Who recommends buying DVC points?

[Yngpreacherman]

There may already be a thread for this and if it is, please point me to it. My wife and I love Disney and have been multiple times. We have started checking out DVC points and it almost seems to good to be true. So, here are my questions:

1. Has anyone done it before? If so, what was your experience?

2. Is it safe?

3. It is reliable?

Thanks!!!!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Are you talking about renting points for one stay or buying a contract?

 

[CarolynFH]

There are several forums about DVC on this board. You might want to start with this one: http://www.disboards.com/forums/purchasing-dvc.28/

DVC is a timeshare. In essence, it lets you prepay for your hotel room for many years. It works for thousands of families, but it's not for everyone!

 

[Yngpreacherman]

Renting for one week.

 

[kaetra]

I am also interested in researching RENTing DVC points to see if it's worth it for my family. I'm pretty leary of getting swindled though.

Do you pay a stranger up front with no guarantee that you'll get the room? Does Disney frown upon DVC members renting to non-DVC members?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Renting for one week.

I own, so don't have experience renting.

As far as safety, it does require trust and appropriate vetting on your end. Many folks do it. Resorts board may be a good place to ask. There is also a rental/trade board here.

Reliability--for the most part it is reliable.

I would check on the resorts or DVC boards for more information. I know there is a company that serves as the middle man and my personal opinion is that would feel more secure to me. But folks have had good luck renting directly from owners.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Here is the rental/trade board:
http://www.disboards.com/forums/dvc-rent-trade.29/

Experience questions may be best asked on the resorts board: http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-resorts.12/

You can also google DVC rental to find 3rd party vendors that manage rentals.

Renting is a good way to save money, but cancellation policies are pretty strict and inflexible due to restrictions owners have themselves as owners in regards to use years and banking.

 

[waltonmkb]

We rented points last September for a stay at the Grand Californian and saved a ton of money! We used dvcrequest.com. It's a little bit more per point, but felt it was worth it for the peace of mind. The only bad thing is that popular resorts fill up quickly (7-11 months in advance) and once you reserve through a middle man, you can't change or cancel your reservation. I will definitely rent points again.

 

[thr33boys]

We rented points from an owner for our first trip. It went flawless and we booked the next year with the same owner. Ask a lot of questions and get a contract. Each owner has their own terms. We paid 50% at booking and the balance at the 45 day mark I think. The two things to consider the most I think, are that you cannot change your dates and you do not have control of the reservation. The owner will provide you with your reservation number and you will see it in MDE.

 

[skuttle]

We rented a couple of years ago from dvcrequest.com as well. Like the other poster said, it is a little more per point, but I felt more comfortable doing it through David's. There's no way we could have stayed in a room that big (we had a 1 bedroom) for the price other than through DVC. And, since our trip was during the 4th of July week, we took advantage of having a full kitchen since we returned to the room to beat the afternoon heat every day. One thing to be aware of is that when you rent through David's, you have to pay the full amount due at the time the rental is confirmed.

 

[Amunet]

I've rented one year and it was wonderful!
The renter I found on the DVC rental forum (here on DIS) and they required a percentage upfront and once the confirmation is given, the rest is due

So, it's a bit of trust on both sides, I think.

 

[bumbershoot]

Does Disney frown upon DVC members renting to non-DVC members?

They only frown when someone makes a business out of using their own points. (David's rental business falls inside of what they feel is OK, though)

So, it's a bit of trust on both sides, I think.

A LOT of trust on both sides. If a renter trashes the room, the owner gets the bill for it. Sometimes a renter will ask for an upgrade, and if the CM says yes it is often simply charged, in points, to the owner, when that was never the intention of the owner.

 

[taythecray]

This is our first time renting points and so far things have been excellent! I found someone through the boards and she booked us right away. We received our confirmation email and got everything hooked up Monday, all without payment so far. We owe a 25% deposit by the end of the month and the rest 90 days before check in. I was really anxious about it at first as well but it's working out great so far!

