Question
Disney has discontinued their relationship with American Express in favor of a new co-branded Visa. The card is not yet available (it will be on March 4).
This is the information that has been let out so far..
No Annual Fee
Competitive APR
Earn Disney Dream Reward Dollars on your purchases
That's it... no info yet on the earnings ratio.
The mail I recieved indicated that the rewards can be used at any disney merchant, such as the disney store and vacations. I'm thinking that the rewards may be like Disney Dollars versus points that can be redeemed for hotel stays. But, I could be wrong.
I'll post more when I get more information.
Mary
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Who's the issuer?
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I Love New York -- Viva España
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BankOne, which I believe has just taken over First USA.
I hope that BankOne can reform them http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif.
Mary
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This relationship (Disney & BankOne's Visa) was announced back in June 4, 2002. Here is the press release:
http://www.corporate.visa.com/mc/press/press92.html
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Knowing BancOne, the reward will probably be someting like 1%. That is what most of their cards translate to.
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If it's 1% I don't think it's that bad. It's the only way to get a discount in Disney, and they don't participate in any other loyalty program. Yes, you can stay at the Starwood, Hyatt or Hilton properties, but they're technically not Disney hotels.
With airlines & hotels tightening up their award programs & availablity, we may switch our spending to Disney's program (which we can't get awards for) from the affinity programs we now use to accummulate free trips to Hawaii. I'm hoping that the $$$ is a wash.
I received a link from the Disney Club to sign up to be notified when the new card is available. Unfortunately, you must be a member of the Club to use it, so I won't post it here.
As soon as I get something, I'll post the details.
Mary
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From what I've heard, last year Disney cancelled some sort of Walt Disney Vacation Club they had which members joined by paying an annual fee. Many members were upset.
But when they announced the cancellation of the club, they did mention they would start a co-branded credit card. I guess this is it. I won't be the first person in line to apply for this card. Even though I've lived in the L.A. area most of my life, I still can count on one hand how many times I've been Disneyland. (With Disneyworld, all I need is one finger.)
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I'll miss the 10% Amex discount, which seemed to morph into a 10% off $50 minimum charge the last time I was at D-land.
-David
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There is actually a way to stay in Disney hotels using points. We did it two summer's ago by earning enough points through MBNA's credit card. For 5,000 points a night we stayed in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The rate exceeded MBNA's maximum allowance by something like $25 so we had to pay the difference. The problem with this approach is that MBNA raised their point requirements last year which no longer made it attractive to use the card, IMO. The same free night will now cost you 15,000 points. $1 = 1 point. Personally, for $10K in credit card charges to my Starwood AmEx, I could stay in the Dolphin or Swan. I know these are not Disney owned hotels, but I've stayed in most of the Disney hotels, and they aren't that special to justify a 50% premium.
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I've stayed at the Dolphin, and wouldn't stay there again. It's very un-Disney like. Most often, it's filled with people on conventions. When I go to Disney I want to get away from business people not associate with them http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif. The pool areas can also be overrun with these people, or even closed for special events. Take that, with liquor & expense accounts, and relaxing by the pool just isn't possible.
That said, I think that it is worth it to pay for a Disney hotel. We prefer the Polynesian for the get-away-from-it-all atmosphere. It's not a mega hotel and doesn't have convention facilities. You also can't beat the view from the conceirge rooms.
We've stayed offsite-and I even consider downtown disney hotels offsite, and onsite. The premium, to us, is well worth it,
Now, if you ask if a Disney hotel is worth the prices being charged, relative to hotels in other resort areas... well, then I agree. They are way overpriced. But they can get away with it, and have. At one time, there was a huge discussion on some Disney sites regarding the percentage increase of Disney hotel prices. I did a comparison of the rates that I paid and the change year to year for a period of about 5 years. I wish I still had the spreadsheet, but the %increase was obscene (something like 15-25% per year). But, as I said, they can & do get away with it.
It's a value decision for all of us. That's why I'm anxious to see the offer on this new card.
JMHO...
Mary
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Originally posted by Mary2e:
I've stayed at the Dolphin, and wouldn't stay there again. It's very un-Disney like. Most often, it's filled with people on conventions. When I go to Disney I want to get away from business people not associate with them http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif. The pool areas can also be overrun with these people, or even closed for special events. Take that, with liquor & expense accounts, and relaxing by the pool just isn't possible.
JMHO...
