Why You Shouldn’t Rent Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Points
Disney Vacation Club is a Disney’s version of a timeshare program but rather than buying a set week as with companies like RCI and Hilton Grand Vacations, Disney Vacation Club members get an annual allotment of points. These points can be redeemed at a variety of Disney Resorts, most of them however are located at Disney World in Florida.
Points are based on things like the resort you choose, room category, and date. Nightly point rates cost more during the holidays and spring break than say, summertime which is Value Season.
One of my viewers pointed out that she was looking to rent points for a 1-bedroom villa at Bay Lake Tower at Walt Disney World for a few nights in late December.
The room cost 56 points per night.
But when she looked into traveling in July, the same room cost only 28 points per night. So she was able to rent fewer points which saved her money.
If a Disney Vacation Club Member decides they do not want to use their points, they can rent them out to someone else either through a broker, they may use a Facebook group that relies heavily on the honor system where you can rent DVC points by owner.
The claim is that renting points can save you a lot of money over paying cash for the room and allow you to book a room category that would likely be available only to Disney Vacation Club members - like a 1, 2, or 3-bedroom villa at a Disney World Deluxe Resort.
And while I can confirm that there are savings, they are not usually as high as some people say. In the research that I’ve done, it looks to be more like a savings of about 30-35%.
But Disney almost always has 30-35% discounts on Deluxe hotel rooms anyway.
Now, I have noticed that the 3-bedroom Villas are often excluded from the discounts, but 3-bedroom villas are very expensive no matter how you book them.
They are also difficult to get because there are so few of them.
Watch My Video on Renting Disney Vacation Club Points
First I don’t recommend booking through Facebook groups etc. I know many people are have had only great experiences and most people are honest.
But it’s when things go wrong that positive relationships can go downhill rather quickly and you’ll probably end up on The People’s Court.
Both parties are entrusting each other, who are strangers by the way, with thousands of dollars at play. And as a fan of The People’s Court myself, I’ll borrow at quote from the judge: “the cheap ends up expensive.”
Brokers are the way to go when it comes to renting points. Just do a Google search and you’ll see a whole bunch come up.
But the process requires money up front with some uncertainties.
With most, you’ll be required to give a deposit upfront to initiate the search.
You’ll provide your dates, hotel, and room choice and know how many points you’ll need. Once the deposit is made, the broker will then try to find someone who matches your parameters and negotiate a price.
Hopefully, they can match you with someone who has points based out of that resort, known as a Home Resort.
In short, a home resort allows you to book at that specific resort 11 months out - which is a significant headstart over other Disney Vacation Members who have a different home resort. More on this coming up in a bit.r
If a match is found, and the price is acceptable, the broker has them create a reservation for you through Disney.
The broker will then pass that information on to you.
You then have a set period, usually 24 hours, to pay the broker in full for the cost of the rented points.
Now, you have to be absolutely sure that you’re taking this vacation, even if someone gets sick because the payment is non-refundable.
Some brokers will allow you to cancel and issue a credit for a future stay, but otherwise, it’s rare to get your money back once you hand it over.
On the other hand, when you book a Disney vacation package, you only need to pay the refundable $200 deposit and the final payment isn’t due until 30 days prior to your check-in date.
So this is a big downside to renting points. Disney makes it very easy for you to make modifications, cancel, and even make payments.
When you rent DVC points you’re agreeing to give up these perks.
Mike wrote to me and pointed out that he had to purchase his Disney theme park tickets on his own after renting his points.
““I didn’t realize that I had to pay for my tickets in full and they were non-refundable,” he wrote. He went on to say “”
This is a major drawback compared to booking a package with my travel agent.”
Mike is 100% right.
Tickets purchased outside of a package are non-refundable but Disney will allow him to change his ticket dates.
But it’s yet another thing that you must pay in full upfront.
So between the full payment for the points and full payment on the tickets, you can easily have several thousands of dollars out.
Remember when you book a Disney World package, you only pay the $200 refundable deposit - the final balanuce isn’t due until 30-days prior to check in.
One of the biggest drawbacks of renting points is that modifying your dates or changing your party mix is a complicated endeavor.
If you find a significantly cheaper flight that comes in two days before, well, changing your DVC dates isn’t going to be easy - and may even be impossible.
So you may be stuck paying the higher airfare if you can’t change your DVC dates.
This one seems obvious but you have to ensure that the member’s account is in good standing. If they forget to pay their annual dues, Disney may suspend their member benefits, including the ability to make or keep reservations.
Also, many DVC members who are renting points, are open to selling their membership. Maybe they are just done with it, sick of Disney, the kids prefer Universal or want to on a cruise, whatever.
Members may sell their membership on a DVC resale market.
Now, the new owners will see that they are buying points that have been rented. Hopefully, the new owners will honor your points, but they could cancel your reservation if they want your points for their vacation. Remember that the member owns your reservation, you’re just renting.
I heard from a woman who rented points for a studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
After some consideration, she decided she wanted to buy the Disney Dining Plan. But to add the dining plan, she had to ask the broker to ask the owner to add it to the reservation.
The owner needed her credit card to make the purchase.
This made her feel uncomfortable.
Travel Insurance with DVC Points
Travel insurance is something you need to consider when renting points but you’ll need to do this on your own, it’s not offered through the broker.
I don’t know why, but the sites I visited all make a point of saying they cannot offer travel protection and they cannot offer any advice on travel protection.
When you book a typical Disney World vacation package, Disney or your travel agent (you know you should book with a travel agent, right?) will take the time to review the travel protection policy with you and you can purchase it directly from Disney.
Do You Save Money Renting DVC Points?
Do you really save 50% off as some websites say? Yes and no. I have visited multiple DVC rental sites and compared them to Disney’s current prices.
In some cases, there were significant discounts, even greater than 50%, but most of the time the savings were about 25-35 percent.
In some cases there was hardly any savings at all like this one:
I entered Oct 21 through Oct 24, 3 nights, for a 1-bedroom Standard View Villa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort.
The average rental price for points was $1,800 for the stay.
Booking directly with Disney, using the fall room discount of 35% off, the nightly rate was $1849.
It Works For Other DVC Members
So why would anyone rent points with all these negatives and uncertainties?
Well, there is one group of people in particular where renting points makes perfect sense: other Disney Vacation Club members.
See, DVC members have a home resort, which simply means they get a headstart on booking their vacation at one particular resort over everyone else - an 11-month headstart.
For example, my home resort is Boulder Ridge at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
I can book my reservation there 11 months out while others have to wait.
This gives me the best chance at availability.
Now, if I want to book a different resort, let’s say Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, I have to wait 7 months to book it because it’s not my home resort.
Availability will be limited at 7 months out, so there’s a good chance I won’t be able to book the room I want there.
Unless I rent points from someone whose home resort is Bay Lake Tower. I can rent their points 11 months out for the best availability and then rent my own points out to someone else. Hopefully, I’ll break even but in most cases, there will be some loss, especially if I use a broker who will take a commission for their work.
Renting points is a tricky business and you really have to do your homework.
Weigh out the pros and cons of renting, consider cancellation policies, and if the savings are worth it.
If you’re a first-time visitor, I don’t think you should attempt this - you really should know the ins and outs of Disney World vacation before you go rogue and end up making it even more complicated.
I have a video that explains traditional Disney World vacation packages where I discuss how it works and point out some money-saving tips. You can check that coming up right here!
Have questions about planning your Orlando vacation? I have answers! Contact me now to get more out of your vacation.
Since 2010, Darren has been making Orlando vacations easy! As an Orlando resident, he is able to provide insider, expert advice on Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Florida-based cruises.
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