Who recommends buying DVC points?

[PSUGuy]

This Oct marks the 7th time we've stayed at Board Walk on rented points. In order to get a standard view studio, the least expensive option, we rent 11 months out, planning next year's trip the month after we get back from the current one. We've never had a problem and we've been renting from the same person the last 4 times. I'm not going get into details but suffice it to say that since finding our latest 'landlord' we've stayed at BW for less than a Value.

Bill From PA

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've done 53 trips so far but the last 2 trips, and up coming May and September trips are renting points...we rent from the DVCRentalstore.....I was leery at first, the non cancellation clause but hey, we never cancelled a stay ever, and now the offer cancellation protection...

Second was lack of housekeeping...it wasn't that big of a deal, might even be a blessing not worrying who comes into our room...we easily took our garbage out, got extra towels from the pool bin....other than that...the stays in WLV and BLT have been the best by far....the price can't be beat, almost the same as staying in a moderate....

I rather trust a point renal company the an individual....contracts were very easy, only problem is availability....when you see a villa you're after, book it....they go so fast at the popular villas and book far out as possible....

 

[DisneyKidds]

Best (?)......and one of the most expensive......things we ever did!

Rented at WL once. Very easy, very smooth.....very nice. Wasn't long before we owned at WL.....and now we have 3 contracts!! Beware, the money you save may cost you a fortune! But in a good way....

Find a long standing DISer with a lot of history who is experienced in renting reservation and you will have a good experience. You do lose the flexibility to cancel, but giving up that flexibility can save you a LOT.

 

[cigar95]

I've been renting points since 2001 - probably about 20-22 rentals now. Always directly with an owner.

One thing that has been in my written agreements (I'm not so bold as to call them "contracts") is that if there is a need to *reschedule* my trip, the owner will make "reasonable" effort to accommodate the new dates, but with no promise to rent additional points beyond the original agreement, and no refund if the change requires fewer points.

So the inability to reschedule isn't absolute - I've only run across one owner who wanted to lock me into the original dates with no changes permitted. Obviously I rented from someone else.

After this many years, I've developed relationships with three or four owners to whom I can keep going back. Not only is it like having home resort privileges at multiple resorts, but they also keep my rates lower than the now-typical point cost of $13-$14 per point. (I started when the going rate was $10, then it crept up to $12, and now you're doing well to get $13.)

 

[nkereina]

I've been renting points since 2001 - probably about 20-22 rentals now. Always directly with an owner.

One thing that has been in my written agreements (I'm not so bold as to call them "contracts") is that if there is a need to *reschedule* my trip, the owner will make "reasonable" effort to accommodate the new dates, but with no promise to rent additional points beyond the original agreement, and no refund if the change requires fewer points.

So the inability to reschedule isn't absolute - I've only run across one owner who wanted to lock me into the original dates with no changes permitted. Obviously I rented from someone else.

This is true, but it shouldn't be expected. Many owners are generous where they will TRY to re-schedule your dates, but you'd be SOL if they can't. Considering how fast resorts and room categories book up, I would expect availability to be limited if you need to reschedule much beyond the 7 month mark. And it's not as easy as booking a different room types and paying the difference - the owner may not have the points available for that. So there's a lot of variables there that would have to come together in order to make a date change work, so I won't rent unless I'm certain.

It's also worth noting that some owners, unlike David's and some of the other brokers, will allow you to pay in installments. I rented directly from an owner and paid a one night deposit with the balance due 2 months before I travel. I found this to be extremely generous as well, and possibly not the norm.

 

[Dean]

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!!!!

It really depends, just do your homework. I wonder if buying in might not be your better long term option but it depends on specifics we don't currently know.

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.

It has happened but shouldn't and it's fixable since the member did not authorize such changes. A potential hassle but not really a risk.

I rather trust a point renal company the an individual....contracts were very easy, only problem is availability....when you see a villa you're after, book it....they go so fast at the popular villas and book far out as possible....

There are advantages and disadvantages from both viewpoints when using a company. An individual tends to be a little cheaper, often easier to work out difficult to get reservation and far more flexible on potential changes if needed.

 

[Minniesgal]

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.

I could see this being possible on check in

 

[crisi]

I could see this being possible on check in

Member services won't talk to anyone but the member, but the front desk will, of course, talk to the guest of record and they do have the systems access to make changes to the reservation. If they haven't been well trained, or they forget, or they are bullied into in, they can access the reservation and change it. Its very rare that we've had reports of it happening, and its a pain to get it taken care of, but the owner can work to have those points restored as their use wasn't properly authorized. DVC has made system changes - and its possible that they closed this hole in one of the changes.

