How to Plan a Free runDisney Trip: A Runner’s Guide
Participating in a runDisney event is a thrilling experience for any Disney and running enthusiast. It can also be expensive, especially when combined with a Disney vacation. However, it doesn’t have to upset your piggy bank. When I crossed my first runDisney finish line in 2019, I not only celebrated successfully completing my first half-marathon but also my first “free” Disney vacation. Since then, I’ve enjoyed several free runDisney trips, and you can too!
With careful planning and a strategic use of points, miles, and other rewards, you can significantly reduce or eliminate the out-of-pocket costs associated with your runDisney trip. Here’s a comprehensive runner’s guide on how to plan a free runDisney trip.
Getting Started
Creating a free trip is like training for a race. It all starts with a plan. In the beginning, the goal may seem unreachable. Yet, as the weeks pass, you complete the prescribed workouts and slowly build your fitness. When race day comes, you’re ready because you’ve followed the steps along the way.
For your trip, instead of building fitness, you’ll build points, miles, cash, and other rewards. You’ll create a detailed plan to earn rewards, work toward getting them, and when you have enough rewards, you’ll use them to pay for your trip.
If you’re new to the concept of rewards, it’s helpful to think of them as just another way to pay for something. For instance, you can redeem airline rewards to pay for airfare, hotel rewards to pay for lodging, travel rewards to cover the cost of theme park tickets, and cash rewards to pay for meals and other expenses. Or, you can use flexible rewards to pay for nearly everything. There are many types of rewards and various ways to earn them and redeem them. For more details about using rewards to pay for travel, read How to Plan a Free Theme Park Vacation.
No matter which type of rewards you end up using, you’ll need a place to create and keep track of your plan. Consider dedicating a physical or digital notebook for this purpose. Or, use the helpful planning and tracking pages in the How to Plan a Free Theme Park Vacation Companion Workbook.
Once you’ve decided how you’ll keep track of your plan, take some time to brainstorm your ideal free runDisney trip. Which race weekend appeals to you? Do you want to combine the weekend with a vacation? Will you attend alone, or with family or friends? How will you get there? Do you need lodging? Do you hope to cover the entire cost of your trip with rewards or just part of it? Will you book it yourself, use a travel agent, or some of both? Once you have a basic idea of the trip, it’s time to move on to the next step.
Research the Cost
In order to know how many rewards to earn, you’ll need to estimate the cost of the trip. Write a list of all the potential expenses. Think about your trip from start to finish and visualize every cost that will need to be paid. Then estimate the cash cost of each expense. If you’re considering using a travel agency for some of your trip, contact them and get a quote. If you’re happy with the quote, use that as your estimate in your list where appropriate.
Race Fees
Registration for runDisney events happens months before race day and often sells out. The prices are different for each race, and race weekend. Decide which race(s) you want to do, if available, and whether you want to purchase tickets to any extra runDisney events scheduled that weekend.
If the prices for the race weekend you’re considering aren’t available yet, look at past events to estimate the cost. Just search online for the name of the event with the previous year in the search. Assume the new race fee will be higher than the previous year and include a buffer in your estimate.
Lodging
If you’ll require lodging, determine how many nights you’ll stay, what type of room you want, and whether you want to stay onsite or offsite. Keep in mind you’ll need to arrive at least one day prior to your event to get your race bib at the Expo.
For Walt Disney World events, transportation is provided for onsite guests, and those staying at the Swan and Dolphin and Swan Reserve, for travel to and from the Expo, races, and theme parks. If you stay offsite, you’ll likely need your own transportation.
For Disneyland races, you can walk from several area hotels, but consider how far you’re willing to walk. Your legs may not appreciate lots of extra steps before and after the race.
For offsite hotels, compare perks like free breakfast, larger rooms, and amenities. Also, research any added expenses like resort and parking fees.
I’ve stayed both onsite and offsite during race weekends at Walt Disney World, but I prefer staying onsite because of the atmosphere. There’s a certain sense of camaraderie with fellow runners at a Disney World Resort that makes the weekend extra special. However, your rewards may stretch farther staying offsite. If you’re not sure if you want to stay onsite or offsite, research both costs and compare them.
Another option is a split-stay. I’ve done several trips staying offsite for one part and onsite for the rest. I find it somewhat inconvenient to switch hotels, but not so much that I wouldn’t do it again.
Transportation
Consider all transportation costs you’ll incur. Include things like transfers to and from the airport, rideshares, parking, airfare, car rentals, and fuel.
