Saving Money on Disney Dining! The Gift Card Trick!

[@JenLefforge]

Do you have any other tips and tricks for saving money at Disney? I'd love you to share them in the comments below!

[@apxstitch]

I'm going on my first solo trip to Disney in 8 days and I started buying Disney gift cards and Starbucks gift cards to pay for all my food and souvenirs. I thought I had to use them at the stores, I didn't realize I could use my magicband still and then pay at the front desk for the Disney purchases. Thanks for the tip!

[@melissanola7306]

Hey Jen! I love doing this! Not only is saving the 5% great but it does remove some stress. My fiancé isn’t cheap but every time the credit card comes out it starts stressing him out! On our last trip I calculated ahead of time and had a gift card loaded up. It made him (and me) so much more relaxed knowing that it was already budgeted and saved for, and wasn’t just piling up on a credit card. And I’m all about anything that will make my Disney trip more relaxing and stress free!!

[@JenLefforge]

+Melissa H yes that how I view is exactly! Scott worries that we are overspending otherwise and this ensures we are only spending what we planned to spend!!😍😍😍

[@kerrys778]

Great Tip! We also use the Disney Chase Visa card for our family expenses every month (and pay it off). This gives us reward $ that we can use on our Disney trips. We saved up a lot for the last trip and used it for souvenirs. Every little bit counts. There are also some other great perks that we've taken advantage of. This is basically the only credit card we use because the rewards are actually useful for us!

[@JenLefforge]

We do this as well and I always combine the two. I didn't mention that part because I was trying to keep it simple, but YES love our Disney Rewards Visa!

[@SuperEnthused]

This is great - well done, Jen!!! I've done the target Disney gift card thing, but I haven't been organized about putting it all together like this! Also, I have a Disney Visa, so I rack up points and transfer them to my reward card for extras in the parks!!! I'm going to start combining the cards on the gift card site for better organization. Only, can you still tie it to your magic bands if you're staying off property? I'm sure I can look that up somewhere, but do you know?

[@JenLefforge]

Sadly, they don't have a way to link payment to a magic band unless you're on site. I hope they do soon, though!!

[@BigTimeHSMfan]

Glad to see I am not the only one who uses this Target process. I do it online, cards delivered, I immediately consolidate on the Disney gift card site, capping out each card @ $1,000. I project out expenses for our trips and buy accordingly throughout the year. You can never have too many or too much on hand. 😎

[@JenLefforge]

Yes, this is why I go so often. Because sometimes I have $5 leftover from the previous trip. And I can't just let it go to waste.😂😍😂

[@BigTimeHSMfan]

Jen Lefforge 👏👏👏😉

[@shelleynorthrop9276]

I love this and we have done a version of this on our last trip. I also like to get a Disney gift card for each of my kiddos for souvenirs, that way I don't have to tell them "no" that can't have this/that. They have their own gift card and when its empty, its empty.

[@JenLefforge]

I LOVE that. We did it for the boys when they were little and not only did it help with the "gimmies" but really did teach them their first lessons in budgeting!! Thanks for that, Shelley! Love that!

[@shelleymaclean3301]

Love , love , love this idea! Very well explained... thanks so much😊 For us in Canada, it is difficult to get those Disney cards, but I will look into it more for sure!

[@JenLefforge]

Shelley, definitely worth looking into and thank you so much for watching!

[@JD-wb9kl]

This is such a great and helpful video, Jen. Angie and I knew you from your Irving days and we are coming to WDW at the end of September. I'm buying gift cards and following your plan! Thanks for posting.

[@JenLefforge]

Wonderful! Good to hear from you.

[@disneylovinfam9750]

I just purchased $500 worth of Disney giftcards to finish paying for our upcoming stay and saved 15% on discounted giftcards! I LOVE saving on Disney! Plus we had the annual passholder discount in additional to that savings. Makes it so much more affordable to go to Disney.❤

[@cwdefouw]

Great tip! We have used this trick on Disney cruises as well, we will have Guest Services load the gift card balance to our onboard account at the beginning of the cruise and then all of our expenses will be covered by that amount What is also nice is that any amount left over, they will load back to the gift card at the end of the cruise, you just have to go to Guest Services to have it done. I think you could also pay for the actual cruise with Disney Gift Cards as well, if you want to.

