Anyone Rent DVC Points for thier Trips, how did you find the experience?

[Guzzi]

We are planning our 08, July trip to disney, and untill I became a member of these boards, I had no idea that you could rent DVSpoints from owners for use at Disney World.

I would like to hear some feed back from folks who have rented points both good and bad so I can decide whether of not it is a good idea for my family to try this out.

Any help from fellow DISer's would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[tinawv]

Good question.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Here are some concerns you may have

1. Disney will not get involved in your agreement in any way. The member fully controls the reservation until the moment you check in. They set the price, the payment terms and any cancellation terms. Many members do not allow cancellation at all. Many do not accept Paypal.

2. You will not be able to confirm your reservation with Member Services at any time. Only members can call Member Services. You wil be able to contact the resort directly a few days before the start of your reservation.

3. Point increase on Fridays and Saturdays, almost double the other nights. July falls in Magic Season, the fourth highest point time. Only Premier season (Christmas and Easter) are higher.

4. You will get limited cleaning and supplies. If you stay 7 nights or fewer, on day 4, you will get your towels replaced and trash removed. If you stay at least 8 nights, you will get a full cleaning on day 4 and towels replaced and trash removed on day 8. If you want additional towels, cleaning or supplies, you will have to pay for them.

5. You need to set up a reservation with a member several months ahead of time. Members can use their points at any DVC resort 7 months out and at their home resort 11 months out. Many members make those reservations exactly at 11 months or 7 months. You can't wait until a few months out and expect to snag 4th of July reservations.

6. Sleeper sofas. Some people don't mind them, others hate them. What about you? A one bedroom will have a king bed and a queen sleeper sofa. A studio will have one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa OR two queen beds (OKW only).

 

[riaesq]

I did this last November and had a GREAT experience. The owner was amazing about keeping in touch- even called me during the trip to make sure everything was going well. Would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[mgilmer]

We do it every time we go to WDW. We have never had any problems and each time we have rented from a different person. We found all our renters on the Dis in the DVC rental forum. It is MUCH cheaper to do this than pay cash for a Villa.

 

[Lucky'sMom]

We rented points for BWV in Jan. and had a great experience as well. We stayed in a one-bedroom villa for the price of a moderate.

 

[Sammie]

As Deb said, it is cheaper for stays Sunday through Thursday, you will not save money on a Friday or Saturday staying using points.

 

[Disneybren]

My DH and I have done this a couple of times and it worked out fine, We stayed at Old Key West and we had a studio-2 queen beds and a small kitchen for about 80.00 a night-great deal but then the weekends as stated above are much more. You can check out the exact amount of points on this wonderful sight!
Have a nice trip!!

 

[eliza61]

I did this 2 times before actually deciding to buy myself. I found a really nice DVC'er here on the Dis boards and worked directly with her. Even with a Friday and Saturday stay, it was a lot cheaper than renting a villa through Disney. Member was extremely nice, allayed a lot of my fears and was very good with communication.

 

[Samsma]

Hi! Would you guys mind me asking what you paid per point. I have seen a range anywhere from $9 to $12 and I have no idea what is fair. Thank you!

 

[Hopefully]

I think the a point that needs to be stressed is that you are making a contract with the Owner. You will most likely not be able to cancel the reservation and get a refund. There are penalities to the owner with late cancellations so most do not allow them. So you need to be very comitted when you make your decision.
We don't rent points for this reason. Although when I plan a date I am fairly certain that I will actually travel that date, a lot can happen over 11 months. Just me maybe

 

[GusMan]

Hi! Would you guys mind me asking what you paid per point. I have seen a range anywhere from $9 to $12 and I have no idea what is fair. Thank you!

In my opinion, what you are seeing are the going rates and are very fair. Even if you paid $12 a point, chances are it will still be significantly less than what you would pay through Disney. And, to boot, you do not pay any taxes on top of it, which can save you a chunk as well.

I paid $10 for the rental I did back in Feb of 06. It was a great price and a great experience. I really appreciated the person I worked with. After our stay, it really gave us a taste as to what our options could be if we were members.

