I'm assuming the only real advantage is to save on the forex fee? I have a card that doesn't charge fees on USD transactions, so I'm not sure if going the gift card route is worth the hassle.
Will definitely be squirrelling them away for our next trip. Mentally, it feels better to be able to slowly prepay for food and souvenirs.
So glad I found this thread. I’m probably asking dumb questions so please forgive me.
Can we use gift cards to pay for tips in table service restaurants (have ddp so won’t need cash for that).
Is it possible to have them add gift card balances to magic bands? Just to make things even more convenient.
Do the Disney giftcards ever go into those rare promotions in shoppers etc., where giftcards are 20% off?
Do the Disney giftcards ever go into those rare promotions in shoppers etc., where giftcards are 20% off?
Has anyone used the CAD GC to pay for a DCL cruise itself, not OB acct, but a cruise payment?
Thx!Yes, but I couldn't do it online. I had to call in, and they applied the cards to my cruise payment. Once on the boat, I also used giftcards by applying them to my account at Guest Services early in the cruise, or by adding another one when I saw that the fees were adding up (you can now check your onboard account from the app on the phone during the cruise, you see payments on there too).
This was all for a cruise Feb 2019.
I have always had to call to make changes and always paid online. I used to hate calling because of the bill, but because of awesome Canadian Dis’ers I downloaded what’s app and call
For free!
I haven’t used whatsapp but I’ve used the hangouts app many times and it’s worked perfectly! No dropped calls and it’s free.Wait a second. Can u call Disney using whatsapp? I use whatsapp all the time but generally the other person needs to have it installed on their end too.
I call Disney by downloading the Talkatone app - it is one of those free VOIP calling apps but based in the US so comes with a US phone number. Free calling anywhere in the US with wifi/data. Only problem is sometimes calls get cut off after 20 mins (and u know how long some Disney calls can take!) the call quality can suffer if wifi connection is not strong enough.
So now if I know it will be a lengthy complicated call, I use my mother's Phone Club app. She preloads some money on it and it offers dirt cheap long distance/intl calling. For a wifi based app, it is surprisingly stable with excellent call quality.
It's not just the foreign transaction fee. All Canadian banks charge a percentage above the actual rate. So if the rate is $1.35CAD/USD, CIBC may charge $1.37, BMO may be $1.38, and then they add the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on top of that. You're never getting the straight exchange rate, which is what the Disney Gift Cards give you - the $1.35.
Yes that’s true, but even when using my us credit card, I have to change my Canadian funds at some point to pay the bill. When I do this, I incur fees because I’m buying US dollars. Using the gift cards avoids all that. I get the exact us exchange rate right on the card that I bought with my Canadian money. At no point do I buy US dollars.That is my point, the forex fee is the percentage on top. It would cost me 2.5% to use my American express, so it would ultimately cost me an extra 2.5% if I charged to that card. There are canadian credit products that DO NOT charge forex fees, so it is possible to get the posted exchange rate on transactions.
Sorry! I used what’s app to call my sister. I used hangouts to call Disney. I just stand where my router is, there is sometimes a bit of a lag but for free it’s pretty good!Wait a second. Can u call Disney using whatsapp? I use whatsapp all the time but generally the other person needs to have it installed on their end too.
I call Disney by downloading the Talkatone app - it is one of those free VOIP calling apps but based in the US so comes with a US phone number. Free calling anywhere in the US with wifi/data. Only problem is sometimes calls get cut off after 20 mins (and u know how long some Disney calls can take!) the call quality can suffer if wifi connection is not strong enough.
So now if I know it will be a lengthy complicated call, I use my mother's Phone Club app. She preloads some money on it and it offers dirt cheap long distance/intl calling. For a wifi based app, it is surprisingly stable with excellent call quality.
It's not just the foreign transaction fee. All Canadian banks charge a percentage above the actual rate. So if the rate is $1.35CAD/USD, CIBC may charge $1.37, BMO may be $1.38, and then they add the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on top of that. You're never getting the straight exchange rate, which is what the Disney Gift Cards give you - the $1.35.
Yes that’s true, but even when using my us credit card, I have to change my Canadian funds at some point to pay the bill. When I do this, I incur fees because I’m buying US dollars. Using the gift cards avoids all that. I get the exact us exchange rate right on the card that I bought with my Canadian money. At no point do I buy US dollars.
One thing everyone needs to remember is the advantage of dollar cost averaging. Yes, you may save money buying Disney gift cards however you can also lose. If you buy $100 gift card you will not know the rate till you use it. That means it could be the value of $1.35 or $1.45 or $1.00 but your still at the rate of the day.
If you bought your US dollars as you do Disney gift cards, $100 here, $100 there, you can cost average that and you know exactly what you are paying. There's no guess work. Using the same senerio as above, you pay $135.00 and $145 and $100 then average what you paid. Your average on a $100 is $126.66 and your sure of your cost, its not up to crossing fingers when the day comes to pay. Even taking into account extra fees the bank may charge you chances are you will come out ahead. Any financial advisor would suggest dollar cost averaging for any investment and this is an investment.
Before anyone says 'but I don't have $100 for gift cards' this method works for any dollar value. It just guarantees the rate with no guess work. Not a method for everyone but certainly something to think about if your purchasing for a future visit. The extra plus is your not locked in to Disney when you purchase the cash instead of the gift cards.
Something to think about.