Disney Visa: Perks in the Park but Not in Your Wallet
4.5
Disney die-hards will enjoy choosing their favorite character-themed card art. And given the card has no annual fee, it may be worth the few Disney discounts and perks within the parks that it offers. But with a paltry 1% rewards rate, this card is far from magical.
- Intro APR period
- No reward caps
- Low rewards rate
- Complicated redemptions
- Rewards have limited flexibility
$0
19.24%-28.24% Variable APR
N/A
$0
19.24%-28.24% Variable APR
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%
Bonus offer
Earn a $250 Statement Credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 19.24%-28.24% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable
Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
Compare to Other Cards
Detailed review: Disney® Visa® Card
If the House of Mouse is your happy place, a Disney-branded rewards credit card may sound like your ideal pick. After all, you get to choose your favorite Disney-themed card art — and surely a Disney-themed card would offer the best available rewards to use on park tickets and Disney merch, right?
But that’s far from the case. The Disney® Visa® Card does offer some exclusive perks and discounts. However, given its lackluster, inflexible rewards and clunky redemption process, most people seeking a FastPass to Disney-related savings will be better off with a general rewards credit card that can put a lot more savings in their pocket.
Disney® Visa® Card: Basics
Card type: Rewards.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $250 Statement Credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
1% back in rewards on all purchases.
Redemption options:
All U.S.-based Disney Store retail and outlet locations and online at shopDisney.com: Redeem toward purchases.
AMC Theatres: Redeem Disney Rewards Dollars toward Disney, Disney and Pixar, and Star Wars movie tickets purchased online.
Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort: Redeem toward park admission, season passes, dining and shopping.
Disney Cruise Line: Redeem onboard toward dining and shopping, or use toward lodging on cruises booked through DisneyCruiseLine.com.
Disney Vacation Resorts: Redeem toward lodging, shopping and dining.
Disney Vacation Club: Members can apply Disney Rewards Dollars toward annual dues.
APR: The ongoing APR is 19.24%-28.24% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fee: 3%.
Other benefits:
10% discounts on select merchandise purchases at shopDisney.com.
10% off select dining locations at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. Some blackout dates apply.
10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations within Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.
Discounts on select onboard purchases with Disney Cruise lines.
Special cardmember photo opportunities within Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, with complimentary photo downloads.
Choice from 10 specialized Disney card art designs.
How it compares to Disney® Premier Visa® Card
With regard to Disney brand discounts and benefits, the no-fee Disney® Visa® Card is remarkably similar to its $49 annual fee counterpart, Disney® Premier Visa® Card. Even the card art options are the same for the two cards.
By forgoing that annual fee, you’ll miss out on an elevated sign-up bonus, an additional 1% back in rewards for certain categories and some additional savings on Disney Bundle streaming services. Disney® Premier Visa® Card also offers the added option to redeem points toward statement credits on airline travel.
Here’s a quick look at how the two cards compare.
Empty Table Header | Disney® Premier Visa® Card | Disney® Visa® Card |
|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $49. | $0. |
Rewards |
| • 1% in rewards on all purchases. |
Extra perks |
|
|
Welcome bonus | Earn a $400 Statement Credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn a $250 Statement Credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
Benefits and perks
Offers 0% intro APR on Disney trips
A Disney vacation doesn't come cheap, so the opportunity to pay over time without interest can help make a dream family trip more manageable. The Disney® Visa® Card offers 0% annual percentage rate (APR) financing for six months from the date of purchase, but only on select Disney Resort packages and most Disney Vacation packages.
To qualify, vacations must be booked either online directly through Disney websites, through the Walt Disney Travel Company or with an eligible Disney travel agent. The ongoing APR is 19.24%-28.24% Variable APR.
Cardholders enjoy special benefits and discounts
If you're a frequent park hopper, these Disney cards could provide solid savings. Both 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 also 10% off select merchandise at Disney Store locations and shopDisney.com. Select dining locations within the parks also offer 10% off when you use your card, but it should be noted that there are some blackout days when that discount isn't available.
Don't want a new credit card? Many of these Disney discounts and perks are available through the Disney Visa Debit Card. Most consumer Chase checking accounts are eligible for a Disney debit card.
Choose your card art
Whether you want to embrace your inner villain with Maleficent or Darth Vader — or celebrate your inner child with Mickey, Minnie or your favorite Toy Story character — Chase and Disney give cardholders 10 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 Disneyfied design speaks to you.
Drawbacks and considerations
Rewards are disappointing
The Disney® Visa® Card earns a flat 1% back in rewards on all purchases, meaning if you spend $100 — whether on groceries, dining or Mickey merch — you'll earn 1% back. That’s truly unimpressive, considering the industry standard for flat-rate rewards cards is between 1.5% and 2% back on everything.
Disney Rewards Dollars redemption can be cumbersome
Instead of earning cash back, this card’s rewards come in the form of Disney Rewards Dollars, which are worth $1 each and can be used only on eligible Disney or Star Wars spending. That includes most spending inside Disney theme parks and aboard Disney cruises. It can also be applied toward tickets for Disney and Star Wars movies through AMC Theatres, and shopping at Disney's online and brick-and-mortar stores.
When you’re ready to redeem those rewards, though, prepare for a clunky process. Once you've accumulated a minimum of 20 Disney Rewards Dollars, you’ll need to apply for a Disney Rewards Redemption Card online, by phone or inside a Disney theme park. The card functions similarly to a prepaid card, but it can only be used on qualifying purchases. When you’re ready to reload the card, you’ll need to have earned at least 10 Rewards Dollars to do so.
Any Disney Rewards Dollars that have been added onto a Redemption Card don’t expire, so cardholders can technically save Rewards Dollars over time to spend on a Disney trip. Even so, most cardholders will find it much easier to earn cash back instead to spend any way they like, or earn general travel rewards to book their hotel, flight or cruise.
The Disney® Premier Visa® Card offers the ability to redeem your rewards toward airfare, but the Disney® Visa® Card does not.
Discounts come with a ton of restrictions
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 note that 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 also 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.
How to decide if it's right for you
Given that the card has no annual fee, it could be worth picking up before a Disney trip for the special financing, select discounts and park photo ops. Alternatively, if you're simply excited to sport a card that shows off your favorite Disney or Star Wars character, live your best DisNerd life. If you're dead-set on a Disney card, you may get more value from the $49-annual fee Disney® Premier Visa® Card card because of its elevated rewards and potential for statement credits.
If it's rewards you're looking for, though, you'll do better with a general purpose cash-back credit card that earns at least 2% back, where you can apply those rewards to future Disney purchases. Or you can opt for a travel card that will help you travel to Disney on points and miles.
Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
