With Walt Disney World tickets starting at $119 per day and an estimated cost of almost $7,000 for a family of four, taking a theme park vacation is a budget buster. Fortunately, you can earn and redeem travel rewards on your Disney vacation to lower costs while making lifelong family memories. While Disney offers two tiers of its own credit card, is it the best deal? Learn more about it and other credit card options to save on your Disney vacation.
Tips for Choosing a Card for Your Disney Vacation
Choosing the right credit card for your Disney vacation may be more difficult than it sounds. While there is both a Disney® Visa® and Disney® Premier Visa® Card, other cards may offer higher rewards on your spending and better redemptions — especially if you aren’t a frequent park visitor.
You’ll want to consider both the points or miles you can earn and redeem toward your Disney vacation — and if you’ll get continuing value out of your card the rest of the year. If you visit Disney infrequently, a card that earns on everyday purchases and pays out in flexible points or miles to use on other trips might be the better move.
Consider your spending habits and how you want to redeem rewards over the long term before choosing a card.
[Read: Best Credit Cards.]
Best Overall: Disney Premier Visa Card
When it comes to earning on Disney-related purchases and other rewards to spend in the parks, the Disney Premier Visa Card is designed specifically for the purpose.
For a $49 annual fee, this card earns 5% on purchases with Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus. You’ll also earn 2% back at gas stations, grocery stores, U.S. restaurants and most U.S. Disney locations, as well as 1% back on all other purchases. Your rewards can be redeemed for park tickets, airline tickets and more.
In addition to a rewards rate tailored for Disney spending, the Disney Premier Visa offers several perks that come in handy on a Disney vacation. Receive complimentary downloads of photos with Disney characters at private locations, 15% off select guided tours and a 10% discount on eligible purchases at shopDisney.com and on merchandise at Disney park locations.
If saving in the parks is your goal, Chase also offers the Disney Visa Debit Card for eligible checking account holders. “If you think you’ll be doing a fair amount of shopping during the trip, getting the Disney Debit Card gives you a 10% discount without the annual fee you may find on some Disney credit cards,” says Scott Keyes, founder and chief flight expert of Going.com.
[Read: Best Rewards Credit Cards.]
Best for Flexible Rewards: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
“The best credit cards for a Disney vacation aren’t actually from Disney,” says Keyes. “Instead, cards with flexible bank points — think Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — not only give sizable sign-up bonuses, but also flexibility to use points across different airlines and hotels.”
A flexible travel card offers more freedom to spend on Disney vacations and other trips — and might offer more competitive earning rates, as well.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earns 2 miles per dollar on every purchase and up to 10 miles per dollar on eligible travel booked through Capital One. These rewards can be redeemed for a statement credit toward any travel purchase, including your Disney flights or hotel stay. It charges a $395 annual fee, but you’ll also get $300 each year for bookings through Capital One — which includes the Swan and Dolphin hotels. See Rates & Fees
Runner-up: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Dia Adams, a credit card expert and author of “Disney World Hacks: Proven Tips To Save On Your Disney Vacation,” prefers the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for its balance of flexible earnings, low annual fee, healthy welcome bonus and travel protections. This card has a much more affordable $95 annual fee, while offering five points per dollar on Chase Travel, three points on online grocery purchases and on dining, two points on other travel purchases and one point on everything else. See Rates & Fees
Hotel purchases booked through Chase may also qualify for an annual $50 credit. Plus, cardholders can receive 25% more value when booking travel through Chase and potentially even higher value when transferred to a variety of airline and hotel partners.
[Read: Best Cash Back Credit Cards.]
Best for Hotels: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
Disneyland and Disney World both offer benefits for staying at resorts on property, but since these are run by Disney itself, it makes it difficult to use points for a stay.
Luckily, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resorts are situated on Disney property but run by Marriott, which allows Bonvoy members to receive perks, earn points and redeem free nights. For even more value, Marriott offers the fifth night free on award reservations.
To earn Marriott points, consider the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card. It has a reasonable $95 annual fee and earns six points per dollar on Marriott stays and three points on grocery store, gas station and dining purchases (up to $6,000 combined each year). You’ll automatically qualify for complimentary Silver Elite status, with a path to upgrade to Gold when you spend $35,000 in a calendar year.
If Marriott hotels aren’t your style, you have many options. Hilton, Hyatt and other hotel loyalty programs have numerous hotels near Disney where you can redeem points to save money.
[Read: Best Hotel Credit Cards.]
Best for Flights: Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card
Whether you’re traveling to Orlando or Southern California, you have numerous flight options to choose from. Southwest is a popular choice for your Disney flights, as it operates a hub in Orlando and has plenty of flights out of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California — the closest to Disneyland.
To earn Southwest points, consider the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card. While it charges a $149 annual fee, it offers the best value of any Southwest credit card with 7,500 bonus points each year upon renewal, an annual $75 Southwest travel credit, four upgraded boardings per year and more.
[Read: Best Airline Credit Cards.]
Best for Dining: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
From Dole Whips to Mickey Bars, Disney parks are home to delicious and unique snacks and food offerings. With the right credit card, you can earn rewards on those purchases to redeem on a future trip.
The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers an unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment and grocery store purchases without charging an annual fee. Whether you’re buying theme park tickets or grabbing food in between rides, you’ll earn valuable cash back on every purchase. This card also offers 5% cash back on hotel and rental cars when booked through Capital One.
Best for Souvenirs: Target Circle Card
The Target Circle™ Card provides rewards on everyday items like clothing, groceries and other household items. But many people don’t know that its 5% discount extends to gift card purchases, including Disney gift cards. Purchasing Disney gift cards at Target provides an automatic 5% discount on park tickets, dining, merchandise and more.
The Bottom Line
Credit card rewards are a savvy way to reduce the cost of flights, hotels, theme park tickets and more. By combining these strategies with a healthy store of points, miles or cash back, you can be hanging with Mickey in no time.
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Best Credit Cards for a Disney Vacation originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 04/29/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
