# Adding on 25 points direct to increase chances of future perks/pass savings



## capjak (Feb 2, 2018)

I just added 25 points direct and currently own Beach club with full benefits and SSR that are restricted.   I may sell BCV so I thought I would add ob direct to increase the possibility of havinng annual pass discounts in the future assuming they continue to have them for anyone that bought direct.

Add on was at SSR $151 per point, maybe not a great move but I am willing to roll the bones on this one at $3800 all in,

Anyone else do this or going to do this?  Figure I can sell BCV in a year or so since we never stay at DVC (the wife likes Marriott Timeshare better).


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## rickandcindy23 (Feb 2, 2018)

Yep.  I am going to do this, and that doesn't seem ridiculous to pay for the benefits of the perks.


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## Dean (Feb 2, 2018)

capjak said:


> I just added 25 points direct and currently own Beach club with full benefits and SSR that are restricted.   I may sell BCV so I thought I would add ob direct to increase the possibility of havinng annual pass discounts in the future assuming they continue to have them for anyone that bought direct.
> 
> Add on was at SSR $151 per point, maybe not a great move but I am willing to roll the bones on this one at $3800 all in,
> 
> Anyone else do this or going to do this?  Figure I can sell BCV in a year or so since we never stay at DVC (the wife likes Marriott Timeshare better).


IMO for most it's the best option.  The issue in your case is you have the option without adding on.  Unless you own a bunch of BCV points it may be better to just keep that and rent out rather than selling that, paying a commission and paying retail for the 25 points.   The devil is in the details.


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## capjak (Feb 4, 2018)

Dean said:


> IMO for most it's the best option.  The issue in your case is you have the option without adding on.  Unless you own a bunch of BCV points it may be better to just keep that and rent out rather than selling that, paying a commission and paying retail for the 25 points.   The devil is in the details.


I have a lot of timeshares DVC Beach Club 150 points, DVC Saratoga 150 points and I do not use these two only rent out for now.  I own WKORVNorth 2 bedroom annual oceanfront view, Sheraton Vistana Villiages Key West annual 2 bedroom, Marriot Grande Vista 3 bedroom EOY Even and its enrolled in point system, HGVC Flamingo annual 1 bedroom.  So I have lots of options was  looking at saling DVC and possibly adding on at Marriott and Westin.


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## Dean (Feb 5, 2018)

capjak said:


> I have a lot of timeshares DVC Beach Club 150 points, DVC Saratoga 150 points and I do not use these two only rent out for now.  I own WKORVNorth 2 bedroom annual oceanfront view, Sheraton Vistana Villiages Key West annual 2 bedroom, Marriot Grande Vista 3 bedroom EOY Even and its enrolled in point system, HGVC Flamingo annual 1 bedroom.  So I have lots of options was  looking at saling DVC and possibly adding on at Marriott and Westin.


Then you might consider what I have looked at (but not yet done).  Adding on 25 points then selling the rest of the DVC holdings.  Or you might just sell completely depending on the value of having qualified points.  I'm not sure what you're plans are since you were planning to keep part of the DVC points and then do an add on to be qualified, I presume that's because you'll still go at times and were looking at the perks, ? mostly for the pass discounts.  

Regardless, I'm not sure having to do a retail add on to keep the SSR is the best option for the situation you've described.  It seems you'll still be renting and you want retail perks.  In that situation it might be better to just sell the SSR and keep the BCV rather than having to do the add on.  If the RTU expiration is the issue, I personally don't think that's a reasonable option to go this route.  If it's the dues, you can rent out the BCV for enough extra to cover those.  $$$ wise you won't come out ahead either since you'll lose the commission on the sale plus the extra for the add on in the $4K range.  You said the SSR was restricted, I'm presuming it has the latest restrictions with no perks or we wouldn't be discussing this.  If it has the perks but not the ability to use for cash options like DCL then my suggestion would be different (no add on then possibly just keep the SSR).