Meals
Think about what type of dining you prefer. Menus with prices are available online. Include snacks, drinks, and meals for the entire trip. Remember to include items you’ll purchase on travel days. Also include costs for race day fuel and hydration. To stretch your rewards dollar, read Best Tips to Save on Food Costs During Your Theme Park Vacation.
Theme Park Tickets
Visiting a theme park during a race weekend is not required, but it sure is fun! Research the different ticket types to determine what would be best. Tickets are expensive, so choose wisely.
Keep in mind that you’ll likely want to go to bed early before an early morning race, and spending hours on your feet prior to race day could affect your performance and enjoyment. You may want to postpone park time until after the race.
You can purchase theme park tickets directly from Disney, through a travel agency, or from a reputable discount travel broker.
Other Costs
List all other costs like race gear, costumes, tips, and souvenirs. If this is your first runDisney event and you’re looking forward to purchasing race merchandise but aren’t sure about prices, there are some content creators on YouTube that share information about merchandise for sale during race weekends. Watch past videos to get an idea about prices.
Find Alternative Ways to Pay
Once you’ve created a list of anticipated trip expenses, it’s time to find ways to pay for them with rewards. You can focus on one type of rewards or several. If you plan to stay onsite, or use a travel agent to book your trip, you’ll likely want to focus on cash rewards and flexible rewards. Otherwise, you could use a combination of airline, hotel, flexible, and cash rewards. I usually use several types of rewards when I’m planning a trip.
Disney Purchases
Most Disney purchases, such as race fees, dining, Disney Resorts, and theme park tickets, can be paid with a credit card, Disney Rewards Redemption Card, or Disney Gift Card. The only direct rewards option is the Disney Rewards Redemption Card. A Disney Rewards Redemption Card is a reloadable card used for spending points, Disney Rewards Dollars, earned from a Disney® Visa® or Premier Visa® Credit Card. These credit cards offer a modest welcome bonus for a minimal spend and have some added perks for cardholders, but other cards offer much larger bonuses. We’ll come back to credit cards in the next step.
Transportation
You can book your flight with cash, through a credit card travel portal with points, or using airline reward miles. To determine how many airline rewards you’ll need for your flights, search for flights on the airline’s website, or app, and choose the option for points or miles. Since prices fluctuate, I suggest overestimating how many rewards you’ll need. This will give you a buffer if the prices increase before you’re ready to book your flights. Don’t forget to include taxes and fees in your plan.
Lodging
Research the points required for hotel stays:
- Offsite stays: Input your dates on the hotel’s website and select points to view the rewards cost. Consider options like Marriot Bonvoy, IHG, Hyatt, Hilton, and others.
- Onsite stays: Options include booking directly with Disney or through a travel agency. Also, Disney Resorts and nearby hotels are sometimes available on sites like Hotwire and Priceline. You could book your lodging this way and cover the cost with cash rewards. Credit card travel portals are another option for onsite stays, if there’s inventory. I booked a race weekend night last year at Coronado Springs using the Citibank Travel Portal. The redemption price for paying in Citi ThankYou® Points was inflated, but the cash price was less than Disney was charging. I paid the cash price and later reimbursed myself with cash rewards earned elsewhere. The Swan and Dolphin Resorts, though technically not considered onsite, are often available to book with points on credit card travel portals and discount travel sites. Or, you can use Marriott Bonvoy points to book them. Guests at these resorts receive similar perks as onsite guests and you can’t beat the great location, within walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
Types of Rewards
Once you know how many rewards you’ll need for each expense, you’ll find ways to earn them.
Credit Card Rewards
Assuming you have good creditworthiness and don’t carry credit card debt, one of the most lucrative ways to earn rewards is through credit card welcome bonuses. It’s not uncommon for a bank to offer a bonus worth several hundreds of dollars to attract new credit card applicants. These bonuses usually require new cardholders to spend a certain amount on the card within a set timeframe. Don’t let that intimidate you. Timing your application with upcoming expenses, and using that one card for all expenses will help you meet the spend quickly.
Cash back credit cards, like the Chase Freedom Cards and American Express Blue Cash Cards, earn cash on purchases. Brand specific, or co-branded, credit cards earn rewards for a particular brand. The Chase Disney Visa Card, Chase IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, and Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card are brand specific cards.
Flexible rewards cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Venture Rewards Card, earn rewards that can be redeemed several ways. The Venture Rewards Card allows you to “erase” travel purchases with your rewards. Another option is to redeem flexible rewards as cash. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for one cent each. So, a 60,000 point welcome bonus is worth $600 redeemed as cash. You can choose to receive a statement credit or have the cash deposited in a bank account.
