Whats the least amount of points we could buy through Disney or secondary market?

[AWHOFAN]

Whats the least amount of points we could buy through Disney or secondary market? The most we plan to stay at WDW is 5 nights. I'm asking about long term DVC but want the perks that come with DVC, not renting points. Like the DVC idea for 20 years but not sure 49 years.

 

[bookwormde]

25

 

[nunzia]

I started with a 25 point resale, then it was super easy to just add points from Disney in whatever increment I wanted and have no closing costs. If you are buying small contracts be sure to factor in these extra costs to see if resale or direct is best for you.
(Hi Rupurt! )

 

[a742246]

You can get 25 points but I would say the min you should get is 50 points for an initial purchase. When you add in closing costs onto a 25 point contract
you can add 12-17 dollars a point just for closing.

 

[AWHOFAN]

Thanks for your help. Were going to take a year of reading and boards to get the best information. This is can become big ticket real quick.

 

[5forDiz]

.....This is can become big ticket real quick.

Truer words have never been spoken !!!

 

[Metsoskil]

Yup. We started with a 25 pt resale for the AP perk and to be able to stay on-site for a few days every once in a while. And then added on direct... And then added on resale...

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I'd be cautious about buying in for the "perks", as these change and can be eliminated.

 

[Lynne M]

I'm asking about long term DVC but want the perks that come with DVC, not renting points.

I think you may be misunderstanding how perks work with DVC.

They're not part of your membership. That's important - the ONLY thing that the contract guarantees, and what you're really buying, is the right to stay at your home resort, subject to availability. Everything else is subject to change.

Most perks are given at the whim of various third party entities, and come and go frequently. Most, with the exception of the current AP discount, are minimal - 10% off this restaurant, etc. Sometimes there are a lot of discounts, sometimes they're pretty sparse.

For instance, the AP discount. Disney Parks gives us that discount because their numbers apparently show that DVC members come to the parks more frequently (and spend more money in shops and restaurants) when we get APs. If those numbers change, the AP discount goes away. Probably with no warning. That's the way the perk changes happen. They're there, and the next day they're not.

DVC is a timeshare, not a discount club. It's all about the lodging. Nothing else is guaranteed.

 

[drusba]

Whats the least amount of points we could buy through Disney or secondary market? The most we plan to stay at WDW is 5 nights. I'm asking about long term DVC but want the perks that come with DVC, not renting points. Like the DVC idea for 20 years but not sure 49 years.

The least amount of points you can get in the secondary market is 25 because that is the minimum that an already existing member can add on through Disney (and then resell later) and Disney has never sold contracts below 25. Usually you should assume you need more than 25 and that 25-point contracts would be hard to find in the resale market even if you wanted only 25.

Buying through Disney as a new purchaser is different. Currently the minimum number of points a new purchaser can get is 100 at Aulani, Bay Lake Tower, or Animal Kingdom Lodge. That minimum can be changed at any time and as economy improves it probably will be to a higher number.

 

[majortom1981]

I got the 100 point minimum at animal kingdom villas. its enough for a studio every year or a one bedroom every 2 years , a standard 2 bedroom with that special buy points up to 24 depending on the time of year.

My suggestion is minimum 100

 

[crisi]

I think you may be misunderstanding how perks work with DVC.

They're not part of your membership. That's important - the ONLY thing that the contract guarantees, and what you're really buying, is the right to stay at your home resort, subject to availability. Everything else is subject to change.

Most perks are given at the whim of various third party entities, and come and go frequently. Most, with the exception of the current AP discount, are minimal - 10% off this restaurant, etc. Sometimes there are a lot of discounts, sometimes they're pretty sparse.

For instance, the AP discount. Disney Parks gives us that discount because their numbers apparently show that DVC members come to the parks more frequently (and spend more money in shops and restaurants) when we get APs. If those numbers change, the AP discount goes away. Probably with no warning. That's the way the perk changes happen. They're there, and the next day they're not.

DVC is a timeshare, not a discount club. It's all about the lodging. Nothing else is guaranteed.

Moreover, there is the persistent rumor (substantiated by comments from DVC management) that they are going to put in some sort of "tiered" membership. Many of us believe that will involve tiering the perks and discounts based off how many points you own. Disney could give the AP discount only to people who own 500 points or more, for instance. Or offer restaurant discounts to people with 150 points or more.

 

[AWHOFAN]

Thats why Im asking about perks and points. What you think you would get you do not. Thats why it will take a year to decide. Also I have a Air Forcee friend that has DVC so Im now able to ask him pros and cons. Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[hellerjw]

It can be very difficult to find small contracts on the resale market, particularly for a specific UY or at certain resorts. We wanted to add-on a couple small contracts at HHI and looked for over a year before finally going the direct route. 25 point ones will usually get taken before they ever make it to the broker's website, 50 points or smaller go almost as fast. If you are interested you should contact a couple of the large resale brokers and let them know what to look out for so you can get that ball rolling. Even if you have to delay making offers on a couple they find for you it will at least give you an idea of how frequently they come on the market and how difficult it will be to secure one when the time comes.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Moreover, there is the persistent rumor (substantiated by comments from DVC management) that they are going to put in some sort of "tiered" membership. Many of us believe that will involve tiering the perks and discounts based off how many points you own. Disney could give the AP discount only to people who own 500 points or more, for instance. Or offer restaurant discounts to people with 150 points or more.

OR....They could eliminate perks completely for people who buy resale, much like they are limiting the use of resale points for those who buy resale now.

 

[Metsoskil]

Yes, it's true that buying for the perks in the long term is a bad idea because of the possibility that they are eliminated in the future.

In our case, it definitely factored into our decision anyway. We own an off-site TS and usually tacked on 3-4 days to our trip on-site anyway. We routinely bought APs that covered 2 trips - we'd go a week earlier in the calendar every other year so that our tix spanned both trips.

When we bought our initial loaded 25 pt contract at VWL for about $84 per point, our thinking was that our purchase price of $2450 (includes closing) would also allow us to save $400 on APs we would be buying that year anyway, and cover the lodging we were going to tack on on-site also, saving us an additional $350.

This brought our cost down to about $1700, or the equivalent of $68 per point. If the AP perks went away in the future, we'd be disappointed, but it still was a factor in our initial decision for good reason.