Using DVC points for Adventures by Disney question

[Princess4Eva]

I have only used my member points for DVC resorts in Disney World. Next year I am considering an Adventures by Disney vacation and see it is possible to use my vacation points to book. I know the posted point charts show the amount of points needed per person booked for the trip, my question is if I am booking two people in a reservation with DVC is it possible to pay for one person with cash and the other person use my points. I will not have enough points banked and available to borrow to use points for both people.

Thank you! I hope I posted this in the right place. I am a long time lurker and have found so much help on these boards over the years but I haven’t come across this information in my search. Any info is appreciated

 

[zavandor]

Have you considered renting your points and pay cash for the ABD? You'd probably be able to pay for everyone that way.

 

[kniquy]

You will likely get more value out of renting your points (for ~$14-15 per point) and then booking both by cash. You can certainly value it out yourself by looking at the cash cost of the trip compared to the points it would cost. Those trips are pretty points expensive.

So I just took a quick look at an Alaska ABD for 2018 -- 671 points for an adult, so renting those same number of points could get you about $9300. The cost for one adult for this trip in Aug would be $5399. It roughly ranges $4999 - $5500. So you can see that the same points could net you more cash, or you could just rent out enough points to cover the cost of your trip. This is just one example but my guess is that it would be a similar scenario for most ABD trips.

As for your question on whether or not you can book one cash and one points - my guess is that it would be allowed, but contact ABD to be certain.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

You can pay for one person using points and the other with cash. From DVC FAQ's

Q.Can I combine my Vacation Points and cash to pay for a Disney Cruise Line voyage in the Disney Collection or for other Disney Vacation Club Collections?
A. Disney Cruise Line Sailings and Adventures by Disney Vacations: One person in the traveling party must be paid for using only Reservation Points—and other members of the traveling party can be paid for using cash (Reservation Points and cash cannot be combined to pay for an individual Guest)

Instead of using your points to book the Adventures by Disney have you considered renting out you points & using the proceeds to pay for the trip? Doing it that way usually is a better value.

For example, the 7 night Ireland trip is 717 DVC points or roughly $6000/pp with taxes. If you rent out 717 points for $14/point you end up with $10,038 which covers 100% of the first traveler and 66% of second traveler. I don't factor in tax ramifications of rental income but still imagine you;d come out ahead by renting them out. It's a bit more work, but I'm sure a service like David's would be pretty simple and help defray the cost quite a bit.

 

[zavandor]

Actually David (a sponsor of the Disboards) swaps points for cruises and ABD at a much better rate than Disney and since you don't get the cash, you wouldn't have problems with taxes (I think):
http://www.dvcrequest.com/adventures-disney.asp

 

[Princess4Eva]

Thank you for the quick replies! They are a big help. I am glad to see it is possible to use a points/cash combo but I will look into renting points to see if it is a better option for us.

 

[supersnoop]

Actually David (a sponsor of the Disboards) swaps points for cruises and ABD at a much better rate than Disney and since you don't get the cash, you wouldn't have problems with taxes (I think):
http://www.dvcrequest.com/adventures-disney.asp

Barter transactions are still taxable events based on fair market value.

 

[DenLo]

Barter transactions are still taxable events based on fair market value.

Like renting your points is not taxable?

 

[disneynutz]

Disney advertises that your points can be used for non DVC vacations but in reality, they take advantage of people who assume that it's a good deal.

Bill

 

[supersnoop]

Like renting your points is not taxable?

No, renting points is definitely a taxable event.

 

[skier_pete]

Disney advertises that your points can be used for non DVC vacations but in reality, they take advantage of people who assume that it's a good deal.

Bill

This. ABD is a separate "business" from DVC and a separate profit center. So ABD essentially charges DVC division "Full Price" for an ABD trip. DVC of course does not want to lose money on the exchange, so they pass that "full price" on to you the owner. If you were to calculate what you pay per point and the number of points they charge, you'll find that you likely are paying as much as if not more than the full price ABD. In fact, after overcharging you for the points, DVC then gets to rent out your DVC room that you didn't use your points on, and make a profit themselves - so everyone wins...but you. In short - it's a perk that's not a perk.

As others have pointed out, renting out your points gives you a profit (which admittedly you have to pay taxes on) which you can then use to pay for the trip in cash, and save significantly versus using your points.

 

[disneynutz]

This. ABD is a separate "business" from DVC and a separate profit center. So ABD essentially charges DVC division "Full Price" for an ABD trip. DVC of course does not want to lose money on the exchange, so they pass that "full price" on to you the owner. If you were to calculate what you pay per point and the number of points they charge, you'll find that you likely are paying as much as if not more than the full price ABD. In fact, after overcharging you for the points, DVC then gets to rent out your DVC room that you didn't use your points on, and make a profit themselves - so everyone wins...but you. In short - it's a perk that's not a perk.

As others have pointed out, renting out your points gives you a profit (which admittedly you have to pay taxes on) which you can then use to pay for the trip in cash, and save significantly versus using your points.

ABD and DVC may be separate businesses but they are in the same business unit and the are managed by the same President and SVP.

Bill

 

[skier_pete]

ABD and DVC may be separate businesses but they are in the same business unit and the are managed by the same President and SVP.

Bill

This is true - but they still have their own VPs that are in charge of them - so the ABD management will not sacrifice their profits to boost DVC's profits.