renting points vs WDW discounts

[Mitre10]

Hi all! You helped us plan for our "last big hurrah" with our kids, suggesting we rent Poly points. We did, went in March 2023, and it was perfect--thank you!

Now the kids want to go back-I thought they'd age out as teenagers, but nope! Looking at March 2025 and not calling it a last hurrah .

When we went last spring, demand was really high and the discounts were pretty weak. Point rental saved us a lot of money. However, now I'm looking at the discounts that came out this spring and, if I booked a DVC studio direct through Disney when room bookings, and then applied the discount, the prices seem to come really close to the popular rental agencies, with more flexibility.

What am I missing? Is DVC usually excluded from discounts?

Thanks!

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

You're not missing anything. I own DVC but sometimes stay cash when the rate is good. The ability to cancel almost last minute is very valuable in my opinion.

 

[CarolynFH]

I agree - if the prices are close, I’d book with Disney instead of renting, for the flexibility.

The rental agencies need to take discounts into consideration when setting their prices, although they may have contracted with the owners to pay them a certain amount and are trying to maintain their profit. (Edited to add - or cover their overhead)

 

[han22735]

Definitely not missing anything at all...We booked this summer and I was able to get transferred points for $17 for my in-laws..with the Disney 35% off promo would have cost $3300. At $17 it was $2600...but if it was the typical $21 it would have been $18 more to rent. So its absolutely worth looking at both options.

 

[CastAStone]

It’s definitely not unusual for a room to be cheaper in cash with a discount. Especially 1 bedrooms at GF/RIV, but it can happen pretty much anywhere.

Remember that DVC rooms can be hard to book with cash, especially well ahead of time, they typically release them in fits and starts.

Also remember the different rental agencies have VERY different pricing structures, especially when it comes to confirmed reservations. Dvcrequest.com treats confirmed reservations as a standard to closeout product and DVCRentalStore.com generally treats them as a premium product. DVCStore.com also has them. So shop around.

But ultimately if it's close, I’d use cash, no doubt.

 

[robinb]

Just remember to get the final total including tax when you do your comparison.

 

[FeliciaB23]

If the cost of cash stays vs. renting is cheaper or close enough, I'd definitely recommend booking through Disney for the flexibility. Also, not sure if this matters or not but if you book with Disney vs renting, you'll get mousekeeping

 

[Mle8308]

Hi all! You helped us plan for our "last big hurrah" with our kids, suggesting we rent Poly points. We did, went in March 2023, and it was perfect--thank you!

Now the kids want to go back-I thought they'd age out as teenagers, but nope! Looking at March 2025 and not calling it a last hurrah .

When we went last spring, demand was really high and the discounts were pretty weak. Point rental saved us a lot of money. However, now I'm looking at the discounts that came out this spring and, if I booked a DVC studio direct through Disney when room bookings, and then applied the discount, the prices seem to come really close to the popular rental agencies, with more flexibility.

What am I missing? Is DVC usually excluded from discounts?

Thanks!

If you want to stay at the Poly, don't count on much more than a 10% discount, if any at all. You will probably do much better renting points for the Poly than getting a room discount through Disney.