How do we rent points?

[cs2sgrl]

Dh and I would like to experience a DVC and see if we would like to buy or if we should continue booking at the resorts. I was wondering how i went about finding information on how to rent. I am not sure how this works and I do not want to be taken advantage of..

 

[CarolMN]

If you haven't already, read all of the sticky posts at the top of the DVC Rent/Trade Board. Then use the point charts or point calculator to figure out how many points you will need for your chosen vacation dates.

Post what you want on the Rent/Trade board (you can read some of the other posts to get a feel for prices / what to put in the post). Wait for an owner(s) to contact you and then you can negotaite terms.

Be sure to inquire about the owner's cancellation policy as well as the payment expectations. Renting points is not like reserving through Disney. Terms vary between members. Most consider renting a non-refundable transaction so be sure your dates are firm before you begin the transaction.

There is some risk involved with renting. If the risk will cause you a lot of stress, you will be far better off just making a reservation through CRO/WDWTC. You can stay in a DVC resort (subject to availability) by booking through CRO - you don't have to be a DVC member or rent from one to stay at a DVC resort - its just less expensive.
Best wishes-

 

[JimMIA]

If you haven't already, read all of the sticky posts at the top of the DVC Rent/Trade Board.

Great advice, and the VERY first place to start. Those "stickys" from Doc are there for a reason.

Post what you want on the Rent/Trade board

You will save yourself and everybody else a ton of time and wasted effort if you know specifically which dates you want, which resort (and a second, possibly third, choice if you are booking less than six months out), and what type of accommodation.

you can read some of the other posts to get a feel for prices / what to put in the post

Typically, you are going to pay $10-12 per point. I just looked at a comparison between a studio at Boardwalk Villas from Disney, and renting points. I arbitrarily chose August 12, 13, 14 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Booking direct, with tax, was $983.46, or $327.82 a night.

Renting points, you'd pay $780 @ $10 pp to $936 @ $12. Even though points costs are roughly double for Friday and Saturday nights, you'd get a significant savings at $10 per point. If you have a greater number of weeknights, the savings really add up. If you visit Sunday-Thursday, 8/7 - 8/11, you could get five nights for less than those prices - $700-$840.

I used a Preferred View Studio for the points comparison, and I also chose that season because those dates fall in the second most expensive points cost season. If I'd picked other dates, the savings renting points would have been even more dramatic.

There is some risk involved with renting. If the risk will cause you a lot of stress, you will be far better off just making a reservation through CRO/WDWTC.

The risk Carol is talking about here comes from two sources. One is that the DVC owner retains control over your reservation throughout the process. Theoretically, an unscrupulous owner could cancel the reservation and keep your money. I personally have never heard of that happening, and I honestly do not believe that anyone who owns DVC would resort to such a cheap stunt. But it's possible.

There are two ways that I know of to protect yourself from that silliness. One is to get references, if the DVC owner has rented before. You can also see how many posts they've made here. If they've made more than a couple hundred, they're regulars which should give you some comfort. You can also click on their screen name, look at their posts and get a sense of what kind of person they are. That will probably give you even greater comfort. In fact, I've seen posts from people I have great respect for, who say checking the previous posts is the best protection you can get.

The other risk is cancellation, which is a risk for both the renter and the owner. Virtually all point rentals are (or should be) non-refundable at some point. If they are not, the owner is risking losing the points, and there is no reason for them to do that. Two protections for cancellation risk -- have solid plans, or buy trip insurance.

There are other posts on trip insurance on this board. Trip insurance, of course, covers all non-refundable costs of your trip...not just lodging. If you are going to buy trip insurance, be sure your owner provides you with a contract saying all of your payments are non-refundable, because trip insurance won't cover them if you don't have such a contract.

If your plans carry a reasonable danger of changing unexpectedly, DVC rentals are not for you. As Carol said, you would be far better off just getting a room direct from Disney.