Suz,
I just joined (VWL, 150 pts), and took advantage of the current program, which is called Magical Beginnings. My use year begins in June, and I was offered an extra 150 points. I had the option to use them before June 2002, or sell some or all of them back to
DVC at $10 per point. Since I won't be able to get down to WDW between now and June, I sold back all the points, which saved me a very nifty $1500 on my purchase. They applied that to my deposit/downpayment, so I only had to give them $750 and financed the rest.
So, you basically get a choice between an extra vacation or a discount on your purchase.
Lynne