Did you know that there are ways to buy Disney gift cards at 5% off? I know that doesn’t seem like a very big discount, but when you are spending thousands on a Disney vacation or cruise, it can really add up! There is even a way to combine smaller gift cards into larger ones (up to $1000 per card) to simplify paying for things. Just go to disneygiftcard.com to manage your cards and combine them.
Here are the 3 methods I know about to save money on gift cards:
BJ’s Wholesale Club
On the BJ’s website, you can buy Disney gift cards at 5% off without even having a BJ’s membership. ETA 3/27/2019: It appears that they have changed it so that you do have to have a membership. I haven’t personally done it yet, but I am tempted to try it for our next cruise. I am curious if there is a limit to the number of cards you can buy in a single transaction. If anyone knows, please share! The largest gift card currently on their website is $500. They will mail the gift cards to you with no shipping fee, though he reviews for shipping time are mixed. Some say they came immediately, others took longer than promised. So, give yourself plenty of time for them to arrive.
Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club sells Disney gift cards on their website, but you must have a Sam’s membership to purchase them. In fact, you must have a membership to even see the price of the cards on the website. I don’t have a membership, but I have read reports from people who do and they say that the discount is indeed 5%. Right now, Sam’s has a $500 gift card on their website, which would make combining gift cards online much quicker or even unnecessary. Shipping is $0.99, and there is a limit of one $500 gift card purchase per day. I don’t know if there is a limit on the smaller cards. If anyone knows about this, please share!
Target Red Card
Target Red Card holders get a 5% discount off all Target merchandise, including Disney gift cards. They are usually available both in the store and online. Right now, their website has $50 and $100 cards available and shipping is free. I have read, however, that you cannot purchase a Disney gift card with a Target gift card though I have no firsthand experience with this.
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If anyone knows any other methods for buying discounted gift cards, please let me know! You can read about my other money saving/earning ideas here:
My Tips For Saving Money on a Disney Cruise
How I Maximize My Onboard Credit
Disney Cruise Guide to Freebies, Discounts and Upgrades
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So for a $2,000 cruise-would you actually buy $2,000 in gift cards and when you go to pay for the cruise-the disney website allows you to purchase your entire cruise with gift cards?
We are currently adopting our first little boy and booking a cruise for us to go once the adoption is final. Just trying to figure out all the best ways to save money here and there and studying your blog!
Hi Brittany! Yes, that is exactly right! The website will let you purchase the entire cruise (or just part of it) with Disney gift cards. It’s a great way to save money! Just be sure and keep the cards once you’ve used them because if there is any type of refund, it will go back onto the cards, in the reverse order that you used them.
I’ve read on-line before that you can use the free Target gift cards that you get when they offer their gift card deals (i.e. buy 2 products & get s $5 gift card free) can be used to buy Disney gift cards. I decided to try it & recent used $50 worth of free gift cards I had saved up to buy a $50 Disney gift card, so it does indeed work!!
Target also had one Sunday at the beginning of December where Target gift cards were 10% off. I bought $100 worth for $90 that day and then turned around a couple of days later and got a $100 Disney gift card with it!
Hi Andrea! Thanks for letting me know! These are GREAT tips!
BJs now offers $500, after I asked them to, but the best discount is only 4%, not 5% as mentioned above. As far as I know, there is no limit on any of their cards.
Thanks for the feedback Jason!
Disney Cruise Mom-
Target does not let you buy Disney Gift Cards online with Target Gift cards. I heard it kicks back your transaction when you try it online, but in store people have been successful with Self Check out (I have too)…just add a pack of gum or something and use your red card for it to get the 5%! Target limits your online purchases to 3 gift cards, but you can buy $900 just in 3 transactions. I think it may have something to do with fraud since they have had them in stock when I shopped. They ship for free and it is pretty quick (within a week or so depending on time of year). This blog is really helpful!!
Hi Laura! Thank you for the input about Target. It is so helpful!
In the past 2 1/2 weeks, I’ve bought 23 Disney gift cards from target.com using my Target (debit) card. I bought anywhere from 1 – 8 at a time & had them emailed to me within a few hours. After I attempted to buy more this week, I received an error message telling me to call the phone # on my card. I did and spoke to several supervisors, the last of which said there was a limit as to how many I could buy online, but she didn’t seem to know what the exact limit was.
Are you able to use a Disney Gift Card for your onboard expenses? Or does that have to be placed on a credit card?
Hi Tiffany! Yes, you can. Just take the gift card(s) to guest services and they will apply the balance to your onboard account. They will use gift cards before charging your credit card. Be sure and keep the card because any unused balance will be put back on the gift card at the end of the cruise. Also, be sure to take the gift card to guest services early in the cruise because once your account reaches a certain level (I’m not sure of the dollar amount, but I think a couple hundred dollars), they will charge your credit card. They don’t wait and do one big charge at the end (unless you never reach the threshold), they make incremental charges throughout the cruise every time you reach the threshold.
Such great info! I feel like I hit the lottery finding your site. Thanks so much!
Thank you! I hope you have an incredible cruise!
Can you pay with Traveler’s Checks if you don’t want to leave a cc on file with them? We are trying to save and put money where it needs to go. We go on our first cruise with Disney in Dec 2019. I won’t get traveler’s checks if that won’t work.
Hi Annaliese! I am pretty sure that guest services would allow to to pay your onboard account with traveler’s checks, but you should call to make sure. Also, note that if you don’t have a cc on file that they will only allow you to charge a certain amount (a few hundred dollars, I believe) until you pay it off at the desk – all charges will be declined until you do so.
Target’s red card does not give 5% back on gift cards: https://www.target.com/c/redcard-program-rules/-/N-4tgj0