One of the most underrated ways to save on your Disney vacation is by using a Disney co-branded credit card. In this post we provide all the information about both Chase Disney Visa credit cards and the Chase Disney debit card to help you decide whether these cards are right for you!
The Basics About the Chase Disney Credit Card
First, there are actually two Chase Disney Visa credit cards, the Disney Visa Card (formerly the Disney Rewards Visa Card) and the Disney Premier Visa Card. We compare the two versions throughout this post, but for most purposes, they aren’t that different. Finally, there is a Chase Disney debit card, which we discuss later in this post.
The Disney Credit Card Is An Exclusive Product of Chase
Chase bank is the exclusive issuer of co-branded Disney credit and debit cards in the United States. If you are interested in applying for one of the two Disney credit cards, first finish this review, then head over to the official Chase website for information on applying for the cards.
The Disney rewards credit cards are “co-branded.” This means that the bank that issues them is Chase, but they partner with Disney so that cardholders get special perks, including the ability to earn Disney rewards dollars with every purchase (more on that below).
While Chase is the bank issuing the card, the best source of information about the cards is usually Disney’s dedicated website at DisneyRewards.com. That site contains a good overview of the perks of the card.
Annual Fees for the Chase Disney Visa Cards
Depending on which of the two cards you pick up, your Disney credit card will have an annual fee of either $0 (Disney Visa Card) or $49 (Disney Premier Visa Card). Whether that $49 is worth it is basically a question of exactly what you'll put on the card, as we discuss below.
Signup Bonuses for the Disney Chase Visa Cards
[Last Updated April 19, 2023]
The Disney Premier card has a signup bonus of a $300 statement credit after spending $1000 in the first three months. The Disney Visa card has a $150 statement credit after spending $500 in the first three months
Because the annual fee for the Premier card is only $49, you might be better off signing up for the Premier version, earning the higher signup bonus, enjoying a year with a slightly better card, and then calling Chase to change to the no-fee option when your second year rolls around. Typically the best way to do this is to wait until the annual fee posts in your second year, then call to downgrade within 30 days. However, you should always conduct a search to see recent best practices.
While this product change is usually possible, it isn’t a guarantee. There’s a chance you’re left with the choice of keeping the Premier or closing it, which can impact credit scores.
Disney Premier Visa Disney+ / Hulu / ESPN+ Credits
Disney Premier Visa cardholders can get $12.99 or $13.99 back for up to three consecutive months for select Disney+ / Hulu / ESPN+ purchases. The terms of this are a little vague, but I believe most any subscription that hits the $12.99 floor should qualify. This means these cardholders can get $38.97 to $41.97 back.
Despite what you’d expect, this perk is not advertised as an annual perk—it’s a one-time perk. As of this update, the terms require the purchases to be made by September 2023.
Disney Chase Visa Credit Card Perks
The perks of the Disney Chase Visa credit card are where it really shines. This is the strong suit of the card, in our opinion. Even if you’re just a Disney casual, you can save hundreds of dollars using these perks.
The Disney Chase Visa cards are actually rare cards the we recommend getting just for the perks. The upside of the great perks is that you're able to get a lot of value out of the card very easily.
The downside is that you will go 11 months without using the card, only to forget it the one time a year you need it for your annual visit to the Disney parks. This is why our Disney Visa Card makes our list of 10 Disney essentials we always forget to pack.
Here are some of the major perk to consider when evaluating these card (perks change every so often, so consult the official card page for the latest). These perks are available to both cards (see the official perks page here):
10% off select dining locations at Disney World and Disneyland
10% off select Disney merchandise purchases of $50 or more at Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Store, and DisneyStore.com
15% off select tours, like our favorite, Keys to the Kingdom, at Disney World and Disneyland
Special character experiences at Disney World and Disneyland
Access to select cardmember discounts on Disney vacations
Special 0% financing on select Disney vacation packages
There are other perks at Aulani, Vero Beach, and Hilton Head, along with perks on Disney Cruise Line.
