Will blue card 150 points requirement increase soon?

[RichVIII]

Agree with others, 150 is around for a while. They are already increasing the cost faster then previously. The new promo/contest says the average cost is 32 to 55k. 217 x 150 and you easily get to that number. We just added another resort but only 50 points and what a royal pain to use it. Our first contract (resale) was for 160 and I can see why, it gives you flexibility and I am guessing more satisfied members. Especially the pixie dusted people who think they get a “free set of points” and start out with 300 get hooked fast, are happier and add more. 50 points to start is just not a good experience.

 

[NVDISFamily]

I wouldn't put it past Disney to have tiered DVC.

150 points -> minimum for Blue Card, and Membership Extras (like AP availability, discounts)
500 points -> minimum for Enhanced Membership Extras (free park tickets when staying on property, free gifts, free parties)

I’ll take a simple perk - if you own over X number of points. How about we are allowed to visit and park at any resort that has DVC at it (within reason). I remember getting turned away when we tried to visit riviera the day after purchasing a lot of points there. That wasn’t fun. Let us with a few points resort hop at our desire. We have to use them and who knows we might buy more.

I do see a tiered system making sense. Disney loves using FOMO to get us to spend.

 

[Bearval]

Agree with others, 150 is around for a while. They are already increasing the cost faster then previously. The new promo/contest says the average cost is 32 to 55k. 217 x 150 and you easily get to that number. We just added another resort but only 50 points and what a royal pain to use it. Our first contract (resale) was for 160 and I can see why, it gives you flexibility and I am guessing more satisfied members. Especially the pixie dusted people who think they get a “free set of points” and start out with 300 get hooked fast, are happier and add more. 50 points to start is just not a good experien

I’ll take a simple perk - if you own over X number of points. How about we are allowed to visit and park at any resort that has DVC at it (within reason). I remember getting turned away when we tried to visit riviera the day after purchasing a lot of points there. That wasn’t fun. Let us with a few points resort hop at our desire. We have to use them and who knows we might buy more.

I do see a tiered system making sense. Disney loves using FOMO to get us to spend.

That would piss me off if I had to park a distance away from my room just because members not staying at my resort decided to park there so they could walk to Epcot, Hollywood studios etc,

 

[DebbieB]

LOL, good one. DVC couldn't be bothered to offer a $50 discount on the Incredipass. Zero chance of free tickets.

DVC gets same price as FL Resident for Incredipass and Sorcerer. Parks division controls it.

 

[RoseGold]

DVC gets same price as FL Resident for Incredipass and Sorcerer. Parks division controls it.

Well, not anymore. But in the brief moment those passes were available, yes.

As opposed to the few hundred dollar discount that DVC used to offer to Blue Card members. These boards used to be full of decades worth of math justifying a Blue Card based on that discount.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I think a key determining factor is the imminent release of DLT points sometime in Spring of next year. As it stands now, 150 points is already borderline too many for the average DLR stay. If you assume, just for argument's sake, that a studio unit in DLT is in line with one at RR, then that 150 points equates to just about 5 nights in a deluxe studio, standard view at Christmas or Easter (peak period 7). Sure, VGC goes up to 37 points per night and a VGF go even higher (44 peak I believe), but DLH isn't in line with those properties (I'd call it BLT West) and there will be almost 6 times more rooms in the DLT than at VGC (and zero lake, theme park, or any other views). The average DLR stay is, what, 4 days?

 

[havoc315]

I think the 150 minimum now in place is likely to stay around at that level as it is a good amount of points for a typical vacation for most families.

Plus, the minimum isn’t really set because of the blue card..DVC always had a minimum long before there was such a difference.

150 is around the price for a studio for a week in most of the resorts, most of the weeks of the year. Slightly under. For example, 7 nights in a lake view studio at VGF starting tonight would be 153 points.
A savanna view studio at AKV starting tonight would be only 109 points for a week, but would have been 134 points for Thanksgiving week.

Basically --- 150 points buys you about a week, or possibly a bit more, in studios in most resorts. And especially with the resorts that are currently on direct sale, 150 points is about a week.

I can't see them raising the minimum points much higher -- You start losing customers if buying 2 weeks becomes the minimum purchase.

Now, if future resorts have even more expensive point charts -- then we may gradually see further increases in minimum purchase.

 

[Nursemanit]

I think 150 was always the target ( 1 week ) it was just too large of a number to go out of the gait. If we see a change it will be post 2042 when a week in a studio is 200 points.

 

[CarolynFH]

When DVC opened, the minimum buyin for a new member was much higher - 370? 320? Then it was reduced to 160 and remained there for some time before they began letting new members buy fewer than that. I think that 150 will remain the minimum for a good while.

 

[DonMacGregor]

When DVC opened, the minimum buyin for a new member was much higher - 370? 320? Then it was reduced to 160 and remained there for some time before they began letting new members buy fewer than that. I think that 150 will remain the minimum for a good while.

I believe it was 270, and that’s why you see so many 270 point OKW contracts floating around.

