Best Credit Cards For Disney Travel
We know many people have an intense hatred for credit cards. To be totally blunt, that’s an irrational and misguided hatred. Yes, credit card debt is bad. That does not change the fact that “debt” is not an inherent element of possessing a credit card. Nor does it change the fact that an inherent element of credit cards is rewards and perks. These are irrefutable facts that are not up for debate.
We understand and appreciate that credit cards are not for everyone, but that does not make them inherently bad. 20 credit cards, received tens of thousands of dollars in rewards, and never pay any interest on purchases. Okay, enough on the merits of credit cards. Let’s turn to our methodology for determining which credit cards belong on this list. Factors include annual fees, sign-up bonuses, earning and redemption rates, reward options, redemption difficulty, and ancillary benefits (such as free checked bags).
One factor that is notably omitted is APR. All of the benefits offered by credit cards are outweighed by paying any amount of interest, and that goes for any credit card. While valuable tools if you leverage their benefits and pay off your balance in full each month, credit cards become DANGEROUS WEAPONS OF SELF DESTRUCTION (too preachy, 😉 ) when they carry a balance. Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card - This is the new gold standard of travel credit cards.
It became available only a few months ago, and since getting it, this has become our primary credit card for travel purchases. One reason we use this so much is because of its redemption flexibility, as its rewards are not tied to any single airline or hotel chain. Another is that it earns at a higher rate (across the board) than almost any other card.
300 annual credit for travel. 150 is a lot if you don’t travel much. 100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓, which can make that fee even more palatable. It’s the earning and redemption rates that make this a must-have for any frequent traveler. 1 spent on all other purchases.
Add to that a 50% bonus when you redeem those points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. 1,500. There are several other perks, including no foreign transaction fees and a blackout date/seat waiver. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card - Think of this as the “lite” version of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card. It has the same upsides in terms of flexibility, but with scaled back earning and redemption rates, and lacks a few of the other perks. 95 one, which is waived for the first year).
Ultimately, we only recommend this for those who travel once per year or less, and even then, you should do the math to make sure the Reserve card is not a better option. 1 spent on everything else. Points are worth 25% more when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; you can also transfer them at a 1:1 rate to several loyalty programs.
January 2017 UPDATE: We’ve noticed that some Walt Disney World resorts are now available for booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal at reasonable rates, which really increases the utility of these cards (especially the Reserve). BankAmericard Travel Rewards Credit Card - Okay, let’s say you want to pay no annual fee at all. This is pretty common sentiment, and we can respect not wanting to spend money on credit cards. However, we would caution against being anti-annual fee before doing the math to see if the benefits (based on your spending habits) don’t offset the fee.
In any case, if this describes you, this card offers a moderately good reward rate, good redemption options, and a decent sign-up bonus. 1 spent. It’s that flat 1.5 rate that makes this card our ultimate recommendation for the “no fee” category. Points can be redeemed as a statement credit for travel purchases.
