Help for thinking of owning

[Corgipounce]

I am looking into ownership and my question how is it possible for someone with say 160 points to go to say Wyoming which is 339 points per person I can't even bank many and that shoot my vacations for three years, I see that i can rent or buy more points but the "point" is I don't want to do that. Is this true or am I misunderstanding?

 

[Lynne M]

You could do that by banking and borrowing. For instance, you bank your 2007 points into the 2008 use year. You can also borrow your 2009 points into your 2008 use year. In that way, you'd have 480 points available for a trip in 2008.

Now, as you said, that'd consume three years worth of points. There's really no way around that.

You need to look at the point charts, figure out how many points you'd use per year, on average, and buy a contract with that many polnts.

Since you mentioned trading out to Wyoming, I'll add that most DVC members use their points primarily at the DVC resorts. You can get a week in a 1-bedroom villa at OKW in the cheapest season for 160 points. That's for 4 people. So, you get a lot more out of your points if you use them at DVC resorts.

If you see yourself trading out a lot, you might want to consider another timeshare. There are other really good timeshares out there have a lot more locations, and cost a lot less than DVC.

Basically, DVC is intended for use at the DVC resorts at WDW, Vero Beach and Hilton Head. That's where you'll get the most value for your dollar.

 

[CarolMN]

I am looking into ownership and my question how is it possible for someone with say 160 points to go to say Wyoming which is 339 points per person I can't even bank many and that shoot my vacations for three years, I see that i can rent or buy more points but the "point" is I don't want to do that. Is this true or am I misunderstanding?

You understand just fine.

If you have a contract for 160 points, the most you can have with banking and borrowing is 480 - 3 years worth of points. No way could 2 people do the Wyoming trip on points with a 160 point contract.

So, obviously, not all options are available to those with smaller contracts.

That said, if you really want to do something on points, you could look for another member who would be willing to transfer additional points to your account (for a price). You may either transfer into or out of your account once per use year, so finding members willing to transfer the amount you need isn't as easy as it used to be.

FWIW, many members (including me) do not think using points for something outside of the DVC resorts is a good value. There are a few exceptions, but it is usually more economical to rent your DVC points and pay cash for the non-DVC option.

My advice is to buy only enough points to cover your trips to DVC resorts, and pay out of pocket for any non-DVC vacations (or buy another timeshare for trading. There are good traders out there that do not cost as much as DVC).

Good luck with your research.