Although Disney Visa is touted as a way to earn rewards for merchandise or even a vacation, will this Disney credit card actually benefit you?

credit card reader at checkout
There's no doubt in my mind that Walt Disney would be extremely proud of his company today. They have held true to their core values and continue to deliver family-friendly entertainment in all shapes and sizes. From Mickey Mouse, to Winnie The Pooh, to The Princess & The Frog… their movies continue to be of the highest caliber. Disney World has grown into an unprecedented 47 square mile metropolis. But is Disney credit card truly a good way to pay for all these things? Let’s find out...

Disney Credit Card Review
Today there are literally hundreds of charge cards on the market which offer rewards. Many of them cater to a specific audience. The Disney Visa is marketed towards families and friends of the company.

Card Type
It is a Visa Platinum credit card which is issued by Chase.

Interest Rate
The APR on this card does appear to be very reasonable. These things can change at any time but when I checked, it varied between 13.24% and 16.24% - the exact percentage in that range depends on the applicant’s credit history.

Annual Fee
none

Rewards
Undoubtedly this is why you are researching it in the first place. You are looking to earn the maximum rewards possible in order to make your Disney trips and merchandise purchases more affordable. But does this card actually give you anything above average? Let’s see…
Disney Dream Reward Dollars – These are dollars you earn which can be applied towards most Disney purchases, whether it be a Finding Nemo DVD from their store or a stay at one of their resorts. When I viewed the official page for the Disney credit card application, I actually found it difficult to find out exactly how these work. There was all kinds of generic statements like "Apply Today & Save" but they aren’t exactly obvious in telling you how these Dream Reward Dollars work.

Upon reading the very fine print at the bottom of the page, I found out they give one of these reward dollars per $100 in net purchases. I must say that I felt let down when I saw this. That’s only a 1% rebate and as I’m sure you are well aware, almost every card out there gives you that. I guess this is the reason they didn’t seem to really advertise that part of it.
Benefits
Being that they only give a 1% rebate, I was hoping there would be some other benefits to makeup for the lackluster rewards. While it’s true there are some benefits with the card, I don’t feel they are very impressive. For example, they say it offers a 10% off at "select dining locations" at Disneyland, but upon reading the fine print, allegedly this doesn’t apply to Disney World (which is where most of us go). There is a half off discount on stroller rentals, but again, this only applies to Disneyland unfortunately. A nice benefit though for Disney World and Disney land is up to a 20% on selected full priced guided tours. The character meet 'n greet benefit sounds nice because it includes a complimentary 5x7 photo. There are savings opportunities on "select merchandise" at Disney stores and their website.

Conclusion
It’s not that Disney credit card is bad, it’s just that the rewards may not make sense for everyone. I must say though the APR seems fair, so I applaud them for doing that. If you live in California and frequent Disneyland instead of Disney World, then this credit card could be a smart choice since that’s where many of the theme park benefits seem to apply. If not, I don’t really see the point in applying for the Disney Rewards Visa since it only gives you 1% back on your spending.

In conclusion, the card might be worth it for some of the benefits, but it's not worth it for the reward dollars you would be earning.

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Last updated: Jan. 2011