A family buys $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards thinking they can be used at theme parks

• An Illinois family mistakenly purchased $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards, thinking they were for the theme park.
• In a series of TikTok videosAndi Coston explained her family's vacation mix and asked for advice.
• Fortunately, Disney reached out and helped resolve the issue, Coston told Business Insider.

An Illinois family's vacation nearly went wrong after they mistakenly bought $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards, thinking they could be used at the theme parks.

Andy Coston, a 41-year-old social worker, has taken to TikTok last week To explain the mix-up and ask for help in getting the money “right.”

In her first video — which has since racked up more than 3.1 million views — Coston shared that her family was planning to go on a big trip together over Christmas.

“To save some money, my parents bought 10,000 Disney gift cards for tickets and restaurant reservations,” Coston said in the video's text comments.

However, when her parents had problems loading gift cards to purchase park tickets, she realized they had made a mistake, according to the video.

Coston then displayed a large stack of gift cards at her table and revealed that they were for Disney+, Disney's streaming service, and not for the parks, according to the video.

“This is 70+ years of Disney Plus,” she said in an overlay video caption. The premium, ad-free subscription to Disney+ costs $139.99 per year per subscription Disney+ website.

She then asked TikTok to help solve the problem, adding, “Mom is distraught, Dad is frustrated, and the kids are worried we won't get into Disney.”

Coston's initial video went viral, receiving more than 7,000 comments from other TikTok users. Some users gave her advice on how to fix the problem, while others were skeptical about how the mix-up happened in the first place.

In a few follow-up videos on TikTok, Coston explained that the incident occurred in part because Her parents are 78 And Do not use streaming servicesso they didn't really understand what Disney+ was.

She also explained in the post Follow-up video They couldn't return the gift cards because the numbers were already scratched off.

About a day after Coston posted her initial video on TikTok, she made a comment to update That someone from Disney contacted her parents and offered to convert Disney+ gift cards into Disney Parks gift cards.

Coston confirmed to Business Insider that the gift card issue has been resolved.

“Disney contacted my parents and rectified the situation,” Coston told BI. She also added that she has since heard from many people who have done it or know someone in the same situation as her.

“We are very happy that the problem has been resolved, and I am glad that this raises awareness for others who may have made the same mistake,” she said.

Disney did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Correction: December 26, 2023: An earlier version of this story misstated the cost of a Disney+ subscription. The price is $139.99 per year, not monthly.