From Disney World in Florida to Universal Studios Hollywood and Dollywood to Knott’s Berry Farm in California and past, there are sometimes greater than 500 million annual visits to theme parks worldwide in a traditional yr.
Tickets to lots of the big-name parks usually high $100 per day, and within the case of Disney World, costs go as excessive as $189 for a single-day ticket on the busiest dates. This means there are simply billions of {dollars} spent yearly on theme park tickets, to not point out all the opposite associated prices of going to a theme park. That’s quite a lot of spending ripe for incomes rewards or utilizing factors to offset a number of the price.
With that in thoughts, listed here are the very best bank cards for Disney journeys, Universal Studios holidays and different theme park adventures.
Where you purchase theme park tickets issues
It might sound like we’re beginning with pointless particulars, however the very best bank card for theme park ticket purchases relies upon closely on how the acquisition will code in your bank card. And meaning the place you purchase your theme park tickets issues. That stated, the most definitely bonus classes for theme park tickets are entertainment or journey.
When buying park tickets straight from the theme park, the cost will most definitely code as an leisure buy. On some bank cards, leisure will code as a journey cost, however most frequently, it doesn’t.
However, if you buy park tickets from a journey company (corresponding to Undercover Tourist), cost them to your resort room or embrace them as half of a bigger trip bundle, the percentages are excessive that the acquisition will code as a journey cost.
This issues as a result of when you paid with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and your $500 ticket buy coded as journey, you’d earn 1,500 Ultimate Rewards factors (3 factors per greenback). If the acquisition coded as leisure, you’d earn simply 500 factors as a non-bonused class on that card.
Related: Why you may need to use a Disney Vacation Planner
Best bank cards for Disney
Best bank cards for incomes factors at Disney
If you are paying for this Disney journey with money and need to rewards to be used sooner or later, listed here are are the very best bank card choices:
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- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card: 4% again on leisure bills.
- Venmo bank card: 3% again within the class you spend probably the most in that month, with two choices for leisure and journey. The card additionally supplies 2% money again within the eligible class you spend the second most in that month, making it a reasonably stable choice for if you take a giant theme park journey.
- Citi Prestige® Card (now not out there to new candidates): 5 factors per greenback at journey businesses, so greatest when buying from a web site like Undercover Tourist or different journey businesses.
- Disney Visa: 2% again on most Disney purchases, however you may earn larger rewards with different playing cards.
The data for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, Venmo bank card, Citi Prestige card and Disney Visa card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Best bank cards for utilizing a journey credit score at Disney
If you need to use the $300 Chase Sapphire Reserve credit score on a Disney World or Disneyland journey, it is best to make use of it both for a hotel-only or a resort + tickets bundle you ebook straight with Disney or through a journey agent, like TPG’s associate Mouse Counselors.
If you’re simply out there for Disney tickets, you may normally use your Sapphire Reserve journey credit score to get these by going by a web site like Undercover Tourist.
To use the annual, as much as $300 journey credit score from Capital One Venture X, you might want to ebook eligible journey through Capital One’s journey web site. Luckily, this web site does usually show Disney World lodges for reserving.
Related: For no-cost help reserving your Disney trip, you may contact TPG’s journey reserving associate Mouse Counselors.
Best bank cards for utilizing factors at Disney
The dangerous information upfront: not all bank card factors work for a visit to Disney.
For instance, Chase Ultimate Rewards factors aren’t very helpful for the Disney elements of journeys, corresponding to Disney tickets or Disney lodges. However, Bilt Rewards factors and Capital One Venture miles are helpful for utilizing factors at Disney.
Bilt Rewards factors may be redeemed at a charge of 1.25 cents per level in the direction of Disney tickets and lodges within the Bilt journey portal, making this foreign money probably the most worthwhile factors for Disney holidays.
With Capital One, you can too ebook Disney lodges on that journey reserving web site (very like with Bilt), however at a charge of 1 cent per mile. However, since you can too use the miles to offset any journey cost in your card, you can too ebook straight with Disney or elsewhere (so long as it codes as journey) and use factors at a charge of 1 cent per mile redeemed.
This additionally opens up the potential for renting Disney Vacation Club factors from a web site like David’s Vacation Club to save cash in your Disney lodging over Disney’s money costs whereas utilizing credit score factors to offset the expense.
Pro tip: The Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve are on Disney property and include many Disney perks. Given they’re within the Marriott household, you should utilize your Marriott factors to remain on Disney property. The variety of factors per evening to remain at Marriott lodges varies, with the lowest-priced days beginning at round 40,000 factors per evening. This makes the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card nice bank card selections if you would like this on-site lodging choice.
Best bank cards for Universal Studios
The similar bank cards which can be greatest for Disney holidays additionally make the minimize as the very best for Universal Studios journeys. However, Universal holidays have a number of added choices that Disney doesn’t have. Notably, you should utilize Chase Ultimate Rewards factors to ebook Universal Studios lodges and theme park tickets.
This means you may redeem factors from the Chase Sapphire Reserve® at a price of 1.5 cents per level to remain on-site at Universal and even choose up your theme park tickets through the Chase journey portal. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be one other good bank card for a Universal Studios journey as its factors can be value 1.25 cents every towards on-site lodges and theme park tickets.
Related: Guide to visiting Universal Orlando
Alternative: Use the very best card for on a regular basis spending
If you aren’t positive how a cost from a theme park will code and also you need to be certain and earn rewards, think about using a robust card for on a regular basis spending.
TPG’s founder Brian Kelly did that when he purchased a dear Disney VIP tour utilizing his Chase Freedom Unlimited. Earning 1.5 factors per greenback was a positive wager on racking up factors on that hundreds of {dollars} cost.
* Value of rewards based mostly on TPG valuations and never offered by the issuer.
Bottom line
Having enjoyable at a theme park is fairly straightforward, however discovering the very best offers and maximizing the good thing about your bills are extra nuanced planning duties. There’s nobody greatest bank card for theme parks, however there are some stable choices relying on the place you need to go and the way you’re buying your tickets. Choosing fastidiously can prevent cash in your subsequent Disney or Universal journey or earn further rewards to make use of subsequent time across the Ferris Wheel.
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