Disney vacations bring about the happiest of times for many visitors. The memories are magic and people want to keep coming back every year. The Disney timeshare makes that possible with better than usual rates on hotel rooms at Disney destinations. If you're interested, you may be wondering how to buy Disney Vacation Club points. Joining the Disney timeshare is a long term commitment that secures many future hotel stays but how do you get started? There are two different ways to buy Disney Vacation Club points. We cover them both in depth here.

Resale or Direct: How to Buy Disney Vacation Club Points

The two different ways to buy the Disney timeshare have more similarities than differences. Some key take aways are the difference in price and benefits. Knowing how to buy Disney Vacation Club points in the way that's right for you and your needs makes all the difference. 

Direct Disney Vacation Club Points

First, points sold by the Disney Vacation Club part of The Walt Disney Company are considered direct points. You may see it referred to as a direct Disney Vacation Club contract or a Membership purchased directly from Disney. This means you're going straight to the source. However, it may not be the best option for you when considering price. More on that below.

Direct DVC points can come with some extra perks and benefits but not all do. In 2023, joining Members have to buy 150 points to qualify for Membership Extras. This includes discounts on Disney merchandise and restaurant experiences and access to special Member exclusive spaces and events. Over at Bay Lake Tower, the Top of the World Lounge is a rooftop bar, lounge and observatory deck that overlooks Magic Kingdom. This space is only open to DVC Members who qualify and their guests.

To buy direct you can talk to a Disney Vacation Club Guide at Disney, call DVC or start the process by expressing interest online.

Resale Disney Vacation Club Points

The other way to buy Disney Vacation Club points is through buying resale. When a Member sells their contract, it is referred to as resale DVC. This is recognized by Disney as a full transfer of ownership. The new owner takes over all of the existing points, every annual allotment after and becomes responsible for paying the annual dues on the contract.

To buy resale, take a look at our resale DVC listings. As Members are ready to sell DVC, additional contracts are listed.

Cash or Loan: How to Buy Disney Vacation Club Points

When it comes to the actual buying part, Disney Vacation Club is a large financial investment. It's possible to get a loan for a DVC Membership or to pay outright. Remember that annual dues, also called DVC maintenance fees, are paid each year and not part of the initial cost of Membership. Talk to your loan specialist upfront about paying off your loan early. This can give you the most flexibility in paying for your Disney Vacation Club points. Disney Vacation Club contracts are similar to other kinds of real estate transactions in a few ways. You will have a process of paperwork to go through and may need a notary.

What's the difference between buying DVC resale and direct? 

Aside from the benefits, or lack thereof, mentioned above, there are some more differences between buying Disney Vacation Club points from Disney and buying on the resale DVC market. 

With resale DVC, there are some restrictions with booking. If you purchase at one of the first fourteen DVC home resorts, you are able to use your points to book at your home resort and at the rest of the original fourteen. That includes Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Beach Club Villas, Disney's BoardWalk Villas, Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, Hilton Head Island Resort, Disney's Old Key West Resort, Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

If you purchase at a resort built after that, basically Disney's Riviera Resort and later home resorts, you can only use your points to book at your resort. This is a non issue for buyers who have a resort they love already and are just looking for the best price on hotel stays there. If staying at different resorts is a priority, you can still save by buying DVC resale at one of the original fourteen home resort properties. The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort and The Villas at Disneyland Hotel are two others that cannot be booked with resale points unless they are your home resort.

Buy Disney Vacation Club Resale and Save

The biggest difference between when you go to buy Disney Vacation Club points from Disney vs. another Member is the price. Resale usually comes at a fraction of what direct contracts cost. For example, in 2023 Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort costs $275 per point direct from Disney and $140-$150 per point resale. Disney's prices are not negotiable though there may be some promotions you can take advantage of. Direct prices continue to go up each year or so. Resale DVC has more flexibility. It's possible to negotiate with sellers. We also see prices go up and down, influenced by demand, interest rates and other outside factors.

Is Disney Vacation Club resale worth it?

If you visit Disney regularly, or want to, DVC is worth considering. With DVC resorts, Florida has the most home resorts with more than ten. At Disneyland there are two. Aulani in Hawaii brings another fun option into the mix.

Prices have gone up over time at Disney and it's easy to pay more than $5,000 just for the room portion of a Disney vacation. That same amount could pay for a large portion of a resale DVC contract that would provide decades of hotel stays.

With DVC resale, it might be possible to get amazing deluxe properties like The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort down to under $200 per night. When calculating the difference in price, remember to consider annual dues and that they go up over time. This makes any calculations estimated. Even so, the savings look too good to pass up for these luxury hotels.

How to Buy Disney Vacation Club Points on the Resale Market

Members are selling their contracts every day for various reasons. As a Disney Vacation Club focused company, DVC Resale Experts lists new contracts regularly. It's easy to submit an offer in just a few clicks. You can email, call or use the website's chat feature to take the first step in submitting an offer too. You can also talk to an Expert and have all of your questions answered beforehand.

DVC Resale Experts Can Help

Have more questions about how to buy Disney Vacation Club points? DVC Resale Experts is a licensed real estate broker with a team that specializes in resale DVC. Whether you’re adding on points, buying or selling Disney Vacation Club, the Experts can help you find the right price to place a bid with or list your contract for. Our independent, licensed real estate agents are former Disney Vacation Club Guides. They have decades of pixie dusted experience selling DVC and delight in providing excellent service to their clients. The Experts have seen it all and are happy to answer your questions throughout the process.

DVC resale prices can pleasantly surprise Members interested in selling DVC. See our resale DVC listings for a look at real time availability and pricing. Ready to sell DVC? Get in touch for a complimentary valuation of your specific contract today. There may be someone waiting on our Buyer Wish List for a contract just like yours.

How to Buy Disney Vacation Club Points FAQs 

Can you pay annual dues upfront?

You may be wondering if you can pay annual dues for multiple years or for the duration of your Membership upfront. While you can buy the contract outright upfront, annual dues are different. These DVC maintenance fees tend to change each year, going up slightly due to expenses. Annual dues cover things like repairs, taxes and Cast Member associated costs. Annual dues many years from now may be higher to due a large renovation at the resort. These changes make it impossible to know what the dues will be years ahead. This means annual dues must truly be paid annually. 

When do DVC contracts expire? It depends on how you buy Disney Vacation Club points

An interesting point about buying a DVC contract is that the length of the contract depends on the home resort's opening year. How long is a Disney Vacation Club contract? There's a common misconception that all DVC contracts are 50 years in length. This simply isn't true. Many people think this because when a new resort is built and first selling, the contracts are usually 50 years long. In order to have a 50 year DVC contract you need to be one of the first buyers at a new home resort.

As years pass, the contracts shorten in length. They don't start over when someone buys a contract. This means if you were to buy a contract today, the length of the contract would be about 50 years minus the number of years the home resort has been open. So, for example, at The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa the home resort opened in 2013. Now 10 years later, these contracts all have about 40 years left and expire in 2064.