It’s important to note the frequent use of “select” in the above list. The Chase Disney Visa credit cards are not a panacea of benefits. You have to pay attention to which restaurants you’re dining at, which tours you’re taking, and so on.
For the most part, you’re getting something similar to the discounts of a Walt Disney World annual pass, while a Disneyland Annual Pass is actually significantly better for dining discounts.
From discounts on dining and merchandise, the cash savings alone can make this card worth it. And while we don't recommend going into debt to finance a Disney vacation, the 0% financing can be a handy perk. (It’s important to note this 0% financing on Disney vacation packages is different from promotions like 0% intro APR on all purchases, that you’ll occasionally see to entice people to get cards. This is a separate perk specifically for Disney vacation packages.)
The vacation package discounts are a little trickier. They might seem like a great perk, but you'll be locked into using your Disney Visa card to purchase these packages through Disney. Some of the vacation offers can be pretty tempting, like this old offer of fourth night free at Aulani:
This means no Citi Prestige 4th Night Free, no other hotel discounts, and sometimes no ticket discounts. Disney’s discounts can usually be beaten using a combination of these methods, so we're actually not sure this perk is worth much at all.
When using the dining and travel discounts, you'll also miss out on the points you could earn putting your vacation on a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which earns 3X Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining. (But you’ll get Disney Rewards Dollars, as we discuss below.)
Disney Rewards Program
The Disney Rewards program is the points program available to holders of the Chase Disney Visa credit cards.
Earning Disney Rewards Dollars
Individuals who use the Chase Disney credit cards for eligible purchases earn Disney Rewards Dollars on their purchases at a rate of 1 or 2 Disney "cents" per dollar spent. Specifically…
Disney Visa cardholders earn 1% back in Disney Rewards Dollars on all purchases
Disney Premier Visa cardholders earn:
5% back on purchases at Hulu.com, DisneyPlus.com, and ESPNPlus.com
2% back at “gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney locations”
1% back on everything else.
Points left in your account expire 5 years after the month in which they’re earned.
Redeeming Disney Rewards Dollars
You can redeem Disney Rewards Dollars using a Disney Redemption Card, which is a bit like a Disney gift card. Redemption cards have no expiration date, regardless of when you earned the points you put on them.
Besides most Disney locations in the United States, redemption cards can be used for certain movie ticket purchases. Premier cardholders can also redeem their Disney dollars towards airfare.
Evaluating the Disney Rewards Program
One of the most common difficulties for Disney travelers is saving for their Disney vacation. Using a Disney credit card makes it a bit easier, as you earn Disney rewards dollars, not cash back or other points, as you spend.
Now, let's be clear: Disney rewards dollars are not as flexible as points or cash back! However, if your goal is to control how you’re spending the money you get back from your credit card, you might want your points to be less flexible!
While the Disney Rewards Program can be really good if you really want to save for a Disney vacation and need to avoid spending that money elsewhere, the truth is that the card can be beat easily on the bottom line by some of the no-fee, 2% cash back cards out there.
If your travel needs are more complex (e.g. international travel), you’ll be better served by spending time researching cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve, the Citi Premier, and the American Express Gold and Platinum cards.
The Best Way To Earn Disney Rewards Dollars
During periods when Chase is allows Disney Visa cardholders to earn referral bonuses, this is an awesome way to earn Disney rewards dollars.
The exact terms of your offer will vary, but basically Chase gives you a link to share with friends and family. If someone applies for the card through that link, you'll get a bonus of some amount of Disney dollars. While there is an upper limit on what you can earn, you can often get hundreds of Disney dollars this way.
Finally, what makes this even better is that many Disney Visa cardholders get special offers for their friends. That is, your friend can get a better signup bonus using your link than they'd get from the public offer. They'd be silly not to help you earn more Disney dollars!!
