N079 Third GOTG Virtual Queue added, Genie+ Update, New Star Wars character meets at Disneyland, and more! - a podcast by Shannon Ford, Peter Scheidle and the My DVC Points Community

from 2022-06-03T00:30

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Shannon and Pete discuss a third virtual queue added for guests eligible for Extended Evening Hours, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure moved to Genie+ service for a limited time, new Star Wars characters coming to Disneyland, Magic Key sales suspended, new direct DVC purchase incentives, and a chance to win a cruise on the Disney Wish Maiden Voyage benefiting GKTW! N079





Season 10 of the My DVC Points Podcast was brought to you by:





DVC Resale Market - Industry Leader in DVC Resales





DVC Rental Store - DVC Point Rentals





Monera Financial - Exclusively Financing DVC Contracts





Patreon supporters in the My DVC Points VIP Producer Club.









Please note this post has affiliate and personal referral links to credit cards.





Special Guests from the YouTube Credit Card Creator Community




  • Anthony Venture - "Providing Value by Helping YOU Achieve Life-Changing Vacations Completely For Free With Credit Card Points & Miles!"




  • Chad's Money Minutes - "My mission is to simplify investing and empower you with knowledge for smart financial decisions. Discover budget-friendly travel, credit card strategies, and other personal finance tools for optimizing your financial well-being."





How We Evaluate Reward Cards (Academic Scale: A+ to Fail)






  • Earning Power




  • Redemption Values




  • Ease of Redemption




  • Flex / Joy of Use from the Card




  • Other Perks




  • Lounge Access (Orlando and LA + Home Airports)




  • Travel Insurance on Flights and Rental Cars





Chase Offers 3 Co-Branded Cards with Disney



1. Disney Visa Card - No Annual Fee Credit Card:






  • https://disneyrewards.com/




  • Flat - 1% back everywhere.  Awarded as Disney Dollars.




  • 3% Foreign Transaction Fee. Normal for Chase No Annual Fee Card




  • Sign Up Bonus - $150 statement credit for $500 spent.




  • 0% Financing on Major Disney Purchases and DVC Downpayments





2. Disney Premier Card - $49 Annual Fee:






  • https://disneyrewards.com/




  • 5% back on Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle of Streaming




  • 2% back on Grocery Stores, Gas, Dining, and all things Disney




  • 1% back on everything else.




  • 3% Foreign Transaction Fee - this is strange for a Chase card with an Annual Fee




  • 0% Financing on Major Disney Purchases and DVC Downpayments




  • $14.99 a month credit for the first three months of Disney Plus Bundle




  • Another redemption method is to charge airfare to the card and pay yourself back.  (However, the card's travel insurance is OK - it’s not a travel card).




  • Sign Up Bonus - $300 statement credit for $1000 spent.





3. Chase Disney Visa Debit Card - Free with a Chase Checking Account:






  • https://disneydebit.com/




  • Available with almost every checking account.




  • No additional fees for a Disney debit card




  • Other than 0% financing for six months on major Disney purchases, you get all the other perks and benefits.




  • This doesn’t impact your credit profile, Chase 5/24 status, or other credit cards.




  • $200 sign-up bonus for a New Checking Account with direct deposit and transactions




  • Chase ATMs are everywhere at WDW and Disneyland - very accessible.





Earning Rates: C-






  • Premier Only

    • 2% back is the max you will earn.  That’s the minimum in my ideal setup.




    • You must spend $4,900 in 2% categories yearly to make up the annual fee.






  • 1% back is better than nothing, but that’s still unacceptably low.




  • 2% back should be the minimum you accept for all categories. You can get a Citi DoubleCash, Wells Fargo Active Cash or Capital One Venture series to earn 2% on everything.





Redemption Notes: C- 






  • Earn Disney Dollars - a currency transferable to a gift card you can use at most Disney locations.  You can buy park tickets, APs, DVC dues, meals, etc.




  • There is a $10 minimum transfer amount to the redemption card. This requires at least $1,000 of spending on a Disney Visa or $500 in 2% categories on a Premier card.




  • Getting the card in the mail, replacing cards, and transferring the rewards are incredibly annoying compared to any other cash-back card program that gives a statement credit or wires the money to your checking account. However, for most Disney fans, once you have the loaded card, it's as easy to use as a Disney Gift Card on your vacations.




