Renting DVC Points Questions

[CarolinaGuy21]

I was recently looking into renting DVC points in order to stay at some of the deluxe resorts for cheaper and a few questions came across my mind

1) Is this against Disney policy? I am not trying to break any rules here

2) It seems too good to be true as you can stay at some of the nicer resorts for 50-60% less. Is there a catch?

3) How do you use the points that you rent? It looks like you can only obtain DVC points on the Disney website if you are a DVC member.

4) Has anyone here done this before and what was your experience like?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Lynne M]

"Renting points" is kind of a misleading name, since you don't actually receive any points. You would be renting a reservation from a DVC member. The two of you agree on pricing, and then they make a reservation in your name for the resort and room type of your choice. The member retains control of your reservation.

It's not against Disney policy at all, in fact it's explicitly mentioned and permitted in the contract members have with DVC.

If there's a catch, it's in the lack of flexibility. Rentals should always be considered a final transaction. Because of tight availability and DVC's cancellation policies, do not expect to get money back if you cancel, and don't expect to be able to change your reservation (dates, room type, etc) once it's made. You'll also probably need to book much earlier than you would for a hotel reservation; DVC resorts run at very high occupancy and owners book early. Plan to book at 11 months from your travel date for best availability.

There's also a certain level of trust required, as the member will have control of your reservation. You can mitigate this somewhat by booking through a broker like our sponsor, dvcbyrequest.com, instead of working directly with an owner.

Oh, and as a timeshare, DVC villas have limited housekeeping services included with your reservation. You can pay for additional housekeeping visits if you like.

I'm sure lots of people will chime in with their experiences...

 

[_auroraborealis_]

DVC owner contracts specifically allow DVC owners to rent reservations.

Availability is key, though. It's not magic that you can get, say, AKV Value via rental 6 months out, boom, save a bunch.

 

[shellyj]

We love renting points. We travel as a big group and we usually end up in 2 2-bedroom villas plus a couple of studios.
It's not at all against the rules, but there are some catches.

The first and biggest catch is that the DVC owner makes the reservation, even if you go through a broker. You request the reservation that you want, the owner makes that reservation with their points. The contract you sign is for that specific reservation, not for use of the points - those still belong to the owner. Does that make sense? Most contracts I've seen say no refunds, some may allow for a refund if the reservation can be rented to another travel party, but there's no guarantee of that.

The second biggest catch, imo, is that the owner also maintains the reservation. The reservation will appear under your name, but paid for with the points of the DVC owner. If you need magical express added, the owner has to do that. If you decide to add the dining plan, the owner has to do that, and they have to enter the payment for it. That means you either need to feel secure paying the owner directly and potentially giving the owner your credit card number to pay for expenses in addition to the room. I insist on paying with a credit card so I can make an appeal if the owner cancels, disappears, etc. And you have to trust the owner to log in and take care of those request in a timely manner.

The third catch is that to get larger villas or highly desirable rooms (like AKL studios), you need to book your room as close to the 11 month mark as possible. The closer to get to 7 months, the less likely you are to get the best value rooms. And because of #1 above, you have to be confident in your travel plans (or have a great travel insurance policy).

The fourth catch doesn't really matter to us - mousekeeping only comes every 4th day. We bring trash bags, coffee, and toiletries, so as long as we make a minimal effort in pick up after ourselves, we don't need mousekeeping. The 1 bedrooms and larger have a vacuum, washer, dryer, and dishwasher in the room. I'm not sure how things might feel now that they're potentially entering every room once a day and doing away with Do Not Disturb, but in the past we have enjoyed the privacy of no mousekeeping.

Some rooms and locations fill up very fast. I wouldn't wait to the 6th month mark to get a studio at AKL, they fill up fast! Since we travel as a big group, we always request reservations right at the 11 month mark to ensure everyone gets a room they really want.

The rest of the Disney on-site perks are the same. You get the same dining and FP windows, same EMH, same transportation, etc.

 

[chalee94]

One other catch is (in addition to one "real" bed) the villas often have pullout sofas instead of "real" beds.

But if you can make firm plans 11 months out and don't mind some of the trade-offs, DVC is a great option.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It is also a good idea not to base cost estimates on th cheapest units (AKV Value, BWV Standard, BLT Standard) as those can go quick. Limited inventory.

 

[Hopefully]

You need to do lots of research in order to fully understand the ins and outs highlighted here. Go to the DVC section here on the DIS for more info.
Also know that demand far exceeds supply right now. So just because you would like to rent a reservation does not mean the the dates, times and places that interest you will be available.

 

[sndral]

Another caveat is that whether you will save money, how much you might save and whether that savings is worth the risk that an owner might fall into financial problems w/ DVC in the months between making the reservation and your trip occurring depends on when you want to go and the size villa you want. When I ran the numbers before I bought DVC - renting studios from an owner resulted in big savings over renting a deluxe room from Disney, 1 br.s from an owner cost less than 2 deluxe rooms, but w/ Disney’s discounts at the time renting a 1 br. from an owner cost the same as using a discount to rent a 1 br. from Disney.
DVC owners ‘pay’ for their villas with points. Different villas cost more or less points depending on size (studio, 1 br., 2 br., treehouse, 3 br.,) resort - VGF villas, for example, cost more points than the same size villas at OKW, view, and time of year. DVC owners rent their points either directly or through a broker for $X per point. David’s site, referenced above, has a convenient cost calculator which helps w/ comparisons. Brokers like David’s minimize risk in that they refund your money in the event you have the very rare problem with an owner flaking out.