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## Jayco29D (Feb 6, 2018)

We got so lucky. At the end of 2017, we bought 470 DVC points at 5 home resorts (Grand Cal, Grand Floridian, Aulani, Poly and Animal Kingdom). We bought about half direct and the other half resale before the DVC price increase was announced. If we bought it all direct now, we would pay over $30,000 more. Even the points we bought direct have increased on the resale market due to the impact of the DVC price increase slowly making its way to the resale market pricing. Now the price we paid direct for some of our points seems like a bargain. We even got a small direct add-on contract at Poly before the huge price increase and DVC announced Poly was sold out. We could sell all our contracts tomorrow and probably come out a little bit ahead. If anyone is contemplating buying DVC points, I would recommend considering buying them soon before resale prices go up even more.


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## Jayco29D (Feb 6, 2018)

P.S. the benefit of small contracts 25-50 points is you can bank and borrow and stay a lot of nights at some resorts. Our small contracts are 30 points at Poly (90 points with banking/borrowing) and 40 at Animal Kingdom (120 points with banking/borrowing). The points per night for Poly deluxe studios and Animal Kingdom one bedroom value rooms during choice and adventure seasons are pretty low so you can get great vacations with small contracts if you go every 2-3 years. With the 11 month window, I have been able to book the rooms I want with no problem. We almost always book 1 bedrooms at DVC. It is nice to own a bunch of different resorts so we can use the 11 month booking window and use our points in the most affordable way. The other way we are using our small contracts at Poly and Animal Kingdom is for filler nights on split stays so we can extend our vacations by a few days with lower point nights. Even during high seasons, the Poly deluxe studios and AK 1 bedroom value rooms are pretty reasonable. With good planning, I think DVC is a great program. In 2018, we have 3 nights at Aulani (1 bedroom) during high season and 10 nights at WDW (all 1 bedrooms except Poly) during choice season booked and we still have 110 points left for using in 2018 or banking into 2019. We also own weeks at Marriott, Westin and Four Seasons but, so far, I really like the DVC points program quite a bit for the flexibility and I have found availability at 11 months to be great. I even was able to book my preferred rooms at 7 months at a few resorts but that is taking a risk.


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## Southerngirl528 (Feb 6, 2018)

Who knows what DVC will do in the future, but I am hearing rumblings they may increase the minimum add-on to buy direct for resale owners to be able to get perks/benefits. Only time will tell of course.


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## Jayco29D (Feb 6, 2018)

Yes I heard they will increase minimum add ons too. Also I think the prices will continue to go up for new DVCs. I suspect if they open a new DVC in Disneyland (as is being rumored), it will sell for well above $250 pp. I wonder what the price will be for the new Riviera DVC near Epcot with the new gondola transportation.


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## Southerngirl528 (Feb 6, 2018)

Hearing similar things, Jayco29D. The pricing being above $200/point is kind of mind-numbing.....


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## capjak (Feb 7, 2018)

The Plan would be to sell all DVC as  we like staying at Marriott in Orlando better than DVC and DVC is at a premium right now.  BCV with the expiration getting closer will start losing its value and SSR will as well so looking to cash those in and still have 25 points direct for annual pass discount.  I would rent out the 25 points when possible to cover the MF and some upfront cost.

I bout Beach Club for $90/point and SSR for $74/point resale both fully loaded contracts that I rented out and should be able to sell for more than I paid.


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## AnnaS (Feb 11, 2018)

As of 2/25/2018, one will now need 75 min. point direct from Disney to get all the perks.  If anyone is on the fence....do it now.


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## Panina (Feb 11, 2018)

AnnaS said:


> As of 2/25/2018, one will now need 75 min. point direct from Disney to get all the perks.  If anyone is on the fence....do it now.


Just out of curiousity, what perks do you get having the minimum points  that are different from purchasing an annual pass?


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## AnnaS (Feb 11, 2018)

Panina said:


> Just out of curiousity, what perks do you get having the minimum points  that are different from purchasing an annual pass?



