Money Saving Tips for Discount Disney Gift Cards
This covers our best money-saving tips for buying discount Disney gift cards via Target, Kroger, Meijer, Sam’s Club, Best Buy, and beyond. Some deals offer big savings for your Walt Disney World vacation, while others are modest but easier. (Updated December 11, 2023.)
Since we are pretty big on stretching our vacation dollar with all sorts of travel hacks, we thought we’d share some of the best methods for scoring discounted Disney gift cards. Some of this might sound complicated and intimidating, but it’s really easy once you get the hang of it, and the upside is so tremendous that it makes the effort of learning well worth it.
With that said, I understand that this is not going to be for everyone. If you don’t have a credit card or are uncomfortable making online purchases, this definitely isn’t for you. While there are a few 101 level travel hacks here, a couple of the tricks are more 404 level.
As good deals come and go, we update this post with the best options for saving money on Disney gift cards. (If you see a “last updated” date at the top of this post, it’s because we’ve found a new limited time deal.) Some of them are convoluted and have limited applicability. Others are open to everyone but have stricter purchase limits.
Regardless, this is one of the easiest way to save money on Walt Disney World vacations–and one of the few that is “stackable” with other discounts. Subscribe to our free email newsletter for a heads up if or when more Disney gift card deals go live.
With that said, here are the various options for saving money on Disney gift cards. Note that these are not always available–they come and go. If you click a link and full price gift cards come up, you’re not missing anything–the deal isn’t being offered!
Costco
Costco Wholesale currently is selling $250 Disney eGift Cards for $225 (deal available as of December 11, 2023–no end date is known). You need to be an active Costco Member and signed in to your account to purchase at sale price. This is delivered via email, so the recipient’s email address must be supplied in email field on the Shipping Address page.
There’s a limit of 2 Disney gift cards per membership, meaning $500 for the price of $450. These can be combined with other gift cards via Disney’s online management tool. We’ve seen scattered reports (with hit or miss results) of some Costco members being able to make two different transactions, each with 2 gift cards in them.
It seems like you’re more likely to be successful if you have a membership with multiple members on it, each having a unique ID. Or if you place one order one day, and another the next. Regardless, don’t be surprised if your second transaction is unsuccessful. (We haven’t heard of anyone managing 3 or more orders. Two is the max.)
Sam’s Club
From time to time, Sam’s Club members may purchase Disney gift cards for 10% off, to be delivered electronically. When offered, these deals are online only and while supplies last; prices may vary in club. The last time we saw this offered was at the start of the Christmas 2023 shopping season.
Note that this is an eGift card, and it will be emailed within 48 hours of purchase. It’s also worth noting that Sam’s Club is available via various credit card and online cashback portals. Almost all of those explicitly exclude gift card purchases from receiving cash back, but it still doesn’t hurt to try. Might get through and end up saving even more money!
Best Buy
Another currently unavailable but frequently repeated discount is Best Buy offering 10% discounts to My Best Buy Plus or Total members. For those who are unfamiliar with it, this is essentially their version of Amazon Prime, offering expedited shipping and access to exclusive sale prices.
It’s also not uncommon to find discount Disney gift cards are sold at Best Buy without the need for a BB+ membership. That’s happened multiple times for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, with the retailer selling $50 Disney gift cards for $45, or a savings of 10% off.
Where this deal gets really sweet is if you have If you have any Chase credit or debit cards (or the Best Buy card), as many of these have targeted offers for 10% cashback at Best Buy. That should be stackable with this offer, making the discount even better.
In terms of fine print, you’re limited to one Disney gift card per transaction and account, although some people have reported success placing 2 separate orders or buying more with different accounts. Others have had their subsequent order(s) cancelled, not that we know from personal experience or anything. Basically, it’s YMMV after the first order.
