All information about the Disney® Visa® Card and the Disney® Premier Visa® Card was collected independently by Clark Howard, Inc.
Is your family planning a trip to the “most magical place in the world” soon?
You may want to reduce the cost of a Walt Disney World vacation by applying for one of the Disney rewards credit cards available through Chase.
But is this really a good idea?
Disney® Visa® credit cards are only worthwhile if you:
- A Disney fan who regularly takes expensive trips to Disney resorts
- Willing to pay the annual fee to upgrade to the Disney Premier Visa Card
- OK with collecting “Disney Rewards Dollars” as reward currency
- You can’t get better rewards on your spending with a travel credit card you already have in your wallet
As someone who went to Disney World with his family, I received how it feels My 500th post-travel mailing about these credit cards was in my mailbox recently.
In this article, I will examine the value of Chase’s Disney credit cards and determine if they are worth it compared to other rewards credit cards on the market.
Table of contents
What are Disney® Visa® Credit Cards?
If you’ve ever taken a trip to a Disney property, chances are you’ve received a mailing from Chase Bank following your vacation enticing you to apply for a Disney-branded credit card.
These emails are not junk mail. They come from a reputable source.
Disney® Visa® credit cards are co-branded with Chase, a leading credit card issuer.
There are two main card offerings as part of the Disney Chase partnership:
- Disney® Visa® Card
- Disney® Premier Visa® Card
One has no annual fee and a rewards program with minimal hassle, while the other charges a modest annual fee and offers a more extensive program. We’ll compare these options later in the article.
What makes these cards different from other credit cards?
Instead of offering cash back, these cards reward your spending with Disney Rewards Dollars. These reward dollars can be used for things like resort stays and park tickets. We’ll cover redemption options later in the article.
Disney Visa Card vs. Disney Premier Visa Card
As mentioned, Chase offers Disney fans two different rewards card options.
The Disney® Visa® Card is the option without an annual fee. There is a straightforward rewards program that rewards 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars on all card purchases.
The Disney® Premier Visa® Card has a $49 annual fee. But you get a higher rewards value for some of your spending and some additional perks like a better welcome bonus offer, Disney bundle savings, and the ability to use your rewards for flight bookings.
- Earn 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars for card purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com.
- Earn 2% in Disney Rewards Dollars for card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney locations in the U.S.
- All other card purchases earn 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars.
Both cards offer cardholders benefits such as discounts on purchases at select Disney hotels and select retailers.
Here is a quick comparison of the main differences between the cards:
| Card feature | Disney® Visa® Card | Disney® Premier Visa® Card |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee: | $0 | 49$ |
| Welcome Bonus Offer: | Receive a $150 credit to your account after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. | Receive a $300 credit to your account after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. |
| Dollar potential for Disney rewards: | Earn 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars on all card purchases. | Earn 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars for card purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com. Earn 2% in Disney Rewards Dollars on Card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney locations in the U.S. Earn 1% on all other Card purchases. |
| Disney Bundle Offer: | None. | Get $14.99 back per month in account credits on eligible Disney Bundle subscriptions for up to 3 consecutive months. |
Redemption options for Disney Rewards Dollars
Now that you know how to earn Disney Rewards Dollars with these credit cards, let’s talk about how to spend them.
Since you’re considering applying for a Disney card that rewards “Disney Rewards Dollars,” you can probably assume that the primary redemption options for these rewards will be… Disney-related.
One Disney Rewards Dollar is worth $1 when redeemed for Disney products and experiences at most Disney locations in the U.S.
Think of these reward dollars as the fuel to fund a Disney gift card. These are called “redemption cards.”
It’s a little strange, but let’s see how it works:
- Once you have earned at least 20 Rewards Dollarsyou can log in to your account to load a Redemption Card with your Rewards Dollars. Note: You can load a Redemption Card with a minimum of 10 Rewards Dollars at any time.
- Order a physical Redemption Card through the Chase app or card website. Delivery takes approximately 5-8 working days.
- Once you have a charged redemption card in handYou can use it dollar for dollar to spend on Disney Resort stays, Disney Parks admission tickets, purchases at DisneyStore.com and more. For a full list of redemption options, click here.
Reward dollars have no blackout dates and can be combined with cash to make a purchase that costs more than the value on your redemption card.
Are other bonus cards more practical?
This is the part of the article where we put Disney fans to the test.
The idea of contributing to your next Disney vacation with your everyday spending is certainly tempting, but are these cards the best way to do it?
Let’s assume that you benefit from the 1:1 valuation of your Rewards Dollars when you use them for approved Disney purchases.
This means that with the Disney Visa Card, you effectively get 1% back on all purchases with no annual fee. That’s not very good.
Many cash back credit cards offer you 2% back on all purchases. With one of these cards, you can double your cash back earnings and then use the money toward your Disney vacation.
What about the Disney Premier Visa Card?
The 5% back on Disney-owned streaming services is nice. And 2% back on gas, groceries, restaurants, and Disney purchases is a much better return on your spending. But you still have to deal with the $49 annual fee with this card.
I believe most consumers will see a cash back credit card or even a travel card with a reasonable annual fee as a better way to earn rewards that can be redeemed for a Disney vacation.
Disney® Visa® Credit Cards: Pros and Cons
Now that you’ve learned what makes these rewards cards so unique, it’s time to consider whether they’re a good idea for your wallet. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons.
| Per | Disadvantages |
| The welcome bonus offer is easy to earn | Rewards Dollars are a more restrictive rewards program than pure cashback |
| Disney-related discounts are available for cardholders | The more desirable version of this card requires an annual fee |
| Rewards Dollars can be used for Disney Resort stays and Disney Park admission tickets. | You need a redemption card to access your reward dollars |
Conclusion: Most consumers will get a better return on their spending with another rewards credit card. And they’ll likely have more options for redeeming the cash back or rewards points earned with the card. One of those options is spending the proceeds on a Disney vacation. So the market for this card seems rather tight.
Will you sign up for this card? Do you already have it in your wallet? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this card in the Clark.com community.
