Cons of Buying points from an acquaintance

[LostMom18]

Hello,
I already booked a trip for November 2022. I am doing a split stay in AKL and AoA. A colleague of mine wants to sell me her points because she can't use them. She can get me a Savanna room at AKL for the entire stay at almost half the cost. I have not paid for the entire trip; but I did make a deposit, purchased tickets, Genie+, and Memory Maker. This sounds too good to be true. What do I need to know before completing this deal? Any advice would be so welcomed

 

[Meglen]

If its not a close friend I would get something in writing or an email claiming you paid in full (when you do) and what its for. This way is something scummy happens you can cover your selves.

I have booked with people on here a few times and personal friends. From here there was always a back and forth with info and contact info. Also make sure the reservation is in your name and linked.

Have a great trip!

 

[Her Dotness]

Is she offering to sell her points or rent them to you?

 

[Matty B13]

Also, most DVC point rentals are final transactions, so you might not get a refund if you have to cancel. This is typical of all DVC rentals though. Take a look at the Rental Board about expected points costs and other limitations of renting points.

 

[Sandisw]

Make sure that you get all the terms in writing to be sure you both know what to expect.

What is the cancellation or change policy? That is going to be different than a Disney cash stay.

 

[lovin'fl]

If you are paying for a one time trip it is renting (buying points would be you getting her contract). If she booked the resie for you she should give you a resie # to link to your My Disney Experience acct. That will show it is booked. She could cancel and keep your money so also good to have in writing what you paid for. And you can also search the Orange County Comptroller to see she has a deeded contract. It is like OCC something website and is a real property search.

 

[RoseGold]

This is called renting DVC points. They book a reservation for you.

Renting has many risks, but I'd say far less with someone you actually know. Talk through the risks. What will happen if, say, a pandemic closes the whole resort, or your family gets Covid5 and you can't go. DVC is not a flexible product, and the purchase is pretty final. If you can't go, she's likely to lose the points.

DVC in general has a few downsides. No housekeeping, the room quality isn't what I would expect from such an expensive hotel. But AKL savanna is a gorgeous room, and the deal is legit! It's why we bought into DVC.

 

[mistysue]

As others have said, just if you end up needing to cancel or move the trip. DVC is not as flexible (especially as your date gets closer). But if everything goes as planned, and this person is trustworthy (isn't going to take money and cancel it) it's usually not a trick.

I always offer to rent to friends or family when we have points available, this Spring I have a room booked for my brother. I get a customer I trust and he gets an owner he trusts with a great deal.

 

[kanerf]

I have rented out to strangers on several occasions (here on the rental board) and had no problems. They tell me what they are looking for. I see if I can make the reservation they want and if I can I let them know and they send me the payment. I then put the reservation in their name and they get an email to that effect.

 

[howardlee2]

any update from the OP? hope this doesn't turn out to be a scam!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm just going to go ahead and assume someone you call a colleague is someone you know personally, is legit and you believe then to be trustworthy. Then the short answer is no downfalls other than DVC has a few different cancellations rules than Disney hotels. Most people don't change their trips but you might want to discuss with them what would happen if you did need to cancel or modify your trip.

As far as already having tickets, genie+ and memory maker there will not be an issue unless perhaps if you bought them as part of a package. Then everything will fall under the package cancellation terms.

And yes, renting DVC points can be that much of a savings over Disney cash prices. It's why there is a pretty hot rental market. It seems like there's a catch but other than the cancellation terms there isn't.

 

[ORD2KOA]

I agree with KAT4DISNEY about everything, and also about how much you can save by renting someone's points. We've owned since 1994, so I've rented to strangers and to friends many times over the years, especially all the years we lived in Hawaii (before Aulani) and weren't making a trip to WDW. When I set something up for a relative or a friend, I only ask for my actual cost, which is about $8 a point in 2022. If a DVC member still has a mortgage they probably will charge more, but you'll still save a lot of money. This is why so many of us (who can afford to) own DVC. DH and I decided in 1994 that the restrictive cost of future travel was going to be the soaring hotel prices. No regrets.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

As others have said it sounds like you are renting her dvc points. Dvc is the timeshare portion of disney, having resorts at animal kingdom Beach club, boardwalk, grand floridian, poly, Bay lake, wilderness lodge, saratoga, and old key west. The dvc rooms are nicer than the hotel rooms in my opinion. My choice would be to rent the points from the person i know over a hotel room at art of animation

 

[LostMom18]

any update from the OP? hope this doesn't turn out to be a scam!

It's good! I am going to go ahead with this. She can't book until 7 months before the trip, but I have already canceled the booked trip to AOA. I am excited!

 

[LostMom18]

Thank you, everyone, for this incredible advice! My colleague is going to book the trip in my name, just as you mentioned. She cannot book until 7 months before the start date of my trip. I canceled my reservations with Disney and am so looking forward to a Savanna room in AKL. I loved the comment that someone left sharing that this room is better than a room at AOA. I'm so excited that I can barely sleep!

 

[ORD2KOA]

Thank you, everyone, for this incredible advice! My colleague is going to book the trip in my name, just as you mentioned. She cannot book until 7 months before the start date of my trip. I canceled my reservations with Disney and am so looking forward to a Savanna room in AKL. I loved the comment that someone left sharing that this room is better than a room at AOA. I'm so excited that I can barely sleep!

Which is her home resort? FWIW, since you've cancelled your existing reservation, I think it may be prudent to ask your colleague to book you into her home resort (if it is a WDW resort) so you have something booked just in case there's an availability issue at the 7 month mark. But that's just me. I lean toward caution.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

How many of you are there? What size room are you renting? Studio, one, or two bedroom unit? The one and two bedroom units have full kitchens and washer dryers in the units. The studio has a kitchenette in the unit and washer dryers available ňear by.

 

[bdphill22]

If you're renting points from someone you know and trust, yes it is likely to be that good of a deal. It also is a good deal for the renter if they can't use the points themselves.

 

[sndral]

I would not have cancelled my cash reservation until after the acquaintance had secured the AKV reservation.
OP, the way DVC works is that you own at a particular resort & people who own at that resort have the first chance to book there. So owners of AKV can book up to 11 months ahead of their stay. At 7 months owners of other DVC resorts can book there. Thus right at 7 months there can be a lot of people switching resorts. Because the person you’re renting from can’t book until 7 months they do not own at AKV & at 7 months they will be competing for a villa there w/ everyone else who wants to use points from elsewhere. AKV isn’t the hardest to get resort & most of Nov. isn’t the hardest to book time, so it may not be a problem - but it could be, depending on whether you want Kidani or Jambo & what size villa (studio, 1 br., 2 br., 3 br.) & view (standard costing fewer points than savanna view.)
To be safe, since you’ve cancelled your cash reservation, your owner really should book where they own right now for you (assuming their home resort isn’t already booked & it’s a WDW DVC resort- where do they own?) & then modify that booking to AKV if it’s still available at 7 months. That way if AKV is not available you’ll still have some place to stay.