Membership Card
Various Discounts/Offers
Access to Special Events
Some other things which of course won't get you far with a 25 point contract (Concierge collection DCL)
Perks/Extras can go away at any time of course


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## Panina (Feb 11, 2018)

AnnaS said:


> Membership Card
> Various Discounts/Offers
> Access to Special Events
> Some other things which of course won't get you far with a 25 point contract (Concierge collection DCL)
> Perks/Extras can go away at any time of course


We always have purchased the military 5 day pass at a great price but going a few weeks a year puts us close to the highest annual pass that has lots of perks and discounts. Seems similar to what you listed but no buy in.


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## Jayco29D (Feb 12, 2018)

AnnaS said:


> As of 2/25/2018, one will now need 75 min. point direct from Disney to get all the perks.  If anyone is on the fence....do it now.



Where was this announced? I have a lot of direct points as well as resale points so this should not affect me but I would like to read the announcement to double check.

It seems unfair for DVC to raise the minimum direct points to get all perks. Are they grandfathering in people who bought 25 direct points with the expectation they would get all perks?


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## rhonda (Feb 12, 2018)

Jayco29D said:


> Where was this announced? I have a lot of direct points as well as resale points so this should not affect me but I would like to read the announcement to double check.
> 
> It seems unfair for DVC to raise the minimum direct points to get all perks. Are they grandfathering in people who bought 25 direct points with the expectation they would get all perks?


Log into your DVC member account and check your _Notifications.  _That is, look on the same page that informs you of your upcoming banking window, reservation windows, etc.

Yes, they are grandfathering all existing accounts.


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## Dean (Feb 12, 2018)

Jayco29D said:


> Where was this announced? I have a lot of direct points as well as resale points so this should not affect me but I would like to read the announcement to double check.
> 
> It seems unfair for DVC to raise the minimum direct points to get all perks. Are they grandfathering in people who bought 25 direct points with the expectation they would get all perks?


Since this is a developer add on and sales technique, I’d say they have the right to set them at whatever level of qualification they want.  I can’t see them removing the perks from anyone who has them already.


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## Southerngirl528 (Feb 12, 2018)

Jayco29D said:


> It seems unfair for DVC to raise the minimum direct points to get all perks. Are they grandfathering in people who bought 25 direct points with the expectation they would get all perks?



DVC was/is the ONLY TS I am aware of that has not restricted resale owners from the very beginning. They only first placed restrictions a couple of years and and grandfathered everyone prior to that in. They did not have to do that. As a longtime member, I agree with increasing the minimum points amount to buy direct for resale owners to get all the same perks. Maybe not a popular statement, but when one buys "used" one almost never gets all the same benefits as buying direct/new. 

Truth is one should never buy a TS for the "perks", the DVC contracts have clearly stated they can change and/or go away at any time. And the documents have stated that since Day 1. I bought because I have a big family and love staying in 2 bedroom accommodations as opposed to 2 hotel rooms. It has been a good investment for my family. The perks are just icing on that cake.


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## bendadin (Feb 18, 2018)

I'm waiting for the grandfathering thing to become one set date, all or nothing. Now there are 4 dates that need to be kept track of: Adventures/Concierge, Cruises, no membership card, and now minimum retail points. The Moonlight Magic has now become a hassle because it is looking for your retail contract for that reservation for advance party booking. Coming in through RCI wasn't catching it either and that took a couple hour phone call to fix. Reservations were sold out by noon on opening day. I'm sitting on a reservation for party night so we can go to the Hollywood Studios party. I don't even think that it is going to make to noon to be sold out on that one.

And I think that DVC has done a really nice job of enhancing perks. Granted, we have only been members for 2.5 years, but I do buy the Gold passes. We made it to Moonlight Magic in MK, AK, DL, and EP last year. The platinum pass for the Gold price was a great perk. The kids really like the Epcot lounge and I am accumulating a quite a collection of DVC hats, magnets, and lanyards from the cruises. And, we have absolutely NEVER been hassled for an owner's update or even stopped by them at the DVC booths. 