Some argue that points earned with flexible rewards credit cards are more valuable when transferred to hotel or airline rewards programs, or used for travel portal redemptions, and shouldn’t be redeemed as cash. There’s merit to that argument, but this is your free runDisney trip plan. There’s nothing wrong with cash redemptions to cover costs, if that’s what works for you. Personally, I only redeem currencies that are worth a penny each as cash, such as Ultimate Rewards, and not others that offer less value than that.
Bank Bonuses
Another option for earning cash rewards to cover your trip is bank bonuses. Some banks offer cash incentives for opening new accounts. These bonuses usually involve depositing and keeping a certain amount of money in a new account for a specified amount of time and/or receiving a set number of direct deposits. Check the terms of the offer to be sure you’ll earn the bonus in time for your trip. To learn more about bank bonuses, read Bank Bonuses for Beginners: Your Path to Extra Cash.
Gift Cards
Speaking of cash, you can use your cash rewards to purchase Disney Gift Cards and use them to pay for certain runDisney trip expenses. If you’re wondering why you’d add this extra step, it’s because you can purchase discounted gift cards. If you buy gift cards at a discount, you’ll need fewer rewards to cover their cost.
Wholesale stores like Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club regularly sell discounted Disney Gift Cards, and you can often find discounts at grocery stores, especially around major holidays. For instance, my local grocery store recently offered 10% off all gift cards for Father’s Day. That 10% discount plus the 6% cash rewards earned from my American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card for grocery store purchases means I’ll need less money for my next trip. Target also offers a 5% discount to Target Circle™️ Cardholders.
Other Rewards
For even more rewards, or if you don’t want to earn credit card rewards or bank bonuses, you can focus on other programs. These programs usually only offer small incentives, so it will take time to earn enough rewards for your trip. Using a shopping portal for all purchases is one way to earn rewards. To learn more about shopping portals, refer to Click, Shop, Save: The Ultimate Guide to Shopping Portals.
Another way to earn rewards is with programs like Swagbucks and MyPoints that offer rewards for various activities like shopping, surveys, and playing games. There are also rewards apps like Shopkicks (rewards for visiting stores, scanning items, and purchases), Evidation (rewards for fitness activities), and Fetch Rewards (rewards for scanning receipts)
Execute Your Plan
Create a Timeline
Earning rewards takes time. Map out when you’ll need rewards for each expense. Since airfare and hotel prices can increase as travel dates approach, you may want to concentrate on earning rewards for these expenses first. If your registration date is near, you may want to focus on earning rewards to cover that first.
If credit card bonuses are part of your plan, research the best welcome bonuses available for the cards you’re considering. Visit the Rewards page for typical offers. As each bank has its own criteria for approvals, research this information, and make sure you’re comfortable with meeting the terms of the welcome offer before you apply. I also suggest capturing an image of the offer before you apply and saving it for future reference.
Join Loyalty Programs
If you’re not already a member of the rewards programs you plan to use, sign up now. Create accounts for shopping portals and other rewards programs to earn rewards for everyday shopping or simple tasks.
Stay Organized
Keep track of your rewards as you earn them. It’s helpful to have a list of all your rewards in one spot for easy reference. I’m a fan of spreadsheets, and the handy tracking forms in the How to Plan a Free Theme Park Vacation Companion Workbook, but a simple list or chart works too.
If you pursue a credit card bonus, keep track of the application date, spending requirement and timeline, ongoing spend to meet the bonus, and rewards earned.
For bank bonuses, keep track of dates, deposits, and any other pertinent details related to the bonus. Make sure you adhere to the terms of the bonus when you withdraw funds.
If you purchase Disney Gift Cards or other gift cards for your trip, keep track of their amounts and store them, and their receipts, in a safe place. You can combine Disney Gift Cards at disneygiftcard.com, but this site is not a wallet and I don’t suggest leaving your cards stored there.
Book Travel & Enjoy Your Trip
Once you have enough rewards, make your reservations and redeem your rewards. I suggest sticking with refundable bookings. Read the terms carefully before booking.
Since airfare, hotel prices, and other travel expenses can fluctuate over time, stay alert for deals and offers. If you’ve booked refundable rates, you can rebook if prices drop. Check prices weekly, if not more often. Use free services like Google Flights for flight alerts, Autoslash for car rental alerts, and PointsyYeah for hotel and airfare rewards bookings.
Conclusion
Planning a free runDisney trip requires careful planning and a smart use of points, miles, and rewards. By following the steps presented above, you can enjoy the magic of Disney and the excitement of runDisney events without breaking the bank. Happy planning and happy running!
About the Author
Written by H. Kinney, author of How to Plan a Free Theme Park Vacation. She writes about using points, miles, and cash-back rewards to reduce the cost of theme park travel.
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