More of a white/blue card divide in the future?

[ElizabethCB]

I have been wondering if DVC is going to continue to separate the white card resale buyers from the blue card direct even more in the future. I'm especially thinking about the role this could play at the contract expiration. I know this is a loooong ways off, but humor me for a minute.

We own one contract, which is a 150 point resale at Boulder Ridge. We bought it in December 2016, so we could add another 25 direct to get a blue card.

I was never too worried about this because we don't go often enough for the Annual Pass to make sense, and the other perks are nice but not huge for us.

But...as I see what's happening with Riviera and the whole "legacy 14" resorts, I have started to wonder if blue card holders might get more privileges down the road when contracts expire in 2042. I'll be 68 at that time, and my kids will be 37 and 32. I think it's possible that we would want to have a decent option to renew or whatever it is that Disney decides to do.

So again, I know this is purely speculation. But...am I nuts to consider a $4,000 or so purchase to kind of buffer myself from this? I think I'd add at OKW or AKL for the extended expiration date. (We don't love Poly, GF or BLT...and adding at CC seems silly since we already own at BRV.) I'm thinking that at the very least, I'd get a contract extension (granted on a TINY contract) on the new points that would take me to age 83, which seems plenty long.

Interested in your thoughts! (And yes I know I should have done something about this a few weeks ago. But this is such a small number of points that the increase isn't huge.) Thanks in advance!

 

[zavandor]

I don't think we'll see any new perks for blue card holders. The resale restrictions are big enough to make a real difference from now on and as older resorts lease expire they'll matter more and more. I think current perks may easily go away too. No need to pay for fancy parties that only 0,01% of the membership can attend when that marketing budget can be spent elsewhere.
The dining, merchandise and AP discounts will likely stay because they're all things will make Disney money (if you have an AP you may go more often and need more points, if you have a dining discount you may book more TS meals...)

 

[ElizabethCB]

I don't think we'll see any new perks for blue card holders. The resale restrictions are big enough to make a real difference from now on and as older resorts lease expire they'll matter more and more. I think current perks may easily go away too. No need to pay for fancy parties that only 0,01% of the membership can attend when that marketing budget can be spent elsewhere.
The dining, merchandise and AP discounts will likely stay because they're all things will make Disney money (if you have an AP you may go more often and need more points, if you have a dining discount you may book more TS meals...)

I think you're right. But...in thinking about the end of the contracts in 2042...I could see Disney offering blue card holders one deal and white card holders another, not-so-great deal to extend. Thoughts?

 

[zavandor]

I think you're right. But...in thinking about the end of the contracts in 2042...I could see Disney offering blue card holders one deal and white card holders another, not-so-great deal to extend. Thoughts?

The only resort that might get extended is BRV, to bring its expiry to align with CCV and it's a stretch. No chance for BWV and BCV, absolutely zero. Vero and HHI will probably be sold and exit DVC.

 

[skippytx]

You can't purchase 25 points now and be eligible for Membership Extras. You would have to buy at least 100 points direct. Folks who were eligible under the old point cutoff requirements are grandfathered in under those contracts. I bought in when it was only 25 direct. If I sell that contract though, I'm no longer eligible.

April 4, 2016 - have to purchase some direct points (25) from DVC for member perks
Feb 25, 2018 - 75 min
Sept 17, 2019 - 100 min

To clarify further, just because you bought your resale contract when 25 points was the minimum for the perks, doesn't mean you can still get them with only 25 points now. If you had 25 direct points before Feb 25th, 2018 your are grandfathered in. If you do not have membership extra's now, the only way to get them is 100 total direct points.

Effective September 17, 2019, to obtain a Disney Vacation Club Membership Card, Members must accumulate a total of at least 100 Vacation Points purchased directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc.

 

[Sandisw]

I could certainly see that they could add membership extras for blue card holders down the road, if they feel they will help with direct sales.

In terms of being a blue card member, you must own points that are eligible so when BRV expires, if there is not a way to extend, then whatever you still own would have to be points eligible.

As mentioned, you would have to add on 100 points now to be eligible for member perks, not 25.

However, you could begin to add on..starting small..and once you hit the minimum, you’d have eligible points, The drawback of course is that they could raise the minimum and the price for direct points could rise.

 

[ElizabethCB]

Aaaah, really? I thought we were grandfathered in because of the timing of the contract purchase. I read this somewhere but of course now can't find it. Therefore I was obviously wrong and I'm not even considering a 100 point direct purchase! So that answers that.

You can't purchase 25 points now and be eligible for Membership Extras. You would have to buy at least 100 points direct. Folks who were eligible under the old point cutoff requirements are grandfathered in under those contracts. I bought in when it was only 25 direct. If I sell that contract though, I'm no longer eligible.

April 4, 2016 - have to purchase some direct points (25) from DVC for member perks
Feb 25, 2018 - 75 min
Sept 17, 2019 - 100 min

To clarify further, just because you bought your resale contract when 25 points was the minimum for the perks, doesn't mean you can still get them with only 25 points now. If you had 25 direct points before Feb 25th, 2018 your are grandfathered in. If you do not have membership extra's now, the only way to get them is 100 total direct points.

Effective September 17, 2019, to obtain a Disney Vacation Club Membership Card, Members must accumulate a total of at least 100 Vacation Points purchased directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc.

 

[Sandisw]

Aaaah, really? I thought we were grandfathered in because of the timing of the contract purchase. I read this somewhere but of course now can't find it. Therefore I was obviously wrong and I'm not even considering a 100 point direct purchase! So that answers that.

