Disney Min. Purchase Amount

[jockotaco]

Prior to purchasing I read a ton of info on this site. My preference was to purchase resale through the timeshare store and I spoke to them often. We had read a number of posts that stated 160 points as the lowest direct purchase contract (not add on). Based on the fact that my wife and I enjoyed travelling to Disney every 2nd to 3rd year we analyzed our needs and desires. They were..

1) We would only stay at deluxe resorts and preferred on property for the convenience
2) We are a family of 5 and would almost always book 2 rooms, since disney can not gurantee connecting rooms this turned into a 1 bedroom suite (ouch)
3) A full kitchen is a huge plus
4) We had a few trips in mind including Disneyland (This is where my family is), Aulani (2014), Animal Kingdom, Hilton Head. After pricing these trips with the above options we were roughly at our breakeven based on a 1 bedroom suite and 125-150 points.
Given that we had a 2012 trip planned for thanksgiving we had to move fast and decided to go direct. We were extremely surprised that after being on a waiting list for 5 days Disney offered us a 125 point contract direct from them. We purchased it because the price difference for this low of points was offset by being able to gurantee ourselves a place at the grand cal for our upcoming trip. The Disneyland hotel 1 bedroom suite rate was roughly $2500 for 3 nights. The bottom line is it sounds as if Disney currently has low or no minnimum for your intial buy in. My hope is to supplemet our point total in the future. I hope that helps those looking for less than 160 points.

 

[Tunseeker1]

The minimum I have experienced is 50 points for a new member

 

[jockotaco]

I had read 160 points on a number of sites. Clearly not true, at least in this economy. Might change in the future.

 

[ThisIsJason]

When I did the DVC tour a few weeks ago the minimum was 100 points.

 

[Missyrose]

I had read 160 points on a number of sites. Clearly not true, at least in this economy. Might change in the future.

That used to be the minimum, but Disney has done away with it according to numerous reports on these boards and others.

 

[AJA]

We did not take the tour on our trip earlier this month but did speak to a salesman/guide in length, we were told contracts less than 160 points were offered to first time buyers now.

Because of the resort we want and only wanting to use our points at WDW we're sold on the savings provided through resale but if you are in a rush because of an upcoming vacation a smaller direct package would be worth considering, as with the OP's situation.

 

[RobDoc]

The original minimum purchase directly from DVC was 230 points. That was later lowered to 190, 160, 150 and now even lower. 25 points has always been the smallest add-on purchase allowed with a cash purchase by existing members and 50 has been the lowest for Disney financing. It is possible to find contracts as small as 25 points.

 

[DoryDorito]

We just purchased the 100 points package with the "free" additional 20 points.

We spent time looking into buying direct or resale. After much research, direct was for us. I think Disney is going to continue the trend of putting more restrictions on resale points. As of now, you cannot use Adventures, Concierge or the cruise line with resale points. There is a lot of speculation that people who buy resale will not be able to use them at the GFV. Not sure if that's true as only time will tell, but the way things are going, this would not surprise me. For us, even though you can save a lot of money buying resale, in the end it won't save you much if you cannot use the points they way you hope. Buying direct isn't for everybody, but it was the best decision for our family.

^^^I know I got off topic a bit. Sorry.

 

[permavac]

I had read 160 points on a number of sites. Clearly not true, at least in this economy. Might change in the future.

The 100-point direct contracts for first time buyers started a few years back - I want to say 2008, but I'm not positive - could have been 2009. Then they seem to have started 50-point direct contracts in early 2010. The 100-point contracts seemed to be common knowledge but most people still don't know about the 50-point contracts.

I think some of the misinformation out there can be attributed to DVC guides. It seems that some are open and honest about the minimums while others are not. I think this thread is helpful for new buyers who are interested in buying direct - when you speak to a guide you should say "I know I can buy in for as little as 50-points". If your guide argues with you, ask to speak to a Supervisor and get another guide who knows what they're talking about...

