How to save money by buying discounted Disney gift cards

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Very few brands enjoy the fervent type of customer loyalty that Disney does.

But for consumers, that also means sky-high prices for anything “Disney.” It can be a monumental task to find meaningful discounts on Disney trips, goods, cruises and services. In lieu of renting Disney Vacation Club points or giving into countless fictitious online ads promising a discounted magical excursion, purchasing Disney gift cards is one of the most reliable ways to save money on all things Disney.

A Disney gift card can be turned into a digital credit through Disney’s gift card website. You can use that credit to pay for almost anything at Disney World or Disneyland, including hotels, meals, park tickets, annual passes and even Disney cruises.

However, don’t expect to find Disney gift cards for 50% off. In fact, the discounts are more like 5% to 10%. But, when a family of four can spend more than $2,000 just on park tickets, even a small discount can make a big difference.

A hand holding the Disney gift card — THE POINTS GUY

Warehouse clubs

Warehouse clubs such as Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club have been the most reliable places to find discounted Disney gift cards for the past few years. The best deals are generally found on or around Black Friday. However, Sam’s Club is pretty good about discounting Disney gift cards a handful of times throughout the year.

While the occasional discounts are usually limited to a couple of hundred dollars’ worth of gift cards, the Black Friday specials have featured higher-value cards in the past. You can typically expect to save between 5% and 10% at warehouse clubs, but you could see slightly bigger discounts around the holidays.

Disney gift card price at Sam's Club — SAM’S CLUB

Target

Target Circle Card holders receive a 5% discount when using the card to pay for most items in-store and on target.com. This essentially means your discount via Target as a Target Circle Card holder is maxed at 5%.

There are also numerous online reports of Target Circle Card holders being targeted for spending offers that yield additional cash back on Disney gift card purchases.

The information for the Target Circle Card credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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Amex Offers

If you have an American Express card, you’ve probably heard of Amex Offers. These are money-saving (or bonus points-earning) offers that periodically target American Express cardholders. For example, one recent Amex Offer awarded $25 cash back when you spent $250.

You can often find Disney gift cards at Best Buy, and Amex Offers for Best Buy don’t typically exclude gift cards if you purchase one in person at a Best Buy store. You’ll still pay the sticker price for a gift card, but you’ll receive a $25 statement credit, which is basically extra cash in your pocket to spend on vacation.

Cash-back portals and apps

The front entrance of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park — Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park. CHRISTIAN THOMPSON/DISNEYLAND RESORT

There are a number of apps and online shopping portals designed to save you money on everyday purchases. You can use them by:

Physically clicking through a portal on a desktop or mobile site so that cookies can track your activity.
Linking your credit or debit card to the app so it can register when that card was used at a participating merchant.

Based on your activity and the terms of your card, it will reward you with points or cash back.

Cashback Monitor is a great resource to use if you want to quickly analyze which traditional shopping portal currently offers the most cash back or points on purchases. Remember that gift cards are typically excluded in the terms and conditions, though sometimes cash back or points may still be awarded. Keep an eye on Rakuten, one of the most reliable cash-back sites (where you can also earn Amex Membership Rewards points), and TopCashback for cash-back stacking opportunities.

Credit card bonus categories

Strategically using bonus categories on credit cards can help you rack up cash-back savings (or extra points and miles) for purchases. An example is the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. This card earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on the first $6,000 in spending each year (1% cash back thereafter). Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Other cards, such as the American Express® Gold Card, earn 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar). Most supermarkets have a rack of gift cards near the checkout aisles, and Disney gift cards can frequently be found there.

A hand holding a Disney gift card — THE POINTS GUY

You can also stock up on Disney gift cards while taking advantage of rotating cash-back categories on some credit cards. Credit cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® offer 5% cash back on a rotating quarterly calendar of merchants and store types (on up to $1,500 per quarter; quarterly activation is required). In the past, the Chase Freedom has offered 5% cash back at grocery stores for three months each year (usually the first quarter of the year). It has also offered 5% cash back at warehouse clubs in the past, usually later in the year.

Bottom line

Once any gift cards are in your possession, load them into your Disney gift card account to easily keep up with the balances and prevent fraud — which is rather rampant with gift cards these days.

Disney gift cards don’t expire, so it pays to keep your eyes out for deals to save on your next vacation. Anything less than a 5% discount on a gift card probably isn’t worth it since you can find a 5% discount through a variety of ways.

At the end of the day, when you’re spending thousands of dollars on a Disney vacation, these 5% to 10% discounts really add up. The cost of a Disney World or Disneyland vacation isn’t going down anytime soon, nor are Disney cruises getting cheaper. You’ll thank us when you save hundreds of dollars on Disney gift cards with just a little bit of work. That’s not just “Disney math” — that’s real math!

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