We never got anything from Wyndham except for that hassle part.

And in the end, if they flat out go with 75 points for perks, I will buy another 25. Not even a second thought.


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## Dean (Feb 18, 2018)

bendadin said:


> I'm waiting for the grandfathering thing to become one set date, all or nothing. Now there are 4 dates that need to be kept track of: Adventures/Concierge, Cruises, no membership card, and now minimum retail points. The Moonlight Magic has now become a hassle because it is looking for your retail contract for that reservation for advance party booking. Coming in through RCI wasn't catching it either and that took a couple hour phone call to fix. Reservations were sold out by noon on opening day. I'm sitting on a reservation for party night so we can go to the Hollywood Studios party. I don't even think that it is going to make to noon to be sold out on that one.
> 
> And I think that DVC has done a really nice job of enhancing perks. Granted, we have only been members for 2.5 years, but I do buy the Gold passes. We made it to Moonlight Magic in MK, AK, DL, and EP last year. The platinum pass for the Gold price was a great perk. The kids really like the Epcot lounge and I am accumulating a quite a collection of DVC hats, magnets, and lanyards from the cruises. And, we have absolutely NEVER been hassled for an owner's update or even stopped by them at the DVC booths.
> 
> ...


It'll never happen, they won't change them all to one.  And you don't want them to be willing to because that'd mean they would be willing to change  them away from you at some point in the future.  Don't be fooled, the perks are largely a sales technique and where they might not be, it's free to DVC/DVD.


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## Jayco29D (Feb 18, 2018)

Dean said:


> Since this is a developer add on and sales technique, I’d say they have the right to set them at whatever level of qualification they want.  I can’t see them removing the perks from anyone who has them already.



Yes, they can do what they want. It does not affect us personally because we have 470 points and 170 are direct. Also, since they are grandfathering existing DVC members, it does not affect anyone except new buyers. So it seems fair to me now. I did not know the policy when I first commented. I hate to say this, but the stricter DVC gets with new buyers, the more valuable our existing points are on the resale market, when/if we are ready to sell.


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## Dean (Feb 18, 2018)

Jayco29D said:


> I hate to say this, but the stricter DVC gets with new buyers, the more valuable our existing points are on the resale market, when/if we are ready to sell.


Not necessarily so.  If you sell, the additions don't transfer.  If they're overly successful in pulling members to retail then it will negatively affect sales prices.  While no one knows how long the current market trends will continue, at some point there will be a hiccup along the way.


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## Jayco29D (Feb 18, 2018)

As far as I know, perks did not transfer with retail before they increased to 75 point minimum for perks. I do not think DVC will be overly successful with the 75 point minimum is pulling from the resale market. I think it will be the opposite in that folks like us who know about the resale market will be less inclined to buy small contracts direct from DVC. I do not know what DVC’s strategy is in raising the minimum purchase to get perks. I suspect they are tightening up so they give less away on small purchases, just like they raised prices. To me, it sounds like a revenue and cost strategy. Disney did not report as good of earnings as analysts expected (they missed their revenue goals) yet Disney is wildly popular. So it was time for price increases. This is just a guess. Disney has raised prices on everything this year by a large amount on points, tickets, APs, transport, etc. I guess they want to give away fewer perks on small contracts. I am glad we purchased before all the price increases. I thought we paid a fortune buying our DVC points at the end of 2017 but if we bought the same thing now, we would pay a lot more and get no benefits with 3 out of 4 of our direct contracts.