[@JenLefforge]

I love that, Chris! I seriously need to do another Disney Cruise ASAP. It's been like 8 years! Thanks for sharing that!

[@pamelahoffman5600]

Best Idea Ever!!! I'm going to do this for my trip I just booked for the week after Easter!!! Thank you for the great tip!!!

[@JenLefforge]

Pamela, you are MOST WELCOME!

[@ivegotadisneydream]

We do something very similar! We have Giant Eagle grocery stores in our area that give "fuel perks". Whenever you spend money on food or gift cards you get points that add up to discounts on fuel if you use their gas station. At certain times of the year you can actually get double points for gift cards. Our gift card budget is for a little under what we think we will spend (so we aren't stuck with $ left on a card)...use gift cards during our trip and maybe the last day or two will go on our debit card (also coming home to no bills). Once we get home we can enjoy highly discounted gas (we fill up a car and extra gas cans...and have almost had free gas before).

[@JenLefforge]

I know Kroger does something similar but I've never taken advantage of it! Need to look into that!

[@whitneyclark2473]

Also! Sam’s Club sells packs of Disney gift cards at slight discounted prices. I usually buy the packs of $500 for around $470 or $480 and then combine them like you said. I do that for both our Disney hotel stay and food! :)

[@hammer4769]

Whitney Clark good tip, we get our gift cards at Sams also

[@ScubaCat3]

Also... You can pay your DVC annual maintenance fee with the gift cards too. :)

[@lisaferchland5326]

I also use Shopkicks, get “kicks” for scanning products abs sometimes just walking in a store. I usually end up with anywhere between $25- $100 in Disney gift cards when we go. I’ve also opted out of mouse keeping abs received an electronic gift card. I DEFINITELY also get Disney gift cards from Target.

[@CoralJoyTravel]

Jen....you are brilliant! LOVE using Disney gift cards....LOVE saving money...LOVE visiting Disney with friends...LOVE this idea!! xoxo

[@JenLefforge]

HURRAY! So good to have you back!

[@keiththompson1265]

See, this is why you are such an amazing ‘Tuber. We use the gift card trick too, but we always wait until last minute, figure we need around $XXX dollars and go buy them. Your plan is sooooo much more complete and wise. Not many people could make this an interesting video. Way to go, and thanks for the explanation.

[@JenLefforge]

+Keith Thompson you are most welcome! Thank YOU for always being so supportive!!!!

[@epcotlandfan2804]

I love the Target red card, great tip!

[@JenLefforge]

I love mine, too!! Thanks for watching!

[@cjmaster556]

Amazing!

[@cindyellacott102]

Really love this tip! Always love a discount!

[@angelpeacenevis7684]

Such a no brainer! We use this exact same method. Love your clear and concise explanation! I will send people here when I'm trying to explain how great this system is and why it works :)

[@JenLefforge]

That's exactly why I did it! I would try to explain it to people and they would look at me like I was crazy. I wanted a short(er) video to point them to LOL! Thanks for watching!

Great tips, I would also add that you can get gift cards with Disney Movie Rewards. They’re one of the cheapest rewards you can get and a nice way to use your points.

[@judithldavis]

Hubby and I did this last trip. We stayed at the Shades of Green, no dining option available. It worked out really great! I never thought of doing it at a Disney resort!

[@JenLefforge]

I'm so glad it worked out for you! And YES works beautifully at Disney resorts, too!

[@elizabethlevey4796]

Great tip! I’m definitely going to use this for my upcoming trip.

[@JenLefforge]

Hurray! Because yes, that 5% really adds up!!

[@atropos0754]

Thanks Jen I was not aware of registering my gift cards 😀👍

[@kaylaandmarkalan]

This is a great tip! For those who are not DVC, you can also use this trick to pay for your resort! That 5% off can add up really quick and you can save several hundred dollars if you play your cards right.

[@JenLefforge]

"play your cards right" I see what you did there. 😂😂😂

[@christinecummingstrunk5576]

This exactly what we do. I send my wonderful husband to the front desk to settle up every other night and the last night to soften the blow. Thank you for all the wonderful tips.

[@JenLefforge]

You are most welcome!! The one time they charge it to my credit card, they were able to refund it and put it on the gift card, but the refund took a while so that's not super fun. I like the idea of popping down every couple of days!

[@mireya762002]

Great advice! Thank you for sharing!!

