Renting DVC points--what is it and why should I do it?

[deuceswild10]

I've seen this around the boards a lot. Can anyone please explain?

Thank you!

 

[mom of princessx2]

Your best bet is to start here
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29
on the Rent/Trade board and read the sticky at the top.
It should answer most if not all of your questions.

We rented before we bought and found it a great way to vacation in Deluxe for a Moderate price. There has to be a lot of trust on both sides but it can be a great way to vacation at some fabulous resorts.

 

[LaurenT]

If you want to stay in delux accommodations on Dis property (and therefore be able to do DDP and EMH) and also want a kitchen, you'll save alot of money by renting points from a DVC owner instead of booking the unit straight from Disney.
As an example, if you wanted to stay value season in a 2 bedroom villa at Kidani Village in the Animal Kingdom Lodge (2 bed, 3 bath, full kitchen/living area) for a week, it would cost $4,795.
If you rent the points needed from a DVC owner at $11 per point, it would cost you $2,805.

 

[Mrs D]

I have rented points through a DVC member and my neighbor has rented through David's Vacation Club Rentals (the company is a DIS sponsor). Both have been positive experiences.

You can use David's site to determine how many points you will need to the resorts you are looking into.

Here are a couple of primers and FAQs.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/RentTrade-FAQ.htm
http://www.mousesavers.com/dvc.html#rentpoints
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1255828

And should you rent privately you may check out the DVC owner at the FL comptrollers site.


HTH!

 

[gatormom2tots]

Why? Because to get a 2 bdrm at BLT it was about $2500 cheaper!

 

[londonderrydisneyfan]

You can save a lot of money renting from a DVC owner, but there is risk involved. I strongly urge anyone who is interested in renting points to read the links in Mrs D's post they are very enlightening.

 

[RMulieri]

You can save a lot of money renting from a DVC owner, but there is risk involved. I strongly urge anyone who is interested in renting points to read the links in Mrs D's post they are very enlightening.

THIS.
It CAN save you money, but it is a private transaction and a contract between you and the DVC owner.DISNEY does not and WILL not get involved in disputes ,problems or if anything goes wrong....etc.It requires trust and respect on the part of the owner and renter.As a renter any requests ,changes etc have to go thru the owner only.

 

[LaurenT]

THIS.
It CAN save you money, but it is a private transaction and a contract between you and the DVC owner.DISNEY does not and WILL not get involved in disputes ,problems or if anything goes wrong....etc.It requires trust and respect on the part of the owner and renter.As a renter any requests ,changes etc have to go thru the owner only.

All of this is true.
One option is to use David's rental service. He advertises here and has a proven track record. You'll pay 13 instead of 10 or 11...but it's worth the piece of mind.
There are also new rules on the DVC rent boards..so that only regular Dis participants can list their points for rent, no guarantee, but at least you can read through that person's history on the boards.
If I ever have extra points (lol, like that's going to happen)...I'll probably let David take care of it for me....wouldn't really want to be bothered with the hassle of doing it myself.

 

[mountdew1]

I've seen this around the boards a lot. Can anyone please explain?

Thank you!

Basically a DVC member has decided they have more point than they will use in a given year. Instead of banking those points to use the following year, or not using them and losing them, the member tries to work out a deal with someone else to use them. This works out for both parties involved. The member usually makes enough to cover their dues and some of the cost of the points. So they end up not having to pay for something they didn't use. The person renting the points gets a room at a fraction of the posted cost.
For instance, renting a regular studio at AKL would cost $345 per night during value season. The points involved in that rental could cost between 11 & 15 depending on weekday, weekend, and exact dates of your trip. The seasons for points don't match up perfectly with cash. So renting those points at $11 per point means that room would cost you between $121 & $165 per night. That is roughly a savings of between 50 and 66%.
So the person renting the points saves a bundle, and the person who owns the points ends up covering their costs of owning the points.

As the PP's all pointed out, it does involve trust. But you can save a considerable amount of cash.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...And should you rent privately you may check out the DVC owner at the FL comptrollers site.


HTH!

Not always. That only shows owners at the WDW resorts, not Vero Beach, Hilton Head Island, California or Hawaii.

The biggest thing to remember is you are not purchasing from Disney. You are purchasing a reservation from an individual who made it using their Disney timeshare. The member sets the terms for payment, cancellation, etc. Many expect half to full payment right when they make the reservation. Many won't accept a credit card through Paypal. And most don't offer any cancellation or change terms. You bought the reservation, it's yours (well, once you check in it's yours). The member fully controls the reservation until you check in. There are no upgrades. You can't call Member Services to make requests, add ME, add the dining plan. Only the member can do that.

But you can get a very nice vacation for a much nicer price than paying Disney directly.

You won't get daily full cleaning unless you pay the extra for it. If you stay seven nights or fewer, you won't get a full cleaning at all. Just your trash removed and towels replaced on day four (with day one as check in). And you can't just ask the housekeepers for additional towels, extra shampoo, etc. You'll pay for those extras. It's a way of keeping the costs down for members on their annual fees.

The other thing to remember is that you can't just look for someone who has points a few weeks before your trip. Sometimes David does have a few specials, usually someone wants to cancel and they need to find someone else to take over the reservation. Most members start booking their trips 11 months out. And what is normally busy at WDW might not always be the busy times for DVC members. For example, early Dec isn't all that busy for WDW other than the sports groups coming ing. But for DVC members it's one of the hottest times to book. Point requirements are low and the holiday decorations are up.

Read the sticky threads at the top of the DVC Rent/Trade Board before you decide to rent a reservation from a member. Good luck.

 

[deuceswild10]

If you want to stay in delux accommodations on Dis property (and therefore be able to do DDP and EMH) and also want a kitchen, you'll save alot of money by renting points from a DVC owner instead of booking the unit straight from Disney.
As an example, if you wanted to stay value season in a 2 bedroom villa at Kidani Village in the Animal Kingdom Lodge (2 bed, 3 bath, full kitchen/living area) for a week, it would cost $4,795.
If you rent the points needed from a DVC owner at $11 per point, it would cost you $2,805.

I thought that you could use EMH at any Disney resort, right?

Thank you everyone!! Now I understand better.

Our budget is more along the lines of the Value category for this next trip, so even though using points would be a savings, I think it's not in our budget right now.