Do DVC members save money?

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in the comments (forgive me if I missed it) is the ability to convert your points with RCI and use your points outside of Disney property (Wisconsin Dells, for example, or even regular hotel stays or areas internationally). You may also use your points on Adventures by Disney (Asia, Africa, Australia, etc). You are not limited to Disney property, which is something that really helped us decide that this was the best financial move for our family.

We have rented points 7 times at 5 different resorts over the past 2 years. You get all of the dvc owner perks while on property, like Top of the world lounge and many other benefits. Renting points is can save you thousands off the rack rate and requires much less of a commitment! For us, renting points is the only way to stay at deluxe properties and still provides the flexibility to vacation whenever and where ever we want! Total flexibility to secure our stay in that 11 month window also!!

One point that's missed.
Rack rate will continue to go up. So your 30 year is not accounting for inflation.
My dvc from 2008 is lock into the points. Meaning it will be the same then and in 2040. So what you payed will save you for future trips

yes on renting points!

No matter how much I listen to videos about DVC, it all comes off like a shell game. Even the best videos that spin it positively still end up admitting it's a lot of money and locks you into terms you may not like, availability problems, etc. If you had that kind of money you would be better to (1) just go to any resort you want whether it's Disney, Universal or someone else, whenever you want and not be trapped into spending all of your money at Disney. At some point you'll get tired of Disney ( yes, it happens ) and you'll realize you're now locked into a multi-year deal. Also, (2) if you really had that kind of money just go on smaller vacations of your choosing where you have total freedom and put the rest into savings. The last survey I read said 65% of Americans haven't saved enough for retirement, they're blowing it all on expensive shell games like this. Disney wins, you lose, but for the short term you thought you were winning.

I am a dvc member

I do Disney about once every 8-10 years, not for me.

Given the fact that Disney's the only place you can really go too if you can't drive, (with the magical express transportation) I'm pretty much going to "have too" go there every year (not to say I don't want too) , which makes DVC nearly 100% YES for me.

Now I just have to save up to at least be able to afford the down-payment so it can be financed as well as build up my credit score. Probably time to get a secured credit-card
Home resort will probably be the Villas at Wilderness Lodge but I'll get enough points to be able to spend a week at Sagatora Springs 2 bedroom villa so I can bring the larger part of my family.

This way I can go potentially twice per year, at the Wilderness Lodge Villas or cheaper resorts, or go two weeks instead. I could also bank the points to spend 1 week in the 3 bedroom Grand Villa.

I own multiple small contracts (less than 160 points per contract) with my sister for DVC properties. We rent out 3 of those DVC locations to pay all the maintenance fees for all 5 locations. With the excess cash we are able to afford to go to Walt Disney World and eat table service with the money from the DVC points rented out. It's like a free vacation

Some information that was left out in this video is maintenance fees and increasing cost of rooms on Disney property. Annual rate increase in average of 3 to 5% per year. I did my own calculations and it is still worth it.

I am a DVC member and no, you don't save money. If you want to do it cheap, you can always get a less expensive hotel room off Disney property. What you do get, is better accommodations than you would normally be willing to pay cash for. Also, it causes you to go to Disney World more since you have points that have to be used. Consumer Reports did a really good article a while back. Ultimately, I believe DVC is a great value and after almost 20 years I have no regrets about my purchase.

What an amazing video!

Michael, you are wrong on the price. I took a tour and they freaked out when I asked them some questions. First off, the $17K is financed over a period of years and they didn't know the interest rate at first. It ended up being 16% so you would pay over $20K in the end. Also, points expire after two years. Not sure if they changed that but to me it was just not worth it. Act as if you are buying a home or a car before purchasing. With that stated, I know people who love it!

You can rent a private house with a pool and hot tub 5-10 min away for a fraction of this expense AND not have to eat every single meal out.

Brand new DVC member, haven’t used any of our points yet (Is it December yet?) but you are right...We love being DVC just for the emotional part of it!!! :)

Alright...I am totally confused. My family visits Disney World at least once per year. We always line up our visit with the Free Meal Plan. We often stay 10 to 14 days. This year it will be 14 days in total and will be staying at a value resort...The package includes tickets, includes Free Dining Plan (with the...1 table service, 1 quick service, 2 snacks), includes Transportation. Explain to me 'IF' we will benefit from the DVC. The total price of our visit to Disney World is $8,500.00 respectfully. I really want to understand this concept. Thank you so very much, friends!!! xoxo

Way better off buying a resale...don't ever buy through Disney

DVC 💖 best buy I've EVER made !!!

Thanks for the info :) :)

Is that DVC buy in cost a one-time cost for the points you get per year as long as you pay your dues?

Thank Michael this is very helpful!!!

A slightly better comparison would be owning DVC vs renting points each year, which many do.

Don’t for get when you book thru DVC you don’t pay sales tax and hotel tax either

We have been DVC members since 2002 and don't regret buying into it. Our home is Beach Club Villas. Coming from the UK the annual dues can be expensive especially since we have to pay in $s and the £ exchange rate is so poor at the moment.

LOL! I'm 58 years old. . . I won't be alive in 30 years!

I have been planning to rent points for my next trip and would love to see a video of your experience.

I’m sure it’s something to consider, but you might as well move to Orlando within 30 miles of WDW resort and buy a house there and a FL resident annual pass. I’m sure you could buy a nice condo townhouse 1 or 2 bedroom apartment for under $70,000. You could go to the parks everyday if you wanted.

One of the big perks for us is the kitchen and laundry room. That helps us save money and travel light. We try to eat in the room as much as possible. Also it is easy to throw a load of laundry in the washer as we are walking out the door for the parks, then throw them in the dryer at the end of the mid day break.

