Disney Visa: Perks in the Park, but Not in Your Wallet
The Bottom Line
4.5
It might suit for those opposed to paying an annual fee. But there are far more valuable options for Disney die-hards, including other credit cards within Disney's own portfolio.
Rates, fees and offers
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%
Bonus offer
Get a $100 Disney Gift Card eGift to use today upon approval + earn a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 28.49%, 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.
More details from Chase
More details from Chase
- Get a $100 Disney Gift Card eGift to use today upon approval + earn a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars on all card purchases. There are no limits to the number of Rewards Dollars you can earn.
- 0% promo APR for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages from the date of purchase, after that a variable APR of 18.24% – 27.74%
- 10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations and 10% off select dining locations most days at the Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort.
- Save 10% on select purchases at DisneyStore.com
- Member FDIC
Pros and Cons
Pros
Intro APR period
No reward caps
Cons
Low rewards rate
Complicated redemptions
Rewards have limited flexibility
Detailed Review
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 not necessarily 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 either the higher-end Disney® Inspire Visa® Card — which offers much more value — or a general-purpose rewards credit card.
Disney offers three credit cards, all issued by Chase: the Disney® Visa® Card, the Disney® Premier Visa® Card and the Disney® Inspire Visa® Card. All of them charge different fees and feature different rewards and perks. See our comparison table below.
Disney® Visa® Card: Basics
Card type: Rewards.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Get a $100 Disney Gift Card eGift to use today upon approval + earn a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards:
1% back in Disney Rewards Dollars on all purchases.
One Disney Rewards Dollar has a value of $1 when you use it toward eligible Disney purchases, including Disney theme park tickets, cruises and resort stays, as well as for things like shopping, experiences and dining at eligible U.S. Disney properties and online (including at DisneyStore.com). You can also use Rewards Dollars toward eligible Disney movies at AMC Theaters.
Redemption options:
To redeem Disney Rewards Dollars toward certain Disney products and offerings, you'll need to request a "Disney Rewards Redemption Card." You can do so by logging into your Disney account and linking your Disney® Inspire Visa® Card to it, or by logging into your Chase account. (You'll need to have earned a minimum of 20 Rewards Dollars to make the request.) You can then load your Rewards Dollars onto the Disney Rewards Redemption Card and use that as a payment method toward eligible Disney purchases. You can reload a redemption card with a minimum of 10 Rewards Dollars at any time. Rewards do not expire. A redemption card could be an ideal option if, say, you'd like your children to have a payment method they can use inside a Disney park.
Alternately, you can avoid much of that hassle by instead using Chase's Pay Yourself Back feature, which allows you to redeem Disney Rewards Dollars directly as statement credits toward eligible purchases on sites like DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com and Plus.ESPN.com, and even toward airline tickets with any carrier, with no blackout dates. The drawback here, though, is that unlike the Disney Rewards Redemption Card, using Pay Yourself Back will affect your credit limit, at least temporarily, as you make the purchase, wait for it to clear on your card, and then pay yourself back with statement credit.
Also of note: To use Pay Yourself Back this way, the purchase must have been made within the past 90 days.
APR: The ongoing APR is 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fee: 3%.
Other benefits:
10% discounts on select merchandise purchases at DisneyStore.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.
Choose among several specialized Disney card art designs.
How it compares to the other Disney cards
The $0-annual-fee Disney® Visa® Card is the least expensive of the three Disney co-branded credit cards, but it also features the poorest rewards. It does offer some of the same benefits as the midtier card in the family, the $49-annual-fee Disney® Premier Visa® Card, but not nearly as much value as you'd get back with the $149-annual-fee Disney® Inspire Visa® Card.
| Empty Table Header | Disney® Inspire Visa® Card | Disney® Premier Visa® Card | Disney® Visa® Card |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual fee | $149 | $49. | $0. |
Rewards |
|
| • 1% in rewards on all purchases. |
Welcome bonus | Get a $300 Disney Gift Card eGift to use today upon approval + earn a $300 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Get a $200 Disney Gift Card eGift to use today upon approval + earn a $100 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Get a $100 Disney Gift Card eGift to use today upon approval + earn a $50 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
Extra perks |
|
|
|
Foreign transaction fee | 0. | 3%. | 3%. |
Compare to Other Cards
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Benefits and Perks
Disney vacation financing
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 Co., or with an eligible Disney travel agent. The ongoing APR is 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR.
Cardholders enjoy special benefits and discounts
If you're a frequent park hopper, these Disney cards 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 also 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.
Don't want a new credit card? Many of these Disney discounts and perks are available with 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 or Minnie — 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.
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 just $1 back, in the form of Disney Rewards Dollars. That’s truly unimpressive, considering the industry standard for flat-rate rewards cards is between 1.5% and 2% back on everything.
With that in mind, you could instead consider an option like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, which offers 2% cash back on all eligible purchases for a $0 annual fee. It also has a sizable welcome bonus: Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. The introductory APR promotion can also offer an interest-free window to finance a Disney vacation: Get a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR.
Disney Rewards Dollars redemption can be cumbersome
Unless you’re using the card’s Pay Yourself Back option, the redemption process for Disney Rewards Dollars involves requesting a separate Disney Rewards Redemption Card, and then loading and reloading it with rewards.
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 to earn general travel rewards to book their hotel, flight or cruise.
If you prefer a more straightforward redemption experience, a card like the aforementioned Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card lets you redeem rewards easily and seamlessly, in the form of cash back, gift cards, statement credit and more.
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.
With a card like the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, you can better value without roadblocks or strings attached. It earns 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cards booked through Capital One Travel; 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, purchases at grocery stores, and popular streaming services; and 1% cash back on all other purchases. That 3% rate on entertainment will apply to theme park tickets. Plus, the card also provides introductory offers for new cardholders. For one thing, there’s a welcome bonus: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. In addition, you can also finance a Disney vacation with the card's APR promotion: Get a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months; 18.49%-28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
Given that the Disney® Visa® Card has a $0 annual fee, it could be worth picking up before a Disney trip for the special financing, select discounts and park photo ops — or if you're simply excited to sport a card that shows off your favorite Disney or Star Wars character.
But if you're dead-set on a Disney card, you'll likely get more value from the Disney® Inspire Visa® Card, despite its annual fee. Alternately, consider a general purpose cash-back credit card that earns at least 2% back, which you could apply toward future Disney purchases, or a travel credit card that will help you get to to Disney on points or miles.
Theme-park friendly rewards
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great choice for Disney adventures. It earns 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cards booked through Capital One Travel; 3% cash back on grocery stores, dining (including most Disney restaurants), entertainment (including theme parks) and popular streaming services; and 1% cash back on all other purchases. It also has a sign-up bonus and a 0% introductory APR for new cardholders.
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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.
About the author
Jaime Hanson
Lead Writer
