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Best savings options for a Disney vacation account
The right savings account can help you bring your dream vacation to life.
Updated
Fact checked
A visit to Disney is the trip of a lifetime for many families, but it comes at a cost. From flights to accommodations and everything in between, you’ll need to start planning far in advance. The right savings account can help you fund your trip sooner and earn rewards along the way.
Disney used to offer a Disney Vacation Savings account, but it shut this program down in 2017. To help you save for your Disney vacation, we’ve gathered the five best credit unions that offer Disney discounts and the top five alternative savings accounts you could use to save for your next trip.
To narrow down our list of credit unions, our primary focus was on finding those that had the best Disney discounts. This meant ignoring secondary factors like membership requirements and branch locations. All five of our picks require you to open a basic savings account to establish membership, so we noted the account details, pros and cons of each account.
To find the best alternative savings accounts for Disney vacations, we focused on accounts with high APYs, low monthly fees, and goal tracking features that allow you to set and manage your progress as you save toward your Disney trip.
5 credit unions that offer Disney perks
Providence Federal Credit Union Share Savings account
0.05%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
$5
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
When you join Providence Federal Credit Union, you save up to 50% on select vacations to destinations such as Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Knotts Berry Farm, SeaWorld, Legoland California, Universal Studios Hollywood, and more.
- Visa Travel Money Card. Load up to $5,000 on this exclusive prepaid card and enjoy free travel and emergency assistance, lost luggage reimbursements and a competitive foreign exchange rate when you take your Disney vacation.
- No monthly fee. Providence doesn't charge any monthly maintenance fees for its Share Savings account.
- Online application. If you qualify for membership, you can open this account online without having to visit a local branch.
- Average APY. This account earns 0.05% APY, which is lower than most online banks that offer rates over 1.7%.
- Minimum balance requirements. You'll need to keep at least $100 in this account to earn interest.
- Strict membership requirements. Membership is open to employees of Providence St. Joseph Health or one of its own subsidiaries and their families.
| Interest compounding |
Monthly
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $100 |
| Monthly transaction limit | |
| Fee per transaction over limit |
Call Federal Savings account
0.35%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
$5
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
Call Federal Credit Union has a range of perks for its members, including discounted tickets to Disneyland and Disney World through one of its partners, Tickets at Work.
- Other membership benefits. Get access to money education programs and free meetings with a certified financial counselor.
- No fees. You won't pay any monthly fees to open or maintain this account.
- Low minimum deposit. You only need $5
- Minimum balance to earn interest. You'll need to keep at least $100 in this account to earn 0.35% APY.
- Excessive transaction fee. You'll pay a $10 fee each time you make more than six outgoing transactions a month. Although this policy could be temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus. Contact customer service for more information.
- Strict membership requirements. This credit union is only open to those who live, work or worship in the Greater Richmond, Virginia area.
| Interest compounding |
Quarterly
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $100 |
| Monthly transaction limit | 6 |
| Fee per transaction over limit | $10 |
Noble Credit Union Regular Savings account
Up to 0.25%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
$5
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
Noble Credit Union members can enjoy discount tickets and hotel packages to numerous theme parks through Get Away Today. Popular attractions include Disneyland, Walt Disney World, San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and more.
- No monthly fee. There's no monthly fee to open or maintain a Regular Savings account.
- Other membership perks. Noble Credit Union members get a free Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance policy worth $2,000 and access to free member seminars on topics like budgeting, understanding credit, money management and more.
- Lifetime membership. Once you join this credit union, you're a member for life and any of your immediate family members can join too.
- Low APYs. You'll earn 0% on balances up to $249, 0.10% on balances up to $4,999, 0.15% on balances up to $9,999, 0.2% on balances up to $24,999 and 0.25% on balances over $25,000.
- Strict membership requirements. Membership is primarily open to those who work for select businesses in Fresno and Madera County, California and their families.
| Interest compounding |
Monthly
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $250 |
| Monthly transaction limit | |
| Fee per transaction over limit |
Tower Federal Credit Union Prime Share Savings account
0.08%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
$5
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
Tower Federal Credit Union offers a breadth of resources to help you save money on your Disney vacation. It offers several tips on its website for how to find the best transportation and lodging. Plus, you can get discounted Disney World and Disneyland tickets through Undercover Tourist.
- No monthly fee. You won't may any monthly fees or service charges when you open a Prime Share Savings account.
