Where money is concerned..... About This Page:

[kemom_wdw]

My DH and I are having a conflict as to the better way to go. I think we should use traveler's checks and he thinks we should use the Visa Checkcard (That's attached to our checking acct!!!!!!!)
A friend of mine had a good point....we had a problem with a payment that I made online when I first booked. I used our checkcard to try to make a $200 payment and it charged the WHOLE balance! No one could reverse it right away and the money was gone from our account for almost a month while things were being straightened out. Luckily, it was our tax return and we were okay for money, but if that were to happen again, that would be a bit of a hardship.

My question is this....we have no Disney stores around us for GC's (which was another good idea); does anyone have any ideas as to a good way for us to handle money while we're there? We had thought about a reloadable Visa from Walmart, but tat doesn't really appeal to me that much either.

[oldmom]

AAA has a card you load instead of traveler's checks.

[ilovedisney247]

You can order Disney Gift Card from Disney online!

[tkm1005]

Most hotels tell you not to use check cards for the reason you mentioned so I would definitely lean toward a gift card or preloaded visa option for vacation expenses.

[Wolfy6688]

[smilechaser]

I personally like to mix and match, just in case there is a problem. I like to have a cc, a debit card, travelers checks and some cash. Another idea is I really like to use my room charge as much as possible and pay that back with another source before it goes to my cc. That was if there is a problem there is that buffer there for disputeing the error, you can review b4 you pay so to speak. I was charged double for something on our last trip and went to concierge and explained it, they took it off my room charge and corrected it right away, which would not have been the case if it was on my visa or debit card.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by alecshawn

Debit Cards are by FAR the worst thing to use on vacation. Any financial expert will tell you thats it is just stupid to use for anything other than "normal purchase" I.E. Wal-Mart, Walgreens. If you have an issue..too late, the money is GONE from your checking.

That all depends on your financial institution. Ours is great; one year, someone filched my partner's debit card (Christmas season), and wandered off to one of the most expensive stores in that very mall (a Lloyd & Taylors, IIRC. OR maybe it was a MAcy's ...). Not only did their signature not even come close, they didn't bother trying to sign my partner's name, they signed their OWN name! ("America's Dumbest Criminals", indeed!) Now, my partner had called the lost/stolen card in immediately upon discovering it - but an hour had passed, as she'd gone directly home from that last store, and didn't discover the theft right away.

So, the next day she went to our Credit Union to deal with the card theft (and get a replacement); that's where she learned it'd been USED, at a store she never goes to. The credit union called up the store, got the signature faxed to them, looked, did a double-take, verified it was the right credit slip being faxed to them, and asked "didn't your cashier notice that the signature doesn't even start with the same letter as the name on the card?? For an answer - get this - the store told them "during the Holiday season, we are too busy to bother checking signatures on every card; your customer should have been more careful with her card."

Seriously, they figured "we have the money, there's nothing you can do about it, ha ha".

So by now, everyone's thinking my partner was screwed, right? Wrong! We SO our credit union for what they said back: "And I guess we're just too busy to honor any charges made at or by your company, period." And hung up on the store manager!

And then, thirty seconds later, my partner's account was refunded the entire amount of the disputed charge, *poof* just like that.

Ain't they just GREAT?

... the next day, I closed my old accounts at another bank, and opened a new account at that credit union. I've been with 'em ever since, and have zero intentions of ever going elsewhere.

[revral]

Originally Posted by alecshawn

Debit Cards are by FAR the worst thing to use on vacation. Any financial expert will tell you thats it is just stupid to use for anything other than "normal purchase" I.E. Wal-Mart, Walgreens. If you have an issue..too late, the money is GONE from your checking.
Travelers checks...Never used em.

