Is the Disney Credit Card Worth It?

When a conversation turns to travel, I gently try to introduce the topic of points and miles. Inevitably, someone in the group chimes in with their experience of earning points for a trip to Disney and flashes their Mickey & Pals Disney Visa Card.

While I can’t seem to avoid a conversation about the Disney Visa Card, it doesn’t get a lot of press in the points and miles industry. Is that because it’s an overlooked gem for earning low-priced travel or a credit card dud?

Let’s find out if the Disney Visa Card is a valuable Mystery Mouseketool or a Mickey mousetrap.

What Do You Get with the Disney Visa Card?

There are two versions of the Disney credit card: the Disney Visa Card and the Disney Visa Premier Card. Because they are both co-branded with Chase, you need to fall below Chase’s infamous 5/24 card status to be approved.

Let’s look at each of the Disney Visa cards and see if they’re worthy of a valuable 5/24 slot.

Disney Visa Premier Card

The Disney Visa Premier Card is the top-tier Disney card. It offers a $300 statement credit after spending $1,000 in the first three months. Additionally, you can finance select Disney Vacation packages at 0% for six months. The annual fee is $49.

The Disney Visa Premier Card earns Disney Rewards Dollars for every purchase. You’ll earn 2% back per dollar spent on any purchase at gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores or Disney retailers. All other purchases will result in 1% rewards. There’s no limit on how many Disney Rewards Dollars you can earn in a given year.

Disney Visa Card

The Disney Visa Card is the no-annual fee version of the Disney Premier Visa Card. The statement credit of $150 is lower, but you have to spend only $500 in the first three months to earn it. Similar to the Disney Premier Visa, you can finance select Disney Vacation packages at 0% for six months.

The Disney Visa Card does not offer bonus spending categories. All purchases earn 1% rewards. There’s no limit on how many Disney Rewards Dollars you can earn in a given year.

Perks of Both Cards

While the welcome bonus and points-earning potential of each card is fair compared to similar cards, most people apply for the Disney Visa cards because of the in-park perks.

Let’s explore the benefits of carrying a Disney Visa card while at a Disney property. These perks are available no matter which card you choose.

Park Discounts

The Disney Visa cards offer discounts for cardholders at Disney properties. You can take advantage of the following discounts at participating locations:

• 10% off merchandise at Disney park locations and select retailers
• 10% off select in-park dining
• 15% off select guided tours

Guided tours must be booked via phone by calling 407-939-7529. Discounts aren’t available for Walt Disney World Resort Premium VIP tours, exclusive group tours or group team building programs. Additionally, these discounts apply to full-price merchandise and fees only and can’t be combined with other discount offers.

Photo Opportunities

If your child is determined to meet Mickey or is obsessed with Star Wars, the exclusive photo opportunities of the Disney cards can help them meet their favorite characters. The Disney Visa and the Disney Visa Premier cardholders can take advantage of special photo opportunities on Disney property held at set hours throughout the park.

These spots often have much shorter lines for character meetups than other photo opportunity locations around the park. Enhanced photos of your character encounter can be downloaded directly to your phone via the Disney Experience app.

Your Disney Visa Card must be linked to your MagicBand, the RFID bracelet that you receive upon entry. Additionally, you must present the physical card to the Disney staff at the exclusive photo opportunity.

Appealing Card Designs

If you’re a big enough Disney fan to consider the Disney Visa in the first place, you might be swayed by the cool-looking card designs. You can pick one of 10 designs featuring your favorite characters from some of the most popular Disney franchises. These eye-catching designs separate the Disney card from the typical boring bank card facades.

Redeeming Disney Rewards Dollars

Disney Visa cards earn Rewards Dollars for every purchase, but redeeming them is a bit difficult. Most credit cards have multiple options for using points, including getting cash back, transferring points to travel partners or redeeming points for a hotel stay or an airline ticket.

However, the Disney Visa and the Disney Visa Premier have fewer options.

Disney Rewards Redemption Cards

The only way you can redeem your Disney Rewards Dollars earned with the Disney Visa is by ordering a Disney Rewards Redemption Card. This card comes in the mail and looks like a Visa gift card purchased at a grocery store, except it has a Disney design.

However, unlike a Visa card, this card can’t be used as cash. The Disney Rewards Redemption Card is good at select retailers and only on Disney-themed purchases.

You can use the Disney Rewards Redemption Card for purchases at the following stores:

• Disney parks
• AMC Theatres for Disney, Pixar or Lucasfilm movies only
• Disney merchandise stores

Essentially, Disney lets you earn points from any purchase, but you can spend points only on Disney products. This severely limits your options when redeeming points. Although this is the only way you can redeem Rewards Dollars while carrying the no-annual fee Disney Visa, the Disney Visa Premier has one other option.

Purchasing Airline Tickets

Unlike with other travel credit cards, you can’t redeem Disney Rewards Dollars by transferring them to travel partners. However, you can use your Disney Rewards Dollars to purchase airline tickets from any carrier.

Simply use your Disney Premier Card when purchasing the tickets and request a statement credit under “Redeem Rewards Dollars” on your Disney credit card portal. Select the airline charge and request a statement credit.