There are no ticket discounts for dvc members, but you get 20% or 10% (i don't remember but it helps) off all merchandise and food. My home is copper creek but only stayed at the polynesian 7 nights (always). Love it there.

We belong to DVC. We have been members for 10 years. Disney has honored every contract provision. Our adult children and our grand children love going with us. We always have a great time.

However, DVC is not for everyone. You have to really want to go there at least every other year. Even if the rooms were free (which they are not), a Disney vacation is still very expensive. Park admissions and food add about ($200 per person per day). Also paying cash for DVC is very important. If you finance DVC, any potential savings disappear. You also need to consider college tuition for the children. College is much more important than a Disney a vacation.

So if you have plenty of cash reserves, no debt and really like Disney, go for it. If not, just stay at a moderate resort when you want and have a great time.

I looked into DVC new and resale. We were ready to buy but I took a closer look at the numbers. My family goes for a week every 1-2 years. It would be worth it for us to buy resale but where they get you is the yearly dues. the dues make it much less of a bargain. we're planning on going next summer but we will be renting DVC points to go. gets you a better room at a lower price than the hotel room, and you're not locked in to the DVC contract.

Just one problem you are missing here with you math....every point is 7.35 min due every year for the length of the deed. that is easily $1k per yer every year for 50 years, add that to your total.

Just curious, did you end up buying into DVC?

I like renting DVC because it is so much cheaper. The only time you are stuck so to speak is when you rent you must go. They do not have refunds on renting....get the vacation insurance for this.

I’d love to see a video on renting points! If you’ve done that since this video, can you point me in the direction of that so I can check it out? Thanks!!!

Effective January 19, 2019, only Members who purchase directly from Disney will be able to use their Vacation Points at the 14 existing Disney Vacation Club Resorts and Disney Vacation Club’s future resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort. Resale contracts purchased for the existing 14 Disney Vacation Club Resorts will only be able to exchange Points into those 14 Resorts.

Michael, you are assuming that the person that is buying into DVC will have a job or income over that 30 years. Pop Century for me. 😀

What about interest on the loan. There goes the math

I would love to see a video on renting DVC points. We are in the process of renting points for an Aulani vacation in 2020.

How about factoring in renting your unused points? I'm out in Hawaii and going to Orlando every year is not an affordable option. If someone were to rent out their points, how much could they get back? Can you recoup some or all of your costs? I only looked at it from a pure purchasing and being an owner. It's nice but not practical. We've gone 3 times to Orlando since 2006 so that gives you an idea of how often we can get out there. Thanks Micheal for the great videos.

for a little more help my wife and I are DVC members and we have 2 contracts and 1 is at Aulani. the price we paid for our Aulani contract is the same amount it would have cost us to pay cash for our 10 night stay in September 2019. so for me the contract has already paid for itself and future trips using our Aulani Points will be "free".

Great tips and love your vlogs. Keep it up. 😀🙏🏻❤️

Moonlight magic. Free tickets 3 hours for us members only, free MICKEY bars all night, free 25 dollar new voucher.

Talk about the savings you can get with a re sale WorldMark Timeshare. You can get about 6000 credits for only 3500 dollars!

Talk about SAVINGS!! I paid with taxes about 7400 dollars for my 6000 credits at WorldMark Trendwest. That was over 20 years ago. I know that WorldMark does not build up equity like most of DVC. I joined RCI the exchange company and paid a 99 dollar fee to be a member. It costs about 240 dollars to do the exchange. When I exchange in to DVC I also pay a service fee that is around 79 dollars. I paid off my Timeshare over 20 years ago. I pay about 742 dollars per year in Maintenance Fees for my WorldMark Timeshare. I can easily get SSR or OKW every year in a 1 bedroom. I used to be able to get in to any DVC. DISNEY DID PUT A STOP TO IT. BECAUSE IT WAS TO GOOD A DEAL FOR NON DVC OWNERS. I can now only get a 1 bedroom in SSR or OKW. I still save Thousands of dollars! Those resorts in a 1 bedroom for a 1 week stay at its lowest price is about 3500 dollars per week. I can get OKW or SSR with in a 3 month booking window for only 4000 credits! Outside that booking window it is 9000 credits. Even 9000 Credits is a fantastic deal! Someone purchasing a WorldMark Timeshare on a resale can save even more money. People can purchase 6000 credits for only 3500 dollars. Imagine the unbelievable SAVINGS! Remember a WorldMark TIMESHARE GOES ON FOREVER! You can will it off to your kids!! There is no expiration like there is with DVC!! TALK ABOUT SAVINGS!!

Michael, the maintenance fees go up every year. Also, factor the yearly interest .

Biggest oversight in this calculation.... you can sell your DVC membership and get most of your money back after using it for years.

You can rent points and save a lot. Or buy resale and save even more. Also, you don’t need to buy at Polynesian to stay there.
I calculated that you can stay for a week at the Polynesian in a low season for about 125 points. You can usually get a room there at the seven month mark so you can buy somewhere else. If you buy direct de Disney, you can get points at Old Key West for $165/pt in comparison to $250/pt at the Poly.
And you could buy resale Poly tickets for about $150. That means it would cost you $18k. In the short run, you could buy 125 from Vero or HIlton Head for about $10k but they expire early and have higher annual dues so don’t make as much sense in t long run.
I’m planning on buying 50 from OKW this year then adding 50 at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a few years. Then 25 more to get the blue card.
BTW, the cheapest way to stay a week every year is an 80 point buy at OKW or 90 at Saratoga. You could also try a 60-65 point buy at AKL which would only be 12k. There are definitely ways you can become a dvc member for around 10-12k.

DVC is a scam headache no one needs in their life

When you take into account the yearly dues I don't think it's a money saving venture.