Mary
I once stayed there exactly for what you mentioned: A conference. I got a special room rate, but their normal room rates are horrible. Approximately $350 a night for hotel rooms that I would rate as just above average. For that rate, I would expect the Ritz Carlton. That being said, everything in Disney World is expensive. The only advantage is it's convenient, within walking distance of several resorts (like Epcot). But if you don't want to spend your entire vacation budget on the hotel, and have a car to drive, pick a place just outside the Disney Resort (like hotels near Downtown Disney).
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Originally posted by burgerwars:
...for hotel rooms that I would rate as just above average. But if you don't want to spend your entire vacation budget on the hotel, and have a car to drive, pick a place just outside the Disney Resort (like hotels near Downtown Disney).
I would agree with you on all counts, and will add that Disney owned hotel rooms are nothing to write home about. This includes rooms at the Grand Floridian. I too like the Polynesian for its' overall atmosphere and location, but the rooms are quite tired, and the buildings remind me of staying in a Howard Johnson Motel. I've been to Disney at least once a year for the past 15 years or so. Sometimes I stay on property, sometimes in the WDW village, and sometimes off property. As was previously mentioned, WDW owned hotels have rates comparable to other resorts; however, unlike other resorts (i.e., Aspen, Vail, Lake Tahoe, etc.) a 5 minute drive down the road will land you in a hotel for under $50 a night.
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The web address to find out about the new Disney Visa Card is http://www.disneysecret.com . There's a place to put a password there, which you can enter anything, or 679P11, which was printed on an insert I received in the mail today. You can also call 1-888-688-4868.
Those applying early (March 4 - 28), cards will say "Cardmember Since Day One." Not much of a perk, since it's not worth anything, but they mention that.
[This message has been edited by burgerwars (edited 02-20-2003).]
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They've begun accepting applications. I was going to go for it, but dissapointed. They still don't show what the card looks like.
Day 1 status and a pin, aren't enticing enough for me. It's Prime + 6.90% and only 1% of purchases towards Disney Dream dollars. That and two-cycle computing; are enough for me to pass.
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I signed up to get the application and I haven't gotten anything yet, despite being a Disney club member & Annual Passholder....
Where did you find the info re: the 1%. I really don't care about the rate or the billing cycle, as I pay in full each month. The rebate is what interests me...
Thanks!
Mary
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Just log on to disneysecret.com and it's there. I suppose you're right about the APR, although I like having the flexibility to carry a balance at a low APR. I also would prefer a sign-on bonus (i.e. $25 Bonus Dream Dollars)
[This message has been edited by MaisonUnitas (edited 02-24-2003).]
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I did find it - thanks...
I don't know how worth valuable this is... 1% of spending isn't too great. Since a Disney hotel room runs about $200-$300 per night, I would have to spend $20,000-$30,000 just to get one free night. That's almost equal to getting a coach ticket reward. I may get it just because it's free & see see what other kind of special offers they have, plus what the restrictions on usage are.
For now, I'll stick to Amex & Diners..
Mary
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The application is now available on-line despite the mention of March 4th. I think I'll pass on the card given the 1% award/rebate. A frequent flyer mile on a different VI/MC is worth much more than 1%.
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The general consensus on various Disney message boards is that most people will not be applying for it. The 1% reward is not worth it. Also, the wording of where you can use the reward is a little open ended. People simply don't trust that Disney is going to allow people to use the Disney Award dollars freely. This is from die-hard Disney fans.
Maybe Disney needs to work on their image a little bit http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif.
Mary
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I think that Disney and BancOne are hoping to market the card just on the Disney name. Considering that Disney severed their relationship with American Express, I would have thought that a better product would have been offered.
My guess is that some sort of real sign-up bonus will be offered down the road other than for a pin and "day 1" printed on the card.
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I called yesterday and chatted for a while with the Bank One rep. She either did not have, or was not permitted to give out detailed information about the "Disney Dollars" or what the reward structure looked like. She said it would "probably come with the card after I applied".
If it is just a straight 1% rebate card, then why would I pick to have my dollars restricted solely to Disney? So I'm thinking that there must be some sort of bonus opportunity, but by not being clear about what it might be, they are losing out on a bunch of potential business.
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Originally posted by bmr12:
I called yesterday and chatted for a while with the Bank One rep. She either did not have, or was not permitted to give out detailed information about the "Disney Dollars" or what the reward structure looked like.
My guess is she didn't know. Bank One/First USA markets hundreds of cards. Their level of service has been extremely poor based on my past experience with them. The web site doesn't exactly say 1%. It leads you to believe that their may be opportunities for some type of bonuses.
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Recieved invitation in todays mail. If you apply with this offer code P5F get a free Lilo and Stich DVD or $15.00 off at Disney store. 1-888-628-9267. Going in the trash hope they come up with somehting better to get me to sign upto trash the application