Now we are members.

 

[eliza61]

Hi! Would you guys mind me asking what you paid per point. I have seen a range anywhere from $9 to $12 and I have no idea what is fair. Thank you!

That's pretty much the going range. The last time I rented points I paid $10.00. Price range could be caused by a number of things:
Some resorts are smaller and a little tricker to get into e.g. WLV at Christmas may be higher priced than say the BWV.
Member may be renting them at the last miniute and getting ready to lose points which may mean they are charging a little lower.

Give a look at the DVC board, they have a rent forum and you can get a pretty good idea, but 9-$12 seems the average.

 

[vettechick99]

We've done this the last few trips. It's saved me a ton of money and we worked with the same great DIS'r both times. Next trip I hope she'll have some points so I can work with her again. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

[mommytobug]

I am a DVC owner since 03. We have been trying to adopt so we rented our points the last few years. It has been fantastic. I have people who have rented from me over and over and I have one who bought in and I rented through her to add to one of my peoples ressies. I have always accepted paypal. they have always paid all in advance and I have never had a problem. I have rented for anywhere from 8.50 to 10 a point. I am now renting my points for June 08 use year. I hope I continue to meet wonderful people. One of my renters got back last week.

 

[jmpurdy]

We've rented points 2 years in a row, most recently this past January, OKW & SSR respectively.
Highly recommend, but do keep in mind the cautions of those who posted here. You are contracting with the owner. We've had very positive experiences with the owners and do not stay on weekends (too expensive-the points per nite are much higher). Hence, that is why we are staying at POR in May 08. We want to stay 6 nites. We've stayed in studios, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom (did a split stay this year). They are beautiful and very roomy compared to a hotel room. Just learn the point system: choose resort, then multiply how many points per nite (different for each resort) x number of nites x how much per point to get your total. The difference in total will of course be how much per point you pay. The DVC section here is invaluable for learning and there is a chart for ease in calculating. If your stay is less than 6 nites, it is a very nice alternative. Hope this helps!

 

[gailanncreates]

Rented points for OKW for after Thanksgiving via the Disboards. Has been an exceptionally pleasant transaction so far: owners accepting paypal, and sending us all pertinent paperwork immediately. However, my haste to get the confirmed reservation (something important, as the week was really booked up) overshadowed the fact that I still needed to get air tickets. Air travel is cheaper through the week, and most expensive on Sundays. Be warned, and check this out before committing. The savings in the points may be lost by the higher airfare.
This being said...
Nine more weeks to go!

 

[hygienejean]

I have rented points 3 separate times before taking the plunge and buying at the BWV....Great experiences and I would highly recommend it. I have always paid no more than 10.00 per point. Be sure to have a signed contract to protect both parties.

 

[melomouse]

Hi All -

Thanks for the thread - there are things I wonder but never want to "bother" owners over on the DVC boards - and there are sure strict guidelines for posting! (Understandable of course, it's business transactions!)

This is my question - we have eight nights planned in January at WL- Friday-Sat AM. If I wanted to rent villa points (VWL) for a 1 BR, would I buy Mon-Friday points, then move to the villa after 3 nights at WL booked thru Disney? And then of course, we move ourselves, yes?

Guess I'm still trying to save some money and also try out the villas - because I am finally getting to the point where I ought to look into a resale!

And I can or cannot buy the DDP if I rent points from an owner? I ask the owner and pay at check in, yes?

The air is already booked and paid for - Disney just has a deposit.

Thank you, thank you!!

 

[Sammie]

Points are highest for Friday and Saturday nights.

The owner can book the Dining plan and you pay when you check in.

You would want to book DVC on Sunday check in, checking out on a Friday. That way you have Sunday-Thursday points.

So if I understand when you are arriving, you would need something on Friday and Saturday when you arrive, then rent points Sunday-Thursday. And then something again for the last Friday night. That is alot of moving in and out.

Disney will move you, basically you check out, they store your luggage and you get it when you get the new room.