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Credit cards for theme parks and theme park purchases do exist – and can save you quite a bit of money. It doesn’t matter if you buy a day pass or season pass. You can use credit cards for theme parks and earn bonus points on your spending. Let’s explore how.
Best Credit Cards for Theme Parks
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn Bonus Points Using These Credit Cards for Theme Parks
Very few credit cards specialize in theme park rewards. However, with all of these cards in this list, you can earn at least 1.5 points per $1 on theme park purchases. That’s 50% more than the standard credit card offers.
You can also earn bonus points on restaurant spending within the park and also on your travel-related purchases. While these credit cards for theme parks may earn you points for the park tickets, consider using them for the dining and costs like getting to the park itself.
Unless you are visiting a theme park a few minutes from your house, owning a credit card that offers multiple bonus point opportunities can be your best option. Learn more about the best rewards credit cards to get an idea of what you can earn points/miles for.
Disney Premier Visa Card
This might be the most “magical” card when you visit the Magical Kingdom and one of the best credit cards for theme parks.
The Disney® Premier Visa® Card from Chase offers these Disney perks:
- 10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations and 10% off at select dining locations most days at the Disneyland® and Walt Disney World® Resorts.
- Save 10% on select purchases at shopDisney.com
Additionally, cardholders can earn 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars on card purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com, or ESPNPlus.com. They can also earn 2% in Disney Rewards Dollars on card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and most Disney U.S. locations. They’ll earn 1% on all other card purchases. There are no limits to the number of Rewards Dollars you can earn.
You can redeem these rewards dollars for a statement credit toward airline travel.
New Disney® Premier Visa® Card cardholders can earn a $300 Statement Credit after they spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
This card has a $49 annual fee.
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
The information for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Johnny Jet. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
With the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, you earn 4% back on entertainment, dining purchases, and select streaming services. Not only do you earn bonus rewards on theme park admission, but also on your in-park meal purchases.
When you’re not having fun, you also get 3% back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target) and 1% on all remaining purchases. The Savor Card has a $95 annual fee.
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
If you don’t want a card with an annual fee, consider the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card instead.
The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card earns:
- 10% Cash Back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
- 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)
- 3% Cash Back on dining and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 3% Cash Back on popular streaming services and entertainment
- 1% Cash Back on all other purchases
There is no limit on how much cash back can be earned. Additionally, rewards won’t expire so long as your account is open. You don’t have to worry about activating reward categories every quarter either.
There is a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.
New Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card also earns 2 miles for every $1 you spend. Because you might be traveling to visit the theme park, you can redeem your Venture miles for travel purchases or booking future award travel.
However, if you are wanting to earn a few more miles on travel, the good news—earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
For a limited time, new Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card cardholders can earn 75,000 miles once they spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, plus they’ll receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit their first cardholder year. Earning the entire bonus is equal to $1,000 in travel!
Chase Freedom Unlimited
For the point redemption flexibility, you might prefer the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Is one of the best credit cards for theme parks that has no annual fee.
Cardholders earn unlimited:
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases
- 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
You can redeem your rewards points for 1 cent each for award travel, cash, gift cards, and Amazon.com credits. If you also happen to own a Chase Ink Business or Sapphire product, you can pool points to enjoy a redemption bonus and 1:1 travel partner point transfers. Since very few cards pay bonus purchase rewards on theme park spending, the Freedom Unlimited offers a higher base point than tiered rewards cards that only pay 1 point per $1.
New Chase Freedom Unlimited® cardholders can enjoy an additional 1.5% cash back on everything they buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back! That means they can enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, Chase’s premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards, and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
Chase Sapphire Reserve
You won’t earn bonus points on theme park spending with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. But, you can use your Chase points to book your visit at a discount. Each point is worth 50% more (1.5 cents each) when you redeem them through Chase Travel℠ powered by Expedia.
By looking in the “Things to Do” tab, you can look for theme park tickets at your destination. Then, you can pay with points or a mixture of points and cash. You can also book your flights and hotel points through the rewards portal.
Chase Sapphire Reserve purchases earn up to 10x points. Cardholders can earn unlimited:
- 10x total points on hotels and car rental purchases through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 10x total points on Chase Dining purchases with Chase Travel
- 5x total points on flights when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 3x points on other travel worldwide (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 3x points on other dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out
- 1x points for all remaining purchases
You will not receive rewards points on your first $300 in annual travel purchases as the annual travel statement credit reimburses these purchases. If you pay for your plane tickets or hotel room with cash, Chase covers the first $300 you spend.
Saving Money on Theme Park Tickets
Getting bonus points on theme park purchases is nice, but paying less can be just as rewarding. After all, the less money you spend on theme park admissions means more money for future trips. Consider using the best credit cards for travel purchases to help save money.
Paying cash for theme park tickets might be the best bang for your buck. This is especially true if you are purchasing directly from a theme park that has better prices than a travel booking site. Then, you can redeem your points for award travel, which usually has better redemption values.
Most credit card providers offer member-only packages that can save you money. through Chase Travel℠ offers theme park tickets through their travel portal. American Express Membership Rewards offers theme park vouchers to several different brands.
Summary of Credit Cards for Theme Parks
When using credit cards for theme parks and park purchases, always strive to earn at least 1.5 points per $1 spent. This way, you’ll maximize your reward potential. Also, use your card for your food and drink purchases if your card has dining benefits.
You might also be able to redeem rewards points for theme park admission. But, you might find more value in saving these points for flights and hotel nights if you travel to visit a theme park. A little research to find the best deal can save you big money.
Johnny Jet has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Johnny Jet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