- Daily compound interest. Your money grows faster when you earn interest on yesterday's interest.
- Easy membership requirements. If you fall outside of Tower's regular field of membership, you can still join when you make a $35 donation to the TowerCares Foundation.
- 0.08% APY. This APY is the highest of any credit union on our list, but most online-only banks offer much higher rates.
- Below balance fee. You may pay $4.99 if your account balance dips below $5.
- Excessive transaction penalties. Normally, your account could be closed if you passed the six transaction limit, but you'll want to check with Tower Federal Credit Union to see if this policy is temporarily suspended.
| Interest compounding |
Daily
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $0 |
| Monthly transaction limit | 6 |
| Fee per transaction over limit |
Goldenwest Credit Union Primary Shares account
0.1%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
$5
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
Goldenwest Credit Union partners with Get Away Today to offer discounted travel packages to Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, San Diego Zoo and more.
- Low opening deposit. If you qualify for membership, you can open this account with as little as $5.
- No monthly fees. You won't pay any monthly fees when you open this account.
- Co-op network. Goldenwest Credit Union is part of the Co-op network, which means you get access to 5,000 branches and 30,000 free ATMs nationwide.
- Average APY. This account earns 0.1% APY, which is on par with the national average. Many online banks offer rates much higher than this.
- Minimum balance requirement. You'll need to keep at least $25 in this account to earn interest.
- Open to members only. Goldenwest primarily services those who live, work, worship or attend school in select areas of Utah.
| Interest compounding |
Daily
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $25 |
| Monthly transaction limit | 6 |
| Fee per transaction over limit |
5 Disney Vacation Account alternatives
Digit
0.5%
APY
APY
$5
monthly
Fees
Fees
None
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
Digit is a micro-savings app that learns your spending habits and transfers leftover money into savings for you. It has built-in tools to help you set up savings goals for different aspects of your trip including travel, lodging, theme park tickets, food and more.
- Free 30-day trial. Digit has a $5 monthly fee, but you can try it for free for 30 days.
- No minimum opening deposit. Get started with Digit with as little as $0.
- Savings bonus. You'll earn a 0.5% annualized savings bonus when you use Digit to save for three consecutive months.
- Interest compounded quarterly. Most banks help you grow your money faster with interest that's compounded daily. But Digit compounds interest once every three months.
- Monthly fee. Expect to pay $5 a month to use Digit.
- Limited customer service. Digit doesn't have phone or live chat support, so the only way to reach someone is through email.
| Interest compounding |
Annually
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $1 |
| Monthly transaction limit | |
| Fee per transaction over limit |
Ally Bank Online Savings Account
0.8%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
None
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
Ally Bank recently released three tools to make saving for your Disney vacation even easier. You can set up automatic transfers, organize your money into different savings buckets or let Ally analyze your spending and move extra money into savings each week.
- Interest compounded daily. Your money grows even faster with a 0.8% APY that's compounded daily.
- No hidden fees. Ally doesn't charge any monthly maintenance fees and clearly outlines which fees it does charge in its Straight Talk product guide.
- No minimum deposit requirements. You can open this account with as much or as little money as you'd like.
- Online only. Ally operates entirely online, so it doesn't accept cash deposits and you're limited to phone and email support.
- No ATM card. You'll have to transfer money to another account if you need to withdraw cash.
- 30 days to fund account. If you don't fund your account within 30 days of opening, Ally will close it.
| Interest compounding |
Daily
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $0 |
| Monthly transaction limit | 6 |
| Fee per transaction over limit | $10 |
Simple
1%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
None
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
Simple is a high-yield bank account with a primary focus on helping you budget. The app comes with a free Protected Goals Account that you can use to save for your Disney Vacation.
- Competitive APY. Earn 1% APY on your total account balance when you save for your Disney vacation using Simple's Protected Goals Account.
- Round-up your spare change. Turn on the round-up rules feature and Simple will automatically round up your debit card purchases to the nearest whole dollar and sweep the spare change into your Protected Goals Account.
- Safe-to-Spend feature. This tool subtracts your expenses and savings from your account balance to show how much extra money you have in your budget.
- No cash deposits. Simple is an online-only bank, so it doesn't support cash deposits of any kind.
- No in-person support. The only way to reach customer support is by phone or by filling out the online form on its website.