Kroger Fuel Points
For those of you near Kroger grocery stores, this is one of the better “everyday” ways to save on Disney gift cards (well, technically, you’re saving money on gas, but it’s because of the gift cards). Normally, every dollar you spend at Kroger earns 1 fuel point, or 2 fuel points on gift card purchases. On occasion, Kroger offers 4X fuel points (sometimes it’s for a period of weeks, sometimes for a single day), which really sweetens the deal.
For every 100 fuel points you redeem, you save $0.10 off every gallon of gas (up to $1/gallon off) you purchase on a single fuel purchase. The precise value of this deal varies based upon how large of a gas tank you’re filling (and how empty your tank), so obviously those with trucks and larger vehicles are going to do better here.
Let’s say your gas tank has 25 gallons of empty space: the normal offer could be worth $25 for every $500 spent (5% savings). With the 4X deal, you’re looking at 10% savings. Stack this with a credit card that earns extra at grocery stores, and this can be one of the best deals out there when the 4X bonus is available.
While we use this for Disney gift cards, like many of the offers here, the same theory can be applied to a variety of other stores, including Target, Lowe’s, Southwest Airlines, GAP, iTunes, and Visa. Note to be mindful that the generic ‘Visa’ gift cards have an activation fee, which more or less kills the deal.
Target REDCard
The Target REDcard gets you an automatic 5% discount on any purchase at Target, including gift cards. Among other things, Target sells Disney gift cards both online and in-store, making for a simple way to save 5% on your Walt Disney World vacation.
If you don’t have a Target Red Card it might be worth getting one just to take advantage of this deal. Consider this: many Disney fans are Disney Visa cardholders (a fairly crumby credit card, honestly) because of the Disney perks. However, by virtue of this one deal, the Target Red Card is unquestionably a better card from a rewards perspective for Disney fans.
It may not have Mickey Mouse’s picture on the card, but the Target REDcard gives Disney fans (who know how to use it) greater rewards. You can also take advantage of it with the Target Red Debit Card, which can be a good option for those who don’t want a credit card…or another one.
Meijer Mperks
If you live in the Midwest or one of the other regions in the United States with Meijer stores, they often run $5 off $50 promos on gift cards. When available, this is limited to a total of 10 rewards purchases–or $500 in gift cards–per Mperks account. (Meijer routinely runs this offer, usually multiple times per year.)
This means you can purchase a single Disney gift card for $500 and you’ll earn ten rewards of $5 (or $50 total) to use on future purchases. This essentially makes it identical to the BJ’s deal, albeit without the membership and Chase Freedom credit card requirements–the only catch here is that not everyone has Meijer stores near them. Sadly, we don’t!
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Another good deal available from time to time is via BJ’s Wholesale Club. Members can purchase a $500 gift card for a discounted amount, sometimes as low as $469.99 during sales. This savings isn’t huge on its own, but it’s sometimes the best option–and it can be “sweetened” for some Chase credit card holders.
That’s because if you have a Chase Freedom credit card, the quarterly 5% bonus category can include PayPal purchases, and you can use pay on the BJ’s site using PayPal linked to your Chase Freedom credit card. In that scenario, the effective cost ends up being under $450 for the $500 Disney gift card. Double win!
Warehouse Clubs
Even easier than the Kroger Fuel Points is the discounted Disney gift cards Sam’s Club and Costco sometimes sell. These gift cards (or packs of gift cards) aren’t always available, and when they are, the savings are usually 4-6%, but if you’re not too keen on the other methods (or don’t have Kroger near you), it can be a “better than nothing” scenario.
This deal can be sweetened if you have a Chase Freedom credit card, as wholesale clubs are one of the rotating 5X categories (this quarter, in fact). Speaking of credit cards, make sure you have the correct credit card when visiting your warehouse club of choice (Sam’s Club now accepts Visa; Costco stopped accepting AmEx). You don’t want to have to pay in cash, causing you to lose out on that bonus!
