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Does Disneyland Accept Cash in 2023?

Life can be tricky if you’re a cash person living in today’s card society. 

But luckily, Disneyland accepts cash in virtually all of its establishments. You can even pay for your park tickets and hotel rooms with cash. However, Disneyland has stated that with the ongoing COVID pandemic, they recommend that guests use contactless forms of payment if they can. 

Can I Pay for Everything at Disneyland With Cash?

Close up of a person's hand giving cash to another person who is holding a receipt

As of now, Disneyland has stated that they have a cash option for just about all goods and services in its parks. 

With that said, though, it is still a good idea to bring a debit or credit card with you on your vacation, just in case a particular establishment can not accept cash for some reason. 

Yet overall, you should be able to pay for your entire Disneyland trip in cash. 

However, you should keep in mind that paying with cash can sometimes be a bit different than paying with a card. 

So, let’s take a look at some of Disney’s most popular items and services and how to pay for them with cash. 

I’ll also give you some tips on paying with cash for various things in Disneyland. 

Paying for Disneyland Tickets With Cash

Luckily, you can pay for Disneyland tickets with cash, but this option has two possible downsides. 

For one, if you pay with cash, you will have to buy your tickets at the gate

Disneyland does not give you the option to pay for your park tickets online with cash. 

So, you will have to wait in line at the box offices at the front of the park if you want to pay with cash. 

The good news, though, is that most people today buy their tickets online in advance, so the ticket lines shouldn’t be too long. 

Yet, if you visit the park during its peak times around major holidays or in mid-summer, you could be standing in line for quite a while. 

The second drawback to paying with cash can occur if the Disneyland park reaches capacity. 

In this scenario, you could be turned away from the gate and not allowed to purchase a ticket since you haven’t already reserved entry to the park online. 

Paying for Disneyland Hotels With Cash 

Exterior of Disneyland Park hotel

Fortunately, you can also pay for Disneyland hotel rooms with cash. 

All you need to do is pay for your reservation when you check into the hotel. 

However, as stated above, Disneyland has moved away from accepting cash in the last few years. 

So, it may be more challenging to pay for items and services in the hotel if you do not use a debit card, credit card, or Disney gift card. 

Thus, you should either bring one of these cards with you just in case or call the hotel before you book and ask them if you can pay for everything with cash. 

Paying for Disneyland Merchandise With Cash 

Person displaying assorted helium balloons with Disney designs

Overall, you should be able to pay for merchandise at any Disney store with cash. 

And Disneyland has ATMs all around its parks to make it easy to withdraw money for this purpose. 

However, again, it’s best to have an alternate method of payment just in case you run into problems. 

Paying for Disneyland Restaurant Meals With Cash 

Restaurants at Disneyland also accept cash. 

Yet, there are certain restaurants, usually quick-service restaurants, that only accept payment through the My Disney Experience app

But, the vast majority of Disney restaurants, no matter if they’re quick-service or table service, accept cash, so you can always find a place to eat if you only want to use paper money. 

Paying for Disneyland Magic Key Passes With Cash 

Disneyland’s Magic Key passes are one of the only items you can not pay for with cash. 

At the moment, Disneyland is only selling Magic Key Passes through its website and app, both of which do not accept cash. 

Instead, you will need to use one of Disney’s other accepted payment options to purchase these passes. 

What Other Methods of Payment Does Disneyland Accept?

Besides cash, Disneyland accepts the following payments: 

  • American Express 
  • Visa 
  • Mastercard 
  • Discover 
  • JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) 
  • Disney Gift Card 
  • Disney Dream Rewards dollars 

Disneyland does not accept: 

  • Paypal (except to buy park tickets online if you are a US citizen)
  • Venmo 
  • Zelle 
  • CashApp

Disneyland also, of course, does not accept foreign currencies. 

If you use cash, you have to pay in US dollars. 

How to Use Disney Gift Cards 

Screenshot of Disney Shop website showing the page for purchasing gift cards

Another way to pay for your Disneyland trip using cash is to buy Disney gift cards. 

With Disney gift cards, you can pay for park tickets, annual passes, merchandise, spa services, restaurant meals, recreation, and hotel rooms. 

And using the card is quite simple. 

You just need to buy a Disney gift card, which you can do with cash, and then use the card as you would a debit card to pay for items and services at Disney-owned establishments. 

Where Can I Buy Disney Gift Cards?

You can buy Disney gift cards from the Disney website or purchase them from an independent store, such as Best Buy and Walmart. 

However, if you want to save money on your trip, there are a few ways to get discounted cards, usually as much as 4-5% off. 

You can buy these cheaper cards with cash at Target, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale. 

But, you need to have a membership to these places to gain access to the discounted cards. 

Can I Pay for MagicBand Purchases With Cash?

Having a MagicBand makes it easy to pay for items in Disney parks because you just need to tap your band against a band reader to pay. 

However, payment is simple with these bands because they are linked to a debit or credit card that a person has set up through Disney’s website or app. 

So, no, you can not pay your MagicBand tab with cash. 

How Much Cash Should I Bring to Disneyland?

Of course, the cost of your Disneyland trip will depend on several factors, like how much you spend on merchandise and what kind of restaurants you visit. 

Yet, based on average prices, you can estimate how much cash you will need for your trip. 

So, let’s go ahead and break down some of the standard prices for certain Disneyland expenses to give you a rough idea of how much money you’ll need. 

Typical Disneyland expenses: 

  • One night at an on-site hotel: $300-$410
  • Two-day park ticket for an adult: $255-$315 
  • Two-day park ticket for a child: $240-$300
  • One-day car rental: $33-$120 
  • One meal: $10-$13 

Thus, a two-day vacation for a family of four will cost between $1,776 and $2,446. 

But, remember that you need to consider other possible expenses, such as spa treatments or merchandise you may purchase. 

You should also take into account any sightseeing you may want to do outside of the park and possible fees for certain adventures within Disneyland. 

Conclusion 

Although Disneyland has stated that they prefer not to take cash, they still accommodate guests who don’t like credit or debit cards. 

But, it is best for cash travelers to bring a credit or debit card with them to ensure they can purchase everything they may want on their trip.