I've experience similar situations with prepaid gift cards, Carol. The good news is that when using Disney gift cards to make purchases at the Walt Disney World resort (whether in restaurants, theme parks or resort shops), the new balance will be displayed at the bottom of your receipt. We frequently use gift cards to help my children manage their souvenir shopping. I always bring along a black Sharpie and write the new balance on the back of the gift card itself. The Sharpie is also helpful in writing names on plastic water bottles. Another option with regard to keeping track of your gift card balance would be to wrap the receipt around the gift card before replacing it in your purse or wallet, that way, the new balance would always be available. If all else fails, just ask a Cast Member to do a balance inquiry on the card. I hope that helps!