Got an email from Disney I'm not sure I understand

FSU Girl

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 20, 2016
I got the below email from Disney about my upcoming stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I'm not sure I'm understanding what it's saying. Is it saying you can pay with anything but cash? I just want to make sure I'm reading this right. We don't need to pay with our magic band right? We normally don't do that.

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I got the below email from Disney about my upcoming stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I'm not sure I'm understanding what it's saying. Is it saying you can pay with anything but cash? I just want to make sure I'm reading this right. We don't need to pay with our magic band right? We normally don't do that.
I'm not sure anyone knows quite yet. Obviously you are not limited to your MB, they list a lot of things you can use

Curious though, what do you normally pay with? One of the items they list or something else?
 
I got the below email from Disney about my upcoming stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I'm not sure I'm understanding what it's saying. Is it saying you can pay with anything but cash? I just want to make sure I'm reading this right. We don't need to pay with our magic band right? We normally don't do that.

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That's the way I am reading it too. It seems you can only tip in cash (if you want to) but purchasing something, for example in the gift shop, they will not accept any cash just the non cash forms of payments they list.

Interesting move IMO as people move more and more away from carrying cash on their person.
 


It just sounds to me like they are going cashless, aside from gratuities. If you have to pay in cash, you will need to give a cash deposit at check-in so that they can activate your Magic Band for charging privileges. Charges would then be deducted from your cash deposit.

I don't know why they're making a big production out of this and calling it a test. It isn't any different than what they were doing previously.

I was under the impression you could pay for things like meals, store purchases, etc. in cash before. It sounds to me like that is a change, and possibly the addition of Apple Pay, etc?
 
I guess they're moving to like a cruise ship. No cash transactions. I guess it's an okay thing, but somehow it doesn't feel right. I wonder if it's something being tested at AKL. (I personally do like to buy some things with cash. I don't like the vacation to leave a sour taste with big bills when I get home.)

Edit: Oh, I just saw the link to where it says it is a test. I think the wording is kind of ambiguous. They're "broadening" options, but really not if they won't take cash. Whatever...I guess we adapt.
 
It just sounds to me like they are going cashless, aside from gratuities. If you have to pay in cash, you will need to give a cash deposit at check-in so that they can activate your Magic Band for charging privileges. Charges would then be deducted from your cash deposit.



I was under the impression you could pay for things like meals, store purchases, etc. in cash before. It sounds to me like that is a change, and possibly the addition of Apple Pay, etc?
No, they've had Apple Pay for a long time, well, since shortly after it came in to being.
 


Why wouldn't someone just take the cash they have planned to spend and just go buy a gift card with it? Or gift cards, as the case may be?
This whole thing seems puzzling to me.
My parents are both cash types, by choice. Though it's funny because growing up, my mother is the one that taught me to never carry more cash than I could afford to loose. Since I can't afford to loose any, I don't carry any. Some time along the way she changed and now does cash only. But she'd be ok with going to buy a gift card instead. And honestly, that just feels safer. I wish she'd do that anyway.
 
Normally we pay cash or credit card, we don't ever charge back to the room with the magic band. I was just a little confused by the wording. I figured this would be a great place to ask since people here seem way more knowledgeable than castmembers on the phone.
This is only at AKL. Everywhere else, cash will be accepted.
 
No, they've had Apple Pay for a long time, well, since shortly after it came in to being.

OK, then it sounds like the change is just that they no longer accept cash aside from a cash deposit at the the front desk.
 
I never pay with cash, but my DD does. She brings her own money and uses that to purchase all sorts of goodies. So this is kind of a bummer, but not vacation ruining. Just my thought.

As has been said, put the cash on a gift card. Easy peasy.
 
I never pay with cash, but my DD does. She brings her own money and uses that to purchase all sorts of goodies. So this is kind of a bummer, but not vacation ruining. Just my thought.

Really good point. Lots of kids save up so they have their own "purse" at the parks. Even with a gift card, people use cash to bridge the gap of the gift card.

I think it's great they're opening up lots of ways to pay, but taking away the cash option is probably not too cool. I wonder if they just like being able to track statistics on who's buying what. Cash might be too anonymous.

Anyhow, I'm with @DLgal. Seems like a fail.
 
Why wouldn't someone just take the cash they have planned to spend and just go buy a gift card with it? Or gift cards, as the case may be?
This whole thing seems puzzling to me.
My parents are both cash types, by choice. Though it's funny because growing up, my mother is the one that taught me to never carry more cash than I could afford to loose. Since I can't afford to loose any, I don't carry any. Some time along the way she changed and now does cash only. But she'd be ok with going to buy a gift card instead. And honestly, that just feels safer. I wish she'd do that anyway.

Because once they leave "The Bubble" any remaining money on the card is "lost". I'm sure Disney won't cash out gift cards upon request. Not everyone returns like we do.

This just speaks to the Gift Card situation, using a credit/debit card should be easy for most too.
 

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