How to Choose the Best Credit Card for Disney — and Earn Magical Rewards

If you’re a Disney fan, and you love visiting the theme parks, applying for one of the best travel credit cards that can help you do more of what you enjoy can be a great idea. In fact, with the right credit card, you could earn free nights at hotels in the heart of Disney World or cash back on in-park purchases.

Here’s what you need to know about choosing the best credit card for Disney.

How to choose the best credit card for Disney

To determine which is the best rewards credit card for Disney, start by looking at your own spending preferences, as well as the kinds of rewards you’re most likely to use.

Think about whether you’re more likely to redeem rewards for hotel stays or travel credits. Do you want a credit card offering points that can be redeemed or transferred? Or do you want brand-specific rewards? Also consider whether cash back would be more useful for your situation.

Finally, don’t forget about other perks. You might be able to get Disney-specific perks, depending on the card you use, or you could get additional perks, such as Priority Pass access, which can make your travel to Disney theme parks smoother.

We’ve identified five of the best credit cards for Disney lovers. Let’s take a look at how they can enhance your Disney experience.

The best credit cards for Disney lovers

Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card

If you’re a hard-core Disney fan, the Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card is a great option. This card is designed to help you earn Disney Rewards Dollars. These rewards can be redeemed for a Disney Rewards Redemption Card and used to pay for eligible purchases at Disney properties. Disney Premier Visa cardholders can also redeem their Disney Rewards Dollars directly for a statement credit on airline purchases.

With this card, you earn 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars on purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, and ESPNPlus.com; 2% on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney U.S. locations; and 1% on all other purchases.

On top of providing you with these rewards, the Disney Premier Visa offers an intro APR of 0% on select Disney vacation packages for 6 months from the date of purchase, then 19.24% - 28.24% Variable. This is from the date of purchase, so as long as you’re a Premier cardholder, you have access to this promotional financing.

Chase Disney Premier Visa features:

• Annual fee: $49
• Welcome bonus: Earn a $400 statement credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Special discounts: Save 10% on select purchases at DisneyStore.com, 10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations, and 10% off select dining locations most days at the Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resorts.
  
• Intro APR: 0% on select Disney vacation packages for 6 months from the date of purchase, then 19.24% - 28.24% Variable.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

If you’re looking for another card with generous travel rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is a great choice. Cardmembers earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases. So your Disney spending could add up to big rewards.

In addition to the amazing perks that come with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can also get 25% more value when you use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book your airfare and hotel through the Chase travel portal. For example, if you use Chase points to book a flight to Disney World, you’d get 25% of those points back, allowing you to use them another day, for a different trip.

Each year on your card anniversary, you will also earn bonus points equal to 10% of the total purchases you made in the previous year. And cardholders also get a $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel℠.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred also offers 1:1 points transfers to certain airline and hotel partners. Marriott is a Chase partner, and Disney travelers can transfer their points to Marriott and then use them to book at the Walt Disney World Swan. The Swan is located very close to Disney World, and it offers character dining and FastPass+ perks.

Chase Sapphire Preferred features:

• Annual fee: $95
• Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, worth $750 in travel when booked through Chase Travel℠
• Special coverage: Purchase protection and extended warranty
• Foreign transaction fee: None

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card is also an option worth considering for loyal Marriott travelers.

With this card, cardmembers earn up to 17X points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 3X points at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year; and 2X points on all other purchases. This card’s generous rewards let you earn points fast, and then redeem them for Marriott hotel stays — including stays at properties near Disney parks.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card also comes with a Free Night Award each year for your cardmember anniversary. A certificate will be added to your account, and you can redeem it from your “Activity” section. You can use this reward for redemptions at properties that cost up to 35,000 points per night.

While the Walt Disney World Swan doesn’t qualify for a free night under this promotion, it is a Bonvoy hotel; so when you spend the night there, you earn rewards points. Redemption starts at 40,000 points for the Swan during off-peak travel.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless features

• Annual fee: $95
• Welcome bonus: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (each night valued up to 50,000 points)
• Hotel status: Automatic Silver Elite, with 15 Elite Night Credits each year
• Foreign transaction fee: None

Citi Double Cash^® Card

If you’d rather earn cash back on your purchases, the Citi Double Cash Card may be a good fit. You won’t find Disney-specific perks with this card, but you can earn solid cash back from your Disney-related travel. With this card, you earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the citi travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.

For example, Disney’s Room, Ticket & Quick-Service Dining Package for a family of four costs $4,114 for travel in 2020. If you buy this package, you could earn $82.28 cash back, which you can use to buy souvenirs. Plus, you earn cash back on all your purchases throughout the year, which can be valuable, regardless of where you spend your money. Check out our list of the best cashback credit cards for more details.

Citi Double Cash features:

• Annual fee: $0
• Balance transfer introductory APR: Get 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable))
• Foreign transaction fee: 3%

Earn the most rewards with multiple credit cards

One of the best ways to book Disney travel is to use multiple cards and earn rewards you can redeem to reduce your trip expenses. Combining card benefits strategically lets you get the best bang for your buck.

For example, you can use your Chase Disney Premier card to earn direct Disney rewards, including 2% back at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney U.S. locations. If you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred for everything else, you can redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards and get 25% more value on airfare by booking through the Chase portal.

Some cards, like the Marriott Bonvoy, also offer generous welcome offers if you spend a certain amount within a set period. Consider paying for your Disney vacation with a new card to earn the welcome bonus, and then redeem those rewards for future travel. Once you’ve done that, you can then transfer your balance to a card like the Citi Double Cash card, which offers 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers (then 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)).

So if you book a vacation package for $4,114, you’d meet the minimum spending requirement for the welcome offer on the Marriott Bonvoy card. For Marriott Bonvoy cardholders, those rewards can be redeemed for up to five nights at a Category 3 Bonvoy property, booked at the Standard rate. 

Methodology

We chose these cards to illustrate different ways it’s possible to earn rewards that can be redeemed to benefit a Disney vacation. Cards were chosen based on the perks offered, particularly the travel rewards and welcome bonuses. On top of that, different ways to earn rewards and a variety of annual fee choices were considered.

Additionally, the way rewards could be redeemed (such as a bonus for travel redemption through a certain portal) were considered, along with any introductory offers, such as statement credit, bonuses, or 0% intro APR. The list is designed to appeal to different types of redemptions.

The bottom line on the best credit cards for Disney

If you’re planning a Disney trip, there are plenty of ways to earn credit card rewards to offset your travel costs. While the easiest choice might be a Disney-branded card, other credit cards also offer some great travel perks. Find a strategy that works best for you, and you can maximize the Disney magic and minimize your costs.

Decent Rewards for Disney Fans

Disney^® Visa^® Card

Benefits

Card Details

• Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Intro APR on eligible Disney vacation packages
• No annual fee
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• Earn a $250 Statement Credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn 1% in Disney Rewards Dollars on all card purchases. There are no limits to the number of Rewards Dollars you can earn.
• 0% promo APR for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages from the date of purchase, after that a variable APR of 19.24% - 28.24%
• 10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations and 10% off select dining locations most days at the Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort.
• Save 10% on select purchases at DisneyStore.com
• Member FDIC

3.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

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Intro Offer

Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$0

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Why we like it

• The Disney^® Visa^® Card is a good option for travelers who book Disney vacations frequently.

• You'll get an introductory APR of 0% intro APR on select Disney vacation packages for 6 months from the date of purchase (then 19.24% - 28.24% Variable) if you use your Disney Visa Card to book.

• This card also comes with no annual fee and the ability to earn Disney Rewards Dollars on your everyday spending.

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