If you’re a Disney fan, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard of the Disney Rewards Visa Card. Disney has partnered with Chase to offer a co-branded credit card for over two decades now, and it’s been a go-to option for parkgoers looking for a little extra pixie dust. My wife Sharon and I have been Disney fans for most of our lives, so naturally, we jumped on board early—I even signed up before the card officially launched. My card literally says “Cardmember since DAY 1,” and I’ve held onto it ever since.
I occasionally use my Chase Disney card to prevent my account from being closed due to inactivity.
Why keep a card that I don’t use? There are several reasons:
- The card has no annual fee
- I’ve had the card for a long time, so it helps my credit score
- I like having a Disney card
- The card has valuable benefits when visiting Disney Themeparks
Annual Fee
The Disney Visa card has no annual fee.
Sign-Up Bonus
The Disney Visa Card offers a $200 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, using this link.
According to Chase’s rules, this product is only available if you don’t currently have this card and have not received a new card member bonus for this credit card within the past 24 months. Applicants must also be under Chase’s 5/24 requirement.
Foreign Transaction Fee
If you use this card internationally, you’ll pay a 3% foreign transaction fee. It’s best to leave this card at home when traveling outside the U.S. and use a card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.
Earning Disney Reward Dollars
The Disney Visa Card earns Disney Reward Dollars. You’ll earn 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars on everyday card purchases.
Using Disney Reward Dollars
Reward Dollars can be used for Disney experiences at most Disney locations. A complete list of where you can use Reward Dollars can be found at https://disneyrewards.com/where-to-redeem/
Additional Card Benefits
- 10% savings on purchases at DisneyStore.com
- 10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations at Walt Disney World and Disneyland
- Disney Character Experiences and Star Wars Character Experiences at our private Cardmember locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. You’ll receive downloads of your photos to mark your visit
- 10% off select dining locations most days at Disneyland and Walt Disney World
- 15% off the non-discounted price of select guided tours at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland
- Receive a promotional APR of 0% for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages, Disney cruises, Adventures by Disney® packages, National Geographic Expeditions and Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawai‘i vacation packages from the date of purchase with your Disney Visa Credit Card when booked through the Walt Disney Travel Company, online at Disney sites or through other eligible travel agents or sites
- Get 0% promotional APR financing for 6 months on the amount of the purchase of a real estate interest, including a Member Add On, in a Disney Vacation Club® Resort that is charged to your Disney Visa Card
That’s a bunch of benefits, but what are they worth, and should you use the card for everyday spending?
The 1% reward on purchases is abysmally low. If you had a different card from Chase, like the Freedom Unlimited, you would earn at least 1.5% cash back on all purchases, so earning only 1% back is disappointing in comparison. I look back to when I used a $200 credit I earned with this card for a Disney Cruise. That means I put $20,000 of charges on this card over several years. I could have placed that spending on a card that would have earned me so much more if I had known better back then. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
10% savings on Disney purchases might be a great value to you, but we don’t buy many things at Disney anymore.
Disney and Star Wars Character Experiences. This is a perk that can save you a bunch of time. When we went, the line for the Star Wars Experience was around 45 minutes. After showing my Disney Visa, we were escorted to a special line and waited 5 minutes before our audience with Darth Vader. I’m keeping the card solely for this benefit.
Darth Vader was not happy with Sharon’s photobomb
The 10% off dining overlaps with the discount I get from my Disney Vacation Club membership, so I don’t get any additional value from it.
We’ve done all the Disney tours we’ve wanted to see, so the 15% off the non-discounted price of tours isn’t helpful to us.
I have used the 0% interest when paying for a cruise once since I’ve had the card.
I find the Disney card’s perks valuable, and I keep it because it doesn’t have an annual fee. It’s always a good idea to keep cards that don’t cost you anything. One aspect of your credit score is the average age of your accounts. Holding onto a card for a long time increases your average account age. When you’re just starting out with credit, you might open several cards quickly. If you have a thin credit history, that average account age can drop quickly. I’ve had this card since 2003, and I have no plans of getting rid of it.”
Finally, I really do like having a Disney Credit Card. It’s something I think I’ve had as long as I’ve had credit. I’m also totally not going to give up our current card design. The Tinker Bell card is no longer offered, so if I ever change to one of the newer card designs, we can never get it back.
So, I’m keeping my no-annual-fee Disney card, which features Tinker Bell. If you’re a Disney fan, it’s a worthwhile thing to think about. It’s just not a great card to put a large amount of spending on.
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