DVC direct vs resale rules and are their restrictions for which resorts may be booked?

Peggy Sue

Happy DVC Member
Joined
Aug 18, 1999
Purchased in 1997, have no restrictions that I’m aware of, but friend looking to purchase and I have no idea of current rules. I know resale as of a certain date no longer qualify for perks, but are there any resort restrictions? If someone buys a riveria resale, can they book the older resorts?

poly2, will this be considered a new DVC resort, not tied to current poly or will this be introducing a new version of DVC, not affiliated with the current DVC?

thank you!
 
Riveria resale can only book at Riveria.

Unknown at this time whether Poly2 will be part of Poly1 association or a new association and whether or not it will have restrictions.
 
Riviera is the first property/association with the new restrictions. The 14 DVC resorts that preceded Riviera, we on these boards call the O14 (Original 14) or L14 (Legacy 14).

Any resale contract purchased today for an O14 resort can be used at the O14 at the seven month mark. Resales for Riviera or any other future property can only be used at that specific resort. That is why, as previously stated, Riviera resale contracts can only be used at Riviera. Disneyland Hotel Villas (VDH) resale contracts, once they start hitting the market, can only be used at VDH.
 
If they purchase riviera direct, they can book O14 at 7 months? So, this is the first resort with 7 month restriction if purchased on the resale market. Thanks, helpful info!
 


If they purchase riviera direct, they can book O14 at 7 months? So, this is the first resort with 7 month restriction if purchased on the resale market. Thanks, helpful info!
Buying direct gets you access to all current and future resorts.
 
If they purchase riviera direct, they can book O14 at 7 months? So, this is the first resort with 7 month restriction if purchased on the resale market. Thanks, helpful info!
Basically if you buy any points directly from Disney or your resale points were bought before 2019 you can use them at any and all resorts including future resorts.

If you purchase directly at a resort that was built after 2019, which is currently Riviera and the Villas at Disneyland hotel, you can use those points anywhere; however, if you sell the points to someone else, the new owner will only be able to use those points at the designated home resort and none of the other resorts.

If you currently buy resale at any other resort than Riviera and Disneyland Hotel, you can use those points to stay at all of the resorts before Riviera was built AKA the O14 as was alluded to above but again will not be able to use the points at any new resorts built after 2019 unless the new resort is an add-on to an already existing association as was the case for Grand Floridian.
 
Basically if you buy any points directly from Disney or your resale points were bought before 2019 you can use them at any and all resorts including future resorts.

If you purchase directly at a resort that was built after 2019, which is currently Riviera and the Villas at Disneyland hotel, you can use those points anywhere; however, if you sell the points to someone else, the new owner will only be able to use those points at the designated home resort and none of the other resorts.

If you currently buy resale at any other resort than Riviera and Disneyland Hotel, you can use those points to stay at all of the resorts before Riviera was built AKA the O14 as was alluded to above but again will not be able to use the points at any new resorts built after 2019 unless the new resort is an add-on to an already existing association as was the case for Grand Floridian.
So if I buy direct at VGF today, I can book at VDH at 7 month, assuming there are rooms available?
 


So if I buy direct at VGF today, I can book at VDH at 7 month, assuming there are rooms available?

Any points purchased direct have zero restrictions. I assume you mean booking VDH in general, so the answer is yes, they can be used at VDH or any other DVC resort current or future at 7 months.

Minor sidenote: just remember all outside points (sans AUL) used at VDH will technically be paying double tourism taxes. Home resort tourism taxes in your MFs, then VDH ToT per stay upon checkout.

If you meant "purchase today, to use at the 7 month mark today at VDH" then no, because outside point bookings don't start until July for the Sep 28 opening.
 
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Originally purchased direct (1993) and have had my membership since, adding direct purchases four different times between 1995 and 2014. Additionally, I just purchased two resale contracts (in 2023) for an O14 resort.

Two questions:
  1. If I want to make a reservation at Riviera or VDH (at 7 months or closer), can I do so ONLY with the points I have that I purchased direct? Or can I use my recently purchased resale points as well?
  2. If I make arrangements to have someone do a one-time transfer of points into my membership, and that transferring owner purchased resale of an O14 resort after 2019, do those points have the "no booking Riviera / VDH" restriction?
Thanks.
 
Originally purchased direct (1993) and have had my membership since, adding direct purchases four different times between 1995 and 2014. Additionally, I just purchased two resale contracts (in 2023) for an O14 resort.

