Down Angle Symbol A symbol in the form of an angle pointing downwards. A family accidentally purchased $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards thinking they could be used for the theme park. Chesnot/Getty Images; Olga Thompson/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images
- An Ilinois family mistakenly purchased $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards thinking they were for the theme park.
- In a series of TikTok videos, Andie Coston explained her family's holiday mix-up and asked for advice.
- Luckily, Disney reached out and helped resolve the issue, Coston told Business Insider.
An Illinois family's vacation almost went awry after they accidentally purchased $10,000 worth of Disney+ gift cards thinking they could be used for the theme parks.
Andie Coston, a 41-year-old social worker, took to TikTok last week to explain the mixup and ask for help getting the money “into the right form.”
In her first video – which has now been viewed over 3.1 million times – Coston shared that her family had planned to go on a big trip together over Christmas.
“To save some money, my parents bought 10,000 Disney gift cards to purchase our tickets and restaurant reservations,” Coston said in the video's captions.
Media is not supported by AMP.
Tap to enjoy the full mobile experience.
However, when her parents had difficulty loading the gift cards to purchase the park tickets, she realized they had made a mistake, according to the video.
Coston then showed off a thick stack of gift cards on her table and revealed that, according to the video, they were for Disney+, Disney's streaming service, and not the parks.
“It’s over 70 years of Disney Plus,” she said in superimposed video captions. An ad-free premium subscription to Disney+ costs $139.99 per year, according to the Disney+ website.
She then asked TikTok for help in fixing the problem, adding that “her mom is distraught, her dad is frustrated, and the kids are worried that we won't get into Disney.”
Coston's first video quickly blew up and she received over 7,000 comments from other TikTok users. Some users gave her advice on how to solve the problem, while others were skeptical about how the mix-up even happened.
In some follow-up videos on TikTok, Coston clarified that the incident was partly because her parents are 78 and don't use streaming services, so they didn't really understand what Disney+ was.
In another follow-up video, she also made it clear that she couldn't return the gift cards because the numbers had already been scratched off.
About a day after Coston posted her first TikTok video, she shared that someone from Disney contacted her parents and offered to convert the Disney+ gift cards into Disney Parks gift cards.
Media is not supported by AMP.
Tap to enjoy the full mobile experience.
Coston confirmed to Business Insider that the gift card mix-up has been cleared up.
“Disney called my parents and corrected the situation,” Coston told BI. She also added that she has since heard from many people who have done this or know someone who is in the same situation as her.
“We're so glad it's been resolved and I'm glad this raises awareness for others who may have made the same mistake,” she said.
Disney did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.
Correction: December 26, 2023: An earlier version of this story misstated the cost of a Disney+ subscription. It costs $139.99 per year, not per month.
NOW WATCH: Popular Videos from Insider Inc.
Is loading…