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If you're planning a magical trip to Disney World but want to save money on those pricey tickets, using credit card rewards points can be a fantastic way to reduce or even eliminate the cost. While you can't usually redeem points directly for Disney tickets, there are several clever ways to use your points to get them.

Note that many of the options below will require the purchase to be coded as travel. Tickets purchased directly from Disney will be coded as entertainment, not travel. If the option you're going towards requires your Disney Tickets to code as travel, consider buying from a third-party site such as Undercover Tourist or Getawaytoday.

Here's how to do it:

Option 1: American Express Rewards for Disney Tickets

American Express Membership Rewards points can be used in the Pay with Points option at PayPal checkout. Purchasing Disney Theme Park tickets directly from Disney will not offer this PayPal option, but some third-party sites do (Expedia and Undercover Tourist).

Using points for PayPal checkout is not the most efficient way to redeem your travel points for Disney World Tickets. While it can help limit out-of-pocket expenses for your trip, better value can typically be achieved by transferring points to partner hotels or airlines. However, if limiting cash spent for your Disney trip is important, this is a good way to use credit card points to offset the cost of Disney park tickets.

Option 2: Bilt Credit Card Portal for Disney Tickets

If you have a Bilt Rewards credit card, you can purchase Disney World Tickets through the Bilt travel portal. Another option is a statement credit for travel purchases is available on the Bilt credit card, so long as your Disney ticket code as travel (third-party site for purchasing your tickets). Now, the Bilt credit card does not have a welcome bonus like other travel reward cards, but it does allow you to earn travel points for your rent payments.

Option 3: Chase Ultimate Rewards for Disney Tickets

Sometimes the Chase travel portal offers Disney tickets, however, it is rare. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can use the $300 travel statement credit towards Disney Tickets (again, tickets must be coded as travel).

Option 4: Capital One Travel for Disney Tickets

You can redeem Capital One Miles at a fixed rate of $0.01 per mile towards travel purchases on your Capital One Venture X and Venture Rewards credit card. While this again is not the highest redemption rate, it will cover a part of your ticket costs. As with many of the options discussed, your ticket purchase must code as travel to be covered by your Capital One miles.

Option 5: Get Extra Points for Disney Ticket Purchases

Another trick to save on other travel expenses related to your trip is to buy enough Disney gift cards to cover your tickets for the theme parks at stores that earn bonus points on your travel rewards card. So let's say your Disney tickets will cost $1,000, you can buy $1,000 worth of Disney gift cards at a grocery store and charge it to a card that earns bonus points in grocery stores.

Note that this option will not save you cash on your Disney World Tickets, but will earn you lots of travel reward points for that ticket purchase.

Note that we did not discuss the Disney Premier Visa Card. The Disney Visa credit cards earn Disney rewards dollars which can be used at Disney Parks and towards park tickets. However, the Disney visa card generally does not earn great rewards on your purchases. It will take some significant spending on these cards to earn enough to cover the cost of your Disney tickets.

Earning enough travel rewards to cover the cost of Disney Park tickets takes time and planning. However, by using several sign-up bonus points, you can save big on tickets to the most magical place on earth.

Saving cash on Disney World Tickets is not nearly as simple as getting your hotel or airfare for free, but with a little planning and the right credit card strategy, you can significantly reduce the cost of Disney World tickets using points.

Remember to also work towards points for your hotel and airline miles. The best way to save cash on your Walt Disney World Resort vacation is to take the time to accumulate points for all 3 major cost factors, hotel, airfare, and park tickets. Learn more about using free night certificates and Marriott Bonvoy points to stay on property at the Walt Disney World Dolphin, Swan, or Swan Reserve hotels.

In April 2024 my family and I traveled to Disney World using points. Using option 1 above, we spend $1400 on our trip, including park 7-day park hopper plus tickets, airfare, and hotel.

Whether you're using travel portals, redeeming points for cashback, or statement credits there are plenty of ways to make your Disney vacation more affordable. So, get ready to enjoy the magic of a Disney family vacation without breaking the bank!

2024: How to Use Points for Disney World Tickets