Walt Disney World vacations are expensive, and they take a fair amount of time to plan. These are concepts that most people know. Because of the cost, people look for any possible way to save money. A family in Illinois was planning a trip for the ages -- including 16 family members -- a pricey endeavor overall. So, in preparation for the costs, Grandma purchased $10,000 worth of Disney gift cards. Unfortunately, there was a problem, she bought the wrong one.
In a TikTok that has gone viral, Andie Coston explains that the family had planned a trip to Disney World in 2020 that had been derailed due to the global pandemic. They rescheduled the trip, and in preparation, her mother bought $10,000 worth of gift cards, which might be enough to cover the food at Disney World. Jokes aside, by buying them at Sam’s Club, she paid less than the face value of the cards, saving quite a bit of money. The problem was: they weren’t Disney gift cards, they were Disney+ gift cards.
@aofthecoast ♬ Oh No - Kreepa
For background here, Disney has a general gift card, one that can be used on anything related to Disney, theme parks, cruise ships, merchandise, or Disney+. However, the Disney+ gift card is limited to being used on the streaming service.
The TikTok was something of a cry for help, an attempt to find somebody who might be able to transfer the funds from one place to another.
Many people have since cried foul, believing this story is made up in some way. For example, many stores have limits on how many gift cards you can buy at once. Many credit card companies would throw up flags at a purchase that large without pre-approval. Speaking with WBRC, Coston admits she’s as confused as everybody and doesn’t understand how her parents were able to buy all the gift cards at once.
As far as the mistake, her parents are 78 and there was just a misunderstanding. They saw gift cards that said Disney and didn’t put together that those cards weren’t what they wanted to plan for the family vacation. For people who lived most of their lives without the internet, never mind streaming services, I can completely understand this.
The story does have an ending worthy of the best animated Disney movies, however. The TikTok went viral and made its way to the company, and the family was able to get in touch with somebody who helped them transfer the funds to standard Disney gift cards. That in itself took some work, however. To transfer the funds, USA Today reports, the family had to photograph the back of each of the 100 gift cards and email the photographs, which took multiple emails as well due to file limitations.
But now the vacation is secure. The family is ready to enjoy all the new attractions at Disney World.
