Buying Aulani Direct

phill33t

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 28, 2023
More precisely, bought it on the cruise and now doing more research before signing the papers :)

* Bought 200 pts for $187/pp
* Resale for Aulani looks like ~$140/pp
* About $10k more by going direct, but I get points for the year so I figure that's worth maybe $3k, so it's effectively $7k more by going direct?
* Amortized over the 40 years, that's $175 per year.

Given the benefits of direct (less resort restrictions, discounts, member events, etc) the additional $175 per year for going direct seems fairly justifiable.

Another thought is to buy 150 direct for $206/pp to get the direct benefits, then buy additional points, ideally the subsidized ones?

What am I missing?
 
I think your estimates for AUL resale are pretty high, especially for the 200pt range. There are 200pt contracts sitting on the market for $100-120/pt (maybe as high as $130 for subsidized) and you can probably talk it down to the lower range of around $90-100, some of which have banked points which negates the part about factoring in those points when going direct. If you're west coast based and/or plan to mostly use your points at AUL, maybe the special events, access to lounges at WDW, and dining/merch discounts may not be as important (although direct points will get you access to the new DL tower, assuming there'll be availability at 7 months).

If you're planning for a mix of direct/resale and are not in a rush to get points, then I'd do the reverse buy resale first then add-on direct points. You'll be able to choose the UY you want, you can look for a subsidized contract, and the direct point incentives are generally better for existing members. Personally, I wouldn't buy direct AUL points because it's just too expensive compared to AUL resale (that they'll never ROFR since they're still in active sales).
 
AUL is not 140 resale. It goes for anywhere from 85-100 unsubsidized. Subsidized dues typically goes for 115-130. Buy your subsidized dues contract first so like the poster above me said you can make them match the use year on your subsidized contract.

A couple years ago, they were selling AUL direct for 135 a point if you bought 300 points to give you an idea of how much they value it. Save the 90 dollars per point through resale and get more points. If you are buying direct VGF/RIV/VDH/poly2 make more sense. Obviously ppl have different opinions regarding RIV because of resale restrictions but either way any of those would be better options IMO.
 
Last edited:
As others have mentioned, AUL resale is currently going for much less than what you posted.

If AUL is the resort I want to stay at most and want the benefits of direct, it might be worth it.

But, if WDW is the place you will go more often, then I think there are better options when buying direct.

if you go with 150, you become eligible for membership extras and those 150 will be valid at all resorts including future ones.

You can then buy resale points as well. But remember, those resale points won’t be valid at RIV and future resorts even if you own other direct points.

But if you got AUL resale to use at AUL mainly, it isn’t as big of a deal.

Good luck!
 


Resale for Aulani looks like ~$140/pp
* About $10k more by going direct, but I get points for the year so I figure that's worth maybe $3k, so it's effectively $7k more by going direct?
No way. A 200 point loaded resale Aulani contract could probably be gotten in the $95 - $110 range right now, maybe even less with negotiation. Here’s an example of a $105 150 point fully loaded contract on Fidelity: https://www.fidelityrealestate.com/property/disney-vacation-club/aulani-a-disney-resort-spa/6034471/
Here are a whole bunch more Fidelity listings: https://www.fidelityrealestate.com/...a-disney-resort-spa/?sortby=a_price_per_point

Fully loaded means you get points for the year on the resale contract too. And you likely can negotiate only paying dues on the current UY points, not the previous ones. On a 200 point contract at $105 per point (which you could get pretty much instantly right now with no negotiation) you can save over $16,000 by purchasing resale. My advice: rescind the contract while you still can and then purchase resale instead.
 
Last edited:
I agree with Sandi - is Aulani where you plan to travel? Above and beyond the financials, if the answer is no rescind.
 
Questions that should be asked before proper advise can be given:

1) when do you want to plan your next trip? Resale contracts can take up to 3 months to close and direct is instant with no stress or anxiety. Once you get points, you will then be booking 6 months+ out, so direct gets you a vacation in 2023 whereas resale might not be until 2024.

