Add On Question

[LisaAP]

We just came back from a week at BCV and are now considering an add on. We haven't spoken to our guide yet, but I wanted to make sure that I was understanding this correctly.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that if we do an add on, then we would need to buy a minimum of 100 points in order to have that new contract be a home resort and be eligible for the 11 month window.

If we buy less than 100 (we are thinking that we might only want about 50 more) than these 50 will not have any home resort priority booking? I guess I am trying to figure out whether or not to buy the add on at another resort or to buy more SSR points (our current home resort). If I were to buy them at SSR would I be able to use them at the 11 month window with my other contract? I guess what my actual question is is whether having only a 50 point add on means that those 50 points are only able to be used at a 7 months window no matter what the resort.

Thanks.

 

[bellazachmom]

From what my guide told me, the minimum purchase for add ons is 25 points and they will always have home resort priority for the booking window. If you really want the 11 month window for BCV, then buy there, in any amount that you are comfortable with. Only those points will have the priority, which I am sure you already know.

So if you buy 50 points at BCV, you can book there 11 months out with the 50 points. With banking and borrowing you could maximize that to 150 points every three years with the 11 month window.

You should be able to buy them from Disney, but might end up on a waitlist for your UY.

 

[dudelydude]

Hmmm. I started typing an answer 3 times and keep going back to the question. I think the 50 vs. 100 points is throwing me, which I would say there is no difference, but I am going kick back and wait for one of the pros to step up.

 

[hellerjw]

I think the minimum for an add-on is 25 pts, 50 if you want to finance through Disney and 100 to take advantage of any incentives.

Regardless of how many you add-on they will have the 11-month booking advantage at whatever resort you do the add-on with. For example, if you already own 200 pts at a particular resort (say AKV) and then add-on 50 pts somwhere else (say VWL) you will not be able to combine all your points from both resorts until the 7 month window. At the 11-7 month mark you could only use them to book at the home resort for each contract (unless you use your 1 time transfer that year). At 7 months you could combine them (200 + 50) and use all 250 to book anywhere.

We kept it simple by adding-on at our home resort to be able to take advantage of all our points at the 11-month mark there. At 7 months we can try to book at any DVC resort using all our points.

 

[drusba]

You can add on 25 or more points at any resort. Need to add-on 100 points at AKV or BLT to get any discount off of regular price ($8 off per point at AKV and $5 at BLT) but still can add on less there (and pay full price). If you want to add on at BWV, VWL, BCV, OKW, SSR at WDW through Disney you may have to waitlist for points because those are sold out resorts (but Disney often has some points available) and for those there is no discount off regular price regardless of how many you buy.

If you add on 25 or more at another resort, it will be your home resort for those particular points. However, you can never mix points from two different resorts to reserve at one 11 months out. So if you have 200 at BCV and add-on 50 at SSR, only the 200 BCV points can be used 11 months out at BCV and only the 50 SSR points can be used 11 months out at SSR; at 7 months out you can combine them to reserve any resort.

 

[chalee94]

just a random FYI for those who don't already know:

you don't have to buy pts in 5-pt or 25-pt increments either. you can buy a contract for 27 pts or 34 pts if you pay cash, or for 51 pts or 57 pts if you finance.

 

[dudelydude]

I think the minimum for an add-on is 25 pts, 50 if you want to finance through Disney and 100 to take advantage of any incentives.

Regardless of how many you add-on they will have the 11-month booking advantage at whatever resort you do the add-on with. For example, if you already own 200 pts at a particular resort (say AKV) and then add-on 50 pts somwhere else (say VWL) you will not be able to combine all your points from both resorts until the 7 month window. At the 11-7 month mark you could only use them to book at the home resort for each contract (unless you use your 1 time transfer that year). At 7 months you could combine them (200 + 50) and use all 250 to book anywhere.

We kept it simple by adding-on at our home resort to be able to take advantage of all our points at the 11-month mark there. At 7 months we can try to book at any DVC resort using all our points.

Nicely done

 

[bellazachmom]

Now see, I learn something new every day here on the Dis!!

Can someone please explain the "one time transfer that year" statement from a previous post?

I thought I understood this, but apparently I do not. I thought that, even if you transfered them, the points retained their home resort priority. Is that not the case?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

 

[chalee94]

I thought that, even if you transfered them, the points retained their home resort priority.

this is still the case. transferred pts retain their home resort priority.

 

[kristenrice]

Can someone please explain the "one time transfer that year" statement from a previous post?

I *think* this means that if you combine, say 50 points from a VWL contract and 200 points from a AKV contract at the 7 month mark to book 250 points at BCV (or VWL, AKV, etc) then one of those contracts "transferred" points to the other to make the 250. Only one of these transfers is allowed per year. I don't believe a "transfer" is necessary unless you have to use points from both contracts to cover one night.

 

[hellerjw]

I *think* this means that if you combine, say 50 points from a VWL contract and 200 points from a AKV contract at the 7 month mark to book 250 points at BCV (or VWL, AKV, etc) then one of those contracts "transferred" points to the other to make the 250. Only one of these transfers is allowed per year.

Sorry for the confusion. I meant actually transfering points between contracts or with other members. I had forgotten about transfered points retaining their home resort priority so in the case I mentioned there would be no benefit to doing a transfer. All your points could be combined anyway at the 7th month mark so a transfer at that stage is unnecessary.