Terri

 

[DVCMikey]

The minimum I have experienced is 50 points for a new member

The min. for a new member is 150pts I believe.

 

[FigmentLady]

When I purchased in 2010 the min was 100 points. We own 105.

 

[permavac]

The min. for a new member is 150pts I believe.

No - the minimum for a new member is 50 points.

Terri

 

[babesboo99]

My husband and I were going to buy in with 50 points. We asked our guide if it was possible to just buy 50 points and later add on he said yes but we have decided to buy in with 100 points.

 

[DVCMikey]

No - the minimum for a new member is 50 points.

Terri

Wow that is low. It really has changed then.

 

[ELMC]

I'm guessing that DVC salespeople were becoming frustrated with the number of sales they were losing because of the significant financial requirement to buy in at 160 points. It's a smart move...larger target market and small contracts are more price competitive with resale than larger contracts.

 

[DVCMikey]

I'm guessing that DVC salespeople were becoming frustrated with the number of sales they were losing because of the significant financial requirement to buy in at 160 points. It's a smart move...larger target market and small contracts are more price competitive with resale than larger contracts.

You are probably right. I have always wished I could add on points at like 5 or 10 at a time. putting out like $600 is alot easier to do than say $2500.

 

[disneynutz]

When the demand for buying goes up, so does the minimum buy in and the effective price. When sales slow, the effective price comes down and so can the minimum buy in.

Bill

 

[permavac]

When the demand for buying goes up, so does the minimum buy in and the effective price. When sales slow, the effective price comes down and so can the minimum buy in.

Bill

Hopefully it is more than that. I think it's a good idea to have the lower buy in and I hope they keep it that way even when sales increase. There is a lesson to be learned here and hopefully DVC has taken note. If you don't "force" people with an "all or nothing" strategy there are so many mutual benefits to be attained. The lower buy in may help to reduce take-backs when people realize they got in over their heads with 160 point contracts (or even 100 points) and the MFs that go along with them. 50 points are good for those individuals with stars in their eyes but not so much money in their pockets. The lower points (and subsequent lower purchase amount) may spur on-the-fence individuals to take the leap because it's not that much money if you find you "made a mistake". Then, after owning those 50 points for a year, if those individuals are converted to true "DVCers" they will just keep adding on - and probably most of them directly through DVC. There is much potential for repeat business if you can hook a new customer with a limited buy-in. DVC has never had a problem attracting those with plenty of money to burn. The wider market is middle income individuals who may balk at the enormous outlay and will take more time to research... and find the resale market.

My DH and I were just discussing yesterday - if the ride photos at the end of the ride were only $5 then everyone would probably buy theirs - on multiple rides and sometimes multiple copies. Instead, they charge $20 per picture and maybe only one in ten buy them? I don't know - I guess they must have some reason behind it that I'm not seeing or maybe more people pony up the $20 than I think.

Terri

 

[standardgirl]

Wow! I didn't know that 50pts was even possible! We just bought 100 pts and got the free 20 points as part of the currenty DVC promotion which is almost a 17% discount to the purchase price - quite good deal.

In the tour, when the guide gave us the typical DVC sheet showing total purchase prices for the different number of points, the chart actually starts at 100pts. This makes me think that 100pts is the standard buy-in amount now. I mean, it's even printed and given the potential buyers. I guess the 50pts minimum might still be more of a secret.

 

[AllieV]

Yeah, I'm with Terri on this one. Many moons ago, our standard stay was 52 points. We tried to get them to sell us a 50 or 60 pt contract at boardwalk (they were then starting to sell SSR). It was a flat no and said once a resort sells out, it's gone, and the minimum is the minimum. So I asked what happens to the contracts that are sold back to disney (I didn't yet know about resale) and they said they sell those points to existing contract owners as additional contracts.

If they'd have sold us the 50 or 60 points then, I'd have built more up through time and would have gone more often.