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The points hunter's strategy for Disney
Disney’s theme parks in Florida and California attract many families. In order to have a “magical journey”, it is not uncommon to plan it more than two years in advance.
Audrey and I have 2 young children. After our first one-day experience at Disneyland Paris in 2018, we spent 3 days roaming Disneyland California while visiting friends in the area in the Halloween season.
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We loved the California experience, but admit to going without any real preparation: we bought the tickets using the Canadian-only promotion – using the HSBC World Elite Mastercard (to save 2.5% on conversion fees), and stayed at a nearby Marriott Bonvoy hotel with our points.
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Points programs for Disney
For Disney, I see 3 types of loyalty programs:
- The AIR MILES program: for admission tickets
- The Marriott Bonvoy program (and to a lesser extent Best Western Rewards): for hotels
- Travel points programs such as BMO Rewards, HSBC Rewards, Scotia Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards: for other expenses such as airline tickets, car rentals or airbnb.
I have already discussed in other articles the different strategies related to these programs. You can therefore refer to it:
In this article, I will focus on cards and a 1 to 2 year earning strategy for a family:
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Earn AIR MILES Reward Miles
First of all, AIR MILES bonus miles. There is a way to use your AIR MILES bonus miles:
- Dreams Account: useful for flight tickets, park entrance tickets, possibly hotels or car rental
Until the end of 2019, Audrey and I have been earning AIR MILES miles in our DREAM account (we share the same AIR MILES account) in order to save on airline tickets and buy our Disney tickets.
And we earned a lot: 24,564 miles to be exact, as AIR MILES reminded us at the end of the year!
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In early 2019, I shared my earning strategy and why I was doing this. However, like any strategy, it has to be changed in mid-2019.
We decided to travel 5 months around the world, so we postponed our Disney plans. We have used many DREAM miles for other purposes, including flights within North America. Thus, we are protected in case of devaluation (the famous “Earn and Use” or “Earn & Burn” rule).
For 2020 and 2021, we have decided to earn CASH rewards.
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Two credit cards issuers offer several credit cards linked to AIR MILES:
Here is a strategy and related costs to get lots of AIR MILES miles. You can apply this strategy individually or as a couple. Just remember the following:
- to control your budget (and in particular to know your expenses in the coming months)
- do not buy unnecessarily
- to pay your credit cards on time
The best AIR MILES credit cards
The AIR MILES card strategy
Applying for AIR MILES credit cards will depend, among other things, on how much you can spend on these cards over the next 3 to 6 months.
For a family, it is usually possible to spend more than $1,500 per month on a credit card with groceries and recurring payments.
So I would recommend to apply first to:
- BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite Mastercard®*: $3,000 in purchases in 3 months (to unlock the full 3,000-mile welcome bonus)
- AIR MILESMD* American ExpressMD Platinum Credit Card:$1,500 in purchases in 3 months (to unlock the 2,000-mile welcome bonus).
Here are the current offers:
These 2 credit cards will require you to have more than $4,500 in planned purchases in the next 3 months.
If this isn’t possible within your budget, you could replace the BMO Ascend™ AIR MILES World Elite®* Mastercard with the BMO AIR MILES Mastercard®*, which requires $1,000 in purchases in 3 months.
Afterwards, you can progressively apply for other AIR MILES credit cards offered by BMO, such as:
All these cards have no annual fee and require only $1,000 in purchases in 3 months. They are therefore ideal for completing a round of applications when you subscribe to other cards in this strategy.
Result
Over the course of a year, a single person can easily accumulate over 10,000 AIR MILES miles through credit card subscriptions and AIR MILES events. Just look at all the experiences milesopedia members have had in 2019!
A couple can reach 20,000 miles by being strategic, which is an estimated $2,500 value.
Earn points for hotels
In order to stay for free in Marriott Bonvoy or Best Western hotels – nearby or in the parks – it takes points!
Marriott Bonvoy will be the points currency of choice, but Best Western Rewards points can be useful for stopover hotels (for example if you have to catch your flight in Plattsburgh)!
The best hotel credit cards
I would recommend that you first apply for:
- Marriott BonvoyTM American ExpressMD Card: $1,500 in purchases in 3 months.
- Best Western Rewards® Mastercard: one purchase in 3 months
After that, you can sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy Business American ExpressMD Card and also earn 50,000 points after $1,500 in purchases.
Here are the current offers:
Result
Over the course of a year, a single person can therefore accumulate over 105,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and 20,000 Best Western Rewards points quite easily through credit card subscriptions.
Enough to stay more than 5 nights near the parks.
A couple can earn 210,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and 40,000 Best Western Rewards points. The cost of accommodation at Disney World will therefore be entirely covered by the points obtained via credit cards, for a contribution of $540!
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Earn travel points
Finally, here are some other credit cards to cover other expenses such as :
- flights
- car rentals
- airbnb rentals
- other travel expenses (parking, baggage, seat selection)
- foreign currencies
These cards can be applied on based on your spending capacity and program flexibility preferences.
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The best credit cards with travel points
Click on the card images for more information or to apply.
Card | Bonus | Expenses | Cost | Info |
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Up to 130,000 points (+ $100 travel credit per year) | – | 149$ | Info |
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Up to 50,000 points | 500 per month for 12 months |
12.99 per month |
Info |
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Up to 30,000 points | 3,000 in 3 months | 0 (first year) |
Info |
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Up to 30,000 points | 1,000 in 3 months | 0 (first year) | Info |
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Up to 25,000 points + companion pass | – | 0$ (first year) |
Infos |
Result
Over the course of a year, a single person is therefore able to earn more than $1,000 in travel points.
This will substantially lower the cost of a trip to Disney!
A couple can reach $2,000! Take your different needs into consideration when choosing cards such as:
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Earn points with Disney Gift Cards
Another technique made possible by Disney gift cards worth up to $500. These cards are on sale at Métro and Super C.
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It is therefore advisable to subscribe to the American Express Cobalt® Card and buy these new Disney gift cards at Métro or Super C to earn 5 points per dollar spent.
Consider a family of 4 whose Disney expenses (hotels, park tickets, food, etc.) would cost $6,000.
For one year, by purchasing a $500 Disney gift card every month, here’s what you could get:
Month | Purchase of $500 | Monthly bonus | Total accumulated |
1 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 5,000 points |
2 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 10,000 points |
3 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 15,000 points |
4 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 20,000 points |
5 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 25,000 points |
6 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 30,000 points |
7 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 35,000 points |
8 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 40,000 points |
9 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 45,000 points |
10 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 50,000 points |
11 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 55,000 points |
12 | 2,500 points | 2,500 points | 60,000 points |
Result
Over one year, this represents a value of $600! You’ll get 10% back on the $6,000 worth of Disney gift cards you buy!
And if you need more Disney gift cards, keep buying them at Métro and Super C with the American Express Cobalt® Card for 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar.
Bottom Line
No matter what happens, a stay at Disney will be expensive. But with the right strategy, it is possible to substantially lower the cost of travel. The main thing is to go at your own pace and with your means!
Here’s another Disney strategy to help you save, depending on your needs.
Don’t hesitate to come and share YOUR accumulation strategy in the Facebook group!