Why Would You Buy Direct Anymore?

[fgaini]

I also loved to have my points while buying direct. I valued them 10-15 USD (the equivalent to rent them on the market).
Even considering, I do not see lot of reason to buy direct at the moment, especially if you already have a blue card. Even my guide suggested to buy my next points resale
IF they discount significantly the price I may consider direct when the premium over resale is in the 20-25 USD range. At that point beeing able to exchange in future resorts may be worthy.

 

[CLE2WDW]

$20-$50 per point?? Try $100 per point!! When we bought BCV resale last January we saved $100 per point less than what DVC was pricing for direct. We were really sweating ROFR, but it passed through.

First of all great deal on your part. Congrats!
I was purposely going on the low side of an example. I know I can buy RIV direct at $185 a point and resale contracts for resorts such as BLT go for about $155/point. That was my example.

 

[CLE2WDW]

Biggest reason to Buy Direct is the Direct Deposit of points into your existing membership. We were on a cruise in June 2018 and we spoke to DVC sales people on board. They told us when we get home to email our request to DVC, which we did. About a week later we received an email that they had the points we wanted. I called, I gave our CC # and by the calls end the points were in our membership account. Now that right there is a PERK.

So you get the points about 60-90 days sooner... if the cost difference was $5-10 a point I might be able to justify that but again with such a divergence in direct versus resale indirect I still balk at the cost/value.

 

[Sandisw]

Interesting take on that. Getting something that you paid for is a perk.

It can be if it is replacing an upcoming cash stay and it allows you to cancel that and use that savings toward the trip vs waiting 3 months going resale.

 

[bakerworld]

Interesting take on that. Getting something that you paid for is a perk.

The speed is the PERK - not the point purchase.

 

[bakerworld]

So you get the points about 60-90 days sooner... if the cost difference was $5-10 a point I might be able to justify that but again with such a divergence in direct versus resale indirect I still balk at the cost/value.

Which is exactly why resale exists.

 

[mort1331]

All this talk of restrictions and pros and cons. Just do the end around like we do. When we want to stay at another location that we can not trade into due to restrictions. We rent out our points, and go direct with Disney. We get cancellation protection, resorts that we want, dont always need 11 months out. The minor cost difference between what we rent and the rack rate discount of the resort we want is small. And a lot smaller then the difference between direct and resale. So we always buy resale and enjoy whatever, whenever resort we want to stay at.
|Yes I know that there are some that find renting points our is a hassle, not for us.
Just thought I would let some of you know that want Riveria, there is a way to buy resale and still sleep around.

 

[LaneOT]

We decided to add to our contract by buying direct last week. After we spoke to the guide, I sat down to really crunch the numbers. While it made sense at the time (because we wanted a specific amount of points at a specific resort) in the end we rescinded because based on cost and benefits, direct has lost its appeal.
We really looked at the money involved and couldn’t consciously justify an addl $8,000 cost (difference between resale and direct) for increasingly limited benefits.
We don’t have a blue card, but it seems like a blue card doesn’t really offer much anymore.

 

[Sandisw]

We decided to add to our contract by buying direct last week. After we spoke to the guide, I sat down to really crunch the numbers. While it made sense at the time (because we wanted a specific amount of points at a specific resort) in the end we rescinded because based on cost and benefits, direct has lost its appeal.
We really looked at the money involved and couldn’t consciously justify an addl $8,000 cost (difference between resale and direct) for increasingly limited benefits.
We don’t have a blue card, but it seems like a blue card doesn’t really offer much anymore.

Right now, the biggest perk for direct...AP at a discount...is currently suspended by Disney...so, if in no rush, it can make sense to wait, if that was the reason for considering direct in the first place

But, given that they are selling new DVC APs for those that had and canceled due to closure and are allowing renewals of DVC APs, there is nothing to suggest they won’t be back once WDPR starts sales.

Of course, blue card gives a few other perks like dining and shopping discounts and , Epcot lounge.

The other option with direct is the use at RIV and other new resorts, but if one doesnt have an interest in that, it doesn’t justify the extra expense. even with what is still there for having the blue card.

 

[20000LeaguesUnderTheSea]

Right now, the biggest perk for direct...AP at a discount...is currently suspended by Disney...so, if in no rush, it can make sense to wait, if that was the reason for considering direct in the first place

But, given that they are selling new DVC APs for those that had and canceled due to closure and are allowing renewals of DVC APs, there is nothing to suggest they won’t be back once WDPR starts sales.

Of course, blue card gives a few other perks like dining and shopping discounts and , Epcot lounge.

The other option with direct is the use at RIV and other new resorts, but if one doesnt have an interest in that, it doesn’t justify the extra expense. even with what is still there for having the blue card.

