Disney Premier Visa: Missing the Magic
4.0
Disney die-hards will enjoy choosing their favorite character-themed card art and the few Disney discounts and perks within the parks that this card offers. But since rewards are cumbersome to redeem and lack flexibility, most people are better off with a general rewards-earning credit card.
- Intro APR period
- Bonus categories
- No reward caps
- Has annual fee
- Complicated redemptions
- Rewards have limited flexibility
$49
19.24%-28.24% Variable APR
N/A
$49
19.24%-28.24% Variable APR
Annual fee
$49
Rewards rate
1%-2%
Bonus offer
Earn a $400 Statement Credit after you spend $1,000 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® Premier 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?
Unfortunately, that’s far from the case. Disney® Premier Visa® Card does offer some exclusive perks and discounts. But given its lackluster, inflexible rewards and clunky redemption process, even those exclusive perks make it tough to justify a $49 annual fee. Most people seeking a Lightning Lane to Disney-related savings will be better off with a general rewards credit card that can put a lot more Mickeys in your pocket.
Disney® Premier Visa® Card: Basics
Card type: Rewards.
Annual fee: $49.
Sign-up bonus: Earn a $400 Statement Credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
5% back in rewards at disneyplus.com, hulu.com or espnplus.com.
2% back in rewards on gas, groceries and restaurant purchases.
2% back in rewards at most U.S.-based Disney locations and retailers.
1% back in rewards on all other purchases.
Redemption options:
Redeem Disney Rewards dollars as a statement credit toward airline travel purchased within 60 days of redemption request, not limited to Disney destinations.
Redeemable toward purchases at all U.S.-based Disney Store retail and outlet locations, and online at shopdisney.com.
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.
Disney bundle credit: Earn up to $13.99 back per month for up to three consecutive months when you use your card to pay for a qualifying Disney+, Hulu or ESPN subscription.
Discounts on select onboard purchases with Disney Cruise lines.
Special cardmember photo opportunities within Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts, with complimentary photo download.
Choose from 10 specialized Disney card art designs.
Benefits and perks
Offers 0% intro APR on Disney trips
If you’re looking for some breathing room on the cost of your next Disney vacation, 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 most Disney vacation packages. To qualify, vacations must be booked either online directly through Disney sites, 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 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.
Many of these same Disney discounts and perks are available through the Disney Visa Debit Card, meaning you can access them without opening a new credit account. Most consumer Chase checking accounts are eligible for a Disney debit card.
Save on Disney Bundle Trio streaming services
For up to three consecutive months, cardholders of the Disney® Premier Visa® Card can earn statement credits on subscription costs and add-on purchases within the Disney Trio Bundle of streaming services, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. The statement credit is limited to up to $13.99 per month, or up to $41.97 total. If you're already paying for this service, earning nearly $42 in credit helps to cover most of the card's annual fee.
Choose from exclusive card designs
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 ten 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.
The extras may be worth the fee for Disney die-hards
If you're dead set on a Disney card, you may find more value from the Disney® Premier Visa® Card compared to Disney’s $0-annual-fee card option — the Disney® Visa® Card. If you already subscribe to the Disney subscription bundle, the credit you'll receive back helps to cover most of the card's annual fee. Plus, it offers an extra 1% in rewards on popular spending categories and an elevated sign-up bonus. Here’s a quick breakdown of how they stack up:
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. |
Drawbacks and considerations
Rewards redemption is limited and cumbersome
Instead of cash back, this card’s rewards come in the form of Disney Rewards Dollars, which are worth $1 each when redeemed toward eligible goods or services. The good news for cardholders of the Disney® Premier Visa® Card is that rewards can be used as a statement credit toward airline travel — a perk exclusive to the premier level of the card. This benefit starts at 50 Disney Reward Dollars for a $50 airline statement credit.
Otherwise, Disney Rewards Dollars 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. You could skip the fuss — and earn more on some of your spending — by using a straightforward cash-back credit card and using that cash towards your Disney trip. The Citi Double Cash® Card earns 2% cash back on all purchases (1% when you buy; 1% when you pay it off) and you can use those cash-back rewards however you choose.
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 keep in mind, 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.
If you sign up for the Disney® Premier Visa® Card, but you're not sure you're getting enough value after the first year, you may be eligible to downgrade to the Disney® Visa® Card in order to maintain most of the same cardholder perks without the added cost.
How to decide if it's right for you
If you’re excited about a credit card that features your favorite Disney character, will take advantage of the perks and discounts this card offers or are interested in special financing on your next Disney vacation, this card could be of interest. For the first year, at least, the elevated sign-up bonus does cover the cost of the card’s annual fee when compared with the Disney® Visa® Card.
Long term, the benefits of this card probably will not be worth its annual fee. Not to mention, the paltry rewards it offers can’t compete with the higher rewards rates and more versatile value of a general-purpose cash-back credit card.
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.
