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 private locations 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. Keep in mind that slots for experiences at Disney can fill up fast, so it's important to visit the Disney rewards website and reserve a spot well before your expected arrival date. 
• Discounts on Disney Purchases: You'll get a 10% discount on select Disney and Star Wars 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. This card also offers discounts (Chase, the card's issuer, doesn't specify the amount) on select guided tours for you and up to 10 guests.
• 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, the Millennium Falcon, Darth Vader, Vintage Mickey, Toy Story, 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 Visa. It offers 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.

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 $50 statement credit after their first purchase with this card. While that's a relatively small bonus offer compared with other rewards cards on the market, it's very easy to earn. Since there's no spending requirement, it’s possible to make a relatively small purchase and still receive the $50 credit. 

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 Disney Rewards Dollar is worth the equivalent of $1.

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. Book 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 one item when you receive it in order to get the $50 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, which start at $105 per day, you would earn about $10 in Disney rewards.

If you spent an additional $500 on hotels, you'd earn another $5 in rewards, bringing your total to about $15 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 $50 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% promotional APR for six months on select Disney vacation packages 

Standard Benefits

• Baggage delay insurance
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranties 

Cardholder Experience

Chase scored 807 out of 1,000 points in J.D. Power's 2019 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, compared with an average score among 11 national issuers of 806. 

Through its Credit Journey program, Chase offers a variety of credit tools, including free access to your VantageScore 3.0 credit score from TransUnion, which is updated weekly. 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 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 three to five 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. 

Our 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 $50 credit just for making a single purchase on the card.

That said, its mediocre rewards rate makes it better suited as a companion to your primary rewards card.

Indeed, pairing it with a general cash-back or travel rewards card could provide considerably more value. The Citi Double Cash card, for instance, pays unlimited 1% cash back when you make a purchase, plus an additional 1% when you pay off those purchases. You could use the Citi Double Cash card for all of your daily expenses and the Disney Visa card for its perks. If you frequently travel, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card could pair well with this card, too. It has a $95 annual fee, but it earns 2 points per dollar on travel and dining and offers a number of travel perks, including no foreign transaction fees.

Overall, 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.