Paying hotel balance with gift cards

[kjs1976]

Edited: I called Target and I got the full gift card back! I'm so excited!!! Now to put it toward room pay off...

Wondering if anyone knows the answer to this question...I paid our down payment with an electronic Disney gift card last February. I bought it online through Target.com. Trip was cancelled due to COVID and down payment credited back to card. I cannot find proof of that gift card ANYWHERE in my emails! I can find through Target.com when I ordered it, but cannot find an actual link to the actual card. Anyone know...do I go through Target or Disney? I know it's out there, but I had to ask. TIA

 

[sbnuggie]

I do not see a way to "pay down" the resort balance on the app or on the site. Only the Online Checkin option with the "add card" for when you are at the resort. In that section, you can't add a gift card. Care to explain how you were able to make custom payments to your hotel balance?

I mispoke when I said the app, I meant via the my disney experience website, Since our hotel is paid off I cant screen shot it as the option is no longer there, but you could click on your hotel reservation and it takes you to another screen where you could make payment, it gave you option to pay full balance or make payment, i clicked make payment, there I could enter my credit card, scroll down a bit and there is option to add a gift card, put in the gift card info, the amount you want to pay (didnt have to be full GC amount but I always applied the full amount) and then apply payment...

 

[married2grumpy]

I mispoke when I said the app, I meant via the my disney experience website, Since our hotel is paid off I cant screen shot it as the option is no longer there, but you could click on your hotel reservation and it takes you to another screen where you could make payment, it gave you option to pay full balance or make payment, i clicked make payment, there I could enter my credit card, scroll down a bit and there is option to add a gift card, put in the gift card info, the amount you want to pay (didnt have to be full GC amount but I always applied the full amount) and then apply payment...

I don’t see that option to make a payment. My reservation is room only. I read that if you have a package you can make payments online but if you have a room only reservation you can call or pay your balance upon arrival.

 

[HollyW00d]

I mispoke when I said the app, I meant via the my disney experience website, Since our hotel is paid off I cant screen shot it as the option is no longer there, but you could click on your hotel reservation and it takes you to another screen where you could make payment, it gave you option to pay full balance or make payment, i clicked make payment, there I could enter my credit card, scroll down a bit and there is option to add a gift card, put in the gift card info, the amount you want to pay (didnt have to be full GC amount but I always applied the full amount) and then apply payment...

Yeah that option isn't there, I have a room only reservation

 

[masondoggy]

Edited: I called Target and I got the full gift card back! I'm so excited!!! Now to put it toward room pay off...

Wondering if anyone knows the answer to this question...I paid our down payment with an electronic Disney gift card last February. I bought it online through Target.com. Trip was cancelled due to COVID and down payment credited back to card. I cannot find proof of that gift card ANYWHERE in my emails! I can find through Target.com when I ordered it, but cannot find an actual link to the actual card. Anyone know...do I go through Target or Disney? I know it's out there, but I had to ask. TIA

I swear I could have wrote this post! Did the same exact thing. Called Disney and they canceled out the gift card and emailed me a new e-card with my refund. No problem.

 

[Belleandtinker]

One big lesson I learned - don't throw the old gift cards away and keep track what was on each. Covid challenge but figured out but took lots of time.

We use GCs for payment before and during. We also learned to go regularly to the front desk to pay down the balance much easier than the check out date.

 

[poochie]

So our trip is paid in full. The CC on file at our hotel is for any incidentals., meals, purchases, etc. Can you pay the balance at checkout or night before checkout with cash, or if not Disney Gift cards instead of charging o ur credit card on account? This whole no cash thing is pretty off for us as we always did the dining plan and paid for anything else with cash. But no longer a dining plan.

 

[Statefan17]

So our trip is paid in full. The CC on file at our hotel is for any incidentals., meals, purchases, etc. Can you pay the balance at checkout or night before checkout with cash, or if not Disney Gift cards instead of charging o ur credit card on account?

We have the same question. In the past, we used gift cards to replace some of the CC charges.

 

[Bjkandma]

So our trip is paid in full. The CC on file at our hotel is for any incidentals., meals, purchases, etc. Can you pay the balance at checkout or night before checkout with cash, or if not Disney Gift cards instead of charging o ur credit card on account? This whole no cash thing is pretty off for us as we always did the dining plan and paid for anything else with cash. But no longer a dining plan.

I would suggest you use Disney gift cards or cash - yes, it is definitely accepted - its just not the "preferred" method at time of purchases. Disney has started putting a100 incidential " hold on your credit card. Every time you chase $100 or more, they drop the hold and immediately charge your amount. Then places another $100 hold, you charge, Disney drops hold and charges your card. Places another hold. The problem is, it takes your bank days (some 3-7 days) before they drop the hold. During that time period, you can literally have $100s of dollars on hold.

Why? Disney used to allow people to charge to your room (for value resorts $500), and then charge cards. Guests would charge, go above credit limits and charges weren't going through. Basically Disney was getting burnt.

 

[Shughart]

I would suggest you use Disney gift cards or cash - yes, it is definitely accepted - its just not the "preferred" method at time of purchases. Disney has started putting a100 incidential " hold on your credit card. Every time you chase $100 or more, they drop the hold and immediately charge your amount. Then places another $100 hold, you charge, Disney drops hold and charges your card. Places another hold. The problem is, it takes your bank days (some 3-7 days) before they drop the hold. During that time period, you can literally have $100s of dollars on hold.

Why? Disney used to allow people to charge to your room (for value resorts $500), and then charge cards. Guests would charge, go above credit limits and charges weren't going through. Basically Disney was getting burnt.

If you never charge the $100, does it just stay at a $100 hold? Just curious, as we are staying onsite again and they didn't do this the first time and we never charge to our room (had DDP first time and settled tips - large auto grats with gift cards).

 

[Turksmom]

If you never charge the $100, does it just stay at a $100 hold? Just curious, as we are staying onsite again and they didn't do this the first time and we never charge to our room (had DDP first time and settled tips - large auto grats with gift cards).

It does. They release the holds very quickly now. In September, we never went over the initial $100 and on check out day, they refunded the difference between what we spent and the $100 hold back to our card.

 

[Shughart]

It does. They release the holds very quickly now. In September, we never went over the initial $100 and on check out day, they refunded the difference between what we spent and the $100 hold back to our card.

Thank you!

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

A little off topic, but wondering about using magic band in parks and paying off magic band balance with gift cards rather than direct to cc. Looks like as long as we don't go over $100 hold on the card it's okay, but is there a way around that?

 

[Lumpy1106]

A little off topic, but wondering about using magic band in parks and paying off magic band balance with gift cards rather than direct to cc. Looks like as long as we don't go over $100 hold on the card it's okay, but is there a way around that?

We secure the room and charges with a CC, but the night before I check out I go to the front desk and get a print-out of all charges, then go to the Target website and buy electronic gift cards enough to cover the balance (and a little extra for breakfast departure morning). I move the balance onto 1 or 2 blank cards I keep with me, then take those to the front desk and close everything out. Bingo - 5% discount on everything I can charge to MBs. If the CC has been charged during our stay the concierge can credit that back.

 

[Bjkandma]

A little off topic, but wondering about using magic band in parks and paying off magic band balance with gift cards rather than direct to cc. Looks like as long as we don't go over $100 hold on the card it's okay, but is there a way around that?

You are never "charging" to your magic band. You are charging back to your room via the magic band. You can still pay off with gift cards, but your initial hold and charges go against the credit card on file. Once you go over $100 whether it takes you longer than one day, for each $100 charge - the hold is dropped by Disney with charges posted to your card and another $100 hold is placed.