 

[Jfsag123]

We are staying on rented points at BLT next week, booked through an owner. Things have gone very smoothly so far and I can't wait to check in. It can feel a bit intimidating, though, to be locked into a reservation so far in advance. The harder to get resorts often need to be booked 11 months out and, as others have mentioned, you can't cancel. Be sure you are going to go on that trip before you book!

 

[GAN]

Sometimes a renter will ask for an upgrade, and if the CM says yes it is often simply charged, in points, to the owner, when that was never the intention of the owner.

I'd be curious how this could happen if the OWNER is the one controlling the reservation -wouldn't any change/upgrade involving points come from them? I've rented our points several times and have never heard of this ...not that it couldn't happen, but just don't see how.

 

[LaurenT]

I'm an owner, but friends have vacationed with us using rented points. There are reputable owners, but if you want to be totally worry free, you can pay a couple extra dollars per point and let David's Rental take care of the whole thing for you. He's a sponsor here and has been doing it for years. Several friends have used him and have never had a complaint.

 

[nkereina]

We've rented before. Our first experience was through David's DVC - we sent over a deposit and inquiry to them, they were very fast to respond but unfortunately did not have the points to accommodate what we were looking for. They put us on a wait list for when the 7 month mark hit which is when point availability opens up to all resorts rather than just home resorts. Me being impatient, I ended up finding an owner on the rental board here and went with them, also very seamless and $1 per point cheaper. So I'd recommend either route.

It is safe and reliable, definitely with a broker or an owner with reviews if you rent on your own. Things to keep in mind are that you cannot cancel or change your dates once you book, and you need to book as early as possible to secure your dates and the room type you want - 11 months out is the earliest you can book if you can find an owner who owns at the resort you want. As mentioned, at the 7 month mark, availability opens up to any resort but the popular dates/resorts/room types may be sold out at that point since those with home resort advantage tend to act well before then. We booked AKV (a large and usually easy to get DVC resort) at 9 months out with an AKV owner, and couldn't get our first room choice. It's also easier to get what you want with shorter stays, split stays, or if you're willing to change room types. Finding enough points for 7+ nights in one room type at one resort can be tricky sometimes.

You should also know that DVC busy times are NOT the same as WDW busy times - first week of December is the busiest time for DVC, which doesn't really jive with the general overall WDW busy times. It's also very hard to get a resort in the Epcot area during F&W.

 

[mastermind307]

I rented points in June 2013 to stay at BWV for the first time. I rented from a member on these boards. I was a little nervous, but everything went fine. I am again renting points from a member on these boards to stay at VWL this October. Renting points is the only way I can afford to stay at a delux resort. It does take a lot of trust, but if you do your research and understand how the renting process works, it can be a good experience. Before renting either time, I checked a website to make sure the owners did own at the properties they said they did. I also asked for references, made sure they used a contract and asked to see it before, checked their post on these boards, and asked any questions I had before proceeding. I also purchased travel insurance just in case something happens and we can't make our trip.
Once the reservation was made, the member forwarded me the reservation number. I was able to link to my MDE account easily. I ordered tickets through Maple Leaf tickets and as able to link those to my account too. I e-mailed the member a couple weeks ago about adding ME to my reservation and got a reply with a day that it was added and I should receive my ME tags at the end of September.
I wouldn't hesitate to rent points again on a future trip.

 

[thr33boys]

I'd be curious how this could happen if the OWNER is the one controlling the reservation -wouldn't any change/upgrade involving points come from them? I've rented our points several times and have never heard of this ...not that it couldn't happen, but just don't see how.

The renter takes possession of the reservation upon check-in, I believe.

 

[Dawn68PA]

I rented points 3 times before buying into DVC and they were all smooth. Never had a worry. The contract protects both parties. I found my regular guy here on the DIS. It's a great way to try before you buy and also just to save some money on a nicer accommodation. Once I rented DVC, I couldn't go back to staying anywhere else. I was spoiled!