Each Reward Dollar is worth $1, and statement credits must be at least $50. Since you earn 1% for every dollar spent, this equates to a redemption value of 1 cent per point . This is fairly standard compared to other credit cards. However, credit cards that allow transferring to airline partners can often yield redemption values of 2 to 5 cents per point.

Is the Disney Visa Card Worth It?

Does the Disney Visa Card reveal a whole new world to the points and miles space or should we let it go? Let’s review the benefits of each Disney Visa card.

The Disney Premier Visa card requires a $49 annual fee and has the following benefits:

• 2% bonus on restaurants, gas, groceries and Disney, and 1% on everything else
• 0% for six months on Disney Travel packages
• Some park discounts, photo opportunities
• Cool card designs
• Rewards Dollars redeem at a 1:1 ratio for airline ticket purchases.

In comparison, the Disney Visa Card has no annual fee and the following benefits:

• 1% on everything
• 0% six months on Disney travel packages
• Some park discounts, photo opportunities
• Cool card designs
• Redeem Rewards Dollars for Disney Rewards Redemption Cards only.

Disney Rewards Dollars can be used to shop at Disney retailers and theme parks or to buy tickets to Disney movies.

It may sound like a decent deal to receive a statement credit in exchange for a low minimum spend, obtain discounts at Disney parks and gain exclusive access for a picture with Mickey. Getting to choose a fun-looking credit card is a great benefit, too. However, the Disney Visa cards have two large pitfalls.

First, the Disney Visa Card is offered through Chase, meaning that you must be under 5/24 to be approved. Chase offers so many other quality cards, a freak magical snow storm will come down in Orlando, Florida, before this is your best card option. Why give up a valuable 5/24 spot to earn $300 and discounts at a theme park when you could earn thousands of dollars worth of travel instead?

Second, the rewards points have limited utility. While you may find yourself at Disney parks every year or even multiple times a year, using every swipe of your credit card to earn discounts at a theme park is not an efficient use of your daily spend.

There simply isn’t a scenario where either Disney Visa Card makes sense. Sorry, Mickey.

What Other Cards Should You Consider in the Same Price Range?

If it’s time to apply for a new card, consider other card options besides the Disney Visa Premier. These cards can help reduce the cost of a trip to Disney better than the Disney Card.

Capital One Venture Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a relatively low annual fee of $95. When redeemed through the Capital One Travel, Venture Miles are worth 1 cent each. Unlike the Disney Visa, you can transfer these rewards to one of 15 travel partners.

In addition, you’ll earn 2X points on every purchase, including purchases at Disney theme parks.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you were considering the Disney Visa card, then you should already be under 5/24, which makes you a perfect candidate for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. This is the premier starter card for any points and miles enthusiast.

The Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed in the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal with a 25% bonus, worth $750 to $1,000 in travel, depending on the sign-up bonus.

Like the Capital One Venture card, the Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, and points can be redeemed for a statement credit at 1 cent per point, transferred to one of 14 travel partners or used to book travel on the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal at 1.25 cents per point.

What About a No-Fee Card?

If you’re adamant about not paying annual fees, we would beg to differ. However, if you insist on finding a no-fee card to add to your wallet, here are a couple options that will benefit you far better than the Disney Visa card.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a powerhouse of points earning potential. You’ll earn 1.5X points on every purchase plus a bonus in select spending categories:

• 5X on travel purchase through Chase Travel℠
• 3X on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
• 3X on drugstore purchases

When paired with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, these Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 to 1.5 cents each, respectively.

Even without pairing with a Sapphire card, these points are worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed as a statement credit or used to purchase travel in the Chase travel portal. Note that you must have one of the Sapphire cards to transfer Ultimate Rewards to travel partners.

While we would dissuade you from financing your Disney Vacation with the 0% finance option through the Disney Card, many other cards may have a 0% period and offer better points.

Capital One VentureOne Credit Card

The Capital One VentureOne Credit Card is similar to the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

Unlike the Freedom Unlimited, you’ll earn 1.25X miles per dollar and 5X miles on hotels booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Additionally, the VentureOne card allows you to transfer Venture Miles to 15 hotel and airline partners. You can also request a statement credit for purchases coded as “travel” or utilize the Capital One Travel portal at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Bottom Line

Disney cards are cute, and finding ways to save money at Disney isn’t easy. However, the Disney Visa Card is the forbidden treasure of the points and miles world. Don’t touch it!

The Disney Visa Card leverages Disney’s brand to make a lot of money on interchange fees without offering much value to the card holder. While the card may seem tempting to gain some of the in-park benefits, sacrificing a 5/24 spot for a photo session with Mickey and a cool card design just isn’t worth it.

We may not be able to give you a ride on a magic carpet. However, instead of the Disney Card, we recommend applying for one of the Best Cards Under 5/24 to maximize your rewards earning potential and make all your travel wishes come true—we won’t even limit you to three.

All information about the Disney Visa Premier Card and Disney Visa Card is collected independently by 10xTravel.