[@HappinessandSweetTea]

I learned the Target gift card trick last year. It’s a good one! Great upload. Very informative and detailed! 😀♥️

[@angelac1316]

Hi Jen- The Disney Gift card ‘trick’ is a good one and one that we do indeed as well :). Only update that might require some triple checking is that while you can scan your MB for charges rolling up to tour room- The front desk (at WL) advised that they do ‘charge’ CC on hold daily during a PM window each day- so we held off on squaring away w Disney Gift card before check out due to concern that charges may have already posted to CC on file. If charges can indeed true up at the end and any processed charges can be reversed- that would be good to know. *We’ll be down during XMas week and would be happy to share my findings again :)

[@JenLefforge]

+angela c I know from first hand experience from last November (TOTALLY subject to change as always especially with Disney!) that they can refund those charges and change the tender but the refund can take a while. So for some, may be best to pop down every couple of days and settle up. Yes please let us know how it works for you!

[@jenny71WDW]

we buy them from BJ’s discounted! They just had an amazing sale the 100.00 gc’s were 91.99 each! The 3pk 150.00 were on sale too! we have been doing this trick for years and its a huge savings!!

[@JenLefforge]

I've heard that's a great place to get them! We're Costco people but I need to check their savings as well. Every nickel helps!!

[@denisemanning5306]

Lived this video.. great ideas with combining all gift cards to one.. I didn't k ow u could do that. Last trip I have 10 gift cards I took( ones ingot for Xmas, bithdays,etc) what a good idea. 😁👍♥️

[@JenLefforge]

So much more convenient and no worries if you lose it!

[@lisaleviton8312]

Great tips!! I bought gift cards from Target for my family to use on our trip. It kept everyone(especially me and my 15 year old son) on budget and my husband was happy with a zero balance at checkout. As a matter of fact I need to go to Target soon for my trip to Disneyland.

[@JenLefforge]

We go so often that I think i just buy Disney gift cards every time I’m there now!🤣😍

[@erikamacias4940]

Great tips, Jen! Keep 'em coming!! :)

[@jenlaprincipessa]

I love these tips!!! Thank you so much!

[@JenLefforge]

You are most welcome, Jennifer! I've mentioned this trick in several videos but never fully explained it and always got questions, so I'm glad this helped!

[@Lucretiaseesall]

wow! Great idea!!! Am planning on going to DW November of 2020 with my Cousin and her Friend, both have been several times and her friend goes so often she has a DVCM ! So it will most probably be three Adults no kids. This is such great idea! Had viewed another video that strongly suggested the Disney gift cards! Now I know why, how and what to do with them. I am going to look into this and let my Cousin and her friend know about this too!

[@JenLefforge]

I'm so glad it helped!! Thank you so much for watching!😍

[@alyssacromer111]

I buy mine through Sam’s Club, but I didn’t know about the registering!!

[@lafevebl]

Good tips to know! Thanks 🙏🥰

[@JenLefforge]

You are most welcome, Brenda!

[@nd9950]

That's such a great tip. Thanks so much!

[@tommytube268]

Thanks great idea, wonderful videos

[@JenLefforge]

Thank you so much, Thomas!

[@MariahsWholeNewWorld]

Yes Jen!! That trick is gold. I love it so much. I get mine at Sam’s Club for the discount. It’s so awesome!!! Another great video :)

[@JenLefforge]

I mean, seriously, Mariah, with all we're spending there, that 5% ADDS UP! Thanks for watching!

[@MariahsWholeNewWorld]

Jen Lefforge exactly!! 😂

[@sandrabond1]

Voila! Another great video👍🏼

[@barryjohnson8577]

We did the same thing on are last trip and it worked out great and we loved it.

[@JenLefforge]

Anything to make it less stressful and less expensive, right?? Thanks for watching, Barry!

[@nicoimpact7045]

This was a brilliant video. Thank you!

[@JenLefforge]

Wow, thank you, Nicholas! You're welcome!

[@acb-]

Great video! You can also buy e-gift cards through Target online so that when you combine them all you don’t have a bunch of plastic cards left over.

[@acb-]

Oh & the e-gift cards come in larger amounts like $500, which can also be helpful. 😀

[@JenLefforge]

I JUST started doing it online before this last trip and you're right - it's more convenient and always better to have less plastic!

