Written by Sue Nowicki

Disney fanatics across the globe have dreamed up unique ways to save and pay for their Disney vacations. Some use the Cartwheel app and Red Card from Target, others use their Disney Visa card and other use gift card clearinghouse websites like GiftCardGranny.com (you have to be careful of these sites because they sometime sell Disney STORE gift card which do not work in the parks). I have found a way to save 10% on Disney vacations.I like to purchased Disney Gift Cards and airline cards from my local Kroger using my Kroger Plus Card which has gas rewards on purchases. While grocery purchases at Kroger are one point for every dollar spent, gift card purchases are two points for every dollar spent and a couple times a year they offer four points for every dollar you spend on gift cards. It’s when you purchase during these 4X fuel point offers that you reap serious savings. So let’s get into the numbers:

Assumptions

Gift Cards Needed:

Disney Gift Cards              $2,000
Southwest Airlines            $750

Calculations

8.8% isn’t bad at all considering I am already getting my gas at Kroger. No extra trips, no online purchases, no extra credit card (I abhor credit cards). The key is to make sure you are on empty when you fill up. It makes no sense to get 10 gallons of gas using the discount which would only save you $10 when you can do a complete fill-up and save $22.

Note: Kroger’s gas points expire on the last day of the next month after purchase. For example, if you purchase your gift cards in October they will be available for use until November 30. If you don’t use the points you lose them. Therefore, to take the most advantage of this discount you should attempt to purchase your gift cards as close to the beginning of the month as possible so you take advantage of as many fill-ups as possible. With three cars in my household this isn’t too difficult. However, if you don’t have at least two cars it would be difficult get all 11 fill-ups in in the time allotted, thereby reducing your savings. If that’s the case you could break-up your gift card purchases.

Summary

Are there other ways to save money on a Walt Disney World vacation? Absolutely! Are they this easy? I think not.

Sue Nowicki is an alumnae of the 2014/15 Disney Parks Moms Panel. She splits her time between planning her next Walt Disney World vacation and being team mom to ten high-energy volleyball players where she fills the roles of secretary, navigator, head cheerleader, treasurer, athletic trainer and team psychologist. You can follow her on Twitter @JazzinDisneyMom.