  • Redemptions are locked in at one cent per point. We're not opposed to 1 cent per point redemptions. However, the Chase Disney program does not have any opportunities for outsized value. Flexible travel reward cards readily offer 1.5 cents per point or higher. 5-10 cents per point is possible with international business flights.





Flex Factor / Joy of Using the Card: A+






  • You can choose from 10 to 12 officially licensed Disney characters on your card. The cards are not exclusive or hard to get but very unique. The Disney cards become talking points with cashiers and customers when they see your Disney character credit card.




  • A small dose of Pixie Dust every time you pay—this joy is undeniably incredible for any Disney fan.




  • As a Disney fan, the daily joy of using cards with Disney characters must be recognized. However, there are also a lot of emotional benefits that come with using a luxury travel card like the American Express Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Metal cards feel special. Many people love the prestige of using a high-end credit card.





Other Perks: Nice for Disney Park Fans but Easily Replaced






  • In-Park Character Meets

    • Chase hosts a Darth Vader meet-and-greet in Disney's Hollywood Studios (inside Star Wars Launch Bay) and Disneyland near the DVC Member Lounge. Darth is one of the absolute best meet-and-greets at Disney.  He’s the ultimate villain character and offers a highly intimidating presence.  It’s awesome.




    • Chase offers classic character meets in Epcot near the exit of the Figment Ride and Pixar shorts theatre. You'll also find character opportunities in Disney's California Adventure near the classic Hollywood area.




    • Lines for the Chase meets are usually very small and move quickly - quite often, you’ll be the only person there.






  • Discounts: The discounts are only helpful if you don’t have Disney Annual Pass or DVC Membership Extra discounts.  When you compare discounts at MousePerks.com, Disney Visa holders only have about 10% of the discounts available to passholders or DVC members. None of the Disney Visa discounts are exclusive.




  • Disney Experience Promotions. When you hold a Disney card, you'll get special invites and mailers for Disney on ICE and theater experiences like when Disney Broadway productions are on tour.




  • The first three months of Disney+ are free to new Disney Premier Card holders. However, you may get this free from Verizon. Amex Platinum offers $20 monthly streaming credit on Disney+ and other services. Amex Blue Cash Preferred has no annual fee and offers a $7 monthly credit on Disney+. (The bottom line is that this perk has diminished value since so many Disney+ promotions are readily available.)




  • The Six Month Interest-free financing is noteworthy.





Chase Disney Visa and Disney Premier Visa A+ Super Power: Six Months No-Interest Financing





Pro: Both credit card versions offer six months of zero percent interest on Disney vacation purchases. Your trip to Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or even the downpayment on a Disney Vacation Club contract can be financed for six months at zero interest on this card. Some people have the cash but keep it in an interest-bearing savings account for six months. Travel agents love selling vacations and offering this financing. Your DVC guide will promote using a Chase Disney Visa card as well. Using this card, you'll earn 1% or 2% on the vacation purchase AND get six months of no-interest financing. (In most retail transactions, you must choose between no-interest financing OR getting rewards on spend). This is the true superpower of the Disney credit card solution.





Con: For those of us in the credit card rewards space on team travel, we take issue with actually paying for travel. We argue that your other day-to-day spending rewards should ultimately pay for your vacation experiences. You may get six months without interest, but we're using higher earning cards on our day-to-day spending and getting our entire trip paid for with rewards - no financing needed. If you were to pay for your Disney Cruise on a Capital One Venture X, you would earn 2% on the cruise AND be able to redeem your rewards at 1 cent per dollar to cover the cost of the cruise AND enjoy airport lounge access AND have Visa Infinite level travel insurances and coverages. Alternatively, you could earn 1.5 to 5 points per dollar spent in the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem and cash out the points at 1 cent per point to cover your Disney vacation.





Airport Lounge Access:  Fail






  • The Disney cards do not offer any lounge access. The card perks are built for people who love Disney Vacations; however, they are not travel cards.




  • Orlando International Airport has two priority pass lounges in Terminals A and B and a Plaza Premium lounge in Terminal C. American Express Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Capital One Venture X will grant access to these lounges on departing flights. Any travel card offering lounge access to Priority Pass or Plaza Premium lounges will work at Orlando's MCO airport.