[@susanmason1534]

My family just had this conversation for our Disney trip we’re taking next year! We just don’t eat how any of the dining plans are structured and I would be so stressed with my constant calculations to figure out if we were getting our money’s worth from the! We’re also planning on using our red card for 5% off. We are going to use this strategy to pay off our actual trip since we booked through Disney. 5% off is way better than 0% off!

[@JenLefforge]

+Susan Mason I love that idea!! I was trying to make the video as succinct as possible but you could absolutely use this to pay for packages, cruises, anything Disney!!

[@chrisgabel8498]

In the same idea, this is how I justified the special 250+ gift card at Food and Wine. I didn't have to spend it all on food and wine, but it went towards everything that week. Plus now I have all the cool extras

[@JenLefforge]

Disney math is so interesting isn't it?🤓😍

[@melissabradley6013]

We do the same thing. I was told by Disney this week though that they settle the balance every few days so they may charge your card before the last day of your trip. Just something to be aware of bc that would be AWFUL!!!

[@marierobinson6425]

Jenn I consider myself a master. haha. Whenever I have extra cash or found $$. Say fro an unexpected refund etc, I buy Dgc. I use only Jet Blue and Disney Visa for everything ( electric cable. Car insurance. Groceries) each month and then pay off as I would regular bills. Having 8 grand babes I have membership to Disney Movie club. When using points to get gifts etc. I always pick gift cards. My kids and hub all know DGC is my gift of choice so a lot come my way. I only buy cards fro Target or Bjs. My goal every trip is to not have any credit card bill at all from a Disney vacation. Our recent Oct trip was fun. Free flights ...annual pass .. Renting DVC points And 1300 in Disney gift cards and cash. We actually came home with Money which is seed for our next trip.

[@anydayblessings2354]

When you talk about putting all the cards onto one card, does this work with transferring Disney e-cards to a physical card? I am using a reward app to get some cards but they are e-cards. Have you ever transferred those over to a an actual card?

[@JenLefforge]

Yes I have a yes it does!!!! Great question!

[@genelooman1364]

Hello Jen, I have an odd question, welcome to my mind! Is it possible to use your gift card trick to pay for your food if you have a tables in wonderland card? That way you could get both discounts!

[@JenLefforge]

Absolutely!! Can be done and i have done it!

[@genelooman2717]

@@JenLefforge Yay!!! That is awesome!! Here is another question. I read that you can only have a gift card with a $1000 max on it. Would it be possible if you needed to have more that the limit to use at Disney, couldn't you register all of them on the site. Pick the one you want to carry with you then using the website during your trip to "refill" the one physical card you carry as the balance is used on it? That way you still only need to carry and keep track of one card.

[@bradleyolinger1691]

So you are aware, you can also use the RedCard trick for gift cards for airlines, Amtrak, hotels.com, etc on target.com/at Target, which can create even more savings for those that have to use those services for their vacations.

[@JenLefforge]

Great tip, Bradley! Thank you!

[@bradleyolinger1691]

@@JenLefforge, just got my RedCard Debit the other day, so I was researching and discovered this.

[@shelleykays3225]

We used this tip for this last trip in October and it was great not to have a credit card bill when we got home! There was just one snag for us - maybe you've figured out a way around it. We couldn't put the gift card on our My Disney Experience account to use for mobile ordering. Do you have any way around that? We ended up having to wait in line and not being able to take advantage of mobile ordering.

[@JenLefforge]

+Shelley Kays as of right now no. It’s super annoying because you also can’t use your magic band!!

[@shelleykays3225]

That was going to be my next question! Is there somewhere at Disney we can make the suggestion to put our gift cards on our account? Apparently that can be done on the Disney Cruise, per Chris Defouw's comment below!

[@JenLefforge]

I know you can pay your cruise balance with gift cards either through your travel agent or through Disney. I think that's how Chris does it?

[@dawnturpin]

Yes, so many people don’t realize you can get gift cards at a discount. Also Costco, etc. There’s people that have it down to a science and are able to save way more than just the 5% but it’s complicated.

[@JenLefforge]

Yeah, I'm pretty lazy so I just keep going back to the same well. I should probably do some research! LOL!

[@dawnturpin]

It’s along the lines of going through Ebates, then purchasing from a big box store during the specific time of the year that Discover offers that discount. It’s all layers. And I, also, am always too lazy to bother.

