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Right after the parks reopened in 2020, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Members were selling their points for crazy low prices. These incredible savings made for some pretty cheap Disney stays! However, now that the market is more balanced again, is renting points still the best way to save money on your Disney Resort? Let’s make some comparisons.
What is Disney Vacation Club (DVC)?
DVC is Disney’s version of a timeshare. Members buy a certain amount of points to use per year and then can book accommodations at their “home resort” or any other DVC resort Disney has. There are 12 in Disney World, 2 in Disneyland (once the DVC tower at Disneyland hotel opens in the fall of 2023), 1 in Vero Beach, and 1 in Hilton Head Island.
The great thing about DVC at Disney is that Members are not confined to a certain week of the year. You can travel whenever you want as long as you have enough points for your stay. Also, for most contracts, you can stay at any resort as well. Resale contracts are a bit more tricky, but that is a topic for another post.
KtP Writer Heather is a DVC Member and shares a lot of the ins and outs in her post. I (Monica) am not a DVC Member but have rented points several times. I enjoy renting points because it allows me the opportunity to stay at a deluxe resort for a fraction of the price. That is a no-brainer for me when you consider the price of deluxe resorts.
How do you rent points?
If you are not a DVC Member, you can still stay at DVC resort! There are a few ways you can rent points. You can either rent points from a website that specializes in renting DVC points. You will not be in contact with the owner but will complete the transaction through a broker. The other options is you can find a renter and book directly with them.
The owner will set the price you pay per point. Depending on the resort you choose, the time of year you wish to travel, and the type of accommodation, you can expect to use anywhere from 6 to 1,000+ points per night.
You can read more about advantages and disadvantages of renting points in this post (which was written in 2020). I think it’s still got some great points to consider, which is worth it even more to think about now that your monetary investment will be higher now than it was then.
The insane market of 2020
When the parks closed in March 2020, many DVC Members were understandably worried. No one knew when the resorts would reopen, and this meant they could miss out on several months of not being able to use their points. Thankfully, the closure only lasted 4 months.
However, not many people were traveling in the months following the reopening. This led to a massive supply of points but almost no demand. Members unloaded their points for as low as $8! For example, that meant some people could book a studio at Old Key West that summer for $112/night!
This lasted for several months, and Renters were able to reap the benefits of this very unbalanced market. As time went on, Members ran out of their 2020/2021 UY (use year) points and the market began to balance itself out again. Travel demand resumed (and at a higher level than before the parks closed), so the price for points began to creep back up.
For the most part, points are back to their normal selling point, which is about $18-$22/point depending on the home resort (more popular resorts will usually be priced higher). Using the same Old Key West example, at $20/point that same studio on September 12, 2023 is now $180. Of course, the cash rate at Disney is $412 for the same room at the same resort during the same time of year, so renting points is a great way to save money!
Is it still the best way to go: Discounts and Promotions
You may be thinking $180 vs $412 is a no-brainer! Of course, it’s still the best way to save money! However, we need to account for discounts. Disney has been throwing discounts at us for the last several months, and they are not slowing down anytime soon. We had several discounts for various groups this summer, and more are on the way this holiday season. Even Disney+ subscribers can take advantage!
With our Old Key West example, the rate drops from $412 to $288 when I apply the 25% summer discount. That is really not a huge difference between renting points and using the discount. Maybe your peace of mind booking directly with Disney is worth the extra $100? These are all factors to consider when you are deciding to rent DVC points.
If you choose to do some price comparisons for renting points vs using a discount, be sure you are looking at DVC rooms. These are commonly referred to as studios and villas vs a regular room which is called a suite. If having a kitchenette/kitchen or washer and dryer is a priority to you, it may be worth the extra money to stay in a DVC room.
Another thing you may want to keep in mind now is the Dining Plan is returning in 2024. While there are no announcements regarding Dining Plan offers (like pay rack rate for room and get a free dining plan that we have not seen in ages), just keep in mind that may offer a cost savings that is comparable to renting points.
Disney also had a Disney Dining promotion this year where you could book a package and receive a credit on a card to use at dining locations. While this probably doesn’t provide a huge savings, what I’m saying is consider all your options.
There are also military discounts, Unique Offer Codes, and Bounceback Offers.
Is it still the best way to go: Bounceback Offers
Disney also announced the return of Bounceback Offers. Disney Future Stay Offers, or “Bounceback” Offers were one of our favorite ways to save on my upcoming adventures. Finding those fantastic promotional flyers on your Walt Disney World Resort hotel nightstand was always an amazing surprise.
These offers basically entice you to book another trip to Disney World while you are AT Disney World by offering a discount. Of course, you can always wait it out and see what offers become available throughout the year. But, it may be worth getting a stay on the books because they are only good for so many days after your current trip.
Guests can save 25-35% on a future resort stay on select dates throughout 2024:
- January 7-10, 2024
- January 15-18, 2024
- January 21-25, 2024
- January 28-February 1, 2024
- February 4-8, 2024
- February 11-14, 2024
- February 19-22, 2024
- February 25-March 16, 2024
- March 31-May 23, 2024
- May 27-August 29, 2024
- September 2-30, 2024
- October 27-31, 2024
- November 25-27, 2024
- December 1-24, 2024
As you can see, the weeks here are quite limited. Renting points are never confined to certain weeks of the year. Also note that Bounceback Offers are NOT limited to DVC resorts. If you can save a big chunk of money staying at a value or moderate resort, don’t let that deter you from booking! We don’t discriminate with Disney hotels around here. You can read more about the details of Bounceback Offers HERE.
Final Thoughts
Even with the price of points back to “normal” they still provide an average savings of 50% or more off the rack rate when you rent them. They are limited to deluxe resorts, however, and that may not provide as great of a savings as a moderate or value resort booked with a discount.
I still wholeheartedly believe renting DVC points is the best way to save money on a Disney Resort. When compared to a Disney discount, which usually is usually 10-25% off the rack rate, this is a no-brainer. I am pretty comfortable with renting points as I have done it several times. If your travel plans are not set in stone, you may want to really consider if renting points is right for you.
Do you rent DVC points? Have you ever considered it? Let us know in the comments below and share this post with a friend.
Share the love!
RandyC
Saturday 2nd of September 2023
This is an excellent article. Thank you. We like staying in the DVC Studios or 1 or 2 BR Villas, depending on our travel party size. You touched on the benefit of having your own washer and dryer in your room. Here's another benefit. With the kitchens in the Villa units, or even the kitchenettes in the Studio units, we usually have a leisurely breakfast in our room, with a large coffee pot going, that saves us a ton of time and money, so people can eat while others are getting ready, and we hit the parks at rope drop. We usually treat ourselves to one sit-down breakfast during our weekly stay, so we don't miss out either. So yes, I agree, the DVC rooms are the best for our family!