Buying Direct With A Friend- Blue Card Privileges?

[Mojanko]

I am interested in buying the 100 points directly from Disney in order to qualify for blue card privileges. In particular my wife and I are interested in the savings from the purchase of annual passes. I have a friend who is also interested in purchasing DVC direct. He has a family of five. Could the two of us go in together on the purchase of the 100 points (50 points for each family), both be on the deed, and therefore both be eligible for the blue card privileges? If so, would all seven of us (my wife and I and him, his wife, and his three kids) be able to purchase the annual passes at the discounted rate? Sorry if that is too complex... just trying to find a way to do this strategically. Thanks for the insight.

 

[SG131]

If you all are on the deed yes you could all be eligible for the discount, but boy is it risky. You would both have access to each other’s points and that could be messy. If one of you divorce both families points are tied up in the legal proceedings. If you plan to buy any additional points resale to add to your contract it would also have to be in be in everyone's name to be used in combination with your original points.

I know I can separate how my dues are paid because I have two different use years and therefore two membership numbers. If all your points are in the same spot I’m not sure if all dues need to be paid the same way. But what if one family ends up having financial difficulties and defaults on their dues. The other will then have to pay the dues or will be in default as well. Or if one family decides after 5 years it isn’t for them and they want to sell. Then the other family also loses blue card status and would need to pay legal fees to redeed their dvc to remove the friends names.

I’m sure there are many other reasons to stay away from it as well. It sounds like an enormous risk and something that could ruin a friendship. A lot of people are even hesitant to go in with family members for the same reasons. Personally, it wouldn’t be worth the risk for me.

 

[Dean]

I am interested in buying the 100 points directly from Disney in order to qualify for blue card privileges. In particular my wife and I are interested in the savings from the purchase of annual passes. I have a friend who is also interested in purchasing DVC direct. He has a family of five. Could the two of us go in together on the purchase of the 100 points (50 points for each family), both be on the deed, and therefore both be eligible for the blue card privileges? If so, would all seven of us (my wife and I and him, his wife, and his three kids) be able to purchase the annual passes at the discounted rate? Sorry if that is too complex... just trying to find a way to do this strategically. Thanks for the insight.

Technically yes. Everyone on the deed gets the applicable benefits and where families get additional benefits, like pass discounts, every household address will qualify up to the number allowed. I'm not a big fan of such a partnership, I'd just have each buy their own if it makes sense to buy. But if one proceeds you need to do a formal partnership arrangement that deals with the 5 D's of such a partnership (Death, Divorce, Dishonesty, Departure, Disinterest/Disagreement) among other possibilities.

 

[Marionnette]

I am interested in buying the 100 points directly from Disney in order to qualify for blue card privileges. In particular my wife and I are interested in the savings from the purchase of annual passes. I have a friend who is also interested in purchasing DVC direct. He has a family of five. Could the two of us go in together on the purchase of the 100 points (50 points for each family), both be on the deed, and therefore both be eligible for the blue card privileges? If so, would all seven of us (my wife and I and him, his wife, and his three kids) be able to purchase the annual passes at the discounted rate? Sorry if that is too complex... just trying to find a way to do this strategically. Thanks for the insight.

The AP discount and other perks of membership could disappear at any time. You can’t even purchase an AP or TIW card right now. The member lounge in Epcot could be closed at any time. Merchandise discounts can change or disappear (we used to be able to get our discount on the Shop Disney Parks app). I wouldn’t purchase a direct DVC contract if the AP discount was the driving force in my decision.

And as PPs have pointed out, it’s usually not a good idea to enter into a joint real estate venture with a friend. One hundred points is not going to get you very far. How do you intend to share the points? A family of 5 is going to need different, more costly accommodations than a couple will need. What happens if one of you can’t pay their share of the dues? Or wants to sell the contract? Or gets divorced and suddenly you’re sharing those points 3 ways?

I’ve seen too many real estate purchases between family members go sideways. I really don’t think cheaper APs are worth the possible pitfalls.

 

[dominickolas]

Technically yes. Everyone on the deed gets the applicable benefits and where families get additional benefits, like pass discounts, every household address will qualify up to the number allowed. I'm not a big fan of such a partnership, I'd just have each buy their own if it makes sense to buy. But if one proceeds you need to do a formal partnership arrangement that deals with the 5 D's of such a partnership (Death, Divorce, Dishonesty, Departure, Disinterest/Disagreement) among other possibilities.

That 5 D's of a partnership is something to remember. Good helpful tip there.