2) do you ever want to use the points to stay at Disneyland? Direct will work at the new Disneyland hotel tower set to open later this year.

3) Do you want to be able to stay at Rivera and the Epcot locations after 2042, or is that not a concern? Resale points won’t work there.

4) How do you deal with FOMO (fear of missing out)? For instance, making sure you can get into special lounges in the parks, invites to special events, getting discounts on food/merchandise, sushi/macarons events at Aulani?

5) Is 200 enough points to get what you want or do you think you’ll want more? A lot of people blend direct and resale.

6) Along the same lines as #5, what is your family travel situation? No kids and never plan to have kids? Empty nesters who might have grandchildren in the future? Young children and growing family?

7) What time of year do you travel and what Use Year did you get?
 
Last edited:


I think your estimates for AUL resale are pretty high, especially for the 200pt range. There are 200pt contracts sitting on the market for $100-120/pt (maybe as high as $130 for subsidized) and you can probably talk it down to the lower range of around $90-100, some of which have banked points which negates the part about factoring in those points when going direct. If you're west coast based and/or plan to mostly use your points at AUL, maybe the special events, access to lounges at WDW, and dining/merch discounts may not be as important (although direct points will get you access to the new DL tower, assuming there'll be availability at 7 months).

If you're planning for a mix of direct/resale and are not in a rush to get points, then I'd do the reverse buy resale first then add-on direct points. You'll be able to choose the UY you want, you can look for a subsidized contract, and the direct point incentives are generally better for existing members. Personally, I wouldn't buy direct AUL points because it's just too expensive compared to AUL resale (that they'll never ROFR since they're still in active sales).

This right here! Buy resale first… that you become a Member and when you buy Aulani you will get existing Member pricing. So the $187pp will be less.
 
Thanks for the great advice all.

A bit more info on our situation so I can continue to get great advice!

1. My initial resale estimate is definitely off. I see the ~$100pp range now.
2. We are a family of 3 with a 5 year old. We'd often want to travel with grandparents, his older cousins, etc.
3. We are in Washington state so Aulani is our primary destination. We'd want to go once a year to escape the rain, but we'd occasionally want to do other trips as well.
4. We had another Hawaii trip planned this April but we'd want to do Aulani instead if we bought DVC.
5. We don't want FOMO so we'll want at least 150 for the membership.
6. The contract has a use year of August. I've read up to technically understand how this works but unsure practically how this plays into planning.
 
Thanks for the great advice all.

A bit more info on our situation so I can continue to get great advice!

1. My initial resale estimate is definitely off. I see the ~$100pp range now.
2. We are a family of 3 with a 5 year old. We'd often want to travel with grandparents, his older cousins, etc.
3. We are in Washington state so Aulani is our primary destination. We'd want to go once a year to escape the rain, but we'd occasionally want to do other trips as well.
4. We had another Hawaii trip planned this April but we'd want to do Aulani instead if we bought DVC.
5. We don't want FOMO so we'll want at least 150 for the membership.
6. The contract has a use year of August. I've read up to technically understand how this works but unsure practically how this plays into planning.

Greetings from a fellow Northwesterner. This will be an unpopular opinion, but if it were me I’d keep what you have and enjoy your April vacation. There is currently availability for 1BD ocean Views in a lot of April. I’d add on resale in your UY.
 
Thanks for the great advice all.

A bit more info on our situation so I can continue to get great advice!

1. My initial resale estimate is definitely off. I see the ~$100pp range now.
2. We are a family of 3 with a 5 year old. We'd often want to travel with grandparents, his older cousins, etc.
3. We are in Washington state so Aulani is our primary destination. We'd want to go once a year to escape the rain, but we'd occasionally want to do other trips as well.
4. We had another Hawaii trip planned this April but we'd want to do Aulani instead if we bought DVC.
5. We don't want FOMO so we'll want at least 150 for the membership.
6. The contract has a use year of August. I've read up to technically understand how this works but unsure practically how this plays into planning.

