How to utilize points for purchasing Disney tickets

Much like baseball games and Fourth of July fireworks, a trip to Disney is an iconic American tradition. Yet, Disney vacations can be quite expensive, often leading to sticker shock amidst all that enchanting excitement. It's possible to experience Disney on a budget — but it will never be cheap.

While there are occasional discounts on Disney dining, tickets, and accommodations, you can save even more by using credit card points to buy Disney tickets without draining your wallet.

Whether you're heading to Disneyland or Disney World, here's a comprehensive guide on how to leverage points for your Disney park tickets, making your next family getaway more affordable.

Costs associated with Disney tickets

Various factors influence the price of a Disney ticket, including the age of the guests (children under 3 enter for free, while those at 10 are classified as "adults"), the timing and duration of your visit, which park(s) you wish to explore, and if you plan to utilize park hopping.

One consistent rule in Disney pricing is that the longer your stay at a Disney park during a trip, the lower your daily cost becomes. Analyzing the value on a daily basis clearly indicates that maximizing your time at Disney during a single vacation is in your best interest.

This approach allows you to maximize the value of your points (or money) compared to making several brief Disney visits—unless you're considering a Disney annual pass, which can be a wise choice if you intend to visit several times a year. Prices for single-day, one-park tickets at Disney World vary from $109 to $189, but during longer visits of up to 10 days, your daily cost can dip to as low as $62 at specific times of the year.

Park hopping, where you explore multiple theme parks in a single day, elevates the cost of a one-day adult ticket to Disney World to $187 (plus tax), meaning you're looking at a significant expense... or points.

How to use points for Disney ticket redemption

If you're searching for a magical way to extract maximum value from your points when purchasing Disney tickets (similar to redeeming airline miles for a first-class ticket), we have some disappointing news. Generally, achieving a substantial return when using points for Disney tickets is quite challenging.

Instead, the optimal methods to redeem points for Disney tickets involve using them at a fixed rate or through a cash-back card.

Ultimately, the best way to utilize your points is the method that brings you joy. If Disney is your happy destination, your points can grant you access to make that visit possible.

Use Bilt Points to purchase Disney tickets

Bilt Rewards is one of the top choices for obtaining tickets to Disney.

With Bilt Rewards and the Bilt Mastercard® (check rates and fees), you can earn points that can be directly redeemed for Disney tickets in the activities section of the Bilt travel portal at a value of 1.25 cents per point. This rate offers a better return than many other options we'll explore. Cardholders need to use the card five times during each statement period to earn points (see rewards and benefits).

Although there are more advantageous methods to redeem Bilt points with transfer partners, utilizing Bilt Rewards points for Disney tickets remains a solid option. Additionally, by taking part in Bilt's monthly Rent Day promotions, you can double your earnings (excluding rent, up to 1,000 bonus points) on purchases like dining, enhancing your points balance.

In the previous example, Bilt's travel booking platform lists the cost at 11,570 points, equivalent to $144.62, for a one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom on August 20, whereas Disney's direct price is $137.39. Bilt's pricing includes a 5% convenience fee, making it slightly more expensive to use your points, but it's still one of the better options for redeeming points for Disney tickets.

TPG founder Brian Kelly serves as a Bilt adviser and investor.

Use Chase points to purchase Disney tickets

Occasionally, three-day and longer tickets for Walt Disney World can be found in the Chase Travel℠ portal. We noted their availability as recently as early 2024, but they have since vanished from the Chase site as of this update.

When these tickets are available, you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for Disney tickets, cruises, resorts, and vacation packages at a rate of 1.25 cents per point if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or 1.5 cents per point with a Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Similar to Bilt, these prices are slightly higher than purchasing directly from Disney.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can apply the card's $300 annual travel credit toward Disney tickets, provided the purchase is categorized as a travel expense. Since Disney tickets typically do not register as such, consider buying them from an approved third-party seller like Undercover Tourist. Some tickets from Undercover Tourist may even be cheaper than buying directly from Disney, though certain tickets for shorter stays might cost more.

Exchange travel points and miles for Disney tickets — with a caveat

Similar to Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can transfer Capital One miles from the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to hotel and airline partners. Additionally, you can redeem Capital One miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent each for travel purchases made with the card.

The drawback of this redemption option is that Disney tickets bought directly from Disney typically don’t register as a travel charge when purchased alone. Similar to Chase, Disney tickets generally aren’t categorized as travel expenses unless you buy a comprehensive hotel-and-ticket vacation package. To make the most of your Capital One miles for this purpose, it’s advisable to buy your tickets from a third-party site like Undercover Tourist.

If you purchase your tickets in a way that qualifies the expense as a travel charge, you could leverage the 75,000-mile welcome bonus earned after spending $4,000 on the Venture Rewards card within the first three months to cover $750 toward your Disney trip.

Use flexible points to offset the charge

With some other credit card programs, your best option might be to earn cash-back rewards, which can be used to reduce the cost of Disney tickets—or anything else for that matter.

For instance, points earned from the Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program, which you can accumulate with the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card, hold a value of 1 cent each. This card offers up to 2.625 points per dollar spent on regular purchases and points per dollar on travel and dining expenses if you reach the Diamond tier of the Preferred Rewards program, based on your total assets with Bank of America and/or Merrill accounts.

If you qualify for that preferred earnings tier, this card is arguably one of the most rewarding cash-back options available.

The current welcome bonus stands at 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 within the first 90 days of opening your account. This translates to a cash equivalent value of $600, which can be applied as a statement credit to offset the cost of Disney tickets charged to that card.

What about the Disney Visa Card?

It’s understandable to question why, after 1,000 words, the Disney® Visa® Card hasn’t been mentioned if you’re considering using points for a Disney vacation.

There are essentially two types of Disney Visa cards. The no-annual-fee Disney Visa offers a straightforward 1% back on all purchases, awarded as Disney Rewards Dollars that can be spent at Disney.

Next is the Disney® Premier Visa® Card, which carries a $49 annual fee. This card provides 5% back on purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, and ESPNPlus.com, 2% back on spending at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most domestic Disney locations, and 1% back on all other purchases.

In both scenarios, the Disney Rewards Dollars you accumulate can be applied toward expenses at Disney parks, Disney cruises, and more. This makes it a decent choice for accumulating rewards for a Disney trip, especially if you secure a favorable sign-up bonus.

While these cards offer some nice perks and discounts, they aren’t necessarily the top choices for maximizing your spending to earn a future Disney vacation.

In summary

Accumulating enough points for a family’s Disney tickets requires time and a dedicated effort. However, strategically utilizing one or more big credit card sign-up bonuses can help transform a dream Disney vacation into a more budget-friendly option.

For instance, securing $750 in value for your trip from the current bonus on the Capital One Venture Rewards Card and an additional $600 from the welcome bonus on the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card can provide a substantial boost if you prefer not to pay cash for Disney tickets.

If you have more time to gather points, the Bilt Mastercard is an excellent choice since Bilt Rewards points can be redeemed for 1.25 cents each for Disney tickets. However, it currently does not offer a welcome bonus for new cardholders.

By obtaining the Chase Sapphire Reserve and earning its welcome bonus of 75,000 points (after spending $4,000 within the first three months), you could be close to securing two three-day adult tickets, provided they are available in the Chase Travel portal.

While there are more cost-effective ways to use reward points than for Disney ticket purchases, the most fulfilling use of points is the one that helps realize your travel aspirations. So, if your goal is a Disney trip fueled by points, you can certainly achieve that dream.

Check Bilt Mastercard rates and fees here.

Explore Bilt Mastercard rewards and benefits here.