How I Took My Family To Disney for Free | 11 Ways I Made It Work
I just took my family to Disney World for an entire week, without paying a cent out of pocket!
“How?” you might ask. Well buckle your seat belts, I am about to tell you!
A year ago, I booked a trip to Disney and set a goal for myself to pay for the entire trip without any of our “normal” income. My husband, Collin, didn’t think I could do it, but boy did I prove him wrong! Most everything I did was via different apps on my phone, I will list them below starting with what profited me the most money.
While I put the money I earned toward my family’s trip to Disney, you could easily save your money for any vacation! These aren’t Disney-exclusive tips! In fact, now that our Disney trip is over, I am using these methods to save up for a trip to Hawaii!
I will preface this by saying that most of these apps and links I am giving you are referral links and I will benefit from you signing up through them, however, most of them get you a bonus from signing up under me and you can do the same and refer your friends too!
#1 Field Agent
This is one of my all-time favorite apps! This app posts different jobs that you can claim and carry them out for payment. There are several types of “jobs” and they will mostly ask you to go to a certain store but some you can do from your home!
I have made well over $500 on this app! I just look for jobs available before I go out on normal errands and I pair them up with what I’m doing that day.
For example, one day I left about an hour early for a meeting. I claimed a job at Walmart where I had to purchase a certain bottle of shower gel (they reimburse you). Later that day I tested the shower gel and answered questions about it which took about 5 minutes. On top of getting reimbursed, I made $3.00.
Then I snagged two jobs at Sam’s Club! The first job, all I had to do was take a few pictures of a certain display in the store. Easy money!! The second job, I had to purchase a bag of coffee to test out and review. The coffee cost me $15 but again, they reimbursed me and then paid me $5 on top of that for testing the coffee and telling them what I thought about it.
I have gotten to test out some cool new products that I wouldn’t have otherwise purchased and I have gotten paid to do it!!
Here is my referral link to the Field Agent app: https://fieldagent.page.link/dZLoHNoA1XaKN7F5A
#2 Ibotta
This app gives you cashback on what you purchase at the grocery store. Before I go shopping, I will look at the current products they are offering cashback on, and make a mental note of certain brands or products to purchase at the store. For example, right now there is 50 cents cashback when you purchase two Perfect Bars and $1.00 cashback on St. Ives Facial Care. These are two items that I know I will purchase next time I am at the store. So when I get home, I will scan my receipt and automatically get $1.50 cashback. Sometimes there are BOGO offers or even full reimbursement for new products! It may not seem like much, but trust me when I say that it adds up quickly!
#3 Disney Credit Card
I signed up for a Disney credit card basically just for the signup bonus and for the bonuses it got me while at Disney World. When I signed up, I got a $200 statement credit after spending a certain amount within the first three months. I used this card to pay the $200 deposit for our Disney resort and got a 35% discount on our room for doing that! The statement credit canceled out the cost of the deposit, so it was a no-brainer to do this! Free money!! Right now, depending on which card you choose, you can either get a $250 (Premier card) or $100 (regular card) statement credit when you sign up through my link. Another bonus to this card is that you get discounts when using it at the Disney Store or at certain stores and restaurants on Disney property.
#4 Swagbucks
This app has several ways to earn points and eventually exchange them for gift cards or you can even cash out to Paypal! There is a daily checklist of tasks to complete and this gets you more points. The main way I have found to earn points on Swagbucks is to answer surveys. This one does take some time, but it is very profitable once you figure it out. I cashed out my points to Visa gift cards and used them on Amazon to purchase things we needed for our trip.
#5 Dosh
The next two apps are literally the easiest way to make cashback on purchases. All you have to do is link your cards and shop as you normally would. There are certain stores where you automatically get cashback on your purchases. It is always such a fun surprise when I get a notification from Dosh saying I got cashback just for purchasing something I needed. Some stores that currently offer cashback through Dosh are Finish Line, Crocs, InstantCart, Ulta, and Office Depot.
Here is my referral link to the Dosh App: https://link.dosh.cash/MOLLYG51
#6 Pei
This is the exact same thing as the Dosh app above, except there are different stores where you earn cashback. Some of the stores currently offering cashback on Pei are Nordstrom, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, Old Navy, and Walgreens. Right now, when you sign up through my link, you can get $20 cashback after your first purchase!
Here is my referral link to the Pei app: https://getpei.app.link/invite?code=lvxbvn
#7 Rakuten
I use this app when online shopping to get cash back. Stores have different cash back amounts when you shop through the Rakuten app. I even have the extension to Rakuten on my internet browser and it will automatically show cash back deals and coupons when shopping online at certain stores. Right now, when you sign up through my link, you will get $25 cash back after your first purchase!
Here is my referral link to Raketen: https://www.rakuten.com/r/MGUERN5?eeid=44747
#8 Raise
This app allows you to purchase gift cards for discounted prices. Most gift cards come through automatically and electronically and you can save some major dollars this way! There are several major airlines, hotels, and gas stations on there and that allows you to save money on the essentials of your trips. We also use this frequently for family date nights to places such as Coldstone, Panera, or Texas Roadhouse! We have even used it to buy discounted gift cards for Lowes when completing home projects. Right now, when you sign up for Raise through my link, you will get $5 in Raise Cash after your first purchase.
Here is my referral link to Raise: https://geta.raise.com/CGUERNSEY1858
#9 Mr. Rebates
This app is similar to Raketen but it has different cash back amounts and includes different stores. I typically pair it with my Raise app because it has 1-5% cash back on Raise. So when I want to buy a discounted gift card on Raise, I click through the Mr. Rebates app first and get bonus cash back on my already discounted gift card!
Here is my referral link to Mr. Rebates: http://www.mrrebates.com?refid=1366629
#10 GetUpside
This app saves money on gas! When our car needs a fill-up, I always check this app first to see what gas station near me has the highest cash back amount. You add the credit card you are planning to use to your app’s wallet and when you get to the gas station, you check in on the app and tell it what card you are using. It uses the last four digits to track how much gas you purchased and you get a certain amount of cash back per gallon of gas. When you sign up with my link, you get 15 cents off your first purchase!
Here is my referral link to GetUpside: https://upside.app.link/8UVDP
#11 Southwest Rewards Credit Card
Finally, this credit card allows you to save up points to pay for your flights. If you earn enough points within the year, you can even earn a companion pass which allows you to bring a friend with you free whenever you fly! If you sign up before March 8th, you can get the companion pass by spending only $5,000 within the first three months of having your card.
I hope one or more of these apps and tips will help you save money for your next trip! Comment below if you have any questions and let me know your savings goals so that we can encourage you! Happy saving!