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## Dean (Feb 18, 2018)

Jayco29D said:


> As far as I know, perks did not transfer with retail before they increased to 75 point minimum for perks. I do not think DVC will be overly successful with the 75 point minimum is pulling from the resale market. I think it will be the opposite in that folks like us who know about the resale market will be less inclined to buy small contracts direct from DVC. I do not know what DVC’s strategy is in raising the minimum purchase to get perks. I suspect they are tightening up so they give less away on small purchases, just like they raised prices. To me, it sounds like a revenue and cost strategy. Disney did not report as good of earnings as analysts expected (they missed their revenue goals) yet Disney is wildly popular. So it was time for price increases. This is just a guess. Disney has raised prices on everything this year by a large amount on points, tickets, APs, transport, etc. I guess they want to give away fewer perks on small contracts. I am glad we purchased before all the price increases. I thought we paid a fortune buying our DVC points at the end of 2017 but if we bought the same thing now, we would pay a lot more and get no benefits with 3 out of 4 of our direct contracts.


Given the current situation I would agree that there will be less smaller purchases but there will be more larger ones, at least of 75 points and likely beyond.  Many will likely just buy retail that would have bought resale and done a 25 pt add on.  Plus we don't know what they will do in the future to differentiate between qualified and non qualified points.  It also costs more to sell and administer smaller contracts.  I suspect the minimum to purchase will increase at some point as well, ? to 50 or 75.  My guess would be 50 minimum.  The question then would be if you're qualified and add on then sell later down to 50, will you still be qualified.  Overall I suspect they'll make more with the changes than they'd lose with the 25 point contracts they miss out on.


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## Jayco29D (Feb 18, 2018)

All I know is I am glad I bought at end of 2017. I thought DVC (both direct and resale) was expensive then. Now it is really expensive!


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## DeeCee (Feb 25, 2018)

I didn’t read through all replies so sorry if this has already been said. DVC did change the minimum direct purchase amount of points it is 75 to get the perks now.


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## DeeCee (Feb 25, 2018)

How much are points direct now? And at which resorts?  We bought 18 years ago and added on a few times in 04, 07 and 11. Two Home resorts and theMountof points we own serves us quite well. 

Just curious.


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## Mosescan (Feb 25, 2018)

DeeCee said:


> How much are points direct now? And at which resorts?  We bought 18 years ago and added on a few times in 04, 07 and 11. Two Home resorts and theMountof points we own serves us quite well.
> 
> Just curious.


According to their website. $182/point.


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## DeeCee (Mar 10, 2018)

Mosescan said:


> According to their website. $182/point.


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## bendadin (Mar 16, 2018)

I bought 50 Poly in December. Now I wish that I had the other 25 but the Poly is $220/point. That is ridiculous!!


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## DeeCee (Mar 16, 2018)

bendadin said:


> I bought 50 Poly in December. Now I wish that I had the other 25 but the Poly is $220/point. That is ridiculous!!



Omg! Wow! Our first contract in 2000 was $65 a point in boardwalk. Who would have ever thought a time share would almost triple with aging contracts!


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## rickandcindy23 (Mar 16, 2018)

You know that we could have another economic downturn, and the price could go down again, so I am waiting for that.  

We bought 250 points at OKW and another 250 at SSR and paid about $60 PP average per point (OKW was less).  We did that before Disney took away all of the perks for resale, so we get all of them except we cannot book cruises.  I don't know if I care about the other benefits retail buyers received because I don't miss those benefits.  I did try to book a cruise with points, and that was disappointing to not be able to do that.  

The only discount that really matters to me is the AP discount.  I wish our kids could all get that.  Our daughter is on the OKW contract with Rick, so she could get that benefit.  

Our sons don't get that AP discount.  If anyone knows a way around it, PM me.  Their last names are the same.  What are they going to do, change their drivers' licenses to our home address?  That would be silly.  I have seen that people do get by with getting that discount for their grown kids. 

It was significant savings for this year.  We saved $315 per person on AP's with our DVC membership.  That is huge.


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## Jayco29D (Mar 17, 2018)

Since we bought 470 points on 6 contracts (5 resorts) from November through January, the price per point has gone up about $20-$30 per point on the resale market and up to $50 per point on the direct market. Even the contracts we bought direct are now selling for what we paid direct on the resale market. That’s not bad for just owning for 3-5 months. We thought we paid a fortune but now we would pay a lot more for that many points.


