How to Save on Disney World Tickets with Points & Cash Back

The average Disney World vacation is getting more expensive every day, so it makes sense to search for as many ways possible to save. If you are just looking for ways to save on Disney World tickets, we have the details here for a good strategy.  If you are looking to book an entire Disney vacation package, we already covered how to use credit card sign-up points and cash back bonuses to pay for hotel expenses, airfare, and Disney World tickets.

Although there is not a credit card that can directly help you save on the price of Disney park tickets, we found a couple that can help bring down the cost with cash back sign-up bonuses or points. The first offer we will discuss is available through Capital One for those with Excellent Credit. See our Credit Score Resources section for tips on increasing your credit score if you need a boost.

The Capital One SavorOne Rewards Card gives you a one-time $200 cash back bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. ($0 annual fee). This offer is great because the $200 bonus is credited to your account as soon as the $500 minimum spend is met. That is $200 instant savings towards your Disney Park tickets!

Once you reach the $500 minimum spend, you can refer another member of your household to the SavorOne and receive a $150 referral bonus. Once your family spends another $500 on the second SavorOne, you’ll receive another $200 bonus. The combined total of the two sign-up bonuses and the referral bonus comes to $550 back on $1,000 spent.

If you know anyone else that may be interested in the SavorOne you can also refer them for more $150 cash bonuses for each person that gets approved (up to $500 per year). Capital One makes referrals easy by using their refer-a-friend site. Just remember that you may owe taxes at the end of the year for these “refer a friend” bonuses. An explanation from Forbes.com can be found here: Are Credit Card Rewards Taxable?

We recommend you meet the $500 minimum spend on your first SavorOne Card before referring someone because the $150 referral bonus will appear as a statement credit on your account and will decrease the amount you’ve already put toward the minimum spend. This means that you would need to spend $650 before you receive your first $200 bonus.

Sign up for the first Capital One SavorOne card a few weeks before you’re ready to purchase your Disney World tickets. Once you receive your SavorOne card, use the card to pay for part of your family’s tickets, at least $500 worth. This would require breaking your ticket purchase into two different orders, but the tickets are easy to link together after purchase. You save on Disney Park tickets based on multiple park days per person but there are not savings based on the number of tickets(people) in your order. Two 2-day park passes will usually exceed $500 unless you are timing out your trip on the low-price days on the calendar, which is described below. After you have made your $500 minimum spend on the first card, refer another member of your family to the SavorOne, using the refer-a-friend site. Once approved, the $150 referral bonus will cover even more of the initial ticket purchase. When you receive the second SavorOne card, purchase the rest of your family's tickets and get another $200 back on a $500 or more purchase.  

This total of $550 back could get you up to 5 Disney Park tickets based on current Disney Theme Park Ticket prices.

The Capital One SavorOne credit card can be used ahead of your trip for Disney World tickets but is also a great option for expenses during your vacation. The card earns an unlimited 3% back on dining, entertainment, and groceries (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target). The SavorOne also earns 10% cash back on Uber and the card comes with a complimentary Uber One membership. Most other purchases will earn 1% back. Considering all of this, we feel the SavorOne is the best card to use during the trip to earn the most back for your expenses, especially keeping in mind the SavorOne comes with a $0 annual fee.

Our favorite card to save on tickets is the Capital One SavorOne card because of the $0 annual fee and the ease of getting $550 back on as little as $1,000 of spend. There are other ways to save that can be used alone or in combination with the SavorOne. The Chase Disney Premier Visa Card and the Chase Disney Visa Card both have sign up offers that can be used to offset the cost of Disney World tickets.

If you're planning a lot of park days or have a large family, you could combine two Capital One SavorOne Cards, as described above, and one of the Chase Disney Visa cards. This would require breaking your ticket purchase into three different orders, but the tickets are easy to link together after purchase. The first two purchases should be as close to $500 as you can get but make sure you at least get to $500 with each. Just remember to pick the multi-day tickets if you plan on going for multiple days, since there are savings compared to purchasing single day tickets. If your Disney ticket purchase is not more than $1,000 or there is no easy way to split the purchase into three, then just stick with two Capital One SavorOne cards for your best savings. 

The main reason to choose the Chase Disney Visa Card over the Chase Disney Premier Visa Card would be the $0 annual fee. The current new cardmember offer is a $150 statement credit after you spend $500. If your family combines the two SavorOne cards with the Chase Disney Visa Card offer, you can save $700 on $1,500 of Disney World tickets. Make sure to split the ticket order into three purchases of at least $500. 

The Chase Disney Premier Visa Card new cardmember offer is a $300 statement credit after you spend $1,000 but there is a $49 annual fee to factor in your savings. If your family combines the two SavorOne cards with the Disney Premier Visa Card offer, you can save $800 on $2,000 of Disney World tickets. Make sure to split the ticket order into two purchases of at least $500 and one purchase of at least $1,000. 

The Chase Disney Visa cards have slightly different earnings worth mentioning but the best discount for those planning a vacation to Disney World would be the 10% back at select Disney Parks shops and dining locations on purchases over $50. Not all locations offer the 10% back so don't forget to ask before expecting the discount. Both cards offer at least 1% back on purchases but the Chase Disney Premier Visa Card also earns 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars on purchases made at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, and ESPNPlus.com and 2% at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney locations.

Another credit card option to save on Disney World tickets is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Card. This is our favorite travel card for earning sign-up bonus points. You can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. ($95 annual fee). If you sign up for the card with the intention of using it to purchase Disney park tickets, your initial purchase will go towards the $4,000 minimum spend mark. The card can be used for booking other travel expenses related to your Disney World vacation or just use it for your other everyday purchases until you reach your sign-up bonus. Your 60,000 bonus points can be converted into $600 cash back at the Chase Ultimate Rewards site, which could get you up to 5 Disney Park tickets based on current Disney Theme Park Ticket prices.

Here are the highlights of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card we like the most:

• Earn 3x points on dining
• Earn 3x points on select streaming and online grocery purchases
• Earn 2x points on travel
• Transfer points to select travel programs at 1:1 value
• 6-month complimentary Instacart+ Membership and $15 in statement credits per quarter on Instacart purchases
• Complimentary DashPass Membership through 12/31/2024

Check Disney’s theme park ticket calendar when picking the dates of your trip. If you visit on off-peak days, you can find tickets for less. Also, be on the lookout for seasonal deals. Disney currently has an offer for a 4-Day, 4-Park Magic Ticket that averages $99 per day. This is a great deal for those who plan on visiting each of the 4 Disney World Theme Parks.

Remember we’re using current point prices and credit card bonuses in our examples. This could all change at a given moment so if you’re thinking of scheduling your trip don’t delay and grab these current offers while they last.