Disney Premier Visa: Missing the Magic

0% intro APR offers on Disney trips

If you’re looking for some breathing room on the cost of your next Disney vacation, the Disney® Premier Visa® Card can help. It offers 0% APR financing for six months from the date of purchase on select Disney Resort packages and Disney vacation packages. To qualify, vacations must be booked either online directly through Disney sites, through the Walt Disney Travel Co. or with an eligible Disney travel agent. The ongoing APR is 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR.

Special perks and discounts

If you're a frequent park hopper, a Disney credit card could provide solid savings. All three cards offer discounts, which can be notoriously hard to come by at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Cardholders save 10% on select merchandise purchases at select locations within the resorts and 10% off select merchandise at Disney Store locations and DisneyStore.com. Select dining locations within the parks also offer 10% off when you use your card, but there are some blackout days when that discount isn't available.

Exclusive card designs

Whether you want to embrace your inner villain with Darth Vader or celebrate your inner child with Mickey Mouse, Chase and Disney give cardholders several different options to choose from.

The rewards and benefits of the card are the same regardless of which card art you choose, so it all comes down to which Disney-fied design speaks to you.

There's an annual fee

The Disney® Premier Visa® Card has a $49 annual fee, but it doesn't offer a lot of straightforward ways to easily offset that cost.

If you want a valuable $0-annual-fee travel card, consider the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card. It offers 3 points per dollar spent on dining, travel and transit, popular streaming services and phone plans, as well at gas stations. All other eligible purchases earn 1% back. It also has introductory offers for new cardholders. Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value. There's a promotional APR window as well: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR.

Rewards redemption is limited and cumbersome

The two different redemption pathways — the Disney Rewards Dollar Redemption Card and Pay Yourself Back — may make this card a bit of a challenge to navigate. The redemption card can keep your credit limit available and also allow you to share your card with your family at a Disney Park to make purchases. The Pay Yourself Back option requires less effort, but a cash-back credit card would accomplish the same thing while also providing more flexibility in how you choose to spend your rewards. If you'd prefer a more straightforward process, consider the $0-annual-fee Citi Double Cash® Card, which earns 2% cash back on all purchases (1% when you buy; 1% when you pay it off). It also offers a solid welcome bonus: Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.. You can use your cash back however your choose — including toward a Disney vacation.

There are restrictions on discounts

Anyone who has even considered a Disney vacation knows Mickey Mouse is not a cheap date, so at first glance the prospect of a 10% discount sounds appealing. But those "select discounts" are slim pickings. They don't include park admissions, they come with a long list of excluded stores and merchandise types, and restaurant discounts have menu limitations and blackout dates.

If you plan to use the card throughout the park and aboard Disney cruises, you may enjoy a nice surprise in the form of 10% off here and there. But don't plan to budget your trip around these discount offers unless you're ready to strategize through a whole lot of fine print.

For fewer speed bumps, consider an option like the $0-annual-fee Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. It earns 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cards booked through Capital One Travel; 3% cash back on entertainment (including theme parks), dining, purchases at grocery stores, and popular streaming services; and 1% cash back on all other purchases. There’s also a welcome offer for new cardholders: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, it can help you finance Disney tickets: It offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months; 18.49%-28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies.

International Disney locations only get 1% back

The Disney® Premier Visa® Card earns 2% back at most Disney locations in the U.S., but spending at international locations falls under "other purchases," and thus earns only 1% back. If you prefer a simpler option for travel that can offer a decent rewards rate across the board, consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. It earns 2 miles per dollar spent on purchases, and it also features a generous welcome offer: LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel. It has a $95 annual fee, but doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.

» MORE: Hear tips from Disney vacation pros about how to budget for your own trip