 – 2000 points. 1000 points is the equivalent to $1.00.
How to get started with Fetch:
- Sign up for Fetch.
- Start taking pictures of grocery receipts! Note receipts must be less than 14 days old to be eligible for points.
- Once you have earned 3000 points, you can start exchanging them for a gift card.
While Fetch doesn’t offer a direct option to exchange points for Disney gift cards, there are a few workarounds!
You can exchange your points for a Visa pre-paid card and then use your Visa card to purchase a Disney gift card on the official Disney gift card site (https://disneygiftcard.com/).
You can also exchange your points for a Walmart gift card, and then purchase a Disney gift card at either Walmart or Sam’s Club. (Sam’s Club is an even better deal, as they already offer a 4% discount on Disney gift cards!) (Note, while this method works together, there is an increasing number of companies who have stopped allowing gift card purchases for other gift cards, and rules can change at any time.)
Earn Disney Movie Rewards to exchange for free Disney gift cards
If you are looking for discounted (or free) Disney gift cards, you are likely a Disney fan! Why not take that love for Disney and turn it into free gift cards!
Through the Disney Movie Rewards program, you can earn points for buying eligible Disney movies or theater tickets. You then can exchange these points for Disney gift cards or other fun Disney gifts.
To sign up for this program, visit https://www.disneymovierewards.com.
You can also earn bonus points for taking available surveys, completing your profile, or playing their trivia game.
Use your Airline rewards to purchase Disney gift cards
As someone who frequently uses airline miles and points to redeem for free travel, this is often not my go to approach for points. The redemption value is much lower when exchanging airline miles or points for gift cards, but it may make sense for you depending on your lifestyle.
If you are not a frequent traveler, and have points that may expire (or points for an airline that you know you will not fly again), you may want to use your points to purchase a Disney gift card.
To do so, visit your airline points website and follow the prompts on screen to exchange for gift cards.
Which option is best?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a direct answer…The best approach is to maximize your savings, but that may vary depending on your specific situations, including your location, the stores you shop at, the credit cards you have, the offers you have available to you, and your spending ability.
There are several apps that can be used throughout the process of getting discount Disney gift cards. For the most part, you can’t double dip or stack when using the apps. While you can use multiple apps, you can’t combine the offers across the apps.
It can be overwhelming with so many apps and you may gravitate towards one type over another. For example, taking surveys to earn points may not be your thing, but you may find scanning items in stores for points to be an easy option for your lifestyle.
When starting out, I’d suggest downloading all of the apps suggested in this article and organizing them all into a sub-folder within your phone.
Sign up for all of the programs and then get a feel for which ones you like the best and fit with your lifestyle.
Checking your Disney gift cards balance
Are you not sure how much you have on a Disney gift card? Checking your Disney gift card balance is very easy. There are a few options to check your balance.
Option 1: Call 1-877-650-4327 and follow the prompts on the line to provide your Disney gift card number and check your balance.
Option 2: Visit https://disneygiftcard.com/Manage. This is Disney’s official website for all things gift cards. Within this site, you can enter your gift card Account Number and Extended Account Number (EAN) (another number on the card) to check balances.
Option 3: Visit any Disney store in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico, or at Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, or at Disneyland® Resort in California to check your Disney gift card balance.
How to combine multiple Disney gift cards into one
You many end up with LOTS of gift cards. If you are paying for a complete trip with discounted Disney gift cards, it would not be uncommon to have 50+ gift cards.
Not only would carrying around so many gift cards be hard to do, but tracking them would become its own job. The good news is that Disney allows you to combine multiple Disney gift cards into one.
You can currently combine up to $1,000 in gift card balances into one gift card. To do this, visit the Disney official gift card website here.
You must create an account or login in order to transfer your gift card balances between cards. (This account is different from the account you may have already set up for booking your trip.)
After you are logged in, select Manage Cards, then My Cards.
You can add up to 5 cards at a time to the site. You will have to name each card to keep them straight and enter in each card’s account information.
Mark one of your cards as your primary card.
To transfer, select the “transfer balance button” under the card account number.
Follow the on-screen prompts to indicate how much you want to transfer and confirm the card that the balance will be transferred to.
You are able to consolidate your cards to minimize the number of gift cards with active balances. Each card can have a maximum value of $1,000.
Note that you cannot transfer just a portion of your Disney gift card balance. You must transfer the complete amount.
Because you can only store 5 cards on the site at a time, you will need to do this process in batches if you have more than 5 cards. After transferring all of your balances over to your primary card, delete your $0 balance cards from your list and repeat the process again until all balances are accounted for.
Other important information about Disney Gift Cards
DO NOT THROW YOUR DISNEY GIFT CARDS AWAY AFTER USE! (Yes, this deserves capital letters!) If your trip or purchase needs to be refunded, it will go back to the gift cards that you used.
If you have paid for your Disney trip using gift cards, bring them with you in the even returns or exchanges are necessary.
Note, you only need to bring the cards that you have noted as “primary”. Cards with a zero-dollar balance (due to transferring them to another “primary card”) are not needed.
What to do if you lose your card or it is stolen?
If you lose your Disney gift card, or if it is stolen, call 1-877-650-4327 right away. You will need to provide your 12-digit gift card number to the agent, and they will be able to freeze your balance and transfer to a new card.
It is important to keep your original proof of purchase receipt for your original Disney gift card to transfer funds onto a new Disney gift card.
Related Posts:
10 Things to Do Before You Leave for Vacation
Vacation Packing List (Printable!)
Packing for Disney World: A List of Things You Don’t Want to Forget!
5 Ways to Make the Most of Park Hopper Tickets at Walt Disney World
How to Order Groceries to Your Room at Disney World
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