Good points. For the sake of discussion, I’ll advocate for direct (although I have minimum direct to get blue card and rest is resale).
It will never be cheaper to buy direct than it is today. Costs will only go up, and minimum requirement might be 150 points before we know it. Disney has made it clear that they will go after resale hard, I can only see them continuing to take actions to make buying direct more appealing. In 21 years, lots of deeds expire, I would expect that when they sell those deeds again (BC, BWV, OKW Non extended, BRV) resale buyers won’t be able to stay there. Once pandemic is over, and Disney is “back to normal” I can see them upping the perks....maybe offering some kind of free transportation from airport? Maybe once Disney starts charging for fast passes DVC members get them free? Maybe more of a period of advance fastpasses or ADRs? Some of these might be stupid unrealistic ideas, some might come true (a lot can happen in the next 21 years) but what you can be certain of is that Disney knows the price difference between direct and the resale market is a problem for
them and they are thinking day in day out of how to tackle it...and I won’t bet against Disney in finding ways to succeed as this is an initiative to make more money vs customer experience. You also have to think that before all is set and done, Disney will have 1-3 more stay options within the next 20 years...only direct members will be able to use points in those. Granted you can rent out and stay cash, but I would imagine only the minority go through that mechanism (whether for simplicity or lack of knowledge).

 

[jwmob91]

We have 2 direct and 2 resale contracts (all at Poly). Can say for sure that I wish we would have purchased all resale and gotten more points for the same dollar amount. We have rarely taken advantage of the perks of our blue card. Even the main perk we use (merch and dining discount) often encourages us to spend more than we would without it. I don't think I could justify buying more direct AT THIS TIME. But of course as things change, so could my opinion.

 

[BayGirl22]

It will never be cheaper to buy direct than it is today.

.......and I won’t bet against Disney in finding ways to succeed as this is an initiative to make more money vs customer experience.

This is a solid point. I expect Disney to find more ways over time to balance the benefits of direct with with the value of resale. Changes in 2020-2021 are short term will shake out over time.

I'm about the pull the trigger on 125 direct as my first DVC purchase. I've been researching and waiting on a timeshare purchase for 14 years now (rescinded Westin on our honeymoon) and was 100% focused on the resale market since then, and not necessarily with DVC even though we do love Disney. We've done the research, weighed all of the pros and cons, etc. and I can't believe I'm going to buy direct, but I think it's the most future proof choice for us at the moment given our situation.

There are several reasons that have been stated above. One is that we are west coast DLR people and don't want to eliminate the ability to use points at DL Tower (which may not have availability so may require adding on more direct, but its a factor). Also, closing quickly will allow us to use points for an upcoming vacation in 12 months, risky to close resale in time - the alternative is renting points but then we're "throwing away" that money instead of applying it to the purchase. (A rental would be about half the difference between direct and resale in our case.)

The other reasons are soft and squishy and emotional and we fully understand won't be recovered. But we have the cash available so its a one time cost to lock in a location we want, and the price to get a blue card won't be any cheaper in a few years.

ETA: The tradeoff also assumes we can find the points value we want with resale. Smaller contracts are harder to find, so our most likely resale option is 200 points. The result is the same up front cost and higher dues, and we really want to start with fewer points right now to learn our usage patterns. Probably could be patient and search around for a few months, but just ready to buy the direct points and apply them to our next vacation.

 

[Lumpy1106]

First time ever I found a Direct discount I would have liked to take advantage of. Blizzard Beach tickets are $20 off if you have a blue card. That would be a $100 saving for me.

But...
I saved $10k buying resale

So...
$100 down, $9900 to go.

 

[kes601]

We bought direct because the ROFR process is so lengthy and we easily stress and are impatient. Also, during our one attempt with resale we were unhappy with the communication we received and quite honestly I wasn't comfortable sending that much money (we were paying cash) to a company I had very little familiarity with. At least with Disney I knew who Iw as dealing with.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

This is a solid point. I expect Disney to find more ways over time to balance the benefits of direct with with the value of resale. Changes in 2020-2021 are short term will shake out over time.

I'm about the pull the trigger on 125 direct as my first DVC purchase. I've been researching and waiting on a timeshare purchase for 14 years now (rescinded Westin on our honeymoon) and was 100% focused on the resale market since then, and not necessarily with DVC even though we do love Disney. We've done the research, weighed all of the pros and cons, etc. and I can't believe I'm going to buy direct, but I think it's the most future proof choice for us at the moment given our situation.

There are several reasons that have been stated above. One is that we are west coast DLR people and don't want to eliminate the ability to use points at DL Tower (which may not have availability so may require adding on more direct, but its a factor). Also, closing quickly will allow us to use points for an upcoming vacation in 12 months, risky to close resale in time - the alternative is renting points but then we're "throwing away" that money instead of applying it to the purchase. (A rental would be about half the difference between direct and resale in our case.)

The other reasons are soft and squishy and emotional and we fully understand won't be recovered. But we have the cash available so its a one time cost to lock in a location we want, and the price to get a blue card won't be any cheaper in a few years.