  • Lounge access gets more complicated when visiting Disneyland due to multiple airport options. We're interested in lounges that aren't limited to a specific airline. We suggest checking the Lounge Buddy app for the most up-to-date information.

    • LAX - American Express has a Centurion Lounge in LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal. Chase Sapphire holders have access to a video game lounge called Gameday.




    • ONT - Ontario has two Aspire Lounges available to Amex Platinum, Capital One Venture X, and Chase Sapphire Reserve card holders.




    • LGB - Long Beach airport does not have any lounges.




    • SNA - John Wayne airport only has American and United lounges.




    • BUR - Hollywood Burbank airport does not have any lounges.




    • SAN - San Diego has two Aspire Lounges available to Amex Platinum, Capital One Venture X, and Chase Sapphire Reserve card holders.







Card Insurances:  Fail






  • Disney Visa card offers $500 of return protection. (Chase Sapphire cards offer $1000 to $10,000.




  • $100 a day for three days of lost or delayed baggage coverage.




  • Up to 1 year of extended warranty for purchases with three years or less from the manufacturer.





Bottom Line - Our Advice:






  • If you travel to Disney Parks or Disney Cruise, you are a traveler. You owe it to yourself to investigate the perks and benefits of travel reward credit cards.




  • Travel rewards cards have more earning power. 2% back on everything is the absolute minimum you should accept.




  • Travel rewards cards have better reward redemption opportunities.




  • Travel rewards cards have better travel insurance and purchase protection coverage.




  • Travel reward cards have annual fees, but there are numerous ways to offset the fees.




  • If you have a Disney Visa card, we don't recommend canceling the card; keep the card for the perks.




  • If you have a Disney Premier card, consider downgrading it to the no annual fee card, but keep it for perks.




  • If you don't have either Disney credit card, we recommend getting a Disney Debit card with a Chase checking account. They are free. You'll get 90% of the upside without impacting your credit profile. If you talk to a Chase personal banker, they can help you find a $200 bonus for opening a new Chase checking account.




  • Once you get a Disney card, we recommend adding a digital version to Apple Wallet or Google Pay. The digital version works for all discounts and perks.





Affiliate and Referral Links to Card Mentioned in Today's Show (Help support the show by using our links when you apply).






  • Chase Disney Visa (if you want the 6-month superpower feature)




  • Chase Sapphire Reserve - Excellent Loung Access - Priority Pass with Restaurants and Visa Infinite coverages




  • Capital One Venture X - Excellent Lounge Access - Travel Protections and Insurances from top-of-the-line Visa Infinite cards. $395 annual fee but easy to make it -$5 annual fee when you book through their travel portal.




  • American Express Platinum - Ultimate Lounge Access Card and Coupon Book - $695 annual fee but $1400 of credits available









Third Virtual queue for GotG Cosmic Rewind added for Extended Evening Hours





The new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction is using a virtual queue at Epcot instead of a standby line. Consistent with past virtual queues, the queue opens at 7 AM and a second set of boarding groups open at 1 PM.





Registered guests staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort or other select hotels will have an additional opportunity to request to join the virtual queue at 6 p.m. on select dates during extended evening theme park hours. Guests with this benefit do not need to be in EPCOT to request to join at that time. 





A couple other things to note:





  • Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to participate in the experience.
  • In order to give as many Guests as possible the opportunity to join the queue, each Guest can enter the virtual queue for a given experience no more than once per day, subject to availability.
  • 7:00 AM (Guests do not need to be in the park when they join, but must have a theme park reservation for EPCOT)
  • 1:00 PM (Guests must be in EPCOT to join the virtual queue at this time)




Source: Disney Parks Blog





Ratatouille moved from Individual Lightning Lane to Genie+ May 31st to August 7th





Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be included in the Genie+ service starting May 31st through August 7th. Riders will not be able to purchase individual lightning lanes for this ride during this time.  The ride has been moved to the list of rides shown as “temporarily” removed from Individual lightning lanes listed until August 7th. It is not known at this time if this will be extended further. 





Source: Walt Disney World Website





New characters meeting at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland 





At the recent Star Wars celebration, Disney announced Boba Fett and Fennic Shand from Book of Boba Fett and Mandalorian Disney+ series are now meeting at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. Disney also announced that The Mandolorian himself and Grogu (also known as “Baby Yoda”) will be coming soon. No announcement was made for Walt Disney World at this time. 