Yeah, Only the resale contract was grandfathered in for the restrictions.However, Disney never puts in clauses that allows one to get deals buying direct once they change the rules.

And, when they announced the new threshold, there wasn’t much time between announcement and the increase.

Sorry you had the wrong info,

 

[ElizabethCB]

Yeah, Only the resale contract was grandfathered in for the restrictions.However, Disney never puts in clauses that allows one to get deals buying direct once they change the rules.

And, when they announced the new threshold, there wasn’t much time between announcement and the increase.

Sorry you had the wrong info,

Makes sense! No worries. Thanks for the info!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It is doubtful that offering direct one deal and resale another on a real estate purchase would be legal.

A lot of the stuff guides and others breathlessly threaten as future blue card differentiation are just straight not possible because of the legality of a timeshare real estate interest. There are rules. And this is a timeshare, not a club.

 

[Soap_1984]

The question really is whether they will continue to limit resale buyers rather than make greater benefits. They wont increase benefits in a tangible way for blue card holders because it will cost them money; even now I barely use the park benefits because they have made it annoyingly difficult. I want to buy a shirt for $29 and they want me to produce my physical card and passport to save $5...

 

[bwvBound]

To the original question, I expect we’ll see tiers of benefits based on how many direct points you have. So not just “blue vs white” but steps w/in blue.

 

[sethschroeder]

Can't see much more. I think you might see less actually. The resale restriction will make more people buy direct to stay everywhere.

The blue benefits from what I understand only come from the original purchase. They will have a hard time just paying for those benefits as the blue card owners increase.

 

[Ruttangel]

The real question is, can they make the benefits of direct so good resale no longer makes financial sense........I would say that is a long, long way off happening
My 160 point contract would have been $11,360 more going direct - what can they offer me to offset that?

 

[Soap_1984]

The real question is, can they make the benefits of direct so good resale no longer makes financial sense........I would say that is a long, long way off happening

As I said in my post, I think they won't really create better benefits, rather they will take away further from resale; addition by subtraction. I'm sure they are already looking at ways to reduce perks for current blue card holders based on the other decisions they have made. This is why I would not choose to buy now based on blue card benefits. They are only going to get worse, not better.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

As I said in my post, I think they won't really create better benefits, rather they will take away further from resale; addition by subtraction. I'm sure they are already looking at ways to reduce perks for current blue card holders based on the other decisions they have made. This is why I would not choose to buy now based on blue card benefits. They are only going to get worse, not better.

Quick.

Name what else they can take away from resale without blowing through the grandfathering of prior contracts.

It will be a struggle.

 

[kboo]

Quick.

Name what else they can take away from resale without blowing through the grandfathering of prior contracts.

It will be a struggle.

Resale and direct owner here - sadly, I agree. Resale restrictions on new resorts are the wave of the future. That way, they can justify lower direct prices for any resort that is currently selling. They'll keep direct prices on the "sold out" resorts relatively high, so direct + new resort looks more attractive. I don't think they care very much about resale, as long as they can keep selling new points at a somewhat competitive price.

(Of course, this makes my BLT and VGF contracts look great on resale, and is somewhat a hedge against my RIV contracts' resale value)

Edited: of course, they will play up the psychological differences on direct/resale... I "could" go on a member cruise or go to MM (both sound fun) but so far those dates have never worked for me.

 

[Soap_1984]

I would guess few people would have assumed that disney would take away the ability to book new resorts three years ago. They could make direct buyers have access 12 months at home resort and 8 months at non home resorts. The point is I am not sure exactly what they will do. They could change access to member services, grandfathering in benefits etc I mean they can do whatever they want and most likely no one will do anything about it. There are people on this site lauding the resale restrictions because they just love disney despite the fact that they hurt everyone. At the end of the day my point is just that they will use whatever vague language in the contracts to work to their advantage, and they won't make buying direct better they will continue on their path of making resale worse. Of course that's my opinion I may be wrong.

 

[Wakey]

I agree, we may see perks ebb away.

The Moonlight Magic are just sales events really- designed to get non DVC members in to entice them to become members of this select club of hundreds of thousands. So I think they will stay or go depending on whether DVD can link enough new sales to make them worthwhile.

Epcot Lounge will go on redevelopment. I doubt they will do another when there are no more spare sponsors' lounges at peppercorn rents, but I hope I am pleasantly surprised.

For me the biggest enticement for buying direct would be bigger food discounts (the margin is huge), and bigger AP discounts. But with the resale restrictions they may think they don't even need what we have now, albeit I think they are hitting sales- they stopped me buying Riviera and I am sure I am not the only one. So they pushed me to buy another resale contract- exactly what the resale restrictions are meant to avoid.

 

[skier_pete]

So - I don't really know how to answer this poll - but I recently bought a resale contract because I am paranoid that they are going to restrict resale contracts further. NOT that they are going to add more benefits to blue card holders.

I don't have any inkling what that could be - but to me the true disaster to the resale market would be if they made it so that direct can book at 11 months, while resale has to wait until say 9 months, giving direct owners a booking window that resale doesn't have. I'm not saying they are going to do this - but if they did, it would IMO really make resale a no-go for anyone that wants studios in many resorts or in the fall in general. Combine that with "You can only book at your home resort" for the new resorts, and it would be truly awful for the resale buyer at Riviera and forward. Not saying they are doing this - but my fear is that they do it.