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How to Save for a Trip to Disney: The Gift Card Strategy

To the point Here are the different methods mentioned in the milesopedia community to save money on future trips to Disney and the strategies to adopt.

How to Save for a Trip to Disney: The Gift Card Strategy

Did you know about it? The trick is used by Disney experts. Even in these times, they continue to persevere in their practice of earning points in anticipation of their next trip to Disney. I know families who, thanks to this strategy, go there 2-3 times a year.

Here it is: the purchase of Disney gift cards with CASH AIR MILES, thanks tothe AIR MILES loyalty program.

Specifically in Jean Coutu drugstores.

cartes cadeaux disney chantal
L'échange de milles ARGENT pour des cartes-cadeaux Disney

In your AIR MILES account you can choose the percentage of miles earning in 2 ways:

  • CASH Rewards
  • DREAM Rewards

Some people choose to earn first under the Dreams category. During a trip to Disney, they then aim to use their Dream Miles to buy plane tickets, car rentals and tickets to Disney Park in Orlando.

Others will bet it all at first on the CASH miles to buy discount Disney gift cards at a Jean Coutu pharmacy. This is the purpose of this article. Because if the gift cards allow the purchase of park tickets at Disney, they open up opportunities for much more.

Finally, nothing will prevent the use of both options, one after the other. When you have enough Disney gift cards, shift your earning preference to DREAMS AIR MILES to target airline ticket purchases and car rentals if you need them.

On a regular basis, Disney Gift Cards can be purchased with CASH AIR MILES currency at a redemption rate of 95 miles for $10. The transaction is instantaneous when you arrive at the checkout.

But during promotions, the rate is increased to 85 Miles or even 75 Miles for $10. This means that for a $50 Disney gift card, you will need between 475 and 357 AIR MILES miles.

While many people take advantage of this time to stock up on home products or expensive little creams, our Disney experts literally empty the Disney gift cards display.

I assure you. Some people have to visit more than one pharmacy to buy the number of Disney gift cards they want, and do it over two days because of the limits on the number of Disney gift cards they can buy per day. We’re talking over $1,000 here. Then they then collect their AIR MILES bonus miles

Transferring Disney gift cards in Canadian currency into a virtual card in US currency

The Disney gift cards don’t have an expiration date.

They must be grouped and deposited on a virtual card of the Disney Gift Card webiste for a maximum of $1,000 per virtual card .

They are exchanged into US dollars at the daily rate, without the usual conversion fee of 2.5%. It’s a really good deal to reduce travel costs.

Disney California Family
Disneyland California Family Destination

What can we buy with Disney gift cards

The Disney gift cards allow you to pay for:

  • Hotel Rooms (Disney)
  • Meals in the parks
  • Souvenir items
  • Park entrances Tickets (Florida, California)
  • Disney Cruise Line
  • Items in Disney Stores in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico
  • Items at Shopdisney.com
  • Disney PhotoPass
disney gift card website

How can I collect AIR MILES to buy Disney gift cards?

First, you must register for the AIR MILES Loyalty Program. It’s free.

You will receive a credit card that you will show to the cashier at the participating shops. The best known are IGA, SHELL and JEAN COUTU. But there are dozens of others. And with every purchase you will collect AIR MILES.

However, this is the slowest way to earn miles. There are three ways to speed up the pace:

  • Shopping at airmilesshops.ca portal partners. There are big names like Staples, H&M, Simons. More than 250 businesses are registered under this portal. Each purchase generates AIR MILES bonus miles.
  • Participating in occasional promotional offers such as Shop the Block, Mega Miles or Bonus Boom that could allow you to collect over 1,000 AIR MILES bonus miles each time. Or on special days where the miles are multiplied. For example, 5X the miles on your purchase of petrol from Shell on certain dates.
  • And finally, the most profitable way is by applying to one or more AIR MILES credit cards. The credit card can be free or come with an annual fee, and the welcome bonuses vary from 800 to 3,000 AIR MILES miles. Some credit card promotions also waive the annual fee, if any, for the first year.

The AIR MILES credit cards are a great way to earn extra miles when you use them at partner stores.

So you can double up by paying with your AIR MILES credit card and presenting your blue AIR MILES loyalty card at the checkout.

With a spouse, even if only through the AIR MILES credit card welcome bonus, it is possible to earn between 12,000 and 14,000 AIR MILES bonus miles in a single year for less than $200-400 in fees. More details here.

Invested during the 85 CASH miles for $10 redeeming promotions in Jean Coutu drugstores, these amounts are equivalent to between $1,400 and $1,640. Great savings in perspective.

You may not think about it much, but BMO AIR MILES No Fee Credit Cards are a quick way to earn AIR MILES miles on everyday spending. There are several that you can apply for through milesopedia’s affiliate links, with exclusive offers.

Conclusion

We can afford to dream of traveling. We can afford to think about savings. And we are lucky these days to have the time to prepare for it by earning AIR MILES.

It is the most popular loyalty program in Canada.

Air Miles Event Logo

For many families, Disney parks in Orlando, Florida are on the radar and Disney gift cards are good places to cut costs, including for park tickets, hotels and meals. Your resolution for 2021? Come on, 1-2-3, go!

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Brigitte
Retired from the health care system and a slow traveller at heart, she invests many hours of her free time in travel. She loves to write about everything related to travel, miles and points.

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