 

[RoseGold]

PLEASE talk to a lawyer before you do this. You are buying a significant asset with significant upkeep costs.

 

[Dean]

PLEASE talk to a lawyer before you do this. You are buying a significant asset with significant upkeep costs.

Personally I wouldn't involve a lawyer unless they have a unique and risky situation otherwise, that $500 or so is better spent elsewhere IMO. One can easily work through the ins and outs of the risk based on the concerns raised here.

 

[heynowirv]

The AP discount and other perks of membership could disappear at any time. You can’t even purchase an AP or TIW card right now. The member lounge in Epcot could be closed at any time. Merchandise discounts can change or disappear (we used to be able to get our discount on the Shop Disney Parks app). I wouldn’t purchase a direct DVC contract if the AP discount was the driving force in my decision.

And as PPs have pointed out, it’s usually not a good idea to enter into a joint real estate venture with a friend. One hundred points is not going to get you very far. How do you intend to share the points? A family of 5 is going to need different, more costly accommodations than a couple will need. What happens if one of you can’t pay their share of the dues? Or wants to sell the contract? Or gets divorced and suddenly you’re sharing those points 3 ways?

I’ve seen too many real estate purchases between family members go sideways. I really don’t think cheaper APs are worth the possible pitfalls.

When did they take away the TIW ?

 

[Marionnette]

When did they take away the TIW ?

They didn’t take it away permanently. You just can’t buy one right now.

 

[siren0119]

The practical answer to your question is yes, you will all get blue cards if you're on the deed.

But this isn't like going in with friends on a vacation, or a temporary arrangement. This is equivalent to buying a house with friends. There are legal ramifications if any individual of the four of you severs relationship, or cannot pay the dues. I love my friends dearly, and some are as close as family, but I would not partner up on a real estate purchase for joint personal use.

 

[heynowirv]

They didn’t take it away permanently. You just can’t buy one right now.

We won't be back before Sept 21' hopefully they'll be back by then. We will both be retired by then and will have many many points to use.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

I am interested in buying the 100 points directly from Disney in order to qualify for blue card privileges. In particular my wife and I are interested in the savings from the purchase of annual passes. I have a friend who is also interested in purchasing DVC direct. He has a family of five. Could the two of us go in together on the purchase of the 100 points (50 points for each family), both be on the deed, and therefore both be eligible for the blue card privileges? If so, would all seven of us (my wife and I and him, his wife, and his three kids) be able to purchase the annual passes at the discounted rate? Sorry if that is too complex... just trying to find a way to do this strategically. Thanks for the insight.

I completely agree with the other posters here- the risk is huge and could negatively impact your friendship in an unexpected way.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you decide you want to book your 50 points and your friend with his family of five just used 60 of them, what will you do? There isn't anything blocking each of you from using all the points to book at one time. Buy a separate contract for each family. How do you plan to take care of the annual fees, monthly and one person pays for it and the other reimburses? Or you each pay half in January?

 

[Mojanko]

We currently have 300 points we purchased resale and our friends are also looking at purchasing around 300 resale points. We were simply looking for the least expensive way to get the blue card without having to pay the full $18,000 each. I think we will be able to sort through all the contingencies and just write up a contract based on possible pitfalls based on the 5 D's. Are there any other suggestions to cheaper routes to getting the blue card privileges?

 

[Sandisw]

We currently have 300 points we purchased resale and our friends are also looking at purchasing around 300 resale points. We were simply looking for the least expensive way to get the blue card without having to pay the full $18,000 each. I think we will be able to sort through all the contingencies and just write up a contract based on possible pitfalls based on the 5 D's. Are there any other suggestions to cheaper routes to getting the blue card privileges?

As mentioned, once both are owners there is nothing stopping either from using more than they should, not paying MFs share on time.

If that happens, there is nothing that can be done, including selling as both owners would have to agree.

We own jointly with our 3 adult children but pay all of the fees and felt comfortable that they wouldn’t use it without my knowledge.

Also, this would be a new membership which meant they could not be used with the individual memberships you each own without a transfer.

 

[siren0119]

Also, this would be a new membership which meant they could not be used with the individual memberships you each own without a transfer.

THIS is a very good point. Because the new points would have different owners than the points you already own, you would not have the luxury of just being able to combine them with your existing points. I believe DVC restricts you to one points transfer per year, so that is something to take into consideration - both parties could not transfer a portion of the points to their personal membership pool in the same year. That's an awful lot to coordinate on top of all of the other legalities and logistics, just for the sake of a blue card.