 

[CarolynFH]

I believe it was 270, and that’s why you see so many 270 point OKW contracts floating around.

Could have been - I just know it was quite a lot more than today, when we did the tour in 1994.

 

[Sandisw]

I think 150 was always the target ( 1 week ) it was just too large of a number to go out of the gait. If we see a change it will be post 2042 when a week in a studio is 200 points.

The minimum buy in started at 230 and when we bought in was at 160 in 2009. So the current minimum is well below where it initially was when the program started.

I think when the new rules came out in 2016 for membership extras, they didn’t really think about people buying resale and then just adding on 25 points to qualify so they raised it slowly to eventually be the same for both new buyers and those adding on.

The minimum for new buyers was 100 points, at that time, and then was 125 until 2021…when it, and the membership extras level went to 150 in June 2021, where it has stayed and they have been really strict about.

When it was 125 for membership extras, they were allowing new buyers in at 100, even though it didn’t give them access to the extras.

 

[Cfabar1]

I wonder if in a recession the minimum buy in will go back down to spur sales. Given our use pattern, smaller contracts made sense for us as a way to start… We go often to the parks, about once a month, but never stay more than a night or two. We do, almost always, stay in Orlando, sometimes on property, sometimes nearby at the Hyatt Regency or JW Marriott, etc.. One of the reasons why we went resale was specifically we could start with 25 points here or 50 points there at the home resorts we wanted. We will likely never stay a full week at WDW in a row. I bet there are many others like us. A small batch of points at GF here, some points at Beach Club there, that’s probably the most ideal for us Rather than 150 points all at one home resort.

I’d imagine though, there is probably a certain cost associated with a member of any size, and they are probably not eager to build membership for the sake of it, but honestly, even if someon stays 2-3 nights a year, aren’t those the people who are more profitable/desirable for Disney?

 

[Sandisw]

I wonder if in a recession the minimum buy in will go back down to spur sales. Given our use pattern, smaller contracts made sense for us as a way to start… We go often to the parks, about once a month, but never stay more than a night or two. We do, almost always, stay in Orlando, sometimes on property, sometimes nearby at the Hyatt Regency or JW Marriott, etc.. One of the reasons why we went resale was specifically we could start with 25 points here or 50 points there at the home resorts we wanted. We will likely never stay a full week at WDW in a row. I bet there are many others like us. A small batch of points at GF here, some points at Beach Club there, that’s probably the most ideal for us Rather than 150 points all at one home resort.

I’d imagine though, there is probably a certain cost associated with a member of any size, and they are probably not eager to build membership for the sake of it, but honestly, even if someon stays 2-3 nights a year, aren’t those the people who are more profitable/desirable for Disney?

They seem to be okay with weathering storms of this nature. They went back to 150 in June 2021 when we were still recovering from the pandemic and it’s impact.

Raising prices soon for RIC, VGF, and AUL…maybe others. So, I think they will stay the course.

 

[havoc315]

I believe it was 270, and that’s why you see so many 270 point OKW contracts floating around.

But that was a time when DVC was conceived as a very different type of purchase -- It wasn't geared towards studios (regular room substitutes) ... it was geared more towards being a condo-like timeshare. Get a 1BR+ unit.
And a week in a 1 BR at OKW is typically around 200 points... A week in a 2 bedroom is 250-300 points.

So the concept was, buy a week in a 1-2 bedroom unit...

DVC has changed tremendously. It's now largely, "save money on your annual week long trip deluxe hotel room" --- It's much more focused on studios than it was 30 years ago.

If they raised the minimum back to 200+ points, it would scare away all the customers that just want a week in a studio, once per year. That wasn't the originally conceived market for DVC, but it is the market now.

 

[DonMacGregor]

But that was a time when DVC was conceived as a very different type of purchase --

I was just confirming that it was 270 points, not the whys or why nots

 

[tjkraz]

Well, not anymore. But in the brief moment those passes were available, yes.

As opposed to the few hundred dollar discount that DVC used to offer to Blue Card members. These boards used to be full of decades worth of math justifying a Blue Card based on that discount.

There are also a lot of owners who currently have Sorcerer passes and will continue to benefit from them despite future uncertainty. Assuming the renewal ability continues, people who have Sorcerer passes right now are looking pretty smart.

 

[sethschroeder]

Well, not anymore. But in the brief moment those passes were available, yes.

As opposed to the few hundred dollar discount that DVC used to offer to Blue Card members. These boards used to be full of decades worth of math justifying a Blue Card based on that discount.

Except I can continue to renew my AP and they are letting me buy a new AP for my youngest as well. Once APs go on to offer new sales you will see the math come back again.

About to hit my breakeven this next year if I decide to continue the APs which looking like we will.

 

[psychguyheavyd]

hey guys im just seeing this now, do you think they'll ever decrease the direct points amount to get the membership extras?

 

[Sandisw]

hey guys im just seeing this now, do you think they'll ever decrease the direct points amount to get the membership extras?

No.