Two questions:
  1. If I want to make a reservation at Riviera or VDH (at 7 months or closer), can I do so ONLY with the points I have that I purchased direct? Or can I use my recently purchased resale points as well?
  2. If I make arrangements to have someone do a one-time transfer of points into my membership, and that transferring owner purchased resale of an O14 resort after 2019, do those points have the "no booking Riviera / VDH" restriction?
Thanks.

All resale points purchased at the O14 since Jan 2019 are restricted from RIV and VDH and most likely all future resorts.

Points carry the rules and restrictions so it doesn’t matter what else an owner has in their account.
 
All resale points purchased at the O14 since Jan 2019 are restricted from RIV and VDH and most likely all future resorts.

Points carry the rules and restrictions so it doesn’t matter what else an owner has in their account.
Very helpful, thank you.

So even with resale, if I REALLY wanted to stay at Riviera, I could find someone who wanted to rent/transfer Riviera points and I could use those. Of course, they may carry a premium price.....
 
Very helpful, thank you.

So even with resale, if I REALLY wanted to stay at Riviera, I could find someone who wanted to rent/transfer Riviera points and I could use those. Of course, they may carry a premium price.....

Correct or rent your points and pay cash.
 
ONLY applies to resale (direct has no restriction)

Buy resale now:
  • Restriction Group 1: Riviera and Disneyland Tower can only book at their respective resorts
  • Restriction Group 2: Other resorts can book amongst the group of resorts

In the future:
  • Poly unknown if its a new resort or part of "old Poly" regarding the restriction grouping
  • Fort Wilderness Cabins likely will be in Group 1 only allowing you to book at that resorts
 
Here are the historical resale restrictions that have been created:

Pre-March 21, 2011: If you own any points purchased before March 21, 2011, whether new or resale, none of the following restrictions apply to them.

March 21, 2011: cannot use points from any resale purchased on or after 3/21/11 to reserve the Disney Collections (Disney hotels), Concierge Collections (certain non-Disney hotels), Adventures by Disney, or a Disney Cruise.

April 4, 2016: cannot use points from any resale purchased on or after 4/4/16 to qualify for incidental benefits a/k/a membership extras, e.g., discounted AP’s, the DVC 20% merchandise discount, DVC dining discounts, Moonlight Magic or other exclusive DVC events. Note that if a member was subject to that restriction because the only points owned are resale points purchased on or after 4/4/16, the member could acquire access to membership extras by purchasing the minimum add-on point addition from DVD which, at the time, was only 25 points at most resorts. That minimum applied until 2/25/18.

Starting February 25, 2018: you need at least 75 points purchased from DVD to get membership extras unless already entitled to them as result of purchases made before 2/25/18.

January 19, 2019: any resale points purchased before 1/19/19 can be used to reserve any DVC Resort, including Riviera (and now VDH, on sale starting in 2023). Resale points purchased on or after 1/19/19 for any DVC Resort that existed before Rivera (and that includes any additions made to any such pre-Riviera DVC Resort such as at VGF in 2022) cannot be used to reserve Riviera (and now VDH) but can be used for all DVC Resorts that existed before Rivera. Any resale points purchased for Riviera can be used only to reserve Riviera (and now any resale points purchased for VDH can be used only to reserve VDH). It is suspected the same type of restrictions will apply to the Fort Wilderness Cabins addition and likely to the new Poly building (unless it is made part of the original Poly DVC)

Starting September 17, 2019: You need at least 100 points purchased from DVD to use membership extras unless already entitled to them as a result of prior purchases.

Starting October 19, 2020: You need at least 125 points purchased from DVD to use membership extras unless already entitled to them as a result of prior purchases.

Starting June 3, 2021: You need at least 150 points purchased from DVD to use membership extras unless already entitled to them as a result of prior purchases.

I have seen posts (and other websites) that have described the above 125 and 150 minimum purchase rules to obtain membership extras as also being the required minimum point purchase rules for any new purchasers. That is not correct. A new purchaser from DVD could choose to buy fewer points from DVD, as low as 100 and possibly even lower, but doing so excludes them from membership extras.

Exception for Gifts: A member’s giving, while living or upon death, an ownership interest to another -– relatives, friends, or anyone else – does not trigger any of the above restrictions based on the timing of the gift. The gift recipient’s ability to use, and the restrictions applicable to use of, the points for reservations or membership extras will be the same that the giving member had applicable to the particular ownership interests transferred before the making of the gift.
 
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