6. Upgrade your trip by earning points

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

While there are ways to directly earn Disney gift credits using the Chase Disney Visa card, there is actually a slightly better way to upgrade your trip.

If you are comfortable paying off credit card balances as you go, you can ultimately earn free nights for your trip by earning points with the Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card from Chase—the reason why is that Marriott actually owns the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resorts ever since they merged with Starwood hotels. The Swan and Dolphin are one of the best kept secrets at Disney, where guests can access Disney-deluxe level rooms and amenities at moderate prices. The resorts have exceptionally close access to both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with easy bus transport available to the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The Swan and Dolphin also host some of the best restaurants on property, including a seriously amazing 24 hour eatery, Picabu Market.

Starwood Points are much easier to earn than Disney Chase credits, and one particularly persistent fellow even reported figuring out how to take his whole family to Walt Disney World for next to nothing by using huge reserves of points from the old Starwood version of the card.

If you will be flying to Florida, you can also save big by earning airline miles either by using an airline specific credit card like the Southwest Rapid Rewards Visa, The American Airlines AAdvantage Citi Card, or Delta’s SkyMiles American Express. For even more versatile options, you can also use a flexible travel card like the CapitalOne Venture or Chase Sapphire Preferred. With enough miles, you can knock down the cost of a flight or even afford a previously-unavailable upgrade.

A note about credit cards and points— tread carefully. Crippling debt is not a pleasant recipe for a Walt Disney World vacation. Your best bet for building up points is to identify regular bills or other expenses that you can pay off immediately so you never accrue interest. If you aren’t able to do this, the interest will ultimately devalue the points and make this strategy not worth it. Only use this route if you’re confident you can pay off the balance as you go.

7. Get free Disney money by buying gift cards at Target

Image: Disney

One of the most popular hacks around for making your Disney dollars go the farthest also involves credit card shenanigans.

Attentive Disney fans have known for some time that Target is, surprisingly, one of the best places to stretch your Disney dollars. The trick involves having a Target REDCard, and it’s pretty simple, even if it sounds counter-intuitive. The only other tool it requires is a solid trip budget.

Simply use a Target REDCard to purchase whatever amount you’re comfortable with in Disney gift cards. The REDcard automatically gives you 5% back, meaning that this method results in a comfortable 5% bump in the value of your Disney funds. You can even get the debit version of the REDCard if you want to skip the credit check.

There is one hidden snag to this trick: some experts feel you aren’t going to get the best bang for your buck if you spend your gift cards on tickets or resort rooms. Unless you’re a Florida resident or Passholder with access to top level discounts, chances are you can get a better deal for tickets or even resort rooms at a site like UndercoverTourist – the discount gift cards don’t make enough of a difference to beat the discounts, especially if you’re pairing them with a small amount of cashback from a cash-back credit card. The only exception to this is if you use Disney Gift Cards towards the down payment on a Florida-resident annual pass, especially if you’re renewing and already getting a discount.

Your better bet is to identify what you plan to spend on dining and shopping at Walt Disney World, then use Disney gift cards to cover that amount. This is a pretty tried and tested strategy, but make sure you use some caution. For one thing, don’t go too crazy purchasing huge amounts of gift cards in one purchase. Some have reported Target employees getting nervous about this and limiting purchases (there’s not supposed to be a limit, but it does happen). Also, keep in mind what the limit on the card is. If you want to skip the hassle, you can just buy e-gift cards on Target’s website, then consolidate them at DisneyGiftCard.com.

8. Use Disney Vacation Club rentals to get access to deluxe resorts for half the price

Image: Disney

Disney Vacation Club rentals are the holy grail of Walt Disney World discounts, and they are undoubtedly the best way to upgrade your vacation without spending any extra cash.

DVC Rentals work using a pretty simple system. Disney Vacation Club owners can use intermediary sites like David’s Disney Vacation Club Rentals or the DVC Rental Store to make their points available for guests to “rent”. This opens the door for non-DVC members to get access to spectacular discounts as well as rooms at the coveted DVC villas resorts throughout Walt Disney World. Some figures tout as much as 65% savings, but even 40% is a substantial amount when it comes to visiting Walt Disney World. You may as well be getting an entire resort upgrade for free!

For some bonus cash, if you’re willing to sacrifice a little time on your trip and have a passing interest in the Disney Vacation Club, you can often earn free Disney gift cards—sometimes for as much as $100—just by signing up to take a DVC Tour and listen to the spiel for guests who want to buy in. While there is a little hard-selling involved, if you’re confident you can navigate it, the DVC folks are generally pretty pleasant compared to the average timeshare jockeys, and the gift card is well worth it!

Have you tried any of these? Have you found any hacks at Walt Disney World to upgrade your vacation for free?