As to making changes by working with your owner, it can be difficult to find someone now who will work for you - it can simply be difficult to find the person you need with the points you want, but if you can find a private individual who will try and work with you, that's great. You should still understand the limitations of their ability to work with you - there simply may be no availability to move your reservation a few nights, they may not have the points to change your studio to a one bedroom, you may be late in their use year where cancellation means they will have only a small chance of re-renting your reservation. Willing is awesome, but probably the minority of rentals. Willing and able when needed is rarer still.

I rented out my point through David and then rented points from David to get an in demand reservation (HHI in Summer). The non-cancellation was scary, but since we didn't need to cancel, it went off fine. I'd really recommend trip insurance - which will eat into savings, but will make it possible to cancel.

One thing sort of mentioned in this thread but not explicitly stated. People new to DVC (members and renters) are often surprised how tight availability can be. You cannot decide now that you want to stay at BCV for Food and Wine and expect to get a room for a week. It is possible to find distressed points on the market for less money (distressed meaning they need to be used quickly before they expire), but to use them, you are very likely to end up at SSR (which as the largest of the resorts, often has availability late), may have to resort hop in order to get a complete week anywhere, and may not even get that. David has this chart: https://www.dvcrequest.com/how-soon-should-i-reserve.asp

 

[Sherrkel]

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.

My DH and I are considering renting points for the first time and I've been doing some research. We would like to go the first week of December for 4 nights, I'm concerned to hear that's a busy time for DVC usage - do you know why that is?

 

[GAN]

My DH and I are considering renting points for the first time and I've been doing some research. We would like to go the first week of December for 4 nights, I'm concerned to hear that's a busy time for DVC usage - do you know why that is?

I haven't been in several years during that period, but it's a time when the Thanksgiving Rush is over and before the Christmas crowds get heavy. You could go enjoy the decorations and the seasonal special events without fighting huge crowds -this may still be true to a certain degree, but I understand crowds have been fairly strong right through the holidays. That being said, it still is a great time to visit if you've neever been.

I don't think it's just popular with DVC -it's popular in general.

 

[Sherrkel]

I haven't been in several years during that period, but it's a time when the Thanksgiving Rush is over and before the Christmas crowds get heavy. You could go enjoy the decorations and the seasonal special events without fighting huge crowds -this may still be true to a certain degree, but I understand crowds have been fairly strong right through the holidays. That being said, it still is a great time to visit if you've neever been.

I don't think it's just popular with DVC -it's popular in general.

I recall the crowd prediction sites recommend the first two weeks of December, but also believe I heard those times are also getting pretty busy. We're also considering the week before Thanksgiving. We've never been during that time of year and would love to visit for a few nights. Thanks for your reply!

 

[crisi]

My DH and I are considering renting points for the first time and I've been doing some research. We would like to go the first week of December for 4 nights, I'm concerned to hear that's a busy time for DVC usage - do you know why that is?

Taping of the Christmas parade, Christmas decorations, DVC annual meeting, I think there is a Disney fan convention then, (and it wouldn't surprise me if there is a Run Disney event there now) plus low points and nice weather.

In general DVC owners tend to like periods of low points and nice weather. Which has made Fall right through Christmas very popular. And we like Disney special events without the huge crowds - so Christmas a few weeks early is great and Food and Wine is popular.

 

[Sherrkel]

Taping of the Christmas parade, Christmas decorations, DVC annual meeting, I think there is a Disney fan convention then, (and it wouldn't surprise me if there is a Run Disney event there now) plus low points and nice weather.

In general DVC owners tend to like periods of low points and nice weather. Which has made Fall right through Christmas very popular. And we like Disney special events without the huge crowds - so Christmas a few weeks early is great and Food and Wine is popular.

Thanks for the info, definitely makes sense now!

 

[nkereina]

My DH and I are considering renting points for the first time and I've been doing some research. We would like to go the first week of December for 4 nights, I'm concerned to hear that's a busy time for DVC usage - do you know why that is?

Taping of the Christmas parade, Christmas decorations, DVC annual meeting, I think there is a Disney fan convention then, (and it wouldn't surprise me if there is a Run Disney event there now) plus low points and nice weather.

In general DVC owners tend to like periods of low points and nice weather. Which has made Fall right through Christmas very popular. And we like Disney special events without the huge crowds - so Christmas a few weeks early is great and Food and Wine is popular.

Yes - crisi nailed it. If you want to visit during this time, try to snag an owner at the 11 month mark and have back-up choices in mind for other room types and alternate resorts. Not impossible to book if you're flexible.