ETA: The tradeoff also assumes we can find the points value we want with resale. Smaller contracts are harder to find, so our most likely resale option is 200 points. The result is the same up front cost and higher dues, and we really want to start with fewer points right now to learn our usage patterns. Probably could be patient and search around for a few months, but just ready to buy the direct points and apply them to our next vacation.

Where do you visit most? DL or WDW? If DL it might make sense to wait and see about direct for the DLH DVC instead of buying a WDW direct.

And FWIW - I've bought a few resale contracts and all but the 1st were less then 200 pts. It really is quite easy to find contracts in the 100-150 pt range. Just a couple other thoughts since your west coast. Also, a booking for 12 months from now is very unlikely to require the 11 month booking window so unless you're looking for a very small category room you'd likely be just fine with resale and booking once closed even though it would be past the 11 month window. I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor in the DVC purchase decision. Be certain if buying direct that you're buying where you would like to stay.

 

[BayGirl22]

Where do you visit most? DL or WDW? If DL it might make sense to wait and see about direct for the DLH DVC instead of buying a WDW direct.

And FWIW - I've bought a few resale contracts and all but the 1st were less then 200 pts. It really is quite easy to find contracts in the 100-150 pt range. Just a couple other thoughts since your west coast. Also, a booking for 12 months from now is very unlikely to require the 11 month booking window so unless you're looking for a very small category room you'd likely be just fine with resale and booking once closed even though it would be past the 11 month window. I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor in the DVC purchase decision. Be certain if buying direct that you're buying where you would like to stay.

We are looking at a very small category room and based on all the research and DIS experts we will need to book at 11 months. The upcoming trip is not the primary factor for our decision, but it is one factor that softens the blow. There are <200 point contract out there, but they've been getting snapped up quickly and there is a huge satisfaction to just closing the deal in a day. The difference in $ is not going to keep me up at night at this point - I'm actually feeling great to have it done.

If we add on it will probably be Aulani resale - because we love going there and a cheaper buy in. I would love to buy GCV but the cost per point even resale is more than direct for WDW properties, if you can find a low points contract. Our 7 month points will work just fine for what we want at Aulani. We'll likely alternate between those 3 places.
When we go to WDW we want to stay at a prime location, specific room type, and stay for longer. It's a $4k+ outlay even to rent points or we're in a hotel room for twice that. When we go to DL its a shorter trip, and there are honestly plenty of palatable non-DVC locations within walking distance (where I use hotel points to stay for free). We've stayed in the non-DVC GCH bunk bed rooms and I might even prefer those to the villas. So whether we buy DLH Tower some day is undecided - but not a door I want to close now.

Way more detail than the topic of this thread - but all to say I agree with you about buying where we want to stay, and that was a big factor. Booking an Epcot resort (and possibly even Riviera) for the next 10-20 years is our goal in buying into DVC. If our objective was different I can totally see going in a different direction, and very likely will for our next purchase if it's not a new resort.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

non-DVC GCH bunk bed rooms and I might even prefer those to the villas.

All makes sense on your decision. Not knowing for certain if DL was going to be the concentration I just wanted to point out the option of waiting on direct since you had mentioned the ability to stay at the DLH DVC.

Off that topic this caught my eye as just a question - do they still have those rooms? I thought Disney had removed most or all bunkbed options from their hotels both east and west coast.

 

[AliceIn]

We bought direct for the first contract because we already had two very expensive trips booked within 2 months of our joining. The savings from canceling the resort reservations factored into the decision. We bought in September 2020, so we had the points for both our December and March trips. We paid cash for the points, so no finance fees. The annual pass perk factored into it, as we are a family of 5 and we take 2-3 trips per year. We knew they weren't available for this year, but from what I'm hearing they will be back. We will do resale for any new points we want to add.

 

[Imkarlawithak2005]

We bought direct because it was easy. Phone call, paperwork and done. Our add- on points were available immediately, even before the papers were signed. The points from the prior year we received that were past the banking window were banked by Disney. It was just so easy. We bought 320 add-on points, so with the incentives offered, it brought the price per point down considerably. Everyone has their own priorities. Ours was getting it done and moving on.

 

[BayGirl22]

All makes sense on your decision. Not knowing for certain if DL was going to be the concentration I just wanted to point out the option of waiting on direct since you had mentioned the ability to stay at the DLH DVC.

Off that topic this caught my eye as just a question - do they still have those rooms? I thought Disney had removed most or all bunkbed options from their hotels both east and west coast.

OH that's a good question. That must have been our Feb 2014 trip (had to check my signature) and I'm really not sure if they are still there. We had a room with a queen (or double?), bunk beds and a trundle. Worked perfect at the time and we even had room for Grandma to stop down for a couple days. I thought it was the most brilliant layout for families, so I'm bummed if they got rid of it.