Family accidentally spends $10,000 on Disney+ gift cards

In 2020, two grandparents made a pricey purchase to make their grandkids’ dreams of a Disney getaway come true — but a simple mistake made the whole ordeal nightmarish.

In a TikTok, Andie Coston shared the story of how her parents spent $10,000 on gift cards to pay for a much-delayed family vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando. Just a week before they were scheduled to leave for Florida, however, the family discovered that the gift cards were for Disney+, the streaming service… not for the Disney parks.

“We leave in six days and the parks are selling out of tickets because it’s Christmas. My mom is distraught, Dad frustrated, and the kids worried we won’t get into Disney,” Coston wrote at the end of the video. She also noted that $10,000 is enough to pay for more than 70 years of the streaming service at its current price.

Coston shared more details in several follow-up videos. “My parents are 78, they don’t use streaming services,” the 41-year-old social worker explained. “We’ve got, like, student loans and a mortgage, right? We’re not gonna be able to take our kids to Disney. This is our one shot.” She also explained that her parents didn’t realize their mistake until they’d already scratched off the numbers for each gift card, which meant they couldn’t be returned to the Sam’s Club where they were purchased.

Numerous commenters shared that they’d experienced similar issues, and emphasized that the gift cards for the streaming service are not transferable to Disney parks credits. 

Fortunately, Coston’s family connected with Disney employees and were able to convert their Disney+ money into gift cards that would actually work on their trip.

“I am so glad we were able to get it resolved, especially for my parents’ sake. It was also good to hear that my parents are not the only ones who have experienced this,” Coston told PEOPLE.

“I received many messages and comments from people telling me that they or someone they know have had similar experiences. I hope that this story makes more people aware of the card difference so no one else experiences this.”

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