Source: Disneyland website, D23





Disneyland Magic Keys sales suspended, New summer deal for California Residents





Disney has suspended sales of its Magic Key annual pass program and is offering California residents a new three-day, one-park-per-day ticket this summer for Disneyland and California Adventure.





Disneyland rolled out the Magic Key program last August.  The $1,399 Dream Keys and the $949 Believe Keys sold out late last year, and, as of May 31st, the $649 Enchant Keys and $399 Imagine Keys were no longer available.





Current Magic Key holders will be able to renew their passes, though further details were not immediately available





The new three-day tickets start at $249 for admission on Mondays through Thursdays, or $299 for any day including weekends for eligible guests.  Tickets are available for purchase beginning May 31st and can be redeemed on any three eligible days from June 13 to September 15, 2022, subject to park reservation availability.





Source: ABC 10 News LA, Disneyland Website, Disneyland Website





New DVC direct purchase incentives for Summer 2022





From June 2 through July 13, 2022, Disney Vacation Club is offering additional incentives for both first-time buyers and existing members adding-on. Most noteworthy are the new buyer rates for The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, which more than doubles the savings at most purchase levels, resulting in lower prices than when resort sales launched on March 31, 2022.  





See below for pricing for new DVC members:





The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - New Member Pricing DiscountPrice per point 150 - 174 points$3$204 175 - 199 points5202 200 - 249 points 9198 250 - 299 points11196 300 - 499 points16191 500 - 999 points18189 1000+ points19188



Disney's Riviera Resort - New Member Pricing DiscountPrice per point 150 - 174 points$11$196 175 - 199 points13194 200 - 249 points 19188 250 - 299 points21186 300 - 499 points29178 500 - 999 points32175 1000+ points34173



Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas - New Member Pricing DiscountPrice per point 150 - 174 points$6$201 175 - 199 points10197 200 - 249 points 21186 250 - 299 points23184 300 - 499 points35172 500 - 999 points37170 1000+ points38169



 Similar patterns can be found in add-on pricing for current members. While discounted prices are not quite as low as the Grand Floridian debut rates offered for 4 weeks in March, they are an improvement over the more modest incentives provided throughout April and May. 





The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - Current Member Pricing DiscountPrice per point 25 - 99 points$0$207 100 - 124 points3204 125 - 149 points5202 150 - 174 points8199 175 - 199 points11196 200 - 249 points 17190 250 - 299 points18189 300 - 499 points24183 500 - 999 points26181 1000+ points28179



Disney's Riviera Resort - Current Member Pricing DiscountPrice per point 25 - 99 points$0$207 100 - 124 points14193 125 - 149 points16191 150 - 174 points18189 175 - 199 points24183 200 - 249 points 31176 250 - 299 points33174 300 - 499 points41166 500 - 999 points43164 1000+ points45162



Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas - Current Member Pricing DiscountPrice per point 25 - 99 points$0$207 100 - 124 points9198 125 - 149 points11196 150 - 174 points15192 175 - 199 points18189 200 - 249 points 29178 250 - 299 points31176 300 - 499 points41166 500 - 999 points43164 1000+ points45160



Disney Vacation Club is not offering any incentives for older "sold out" properties.





In light of the incentive increases for Riviera and Grand Floridian, recent buyers may be able eligible to have their purchase updated to the lower rates. Timeshare purchases include a right of rescission period during which the buyer may cancel the contract with no penalties. Buyers who are still within their rescission period or who have not finalized the contracts should reach out to their DVC sales representative to inquire about price adjustments. 





Source: Disney Vacation Club Website





Chance to Win A Maiden Voyage Wish Tower 





Give Kids The World is hosting a chance to win a magical Five-Night Bahamian Cruise in the Tower Suite on the Disney Wish Maiden Voyage benefiting Give Kids The World and Make-A-Wish®, departing Port Canaveral, FL on July 14, 2022.





Enjoy the enchantment and magic of the ocean as seen in the beloved Disney film Moana. This first-of-its-kind accommodation features two master bedrooms, a children’s room with bunkbeds, a library that can serve as an additional bedroom and sweeping views of the sea. Enter via a special private entry and relax in the double-height living room which features floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer breathtaking views of the upper decks and the shimmering sea beyond. 





Up to eight (8) guests can participate in this one-of-a-kind vacation package.





Source: Give Kids the World Website










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