Cashback Portals
Another way to sweeten the deal is by combining the gift card churning with cashback shopping portals. There are a variety of these, and the percentages of cashback they offer can vary based upon what promos they’re offering, and the product purchased. I like to use cashbackmonitor.com or evreward.com for a quick “at a glance” comparison of the cashback portals.
I use cashback portals fairly regularly, but this typically does not hold true when it comes to gift card churning. Many retailers exclude gift cards from their cashback offers, and while you can still game the system to get cashback on gift card purchases (although they are technically excluded, the retailers and cashback sites often do not effectively communicate as to the substance of the order), it’s inconsistent.
More importantly (for me, at least), I’ve heard stories of people being blacklisted from certain online retailers as a result of “manipulating” the cashback portals for their gift card purchase rackets. This is another “your mileage may vary” situation, so consider giving it a try for greater savings.
This is another option that can be leveraged in myriad different ways, and with cards that have nothing to do with Disney. If you’re really serious and/or crazy, you could go full circle and apply the principles gleaned here to do manufactured spends. I’m not going to go into further detail on that, as the line between that type of churning and “gift card laundering” is a thin one. Both sides of that “line” are totally legal, the latter might cause some headaches.
With all of these strategies, I’d recommend not doing this too far in advance of your trip; if you’re doing any of this 3 years in advance, you aren’t beating the system at all–you’d be better off making actual investments given typical ROI and the time value of money.
I’d also recommend not tying up more money than you can afford to be stuck in limbo; if you’re paying interest on credit cards to fund this, you’re also losing in the grand scheme of things. Finally, be careful. While all of this is perfectly legal, businesses aren’t exactly “fans” of customers exploiting their policies. If you are cycling a lot of money through any retailer solely in gift card purchases, you might draw some attention to yourself, and risk catching their ire.
With all of that said, good luck leveraging these Disney gift card hacks to save a little more money on your Walt Disney World vacation! With a little work, these strategies can be incredibly valuable and make those exorbitant prices a little more palatable. Once you learn the ropes with using these tactics for Disney, think bigger picture. There are entire blogs and websites devoted to travel hacks, including churning, manufactured spends, etc. Once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are almost endless.
Likewise, if anything sounds confusing, feel free to ask questions–everyone starts from the beginning, and my explanations as someone who has been ‘hacking’ for a while might be insufficient for walking beginners through these processes from start to finish.
Need Disney trip planning tips and comprehensive advice? Make sure to read Disney Parks Vacation Planning Guides, where you can find comprehensive guides to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond! For Disney updates, discount information, a free download of our Money-Saving Tips for Walt Disney World eBook, and much more, sign up for our free monthly newsletter!
Your Thoughts
Have you tried purchasing “discount” Disney gift cards to cut the cost of your vacation? Any other strategies you’ve used to save for a Walt Disney World trip? Questions about any of the techniques we’ve shared? We love hearing from readers, so please share some of your favorite ways to save, or any other thoughts or questions you have, in the comments!
I wanted to write and share my recent (tentative) success.
I purchased Email Only Disney Gift Cards on Target.com; I used my target card. This gave me a 5% discount. Last night, I purchased $200 and then $1000 in gift cards.
I also purchased from my laptop computer using Ebates. This gave me an additional 1% on my target purchase!! I only did this on the $1000 purchase and got an Ebates email this morning stating that I was getting $9.50 cash back.
Then, I visited disneygiftcard.com to combine my gift cards (this worked when the balance was below $1000; it stopped working when the balance was pushed above $1000).
Finally, I went to My Disney Experience and used my $200 gift card to purchase memory maker. That worked! Today, I gave a $931 gift card to my travel agent to apply to my account. If that works, then I will buy more gift cards.
Overall, it was some work to buy and combine the numbers, but for $1000, it was less than 30 minutes. Given that I was earning over $50 for my 30 minutes of time, it was completely worth it to me.