- Five-day hold on deposits. Simple used to offer personal bill pay services, but it no longer does.
| APY | 1% |
|---|---|
| Account fees | $0 monthly |
| Can the fee be waived? |
Yes
|
| Insufficient funds fee | $0 |
| ATM transaction fee | $0 |
| Wire transfer fee | $0 |
| Overdraft fee | $0 |
| Accout closure fee | $0 |
Capital One 360 Performance Savings
1%
APY
APY
None
Fees
Fees
None
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
The Capital One 360 Performance Savings account comes with a sleek mobile app that helps you track savings goals, so you know exactly how far away you are from that Disney trip. Plus, you can check your credit score and categorize transactions.
- High APY. Earn a solid 1% APY on your total account balance.
- No monthly fees. Capital One doesn't charge you anything to open or maintain this account.
- Digital savings tools. Set up automatic payments and have part of every paycheck set aside for your Disney trip.
- No ATM access. The Capital One 360 Performance Savings account doesn't come with an ATM card, so you'll have to transfer money to another account if you need cash.
- Monthly withdrawal limit. As with all savings accounts, you can't make more than 6 outgoing transactions a month. But check with Capital One to see if this policy is currently suspended.
| Interest compounding |
Monthly
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $0 |
| Monthly transaction limit | 6 |
| Fee per transaction over limit | $0 |
Alliant High-Rate Savings
0.65%
APY
APY
$1
monthly
Fees
Fees
$5
Min. opening deposit
Min. opening deposit
As an Alliant member, you'll get access to a money management tool that lets you create and track your Disney vacation savings goals, keep an eye on your spending patterns and manage transactions straight from your phone. Plus, this online savings account offers a competitive APY that's higher than the national average.
- Competitive APY. You'll earn 0.65% APY when you keep at least $100 in this account.
- Comes with an ATM card. If you don't have an existing Alliant checking account, you'll get an ATM card that lets you quickly access your money at ATMs nationwide.
- No initial deposit requirements. Alliant pays the $5 opening deposit for you, so you can get a jump start on your savings.
- Open to members only. If you don't qualify for a regular membership, you can still join when you make a $5 donation to Foster Care to Success.
- Withdrawal limits. If you have a Chexsystems record, you can't withdraw more than $200 a day. If you don't have one, your limit is $500.
- Miscellaneous fees. Alliant charges fees for paper statements, overdrafts, stop-payments and more.
| Interest compounding |
Daily
|
|---|---|
| Minimum to earn interest | $100 |
| Monthly transaction limit | 6 |
| Fee per transaction over limit |
How to find the best Disney vacation savings account for your family
No matter how many people you’re planning on bringing with you, use the following criteria to find the best savings account to help you reach your savings goal:
How much should I save for a Disney vacation?
Disney vacations can be the trip of a lifetime, but costs can add up quickly. Here’s what you can expect to pay for accommodations and tickets, depending on the size of your group:
Room and ticket package (6 night, 7 day stay, tickets valid at all four theme parks)
| Number of guests | Price per person (per day) | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $99 | $1,386 |
| 3 | $99 | $2,079 |
| 4 | $99 | $2,772 |
| 5 | $99 | $3,465 |
| 6 | $99 | $4,158 |
| 7 | $99 | $4,851 |
| 8 | $99 | $5,544 |
Room, ticket and dining package (6 night, 7 day stay, tickets valid at all four theme parks)
| Number of guests | Price per person (per day) | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $138 | $1,932 |
| 3 | $138 | $2,898 |
| 4 | $138 | $3,864 |
| 5 | $138 | $4,830 |
| 6 | $138 | $5,796 |
| 7 | $138 | $6,762 |
| 8 | $138 | $7,728 |
Keep in mind that these don’t include expenses such as:
- Tax
- Snacks
- Drinks
- Souvenirs
- Transportation
- Magical extras
- Tips
- Toys
- Pictures
What if I can’t quite save enough?
If you’ve set a goal and planned out your Disney vacation savings but it won’t quite cover the cost or you’re on a tight timeline to get there, consider one of many Disney vacation financing options, like a Disney rewards credit card or a low-interest personal loan. You can also watch for discounts or find ways to save on travel or dining.
Bottom line
With the right approach, you can make your Disney vacation dreams a reality. Calculate how much it’ll cost your family to visit, then work out a budget or savings plan to fund your trip.
The right savings account can help you reach your goal sooner with the power of compound interest, so compare your options to find one that fits your needs.
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