just started researching... two questions I can't find the answers to...

[nkereina]

Forgive me if the answers to these are staring me right in the face somewhere....

We just got back on Friday and I am very intrigued by DVC. I'm in the beginning stages of my research, but I have two hopefully basic questions:

1. Let's say we buy a contract of 75-100 points and the week we want to go requires 150 points (for example). Can we apply our 100 point contract and then pay the balance in cash? I know you can borrow from next year's points, but if we didn't want to do that, can you split the tender between points and cash or is that not an option? I think I read you can rent points from someone else to make up the difference instead?

2. For people with multiple contracts, how does that work? If I have a contract for 100 points at BWV and 50 points at VWL, can I put those points together for a stay using 150 points somewhere? If we want to do a 150 point stay at BWV, would we have to wait until the 7 month mark to book since not all of the points would be at BWV? Whats the benefit to owning smaller contracts at various resorts?

Thanks all!

 

[Minniesgal]

You can't combine points and cash in the same reservation but you could book a room for as many nights as you can on points the book a room on cash for the rest. If there is available DVC inventory you could book the same room type and link the reservations so you would probably be able to stay in the same room.

We own tie resorts and we use our points to stay at both resorts in the same holiday but at 7 months you can combine all points and book where ever is available with your points

 

[Nabas]

1. Let's say we buy a contract of 75-100 points and the week we want to go requires 150 points (for example). Can we apply our 100 point contract and then pay the balance in cash? I know you can borrow from next year's points, but if we didn't want to do that, can you split the tender between points and cash or is that not an option? I think I read you can rent points from someone else to make up the difference instead?

2. For people with multiple contracts, how does that work? If I have a contract for 100 points at BWV and 50 points at VWL, can I put those points together for a stay using 150 points somewhere? If we want to do a 150 point stay at BWV, would we have to wait until the 7 month mark to book since not all of the points would be at BWV? Whats the benefit to owning smaller contracts at various resorts?

1. DVC offers something called "One-Time-Use Vacation Points". You can buy up to 24 points per year and use these with your DVC points. Current price is $15/point.

Otherwise, you can bank and/or borrow to get the number of points you need.

2. If you own at 2 different resorts with the same Use Year, you can simply use the points to book. Note that points retain their Home Resort, which determines whether you can book 11 or 7 months in advance.

If you own 2 different Use Years, you can either transfer the points between your accounts or book the stays separately and then call Disney to link them. There are pros and cons to both approaches.

Having up to 3 contracts at 3 different Home Resorts allows you to use banking and borrowing to alternate which resort you stay at every 3 years while still maintaining the 11-month booking advantage.

Being able to book at certain resorts at 11 months is important. Certain rooms at certain resorts will completely book right at 11 months. You want a week in a BCV Studio for Food & Wine Festival? You better own at BCV.

 

[nkereina]

Thank you both. Very helpful.

Lets say I needed 250 points for a stay but my contract is for 100 points. If I use the current year's points and borrow the next year's points, are there any options for me to get those extra 50 points I would need? Is renting 50 points from another owner an option? The option to buy up to 24 extra points is good to keep in mind, but still wouldn't allow for the stay under this example.

Thanks again!

 

[Iceman93]

You can actually combine three year's worth of points by banking one year, using the current year, and borrowing from the following year. So in your example you'd have 300 points available which would cover the 250 you need for the week you want to book. Of course you could only vacation using your points every three years or so doing it that way, but it is a very convenient option otherwise.

 

[LisaS]

1. Let's say we buy a contract of 75-100 points and the week we want to go requires 150 points (for example)... I think I read you can rent points from someone else to make up the difference instead?

You can rent points (which really means renting a reservation from another member who owns and controls that reservation) and you can transfer points (arrange for another member to transfer points into your account so that you book and control the reservation). Members can transfer points only once per UY (either into or out of their account) so if you needed a small number of points it could be difficult to find someone to use their one transfer that UY to transfer points to you. Points retain their home resort when transferred so if you wanted to book BWV 11 months out and wanted a transfer, you would have to find a BWV owner. If you were booking somewhere 7 months or less from check-in then any points will do.

You can buy up to 24 points once per UY from MS but only when booking 7 months or less from check-in. You cannot purchase specific points (BLT points for example) to use 11 months out.

The easiest option is to bank and/or borrow your own points when you need more than one year's worth of points to book your stay.

