Disney Visa Card Review

Full Review of Disney Visa Card

Pros Explained

• Access to Exclusive Disney Experiences: Cardmembers get exclusive photo opportunities with Disney and Star Wars characters. Photo opportunities are held at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts and include complimentary downloads of photos. There’s a limit of one session with characters per cardholder per day.
• Discounts on Disney Purchases: You'll get a 10% discount on select Disney merchandise at the Disney store and shopDisney.com. There’s also a 10% discount on eligible Disney Resort purchases, but the caveat is that you must spend at least $50 per Disneyland/Disneyworld transaction to receive the discount. And you can't use your discount in combination with other discount offers. Gift certificates, park admission, arcades, outdoor vendors, and photos are excluded from discounts.
• Choose Your Own Card Design: Disney fans have their choice of 10 card designs when they open their account. Design options include the Sleeping Beauty Castle, Darth Vader, Vintage Mickey, Toy Story, The Mandalorian, and others.

Cons Explained

• Mediocre Rewards Rate: This card's rewards rate of 1% back in Disney Rewards Dollars is much lower than you would get with some general flat-rate cashback cards on the market. You can find flat-rate cards offering cash-back rates up to 2%, and tiered or rotating category cards offering rates of more than 5% on some purchases. You'll also find better rewards with the Disney Premier Visa. It offers 5% back in Disney rewards on purchases made at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or?ESPNPlus.com, and 2% back in Disney rewards at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney locations. However, it comes with an annual fee of $49.?
• Limited Redemption Options and a Complicated Process: Disney Rewards Dollars can only be redeemed for Disney or Star Wars purchases, and any rewards you earn can expire after five years. The redemption process, in general, is also complex and forces you to jump through some hoops in order to start redeeming your rewards. That makes this card less appealing for people who want a straightforward rewards redemption structure.

Who This Card Is Best for

The Disney Visa card can be a good choice for fans who frequently visit Disney theme parks or plan to spend big on a single trip to Disney, or for memorabilia collectors. If you’re interested in getting exclusive perks and discounts on Disney merchandise, this card could be worthwhile. For every $100 you spend on this card, you earn $1 in Disney Rewards Dollars.

But if you don't frequent Disney properties or buy Disney goods, you might be better off with a general cash-back or travel card that earns higher rewards on a broader range of purchases and also offers more redemption options.

Disney Visa Bonus

New cardholders receive a $250 statement credit after spending $500 within the first three months from account opening (offer ends 11/30/2023).

The bonus comes in the form of a statement credit to your account within eight weeks after your first purchase. You won't qualify if you've received a bonus for this card within the past 24 months.?

Rewards Earning Details

This card offers unlimited 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars on every purchase. Each time you spend $100 on the card, you receive one Disney Rewards Dollar.

Rewards dollars that you don't transfer to a redemption card, which you need to do in order to use your rewards, expire five years after the month they were first earned. If you transfer them to a redemption card, they'll never expire.

Rewards Redemption Details

Disney rewards are credited to your account at the end of each billing cycle, which you can find on your monthly statement.

Here's the process for redeeming rewards:

1. First, obtain a redemption card by going to DisneyRewards.com, calling 800-300-8575, or visiting a Disney property. It takes two to three weeks for delivery of a redemption card.
2. Call the number on the back of your redemption card to link it to your Disney Visa account.
3. Transfer a minimum of 20 rewards dollars initially; further transfers must be in increments of at least 10 rewards dollars.

After your redemption card is loaded with rewards dollars, you can start redeeming them at most Disney locations for shopping, dining, hotels, theme parks, and other Disney goods and services.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

First and foremost, take advantage of this card's most attractive feature: perks. Visit exclusive Disney events each time you visit a Disney park and buy merchandise at a Disney store to get discounts. Then use this card for other purchases to earn 1% back in Disney Rewards Dollars.

Make sure to use this card to purchase at least $500 in the first three months of opening this card in order to get the $250 statement credit, which can take up to eight weeks to credit to your account.

As an example of what you might expect to earn, let's say you're a three-person family that plans to spend three days at Walt Disney World. If you buy a three-day park ticket for each family member—tickets that start at $109 per day—you would earn about $9 in Disney rewards.

If you spent an additional $500 on hotels, you'd earn another $5 in rewards, bringing your total to about $14 for the trip.

This estimate doesn't include the additional rewards you'd earn if you used this card to purchase flights, car rentals, or other daily expenses. It also doesn't include the $250 bonus.

If you want to use your rewards dollars during your trip, make sure to book well ahead of your estimated travel date. You'll want enough time to receive a redemption card and load it with your Disney rewards to use at the park.

Disney Visa Card's Outstanding Benefits

• Access to exclusive Disney events and activities
• Discounts on Disney products
• 0% for the first six months following the purchase date on select Disney vacation packages or purchase of a real estate interest, including a Member Add On, in a Disney Vacation Club? Resort, provided your account is not past due on the purchase date.

Standard Benefits

• Baggage delay insurance
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranties

Cardholder Experience

Chase scored 857 out of 1,000 points in J.D. Power's 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, compared with an average score among 7 national issuers of 851.

Through its Credit Journey program, Chase offers a variety of credit tools, including free access to your credit score. This program is also available to non-Chase customers.

Chase's customer service can be reached at 800-432-3117. Customers can also find Chase on X (formerly Twitter) and send a tweet to @ChaseSupport.

Security Features

Chase offers an array of security features that are common with many credit card providers, including fraud monitoring, 0% fraud liability, and multiple authentication checks when logging into its website or app. Chase will alert you if any unusual activity occurs on your account.

All Chase cards also come chip-enabled and with the option for contactless card payment. Chase will replace your card if it is lost or stolen, typically within five to seven days.

Fees to Watch Out for

This card charges a foreign transaction fee of 3%. That makes it a poor choice for using at Disney locations abroad. Other fees on this card are fairly standard.?

Final Verdict

The Disney Visa card's perks—access to exclusive Disney experiences and discounts on Disney merchandise—make it a stand-out pick for true Disney enthusiasts. Since there's no annual fee, it's an inexpensive way to get those perks while also earning some rewards. Plus, new cardholders receive a $250 credit if they spend $500 in the first three months.

That said, its mediocre rewards rate makes it better suited as a companion to your primary rewards card. If you're a Disney devotee and would enjoy some exclusive perks, this card is worth considering. But if you only plan to visit Disney once, you'll be better served by using a different rewards card for your vacation.

You are most likely to get approved for a Disney Visa card if you have above-average credit. This means you will need a credit score of at least 670. The higher your score, the better your chances of being approved.

Being a Disney cardholder allows you to access some exclusive benefits at Disney resorts, cruises, and other Disney experiences, such as exclusive photo opportunities with Disney and Star Wars characters. You'll get a 10% discount on purchases at Disney stores, including online, and on some purchases at Disney resorts. When you earn rewards, these can be redeemed for Disney and Star Wars purchases, including at Disney resorts.

The credit limit on your Disney credit card depends on the type of account you are approved for, which will vary based on your credit score, annual income, and other financial information. An initial credit limit can vary from $500 to $5000, though some high-earners may qualify for more.

Most credit card issuers will increase your credit limit every six to twelve months. However, this depends on whether you are a borrower in good standing. If you have a high credit utilization, low credit score, or history of missing payments, your credit limit may not increase automatically. However, even if you don't receive an automatic credit limit increase, you can still contact your card issuer and request one directly.