 

[tsme]

I have a question too, if no one minds. When booking like this would you still be able to book adrs & FPS on your own mde account or is the reservation under the “owners” acct?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I have a question too, if no one minds. When booking like this would you still be able to book adrs & FPS on your own mde account or is the reservation under the “owners” acct?

You can book your own ADR and FP. In fact, assume the owner won't.

 

[Texans_loyal]

If you need magical express added, the owner has to do that.

We rent yearly and I've always been able to book ME on my own.

 

[Texans_loyal]

We rent DVC once a year, here are some thoughts:

- AKL studio ends up being cheaper than a value stay. it would take a long time to be able to afford a Deluxe hotel, DVC makes it possible.

-we book 7 months in advance. the suspense will kill you.

- it's non refundable so make sure the dates will work for you. Unfortunately, I didn't realize we booked MLK weekend and have no choice but to deal with it.

-No housekeeping. we are ok with it since there will be no kids but this would be a big deal if kids were coming.

- hearing "welcome home" makes it all worth it. even though I am not a DVC member, it makes me feel special.

- you are able to book ME, FP and ADRs.

 

[shellyj]

We rent yearly and I've always been able to book ME on my own.

That's interesting to find out. We had to send our flight info to the owner. That was last fall and the first time we flew since 2007. We usually drive.

 

[Johndubbya]

We just booked through a online company. Be aware that they expect payment up front. I didnt realize this (I confused companies) and we had to cough up $1600 for our Poly reservation in September. I mean rack rate the Poly was 498 a night compared to $269 a night for a Poly Studio. I guess all my Ubering paid off lol

 

[NikkiDP]

We rented on our last trip and personally I would say the catch is that you get hooked! We are planning to stay via renting as often as we can, and as someone else mentioned, there really is nothing like hearing "Welcome home" when you walk in.

We rented through David's DVC Rental. You may have to pay a little more per point depending on the resort you book at, but it saved us the worry of dealing with untrustworthy people since it was our first time renting. We stayed at the GF for 3 nights and booked 11 months in advance.

 

[Captainkidd76]

I've rented points many times. Just make sure you can use PayPal and the owner has references and a contract.

 

[Missyrose]

I've rented points many times. Just make sure you can use PayPal and the owner has references and a contract.

PayPal's rules explicitly state they don't give protection for timeshare transactions.

 

[NS8VN]

This being your first time I would highly recommend going through a broker such as David's. You may not get as good a deal as if you worked directly with a DVC owner, but for the extra you pay you get someone to do the legwork finding the points and getting your reservation booked, helping guide you, and some protection against the owner backing out. Nothing wrong in the slightest working with an owner directly, I'm sure the majority go just fine without a problem, but for a first time I would consider the assistance from a broker worth the price. As said above though, there is no backing out. I can't speak for other brokers, but David's requires a small non-refundable deposit for them to book the room and then once it is booked you pay the entire amount up front and you are locked in. Make sure you know you will be going when you book.

From the other end, I have rented out points through David's before and intend to do so again. For the same reasons above, they take care of finding people, making sure there is availability, and collecting money. I could probably make a dollar or two more per point if I did it myself but to me the work they save me is worth it.

One last thing, the 11-month thing is only if you are booking at very in-demand resorts during the busier times. If you are ok with Saratoga Springs or Old Key West and/or plan to visit during the less busy seasons then typically you should have no problem booking during the 7-month window. But if you are trying to get Poly during a holiday though, you will be paying a premium to find an owner and getting in on the 11-month window.

 

[bluejasmine]

We have been staying at Disney Deluxe resorts for awhile and I just discovered DVC renting for a split stay at VGF and Poly villas this sept for our anniverssary, I am super excited at the money we saved, we used The DVC Rental store and just had to pay the deposit of 30% down and rest due 45 day before arrival, Im going to add DDP in March (right before 180 days ) and that will be due when added, then around 75 days Ill purchase tickets and make my FP selections..
I have a feeling this is how we will do our Disney trips from now on..

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you need a larger unit than a studio, your savings will go down quickly. One bedroom villas usually require about twice the points as a studio. Studios usually have one queen bed, one queen or double sleeper sofa. Some also include the fold down murphy bed which is bunk sized (shorter and narrower than a twin bed). When we talk about points, points are worthless to you unless you are a DVC member. The owner of the points makes a reservation using these points and the reservation is theirs until you check into the resort. You cannot request a larger villa, different category, different resort. You get what you reserved. If you ask about upgrades, the owner will be charged more points for the upgrade; they are not free for the asking. Then the owner comes after you for additional costs.

You won't get daily full service to your villa unless you pay extra to get that. Otherwise, for stays of seven nights or less, on the fourth day (check in is day one), your towels and amenities will be replaced and trash removed. Nothing else. For stays of eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day four and trash and towel service on day eight. Then the cycle repeats. You cannot get extra towels or shampoo or coffee unless you pay extra for those as well. DVC is Disney's version of a timeshare and owners pay for everything to operate the resort. DVC only pays for marketing the resort. So to save the owners money, services and supplies are limited to the basic few. You can pay extra for more towels. You can pay extra for more bathroom amenities. You can pay extra for additional coffee packets.