So, how many gift cards (how much) can you buy at a time with a red card? Can you buy more online or in store? TIA!
Target.com will cancel your order if you use a Target gift card to purchase other gift cards online. However, if you use a Target gift card in-store to purchase other gift cards – they WILL allow it. Has this been everyone else’s experience?
They have signs up in the stores (and have for a months) which state target gift cards can no longer be used to purchase other prepaid gift cards. The information in this blog is out of date as of almost a year ago when Target introduced a bunch of changes around their prepaid gift card purchase policies.
You cannot use your RedCArd for 5% off and then pay with anything else. You must use your RedCard for the 5% off. Which means all these website telling us you can use both is incorrect information. Here is the information directly from the Target website.:
When you use your Target Debit Cardâ„¢, Target Credit Cardâ„¢ or Targetâ„¢ Mastercard® (each, a “REDcardâ„¢”) at Target stores or Target.com, you will receive 5% off your purchases. If you use a REDcard in the same purchase transaction with another form of payment, the 5% discount will apply only to the purchase amount tendered to your REDcard. 5% discount applies to eligible purchases minus any other discounts and the value of any promotional Target gift cards received in the transaction. Target reserves the right to discontinue or alter the terms of this program at any time.
5% discount does not apply to the following:
Prescriptions, over-the-counter items located behind the pharmacy counter and clinic services at Target
Target Opticalâ„¢ eye exams
Target gift cards and prepaid cards, Stockpile and Gift of College gift cards
Previous purchases
Certain restaurant merchants in Target stores, such as D’Amico & Sons Italian Kitchen, Freshii and Pret A Manger
Target credit account payments, Target Debit Card cash back and cash advances on the Target Mastercard
Gift wrap and shipping and handling charges on Target.com purchases
Wireless protection program purchases and deposits required by mobile carrier
Where otherwise prohibited by law
This website is False. Yesterday I tried 3 different times to use Target Gift Cards and my Target Red Card. Could not do it on the Target website nor in the store.
From the post: “UPDATE: Many people have reported having their orders canceled when doing gift card to gift card purchases on Target.com. While some orders have gotten through, it appears unofficial Target policy has changed to stop allowing gift card to gift card purchases online. You can still purchase gift cards with gift cards in stores.
We highly recommend reading the comments section below to see what the current “status” of the Target Red Card/gift card purchases is based on recent reader reports before using this method. It’s unclear whether this is a permanent change by Target, or a temporary issue with their system.”
Does anyone know of a way to sell gift cards? I have saved some for a couple years and for a future trip that I am not longer able to take.
@Alan let me know if they’re Disney Gcs and how much! I need to get some more for my trip!
This blog is giving false information. Target stores does NOT allow you to purchase a giftcard with a giftcard in the store. Dont run out buying hundreds in target giftcards you WILL be screwed.
Target changed their policy some time in summer 2016 where you can’t buy gift cards with target gift cards online. You can, however, still buy them in store but at that point you will not get the other 5% savings from your Red Card. It’s simpler to just buy them with your Target Red Card in store.
Sadly the Disney Vacation Account has been cancelled, they are issuing refunds for any account holders
The Target.com website specifically says that “you cannot use a Target Gift card to purchase this card”. Also says that the Disney cards are not sold in stores. So I’d be Leary to try.
Disney Gift Cards are sold in Target Stores.
1715 Arvada Dr
Sorry about that… want to delete that accidental posting…. My question is can Disney gift cards bought at Target be used at Disney
Yes, yes they can. For just about everything!
I think the trick with the Target RED card and raise gift cards is having an order that is over half non-gift cards. It worked for me the other day (June 19, 2017), but before that, it did not work. It’s hard to understand what makes the system catch it.
For now, it’s probably smart to not buy more in Target gift cards than you could use at Target.
I just tried with 8 total items in my cart. 1 X $50 Disney Gift Card and 7 miscellaneous items and it did not work. I got an error message saying you cannot purchase this type of gift card with a Target Gift Card.