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## nomoretslt (Mar 18, 2018)

I don't know if someone already posted this, but here are current prices before and after the increase:
Resort  Current Direct Price  Price Effective 1/17/18  Change
Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas $176 $182 +$6
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort $185 $191 +$6
Boulder Ridge Villas (VWL) $165 $171 +$6
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins $176 $182 +$6
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas $165 $171 +$6
Disney’s Beach Club Villas $165 $185 +$20
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas $165 $171 +$6
Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort $115 $121 +$6
Disney’s Old Key West Resort $145 $151 +$6
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows $176 $220 +$44
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa $145 $151 +$6
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort $115 $100 -$15
Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel $185 $235 +$50
Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa $185 $220 +$35

Not from their official site, so not sure if it is accurate.....but it sounds about right.


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## nomoretslt (Mar 18, 2018)

rickandcindy23 said:


> You know that we could have another economic downturn, and the price could go down again, so I am waiting for that.
> 
> We bought 250 points at OKW and another 250 at SSR and paid about $60 PP average per point (OKW was less).  We did that before Disney took away all of the perks for resale, so we get all of them except we cannot book cruises.  I don't know if I care about the other benefits retail buyers received because I don't miss those benefits.  I did try to book a cruise with points, and that was disappointing to not be able to do that.
> 
> ...



I just started the process of adding our son to one of our deeds in order for him to become a real member (not an associate member).  We are same as you....our daughter is a joint owner on one of our contracts (joint survivorship I think?).  We are going to add our son to our deed on another contract.  You need to contact DVC member administration and tell them what you want to do.  It does involved retitle and redeed and does have a cost involved (around $475 to the title company, or more or less depending on who you use, but I am sticking with American Title).  I was also told that when we pass on, then these deeds would not have to go thru Florida probate.  I'm not bothering with the ones that expire in 2042.  Also Disney does not make you go thru the whole ROFR process or anything like that.  To me it is a small cost to cover a few decades of membership for our son.  He can also purchase the Tables in Wonderland card too.


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## Dean (Mar 18, 2018)

nomoretslt said:


> I just started the process of adding our son to one of our deeds in order for him to become a real member (not an associate member).  We are same as you....our daughter is a joint owner on one of our contracts (joint survivorship I think?).  We are going to add our son to our deed on another contract.  You need to contact DVC member administration and tell them what you want to do.  It does involved retitle and redeed and does have a cost involved (around $475 to the title company, or more or less depending on who you use, but I am sticking with American Title).  I was also told that when we pass on, then these deeds would not have to go thru Florida probate.  I'm not bothering with the ones that expire in 2042.  Also Disney does not make you go thru the whole ROFR process or anything like that.  To me it is a small cost to cover a few decades of membership for our son.  He can also purchase the Tables in Wonderland card too.


You can do it yourself around $40 or LT transfers for around $175.


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## nomoretslt (Mar 19, 2018)

Thank you Dean.  The person at DVC administration did tell me that....I have to read over the info that was sent.  I need it done sooner rather than later.  That is my project for today.


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## Dean (Mar 19, 2018)

nomoretslt said:


> Thank you Dean.  The person at DVC administration did tell me that....I have to read over the info that was sent.  I need it done sooner rather than later.  That is my project for today.


How soon and why?  It'll take a couple of months at best.  Doing it yourself will be the fastest.  There are ways to cut corners if you truly need it done quickly.  The cost is per contract is there's more than one.  They actually do make you go through the same full process, they just give an automatic waiver when adding a family member.  They also don't cancel pending reservations.  You may be able to purchase the TIW and get the second card for him for a fee though you likely don't need to do both.  Remember any contracts that are titled differently become essentially a new member so you'll have 3 separate ones that you can't combine directly (your name, + daughter, and + son).


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