2. For people with multiple contracts, how does that work? If I have a contract for 100 points at BWV and 50 points at VWL, can I put those points together for a stay using 150 points somewhere? If we want to do a 150 point stay at BWV, would we have to wait until the 7 month mark to book since not all of the points would be at BWV? Whats the benefit to owning smaller contracts at various resorts?

The benefit to owning at multiple resorts is that you can book those resorts 11 months out. If you have a small contract then you bank and/or borrow from that small contract and stay at that resort every other year or every third year.

 

[LisaS]

Just curious why you do not want to borrow points to make a reservation. It's the least risky option and the least amount of hassle.

If you rent points (pay another member to use his/her points to make a reservation for you), that other member controls that reservation. Many (maybe most) members who rent reservations have a no cancellation policy. If your plans change and you need to cancel or change your dates you might be out of luck. Although it's rare, if you aren't careful who you do business with you could find your reservation gets cancelled and your money is gone.

If you want the dining plan or want to add a request or set up Magical Express, the member who owns the reservation has to call MS for you. If you book part of your stay with your own points and rent a reservation for the rest of your stay, MS can link the two reservations for you so that the room assigner puts you in the same room for both parts of your stay but you will have to go to the front desk on your transition day and check out and check in again.

If you arrange for a point transfer, once you get the points you do what you want with them. The other member is no longer involved. Again you do need to be careful because you could pay the other member and never actually get the points in your account. DVC's policy is that points cannot be transferred for compensation (I assume because they don't want to be in the middle of a business deal gone bad) so if you get scammed, MS will not help you. Again, it's rare but the risk is there. Plus as I already mentioned, finding someone to transfer you the right number of points from the resort you need may not be that easy. Being limited to one transfer in or out per UY means you might have to agree to a larger transfer than you really wanted in order to get the points you need.

I don't mean to blow the risks out of proportion but people sometimes assume it will be easy, everyone is honest, etc. and unfortunately that's not always the case.

 

[nkereina]

Thank you all.

I'm just trying to understand all options, so I'm not necessarily opposed to borrowing points from the next year. I want to find the right amount of points for us to buy that will allow us to vacation as much as we want to. If we bought in, I think we would want to travel annually in mid November so to buy a smaller contract, I just want to make sure I'd have enough to cover a week's stay annually if that's what we'd want to do. If I'm constantly borrowing, wouldn't there come a point when we'd have to skip a year to catch up?

We also do not have kids yet and my parents will be retiring soon as well. I can see us taking trips with them and eventually when we have kids. On trips with others, we'd probably want at least a one bedroom. When it's just us, we'd be fine with a studio (we wouldn't cook much).

Thanks so much for all the info!

 

[disneynutz]

Thank you all.

I'm just trying to understand all options, so I'm not necessarily opposed to borrowing points from the next year. I want to find the right amount of points for us to buy that will allow us to vacation as much as we want to. If we bought in, I think we would want to travel annually in mid November so to buy a smaller contract, I just want to make sure I'd have enough to cover a week's stay annually if that's what we'd want to do. If I'm constantly borrowing, wouldn't there come a point when we'd have to skip a year to catch up?

We also do not have kids yet and my parents will be retiring soon as well. I can see us taking trips with them and eventually when we have kids. On trips with others, we'd probably want at least a one bedroom. When it's just us, we'd be fine with a studio (we wouldn't cook much).

Thanks so much for all the info!

Odds are you will skip a year sometime anyway. WDW is great but after a few years you have seen it all, done it all several times and the honeymoon tends to wear off some.

Bill

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thank you all.

I'm just trying to understand all options, so I'm not necessarily opposed to borrowing points from the next year. I want to find the right amount of points for us to buy that will allow us to vacation as much as we want to. If we bought in, I think we would want to travel annually in mid November so to buy a smaller contract, I just want to make sure I'd have enough to cover a week's stay annually if that's what we'd want to do. If I'm constantly borrowing, wouldn't there come a point when we'd have to skip a year to catch up?

We also do not have kids yet and my parents will be retiring soon as well. I can see us taking trips with them and eventually when we have kids. On trips with others, we'd probably want at least a one bedroom. When it's just us, we'd be fine with a studio (we wouldn't cook much).

Thanks so much for all the info!

Mid-November, like the end of F&W Festival or just before Thanksgiving can require you book at eleven months out. From the end of Sept to mid-January is a very busy time for DVC.

 

[bakerworld]

We just bought 55 pts to stay 6N. Our original play was to do every other year but it came with 2012 bankable pts so we'll be able to 2 years initially and then move into the every other year strategy.