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Does Disneyland Accept Visa Gift Cards? (Updated 2023)

If you have a Visa gift card, a trip to Disneyland can be the perfect opportunity to use it. 

Disneyland accepts Visa gift cards, and, usually, you can use them just as you would a Visa debit or credit card. You can pay for practically everything in the park with a Visa gift card, including tickets, hotels, and most merchandise. 

Where Can I Use My Visa Gift Card in Disneyland?

View from across a body of water of Disneyland California

Since Visa gift cards basically work the same as a Visa debit or credit card as far as vendors are concerned, you can use your Visa gift card virtually wherever they take Visa. 

And the vast majority of stores and restaurants in Disneyland accept Visa cards. 

You can even pay for your tickets or hotel rooms and services, either online or in-person, with a Disney Visa card. 

However, there may be a very small number of vendors in and around Disneyland that only take cash payments. 

Can I Pay for My MagicBand Charges With a Visa Gift Card?

Pink Disney Magicband on a white table

Yes. 

When you make purchases on your MagicBand, they appear on your hotel bill. 

You can then pay for your whole bill upon checking out of your hotel with a Visa gift card. 

Can I Buy Items on ShopDisney With a Visa Gift Card?

Yes, you can pay for merchandise on shopDisney.com with a Visa gift card upon checkout. 

Why Should I Use Visa Gift Cards at Disneyland?

The main reason for using Visa gift cards in Disneyland is that they can easily help you budget. 

Since a gift card only has a certain amount of money on it, it is impossible to go over. 

This fact makes these cards especially great for older children who may want to venture around the park by themselves. 

With a Visa gift card, rather than a Visa debit or credit card, they can only spend the amount you allow them to use. 

Even adults can benefit from the limit of a gift card so that they can’t spend more than they should. 

Is it Better to Use Disney or Visa Gift Cards for a Disneyland Trip?

Overall, whether you should use Disney or Visa gift cards on your trip really comes down to preference. 

Both of these options, of course, have the perks of being limited supplies of money, but the main difference is that you can use Visa gift cards everywhere. 

Disney gift cards, on the other hand, only work in Disney-owned establishments. 

Yet, being able to use these cards in different places may actually help you stick to a budget if you use both of them strategically. 

What I mean is that you can use Disney gift cards to buy items in the park and Visa cards to purchase items outside of Disneyland. 

For example, you can decide that each family member gets a $50 Disney gift card to use as they please in the park and a $50 Visa gift card for excursions outside of Disneyland. 

Some people find that this system really ensures that their family sticks to a specific budget. 

It can also help your family not spend all of your money on the first few days of vacation. 

For instance, if you are visiting Disneyland parks for three days and then spending the rest of your vacation somewhere else, it can be easy to use up your whole allowance at the park. 

However, you’ll then be disappointed when you make it to the other places on your vacation, and you can’t buy anything else. 

But, overall, which card you choose to use on your trip is up to you because Disneyland accepts both with equal frequency. 

What Other Payment Options Does Disneyland Accept?

Person holding a wallet containing cash and cards

Basically, the payment options Disneyland accepts partly depend on what you’re buying. 

However, you can almost always use major credit cards, such as Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and, of course, Visa, when you’re at the resort. 

Disneyland also accepts cash for just about any payment. 

Additionally, you can use Disney gift cards to pay at any Disney-owned institution, and you can even use these cards to buy tickets. 

You can use PayPal as well, but only to buy resort tickets or items on shopDisney.com. 

You also have to be a US resident to pay with Paypal. 

And the last major payment option Disneyland takes is Disney Rewards dollars. 

You can use these dollars to make purchases in almost all Disney-owned establishments. 

But, remember that Disney still does not allow the use of electronic cash apps, such as Venmo, Zelle, and CashApp. 

How Much Money Should I Have on My Visa Gift Card for a Disney Trip?

Hands of a person holding a pen and counting cash with a calculator on a wooden table

Basically, how much money you need to put on your Visa gift card can vary greatly. 

The amount you should have also depends on whether you are going to use your gift card to pay for your whole trip. 

Yet, I can go ahead and break down some of the most common expenses at the park to let you know how much money you’ll need on your card. 

Average costs for common Disneyland expenses include: 

  • A one-day park ticket for an adult: $149-$209 
  • A one-day park ticket for a child: $134-$194
  • One night at a Disneyland hotel: $300-$410
  • One meal: $10-$13
  • A rental car for one day: $28-$108 

Thus, if you want to pay for the bulk of your trip with Visa gift cards, you would need between $1,014 and $1,480 for a four-person family per day. 

Can I Add a Visa Gift Card to My Disney App?

Although Disneyland normally takes Visa gift cards, there is no way to add any sort of gift card to your Disney app account. 

Linked payment in the Disney app must be a debit or credit card. 

Conclusion 

For the most part, Disneyland accepts Visa gift cards. 

However, you need to bring along another form of payment, such as a debit or credit card, to ensure you can pay for everything you want while you’re at the park.