How to Use a DVC Reseller to Save Money on Disney Vacations

With over 30 years of family vacations to its name and multiple resorts to choose from, Disney Vacation Club is an attractive option for vacationers wanting affordable, high-quality stays. 

Are you tempted to dip your toes in the wonderful world of Disney with a DVC membership?

Disney Vacation Club offers savings all around, including opportunities to get on board with membership via a DVC reseller. Find out how to save with DVC here. 

How Does DVC Work?

DVC is a points-based timeshare system. To sign up, you pay for a specified number of points at one of the resorts in the Disney portfolio. 

You can vacation at any of the resorts available to Disney Vacation Club members, depending on how many points you have available. You can borrow points from the year to come, or save up points from one year to use within two years. 

Every year, you pay a portion of the costs toward the upkeep of your home resort according to how many points you own. If you no longer want to continue your timeshare, you can always hire the services of companies offering timeshare cancellation services.

Cost Savings When You Buy a Disney Membership

You don’t pay any additional accommodation costs when you vacation at a DVC property.

Although the initial price of membership is costly, when you spread this amount over the duration of your contract, you end up paying as little as $3,022.80 for your annual family vacation.

This figure’s calculated taking the annual costs of membership into account and involves a reservation for five people during peak season at a moderate Disney resort for seven days.

If you were to book the same vacation in a hotel unit at the same resort, you’d pay $3,402.95. That means you save $810 with DVC!

What’s more, as a Disney Vacation Club member, you also receive discounted prices on park entry fees, shopping, and dining. You’ll stay in a self-catering villa, so you can plan your meals according to your budget. 

Buying From a DVC Reseller vs Buying Direct

If you tire of your DVC membership, or can’t afford the costs anymore, you can sell your DVC points. You must notify DVC of your intention to sell and give them the first option, although they never take advantage of this.

The only way to sell your membership is either on your own or via a Disney reseller. 

Just like you’ll save by buying a DVC membership in the first place, you’ll save up to 50% by buying your DVC membership via DVC resale instead of direct. 

Here’s the math to show you how it works: 

Buying a 100-point Animal Kingdom Lodge listing from DVC resales will cost around $115 per point i.e. $11,500. 

If you bought the same listing directly from Disney, you’d pay $171 per point, so $17,500 in total. That’s a saving of $5,600 in this instance! 

In both cases, you’ll need to pay closing costs of around $500 plus the current year’s annual dues, plus any interest if you need to take out a loan to pay for the purchase. 

You can also add points to your existing membership using these channels.

When you buy a membership via DVC direct, you can’t buy fewer than 100 points. With DVC resales, you can buy just 25 points if you want to.

Another benefit of buying resale points is that you’ll have more options when it comes to choosing a home resort. DVC has sold all its stock at some of these properties. 

Are There Any Drawbacks When Buying Points Via DVC Resale?

To limit competition from resellers, DVC has put certain rules in place regarding resales. If you buy your entire membership via a reseller, you’ll lose out on the following:

• Discounted park fees and dining
• Cheaper cruises
• Access to Adventures by Disney
• Accommodation in any of the DVC resorts built after 2019

These are the original DVC resorts:

• Aulani Villas in Hawai’i
• Beach Club Villas
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
• Animal Kingdom Villas
• BoardWalk Villas
• Hilton Head Island Resort
• Bay Lake Tower
• Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Grand Californian Villas
• Vero Beach Resort
• Old Key West
• Grand Floridian Villas

As you can see, there are still many fantastic options available to DVC members who go the resale route.

What’s more, these restrictions don’t affect any points you buy directly via DVC. So if you’re adding to your points portfolio, you’ve got nothing to lose.

One of the biggest restrictions on resale purchases is that if you buy at one of the new resorts, like Riviera, you can’t exchange into any of the other resorts unless you go via RCI.

You can still benefit from Magic Bands, shuttle services, and access to member areas like the Top of the World lounge when you buy your membership via DVC resales. 

Other Ways to Save With a DVC Membership

It’s also much cheaper to rent accommodation via a DVC rental broker than directly from Disney resorts. People know this, so there’s a high demand for these rentals year-round.

If you offer half your Disney points up for rental every year, you can easily pay the annual dues on your membership using this income. That means you’ll save even more.

Do you need a few extra points to make this work for you? You can always buy some from DVC resales. 

The Best Advice For Vacationers

Working with a DVC reseller is a great way to make the most of your Disney membership, whether you’re buying or selling. These experts have access to a wealth of interested buyers via established Disney forums and websites.

If you’re not a member, you can use similar forums to rent Disney vacations for much cheaper than dealing directly with DVC, too.

Do you prefer a more conventional vacation style? Explore our website for more fun ideas and lifestyle tips.