Which Should You Get — Disney Visa vs. Disney Premier Visa
Choosing between these two Disney Visa cards is a straightforward affair. Both of the cards offer similar perks, so the differences are minimal. There is, unfortunately, some math involved.
Grab the Premier for the Signup Bonus
If you can put $1000 on the card in the first three months, sign up for the Disney Premier Visa Card, earn the signup bonus, and plan to downgrade later.
The $300 statement credit means you'll net $251 in your first year after the $49 annual fee. That’s better than netting $150 by getting the statement credit for the no-fee Disney Visa card.
After having the card for a year, you will usually be able to downgrade the Premier to the standard, no-fee card. If by some strangeness you cannot do so, you could cancel the card (which can impact your credit score). However, for some people it will be worth it to keep the card. How do you know if you're one of them?
Estimate Your Spending To See If the Premier Makes Sense
If you spend $4900 or more each year at “gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney locations,” and you spend at least an average of $49 per year on Disney products (including vacations) or flights, you should keep the Disney Premier Visa Card.
This is simple math—the extra 1% on the quoted categories will earn you an extra $49 in Disney Rewards dollars on $4900 spending. If you can spend that $49 (on Disney products or flights), you’ve offset the $49 annual fee for the card. But of course there’s more to say…
Consider Some Other Cards
The awkward part of this analysis is that if getting the Premier makes sense, you’ll probably still find better value in other cards. Before committing to the annual fee, you should make sure to compare, for example, these other credit cards and the Disney Premier Visa card:
The Citi Double Cash Card earns 2% on all purchases (1% when you spend, 1% when you pay your bill)
The Amex Blue Cash Everyday Earns 3% on up to $6,000 at Supermarkets and 3% on up to $6,000 at Gas Stations
The Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it typically earn 5% on gas stations and groceries one quarter a year
And these are just so no-fee options. Moreover, as we’ve discussed, the Disney Visa is not our favorite card to use for Disney vacations.
Disney Chase Visa Credit Card Designs
This isn’t something we normally consider in reviewing a card, but the Disney cards do come with some pretty cool designs. It's not the reason we would make the leap to getting the card, but it bears mention. Here’s a screenshot of some of the offerings:
The designs to vary over time, so some of the above designs may not be available at any given moment.
Chase Disney Visa Debit Card
There actually is a third card that can get your access to some of the same perks, the Chase Disney Visa debit card. If you're not familiar with the difference between debit and credit cards, check out this post from The Balance.
Perks of the Disney Debit Card
The Disney debit card has many of the same perks that the credit card has, including 15% off select tours, 10% off select dining, and access to character greetings. It even had access to that “fourth night free” deal at Aulani we mentioned above.
Given that it has access to these perks, the debit card can be a great way to join the Disney cardholder family without having to open a new credit card, if that bothers you. Remember though, these are separate cards, and neither Disney nor Chase is bound to keep the offers anywhere similar.
Downside of the Disney Debit Card
The big reason to get the Chase Disney Visa credit card instead of the debit card is that, like most debit cards, the Disney debit card does not earn rewards points. That means you’re leaving a one to two percent on the table every time you use it instead of the Disney credit card.
This is obviously why Chase and Disney offer the debit card to begin with. It actually saves them money on the rewards end of things. Ideally, they want people to convert to being credit cardholders, since that's where the real money is, and the debit card is a great introduction to the program.
All that said, whether a debit or credit card is right for you is a personal financial decision, not to be made on the basis of a few paragraphs on this blog.
Important Considerations and Conclusions
The Disney Chase Visa credit card has a spot in our wallets, for what that's worth. When we got it before we were passholders, the discounts had some value. Now it’s things like the exclusive character spots—well, and the lack of any real reason to cancel it—that keep us.
And that’s what we think this card comes down to. We don’t use it for everyday purchases, even for the categories that give it 2%. We use it for the perks. If these perks make sense, the card might make sense. If these perks look like more hassle than they’re worth, the card probably doesn’t make sense for you.