I think it depends not only on your bank/credit union but also on what type of debit card you have. The debit cards that have a credit card company logo on them usually have most if not all of the same protections that a credit card has. I know my master card debit card from my bank has either 0 liability or a $50 liability limit (can't remember which), automatically doubles or triples the warranty on products purchased entirely with the card (can't remember which), and a bunch of other benefits that I can't remember as well as having a $3000/day point of sale limit and a $500/day cash limit. All that said I'm as careful and cautious about any cards or cash on vacation as I am at home perhaps more so because I'm away from family and friends that I could go to for money if I had to and assuming I'm somewhere where there's a branch of my bank none of the tellers would know me so if my id was lost or stolen even if I could go to a branch of my bank I wouldn't be able to get money out of my account. There are also situations that I refuse to use anything but cash no matter whether I'm at home or on vacation the example that comes immediately to mind is paying for a taxi/cab.

[alisonhinsley]

Being an overseas visitor we use a mixture of credit, debit cards, TCs and cash. We also mix up who carrys what so I carry some of my DH cards & TCs and like wise he carries some of mine. the idea being if one purse/wallet goes missing the we are not dependent on one persons money. ( Dh's wallet went missing on our 2000 WDW trip and we were reliant on my money particularly as America Express were so unhelpful)
For large purchases it make sense for us to pay with the credit cards as this comes with insurance if the purchase is over £100
Travellers cheques are accepted in most place around Orlando as if it was cash so is the safest . We have cash so that we can tip and pay the tolls,
Debit cards are the norm in the UK but you are right you need to be careful that you have money in the account. We only tend use these to withdraw additional money as it has been the cheapest option to get more dollars whilst we are out in the US but it does depend on the exchange rate and bank charges.

[delilah smith]

I thought I was doing a good thing and went got TC ,$700 in TC $300. in cash and then we have $450 on a CC from a refund from you know that airline AIR TRAN. Well when I told DH he was not to happy, I think its because he cant use them unless I'm whit him for my name is on all of them for I'm the one who went and got them. So now I'm going back to the bank to cash them in, I'm not happy about this at all.

[WeRDisneyFanatics]

We use a mix of cash and room charge (we leave a regular credit card at check-in, not our debit card). We bring a set amount of cash to the parks each day and leave the rest in the room safe. We use cash for small items like souveniers or snacks. For bigger items --like TS meals--we use the room charge.

[WillCAD]

Using a check card too much is not a great idea for another reason - each transaction incurs a small fee (in my case, 20 cents). These fees can add up over the course of a week-long vacation.

Instead, my strategy is to use the card to withdraw cash from the ATM once, right after I arrive; this incurs a single fee of about $4 ($2 from the owner of the ATM, $2 from my bank). I withdraw the maximum amount I can in a day (in my case, $300) and keep the bulk of it in my hotel safe, while carrying a minimal amount around with me for daily purchases.

Most of my saving for a WDW trip is done with Disney Gift Cards, which have no fees, never expire, and can be replaced if lost. I add money to my Gift Card every payday throughout the year, giving me a substantial budget by the time my trip comes around.

However, adding money to a Disney Gift Card can only be done in person at a Disney Store. If you have no Disney Stores nearby, your only option for these is to buy them online periodically and collect a bunch of them as you save for your trip. When buying Disney Gift Cards online, you are limited to fixed amounts, incur shipping charges, and you can't add money to a Gift Card online. Hoever, if you plan properly, this can still be a viable option.

No matter how you carry your money to WDW, if you are staying at a WDW resort, you can simply put yout money down as a deposit to enable room charging on your KTTW card, and not worry about the logistics of carrying money, cards, or travellers checks around with you.

[Caldercup]

Great advice, Will!
Eileen

[Griffin]

I'm not much help, the first couple of times we went on vaca we used TC but now it's all cash and a credit card (and whatever dollars we have on our rewards card!) To me as long as you know where your money is at all times, it's the easiest route to go.

[MMMD]

I never use traveler's checks for the reason Delilah mentioned, it's just too inconvenient. Remember that you can carry cash and deposit it on account at your hotel and then use KTTW card for purchases.

I would also check with your financial institution regarding your debit card's protection. Mine is a Visa and I'm only responsible for $50 if the card is lost/stolen and used.