Order $100 gift cards from BJ’s (no membership necessary) – they are 5% off and ship free. Pay with Discover card – anything you buy at BJ’s through 6/30/17 gets you 5% back on your Discover bill. Total saving 9+%. I’ve done it twice this month and it worked just fine.
I an always late to the party. The current discover deal is restaurants. Does anyone know of a restaurant that sells disney cards?
As of June 2, 2017 per Target Chat: You cannot use a target gift card online to purchase a specialty gift card – this deal no longer works.
Yep! Pretty upset that I just went and bought $100 worth of Target gift cards to find out that I can’t use them to purchase a Disney gift card from Target. 🙁
So what’s the verdict? Has anyone tried to do the redcard stacked with discounted giftcards successfully as of the end of April 2017 and/or beginning of May 2017? 😉
I am totally prepared to go buy the giftcards, but don’t want a sunk cost when I could’ve just bought them via redcard and saved the same percentage.
Thanks,
Gabe
The Raise.com method does not work. You can save the 5% with the RedCard but do not waste your money buying target gift cards from raise. You cannot stack them.
I think the Target trick is dead. It doesn’t even give you the full redcard discount off regular merchandise when you partially pay with gift cards anymore.
Rachel, the Target trick is not dead. I just purchased some Disney Gift Cards online using my red card. I received the 5% off at checkout. I have been purchasing Disney Gift Cards from Target online and in the store since Feb. Getting ready for a trip in August. No issues and earned my 5% off with each transaction.
The deal is dead. You cannot pay with a gift card to buy a gift card and get the 5% discount. You can purchase gift cards with a target red card and get 5%off
Just went to Sams club and bought gift cards (that you recommended to save money) for $800 to buy our tickets from Parksavers.com, would have been nice on all these 5000 pages if you wrote that you cannot use the gift card there, which is the #1 page you recommend for tickets to save money. Came to checkout only to find out we cannot pay with gift cards…money well spent….what are we supposed to do now? We would have saved money by NOT buying the gift cards and instead bought the tickets with our “own money”, now we have $800 worth of gift cards we cannot use, or we have to buy more expensive tickets somewhere else and the “saving tips” was a waste of our time!
PEOPLE don’t buy gift cards to pay tickets at parksavers, you CAN’T and will waste your money and time, you cannot return gift cards!!!!!
Why would you think you could use a Disney gift card at a non-Disney business? That would be like getting mad that Wal-mart won’t take a Disney gift card if you buy a princess castle there. Do some research and think. Guess you want the blogger to list all the places the Disney gift cards aren’t valid. Okay here’s a start you can’t use them on Delta Airlines, In-N-Out Burger or Whole Foods. You can’t use Disney gift cards on amazon.com. I think you’re starting to see how this game is played.
I believe that you CAN return Disney gift cards purchased at Sam’s Club as my sister-in-law did this after unexpectedly having to cancel her Disney trip.
I can use the Disney gift cards anywhere in the parks?
I have been accumulating my Plenti points at Rite Aid. They often have promotions which you can get $15 worth of points back on your card for buying a $100 disney gift card. And, plenti points can be used towards gift card purchases!
Plenti points to can’t be used to purchase gift cards.
Can I use my disney annual pass discount when using a disney gift card to pay for my purchase at Disneyland?
You sure can! I do it every time I am there! 🙂
Ty, Awesome read every word… to some people it sounds like much but I’m not trying to give anymore more money than I have to with getting locked up. Again thank you so much.
We bought discounted Walmart gift cards through gift card granny for 4% off. Depending on with Credit card you use, you can most likely get 1 – 2% percent cash back. Then we took those gift cards to Sam’s club and purchased discounted Disney GC’s at 5% off. Our total savings was 10.5% for our trip in April which was roughly $450.
Were these physical walmart gift cards or can you use the mobile ones there?