If you’ve ever found yourself wishing for a Walt Disney World visit but when you look at your bank account you see that the only vacation you could afford is a window-shopping trip at your local Disney Store, you’re not alone. The costs for a real Florida trip can add up quickly, even if you can find discounts and ways to try to cut the expenses. But there are many different methods that can help you save up a lot of money, and one way can easily get you more than $1,300. Here are some things to try in order to save up for a Walt Disney World trip that you may not have considered before:
1. Open a Disney Vacation Account
Image: Disney
Did you know that there’s a Disney Vacation Account program that lets you schedule regular, automatic contributions into an FDIC-insured savings account? All you have to do is decide how much you want to save and how often you’d like to contribute (monthly, weekly, every two weeks or one time only); have a debit card, credit card or Disney Gift Cards to make the contributions; and then watch your savings grow. The account is completely free and Disney can even help you determine the exact amounts you’ll need to save (for park admission, your room, meals and more). The account can be opened with a $10 contribution and you can even have your savings refunded if you need to. And best of all is the account’s rate of return: Disney will give you a $20 gift card for every $1,000 you spend on vacation purchases with your account, with a maximum of $500 in gift cards per household. That’s like getting 2 percent of your purchase back, which is much more than most banks offer.
2. Get some gift cards at a discount
Guests who purchase Disney gift cards at Target can save 5 percent on them if they buy them with a Target debit card. That’s because Target classifies the cards as “entertainment” rather than gift cards, and Target debit card holders save 5 percent on their purchases. Since you can use the gift cards at the parks, this can be a good way to save a little money and help limit your park spending at the same time.
3. Grab your phone
You can try to curb unnecessary spending in order to save up money for a trip, but of course you can’t just stop shopping completely. Luckily, there are apps out there that will actually earn you cash and gift cards just for buying groceries and other essentials. Ebates gives you a percentage of cash back with every purchase, and Receipt Pal allows you to upload receipts and receive points for them that you can then use for gift cards to sites such as Restaurant.com and Amazon. Receipt Hog functions like Receipt Pal, but this app can earn you cash or Amazon gift cards (and you can even use the same receipts on both apps). Ibotta gives you cash rebates on any brand of grocery staples, and apps similar to it include Checkout 51 and Mobisave. Why not try a few of these apps (or similar ones) and see how much you can earn?
4. Create a personal savings plan…and stick to it!
Saving money can be a challenge, but it can also be fun. By saving a set amount every week, such as 50 cents the first week and 50 more cents each of the following weeks (ending with a $51.50 savings on the 52nd week), you’ll save a whopping $1,352 in a year’s time. If you double the amount and save an additional $1 per week, you’ll end up with $2,704, which can pay for plenty of turkey legs and Dole Whips. You can look for worksheets that spell out exactly how much to save (and show you what the amount is adding up to every week) on Pinterest and other websites. One even shows you a way to save $5,000 in a year by saving a varying amount each week. It’s a way to save that feels more like a game — you’ll likely not notice the money missing from your usual budget and you’ll probably see that it’s fun to watch the funds accumulate!
5. Grab a Disney Premier Visa
If you don’t already have a Disney Premier Visa Card, you might want to get one. Not only can you earn a $200 statement credit when you spend $500 with the card in the first three months, but the guests who use the card to pay bills every month (and pay off the bill) can earn cash back reward dollars that can be used toward tickets, resort stays and even airfare. And best of all you can pay less during your stay, as Visa cardholders also enjoy discounts on select Disney merchandise, dining and vacation packages.
Just remember that there’s no need to go into debt in order to go to Walt Disney World. Even if you take advantage of a credit card offer, paying off the cards each month and only using them when necessary can help you get to your Disney vacation goal. And you’ll likely have a much better vacation when you know there won’t be a pile of bills waiting when you return! Have you tried any other ways to save money for Disney trips? Leave your tips in the comments below!