Since buying direct will allow you to replace your April trip, those savings make the difference much less.

I agree with PP….keep it and enjoy!
 
Thanks for the great advice all.

A bit more info on our situation so I can continue to get great advice!

1. My initial resale estimate is definitely off. I see the ~$100pp range now.
2. We are a family of 3 with a 5 year old. We'd often want to travel with grandparents, his older cousins, etc.
3. We are in Washington state so Aulani is our primary destination. We'd want to go once a year to escape the rain, but we'd occasionally want to do other trips as well.
4. We had another Hawaii trip planned this April but we'd want to do Aulani instead if we bought DVC.
5. We don't want FOMO so we'll want at least 150 for the membership.
6. The contract has a use year of August. I've read up to technically understand how this works but unsure practically how this plays into planning.
Agreed with just keeping direct if it saves you thousands in hotels in April. The only thing I'd consider potentially changing is the use year. Having an August use year is the worst use year for summer vacations. You want your use year a month or two before when you usually travel. The reason why it matters is because your banking window is 4 months before that.

Lets just use August for simplicity sake since that's what you have.

The last day you can bank your points is March 31st. But lets say you book a room in mid June, April rolls around and lets say for some reason you have to cancel it, those points that were part of that June reservation must now be used before August because you've already passed the banking window.

Now let's compared that to if you had had an April use year. April rolls around and your use year just started, you decide you don't want to go in June anymore and are further than 30 days out so the points don't go into holding. All of your points go back into your account like regular and you have until November 30th to decide if you want to bank those points til next year.

Long story short, if you tend to vacation in the fall to spring and that's when you plan to go to Aulani most often then no need to change use year. If you vacation in the summer AKA April-July, August is probably the worst use year you can have.

You can ask your agent to change the use year up to 10 days after signing. I originally had a June use year and then thought about it more and switched mine to April because we like vacationing in Summer (especially May) and fall typically.
 
This right here! Buy resale first… that you become a Member and when you buy Aulani you will get existing Member pricing. So the $187pp will be less.
Any recent examples of what a direct pricing is for someone adding on to their original resale contract? Is it common for people to add on 50 point increments when working toward a 150pt direct membership?
 
Any recent examples of what a direct pricing is for someone adding on to their original resale contract? Is it common for people to add on 50 point increments when working toward a 150pt direct membership?
You can purchase 50 point contracts direct at any time, however if you are not a member then they will insist on the first contract being a minimum of 150 points. However, it's my understanding that if you purchase resale first, then you are a member and can then add 50 point contract increments after that without an issue. The question is whether your membership will qualify for benefits. That I am unsure of.
 
You can purchase 50 point contracts direct at any time, however if you are not a member then they will insist on the first contract being a minimum of 150 points. However, it's my understanding that if you purchase resale first, then you are a member and can then add 50 point contract increments after that without an issue. The question is whether your membership will qualify for benefits. That I am unsure of.

Pretty sure if you're already a member, you can purchase in 50 point increments direct and once you have a total of 150 direct points, you qualify for benefits. It is my understanding they don't require all 150 direct points to be on the same contract as opposed to new members where all 150 are required to be. Someone please correct me if this is not the case.
 
Pretty sure if you're already a member, you can purchase in 50 point increments direct and once you have a total of 150 direct points, you qualify for benefits. It is my understanding they don't require all 150 direct points to be on the same contract as opposed to new members where all 150 are required to be. Someone please correct me if this is not the case.

That’s what I thought… but wasn’t certain. A nice perk to buying resale first.
 
That’s what I thought… but wasn’t certain. A nice perk to buying resale first.
I agree this is a nice perk. When it was said above that the pricing for the direct points would be a better offer than the ppp on a brand new contract, I wondered how good the ppp would be. I guess I should call a guide and ask.
 
/s
Yes! Buy direct!

The more suckers I mean... er... people who buy direct, the faster it sells out and the faster my resale pts go up in value

😉
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!













Top