Walt Disney said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” And he's right! It might seem impossible but using credit card points to earn Disney rewards for a free family vacation is absolutely possible!
A trip to Walt Disney World is the quintessential American family vacation. A typical family can expect to pay anywhere from $3,600-$5,500 in airfare, hotel, and tickets to enjoy four days at the House of the Mouse.
You can turn your Disney dreams into reality and book a trip to the Magic Kingdom for a fraction of the normal cost. All it takes is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust–all in the form of travel rewards!
Quick Steps:
- Each parent opens a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and earns the sign-up bonus–this will cover airfare
- Each parent opens a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and earns the sign-up bonus–this will cover hotels
- Each parent opens a Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card and eans the sign-up bonus–this will cover park tickets
For more detailed information see below!
Using Disney Rewards For A Family Vacation
Let's say you are shooting for an October 2020 Disney vacation. It will be four people (two adults and two children) on economy flights to Orlando with a five-night hotel stay and four, four-day passes to Disney World.
Basic Rules
- Earn the sign-up bonus by putting existing expenses on the new card. Avoid spending money to meet a minimum spend, just to earn the sign-up bonus.
- Pay off the balances every month. Travel rewards only make sense if you avoid paying interest to the card issuer every month!
How To Get Free Airfare To Disney
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of our favorite cards. It has a sign-up bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $4,000 in the first three months after account opening.
Points are worth 1.25 cents, so this bonus is worth $750 when redeemed in the Chase Travel Portal. Although the annual fee for this card is $95, the value of the bonus more than makes up for it.
Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) can be used just like cash to pay for travel. When using the Chase Travel Portal, there are no blackout dates, so points can be used to book any available flight, making it ideal for family travel.
Flights from most major US cities to Orlando can be found for $350 or less. With this one credit card sign-up, two family members should be able to book flights to Orlando. However, both adults in a household are eligible to sign up for their own Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and earn the corresponding sign-up bonus. So that should cover all four family members.
Helpful Tip: Don’t worry if there’s only one adult in the family earning a paycheck. Use household income when applying for credit cards even if you aren’t the one earning it.
Learn how to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card here.
How To Get Free Hotel Stay At Disney
You can earn 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card after spending $5,000 in the first three months after account opening.
If both parents sign up for the card the sign-up bonus alone cover the cost of the hotel. The annual fee is $95, but you’ll also earn a free night worth 35,000 points each year after your account anniversary.
Orlando has more 450 hotels to choose from, but when using points to visit Disney World, we recommend focusing on Marriott for a few reasons.
- Marriott gives the fifth night free when redeeming points
- Two on-site Disney Resort to choose from
- Shuttles to the parks
Staying on-site provides guests with a few extra perks that can make paying the premium worthwhile, such as Extra Magic Hours, FastPass+, package delivery, and on-site character dining.
On-site options:
- Walt Disney World Dolphin 5 nights 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
- Walt Disney World Swan 5 nights 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
Or choose to stay off-site and spend even fewer points. Some of these nearby off-site options include free breakfast, free shuttles to the parks, or kitchens/kitchenettes.
- Sheraton Orlando Buena Vista Resort 5 nights for 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista 5 nights for 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy
points - Delta Hotels Lake Buena Vista 5 nights for 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
- TownePlace Suites Orlando at Flamingo Crossings 5 nights for 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy
points - SpringHill Suites Orlando at Flamingo Crossings 5 nights for 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy
points
Helpful Tip: To book with points and receive the fifth-night free perk, all the points need to be in one Marriott account. Marriott allows the transfer of 100,000 points per year to another Marriott Bonvoy member by calling Guest Services at 1-801-468-4000.
Learn how to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card here.
How To Get Free Disney World Tickets
Yes, you can use credit card reward points for theme park tickets! Miles earned with the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card can be redeemed toward travel purchases made with the card. Simply make the purchase with the card, log in to the account, and redeem the points for a statement credit against travel purchases.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in the first three months of the account. The annual fee is $95, but waived the first year.
The trick to making this work:
Point redemptions can only be made against travel purchases. To qualify, the purchase must code as “travel.” Tickets purchased from the Disney website do NOT code as travel. Fortunately, theme park tickets purchased from the authorized seller, Undercovertourist.com, do code as travel.
Bonus: Undercovertourist.com tickets are often cheaper than when buying through Disney!
Learn how to apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card here.
The Step-By-Step Path To Disney World Rewards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Step 1: Parent 1 opens a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and meets the minimum spending requirement for the sign-up bonus. Total earned: 60,000 sign-up bonus + 4,000 points from spending
Step 2: Parent 2 opens their own Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and meets the minimum spending requirement for the sign-up bonus. Total earned: 60,000 sign-up bonus + 4,000 points from spending
Helpful Tip: For easier booking within the Chase Travel Portal, Chase Ultimate Rewards points may be combined between members of the same household.
Learn how to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card here.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
Step 3: Parent 1 opens a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and meets the minimum spending requirement for the sign-up bonus. Total earned: 100,000 sign-up bonus + 10,000 points from spending
Step 4: Parent 2 opens their own Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and meets the minimum spending requirement for the sign-up bonus. Total earned: 100,000 sign-up bonus + 10,000 points from spending
Optional Step: If additional points are needed to stay on-site at the Walt Disney World Swan or Dolphin and you have a side hustle or business, open a Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card. Total earned: 75,000 sign-up bonus + 6,000 points from spending. (Learn how to apply for that card here.)
Helpful Tip: When additional Marriott points are required, Chase Ultimate Rewards Points can be transferred to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio.
Learn how to apply for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card here.
The Captial One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Step 5: Parent 1 opens a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and meets the minimum spending requirement for the sign-up bonus. Total earned: 50,000 Venture Miles + 6,000 miles from spending
Step 6: Parent 2 opens their own Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and meets the minimum spending requirement for the sign-up bonus. Total earned: 50,000 Venture Miles + 6,000 miles from spending
Step 7: Log in to the Chase Travel Portal to book airfare to Orlando. Fares are listed in both dollars and points. When booking through the portal, the ENTIRE fare may be paid with points making it 100% free. No separate taxes or TSA fees!
Step 8: Login to Marriott and search for the Disney World area hotel you are interested in. Reserve with your Marriott Bonvoy points.
Helpful Tip: Marriott allows you to make points reservations before you’ve earned all the points. If you know your dates, you can make a reservation and lock it in while still working toward your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card sign-up bonus.
Learn how to apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card here.
Undercover Tourist
Step 9: Purchase Disney World tickets at Undercovertourist.com with your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Cards and then redeem your Venture Miles points for the purchase.
Optional Step: To fully offset the theme park tickets–or to earn money for food and souvenirs–sign up for cash back cards, like the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card, Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, or Chase Freedom Unlimited cards.
Helpful Tip: To use the points associated with each card, make two purchases of two tickets, one with each Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Summary
With some planning, a free trip to Disney World is totally possible. It will take a little bit of effort and coordination to open and coordinate spending so that you can earn the sign-up bonuses but the memories you will make will be worth it.
If you want to learn more about travel rewards ChooseFI has a free travel rewards course that will teach you everything you'll want to know about travel rewards. Check it out here.
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