question about transferring points

[itutorfortravel]

Hi everyone, I am looking at the possibility of transferring points into my dvc account to help us with a trip next spring.

I've never done this, I've only purchased the one time use points direct from Disney.

Can someone tell me exactly how the transfer transaction occurs? Is it safe? Are there certain things I should consider / ask for when looking to do this?

It sounds like a good idea in theory but not having done it I don't want to make any mistakes.

Thanks!

 

[RobDoc]

Hi everyone, I am looking at the possibility of transferring points into my dvc account to help us with a trip next spring.

I've never done this, I've only purchased the one time use points direct from Disney.

Can someone tell me exactly how the transfer transaction occurs? Is it safe? Are there certain things I should consider / ask for when looking to do this?

It sounds like a good idea in theory but not having done it I don't want to make any mistakes.

Thanks!

You will need to find a member with points that will meet your needs - both in the useful life of the points (will they be valid for the dates you want to travel) and in the number you need. If you need additional points for your Home Resort for a reservation made using the 11 month priority, you will also need to find a member with points available for that specific resort. For reservations made within 7 months, points from any resort will be fine. If you need 50 points, it may be difficult (but not impossible) to find someone willing to transfer that few points but you may find having a few additional points (which can be banked into the next Use Year) a good experience for the future.

Once you have found a member willing/able to transfer, they will need your name and DVC membership number. The number is needed to transfer the points into your account and that is what MS requires. In the past, MS also wanted the home address of the receiving member - but the last few times I have transferred, that was not requested - only the name and member number. Once the points have been transferred, the other member will be given a confirmation number which they should share with you as a reference. You will likely need to call MS to confirm that the transfer has been completed and will also need to call MS to have access to those points to make your reservation(s).

As for safety - please be sure you are comfortable with the member you are working with as many/most will insist on full payment in advance. Since transfers are an irrevocable transaction both sides need to be comfy with the transaction.

When I have transferred points to other members, I give them my name along with a link to the appropriate government site where they can confirm that I do own DVC points at that resort. Once payment has been received (Paypal is the fastest but personal check would also work) I call MS, make the transfer, contact the other member with the confirmation # and ask that they check with MS to confirm that the points are in their account.

If a personal check is accepted, realize that it can take 10 days - 2 weeks for the bank to confirm that the check has cleared and I would not make the transfer until that has been confirmed.

IMO, since the transfer completes the transaction, it should be at a lower rate than a rental since there are no other responsibilities for the transferring member (no DME, no DDP, no room requests, etc.) and that certainly makes the total transaction simple. However, that policy will vary from member to member.

The DIS R/T Board has NEVER had a problem with a transfer but it is still worthwhile to review the suggestions in the **How to use this Board** thread about finding a member to work with.

 

[itutorfortravel]

You will need to find a member with points that will meet your needs - both in the useful life of the points (will they be valid for the dates you want to travel) and in the number you need. If you need additional points for your Home Resort for a reservation made using the 11 month priority, you will also need to find a member with points available for that specific resort. For reservations made within 7 months, points from any resort will be fine. If you need 50 points, it may be difficult (but not impossible) to find someone willing to transfer that few points but you may find having a few additional points (which can be banked into the next Use Year) a good experience for the future.

Once you have found a member willing/able to transfer, they will need your name and DVC membership number. The number is needed to transfer the points into your account and that is what MS requires. In the past, MS also wanted the home address of the receiving member - but the last few times I have transferred, that was not requested - only the name and member number. Once the points have been transferred, the other member will be given a confirmation number which they should share with you as a reference. You will likely need to call MS to confirm that the transfer has been completed and will also need to call MS to have access to those points to make your reservation(s).

As for safety - please be sure you are comfortable with the member you are working with as many/most will insist on full payment in advance. Since transfers are an irrevocable transaction both sides need to be comfy with the transaction.

When I have transferred points to other members, I give them my name along with a link to the appropriate government site where they can confirm that I do own DVC points at that resort. Once payment has been received (Paypal is the fastest but personal check would also work) I call MS, make the transfer, contact the other member with the confirmation # and ask that they check with MS to confirm that the points are in their account.

If a personal check is accepted, realize that it can take 10 days - 2 weeks for the bank to confirm that the check has cleared and I would not make the transfer until that has been confirmed.

IMO, since the transfer completes the transaction, it should be at a lower rate than a rental since there are no other responsibilities for the transferring member (no DME, no DDP, no room requests, etc.) and that certainly makes the total transaction simple. However, that policy will vary from member to member.

The DIS R/T Board has NEVER had a problem with a transfer but it is still worthwhile to review the suggestions in the **How to use this Board** thread about finding a member to work with.

Thank you for the wonderful explanation! I have read conflicting reports of being able to "see" the points in your account online and not being able to see them...can anyone confirm which way it is and what might affect that? I want to transfer in some points, but often I am hopping online to add / change a night based on availability suddenly opening up and cannot always call MS first thing in the morning because I work, plus by that time highly desirable dates / resorts are often gone! I have done one-time use points with DVC directly before and they were in my account immediately for me to use. I'd really like to have more points than that (the 24 I can get), but I'm not sure if the inconvenience of maybe not being able to work with my points online is going to be more of a barrier to using the points as quickly as I'd like...thoughts?

 

[CarolMN]

Thank you for the wonderful explanation! I have read conflicting reports of being able to "see" the points in your account online and not being able to see them...can anyone confirm which way it is and what might affect that? I want to transfer in some points, but often I am hopping online to add / change a night based on availability suddenly opening up and cannot always call MS first thing in the morning because I work, plus by that time highly desirable dates / resorts are often gone! I have done one-time use points with DVC directly before and they were in my account immediately for me to use. I'd really like to have more points than that (the 24 I can get), but I'm not sure if the inconvenience of maybe not being able to work with my points online is going to be more of a barrier to using the points as quickly as I'd like...thoughts?

If the transfer is from the same use year and home resort as you own, the points will show in your account and can be used online. If the transferred points are not from the same use year & home resort, they will NOT show and all transactions done with them will have to be done by MS.

If you are planning to use the transferred points for something that is tough to get when the window opens, it would certainly be better if you could use the online system to book. You have to balance that advantage against the difficulty of finding another member who has what you need. Good luck!