[@changw9482]

Just a quick question. So even if I make a reservation and put on my card payment online, I can still use my disney gift card to pay for it at the dining restaurant?

[@JenLefforge]

Absolutely. The credit card it just the guarantee and what they will charge the no show fee to should you not make the reservation or fail to cancel it within 24 hours.

[@changw9482]

@@JenLefforge thank you. Also I understand that for dinning reservation is a 60 days advance but what if there's a availability can we reserve it even if not 60 days before the trips?

[@marierobinson6425]

Exactly how we spend and save ....great minds,

[@JenLefforge]

Well, it certainly isn't original to me but I am grateful that someone told me about it years ago!! Thanks for watching, Marie!

[@thedancemomsteam411]

I missed your voice so much! 💕

[@JenLefforge]

😍😍😍

[@ScubaCat3]

You can buy them electronically on target.com and then you don't have to deal with or waste the actual cards. Also, on black Friday (if history is a guide), you'll be able to buy $300 worth at 10% off instead of the 5%. Have a great day!

[@mahemphill93]

I wish we were at Target only once a month! 😂😂😂 We love the Target Red Card hack! We used that before and saved several hundred dollars! I recommend probably buying them online because you can get them in larger increments.

[@louisagalaska5713]

Excellent recommendation! Didn’t know Target would take 5% off gift cards!

[@JenLefforge]

I always like to say "subject to change" and it doesn't work for ALL gift cards, just Disney ones!

[@yesnik09]

@@JenLefforge and sometimes they even offer them at 10% off. Last Black Friday (or sometime near there) they had them for 10% off so I'm watching for that again this year. And that's not even with your redcard....that was with however you paid for them.

[@donnastout1117]

So all of the restaurants accept the Disney gift cards? Are there any that you know of don't?

[@JenLefforge]

+Donna Stout yes, they should all accept them!

[@lillianbonilla835]

Where do you load all the gift cards

[@JenLefforge]

disneygiftcard.com

[@wdwmommykim]

We learned so much on TGM, didn't we?!

[@JenLefforge]

+WDW Mommy Kim we so did!!😍😍😍

[@shannonyowell2691]

In MA at Target you do not get your 5% off :( I tried when I received this tip before our last trip

[@JenLefforge]

OK, I'm SO GLAD you commented because I had heard years ago that it didn't work in some states but wasn't sure which ones! I wonder if it's a law or something?? Thank you for letting me know! I think I'll put a disclaimer in the show notes that it's not true in all states. I mean, you could still get the all-inclusive piece by pre-paying, just not the discount part.

[@daniellemarshall1386]

I get my gift cards from Sams Club. The $150 card(3x50) is the best deal there 😉

[@JenLefforge]

+Danielle Marshall I need to find out of Costcos deal is similar!! Thanks for watching, Danielle!!

[@anydayblessings2354]

Last year either at Black Friday or one of their membership sales Sam's had $50 Disney cards for $37.

[@Zackattack-fp3qf]

Does she work at Disney?

[@JenLefforge]

+How to does who work at Disney? Me? No I don’t. I’m just there a lot.❤️

[@Zackattack-fp3qf]

Jen Lefforge oh! Ok thanks!

[@donnacish]

explain the Target Red card and is that a credit card?

[@JenLefforge]

They have a credit AND a debit option, Donna! We have the credit version but pay it in full each month.

[@yesnik09]

I believe the most you can put on a Disney Gift Card (when purchasing or combining) is $1000. Can anyone confirm that please. Have you tried and successfully combined a higher amount?

[@JenLefforge]

Brad, just verified and you are correct - so in that case, you may have to have more than one card! We typically use a combo of our Disney Reward points and a gift card so $1000 is as much as I've ever done. Thank you for pointing that out!

[@JenLefforge]

Brad, I'm going to add that in the show notes as well!

[@yesnik09]

@@JenLefforge Cool, I know if anyone is like us (family of 5 most of the time we go), our food and souvenir bill is around $3000 for a full week, so we would probably need 3 gift cards to pay all that off. Also , we use Sams Club to buy them whenever Discover offers 5% cash back on wholesale clubs. The Sams Price is around 3%-4% discounted already, added to the 5% from Discover and that also gets close to 10% off.

[@JenLefforge]

I've heard of this before, Brad, and really need to look more into it! Thank you!

[@whitneyclark2473]

Yes, the max is $1,000 on a DGC 👍🏻