When considering buying Disney Vacation Club, there are two main ways; Direct from Disney or from a broker that specializes in DVC and timeshares. There are pro’s and cons for each, so make sure you choose which is best for you personally. And as always- no matter which you choose, ask lots of questions!
Direct From Disney
Benefits buying Direct from Disney
No restrictions on booking resorts- you can book at Riviera, Disneyland Villas and any new Vacation club resort that opens in the future.
It’s faster- you can close in a matter of days
You get discounts on Annual passes- it’s around $400 per annual pass for out of state annual passes, you can purchase up to 8 passes (must have proof that their permanent address is the same as the primary member)
You can have Disney buy back your first year current points, if your plans don’t include a vacation soon. It’s called “Magical Beginnings”- Eligible purchasers may exchange their full allotment of Vacation Points from the first Use Year for a cash rebate to be determined by Developer, currently $22 per point, subject to change.(click here for information )
You can use a credit card for the purchase price, great for those who are trying to make a higher minimum spend. There are a couple of Chase cards (including the Disney Visa from Chase) that allow purchases from DVC to have 6 months interest free and no payments on that purchase.
Access to DVC lounges-Epcot and Top of the World Villian Lounge at WDW, and Star View Station in tomorrowland in Disneyland. More are under construction.
Annual dues are prorated. If your use year is March and you are buying your contract in August, you will not pay for the full year of maintenance, but the amount is prorated.
Discounts at restaurants and stores- 10%-20% depending on Restaurant and Store. List of Discounts are here.
Drawbacks
More expensive, some resorts are twice the price per point
As a first time buyer, you must purchase 150 points from Disney. After you are a member (either buying direct or resale), you can add on a smaller amount of points (25 points for cash, 50 points if financing).
Buying Resale
Benefits of Buying Resale
Cheaper, much cheaper… most contracts 30% to 60% off Disney direct prices. (the only exception is Grand Floridian- the resale is similar to direct prices)
Can start with small contract, no minimum
Can buy contracts with extra points for extra value (some contracts include points owners haven’t used for the last year)
Great value for adding on points once you are a “blue card member”. Once you have all the benefits of a full member, you can add on contracts for significant savings.
Drawbacks to Resale
Resale restriction on new resorts. Disney instituted a change in 2019 that when you purchase a resale contract, you can not book at Riviera or any new resort in the future (like Disneyland tower, or the new Polynesian tower). You can only make reservations on the original 14 resorts.
Slower-it can take 2-3 months before you will be able to have access to the points to make a reservation.
Dues- you will pay the seller the full amount they paid for that year for dues, no matter how many months you have left to use the points. As an example, if you are purchasing a contract that has points expiring in a couple of months, you won’t close before they expire.
Starting January 1, 2026 Disney introduced a new $500 “Contract Administration Fee” for all resale contracts sold. This is every resale contract, no matter the point size so make sure the numbers work well for you if you are purchasing a small contract ( under 100 points). This fee is automatically added to your closing costs.
First right of refusal- Disney has the first right to any contract that is trying to be sold. They have 30 days to review and decide if they want to buy the contract at that price. If they decide to execute this, you will not be able to buy the contract and will have to start over. Good news right now is that Disney is buying back very few contracts right now.
Can only use credit cards for the deposit (usually around $1500)
Absolutely! We have both direct and resale contracts! Lot’s of people buy 150 points direct from Disney, and then add on different resorts or contracts from resale for the discounted rate.
Where can I purchase resale contracts for Disney Vacation Club?
There are many companies online that specialize in DVC resale. We have purchased all our resale contracts thru Fidelity Real Estate, and have had a great experience with the team there.
Where can I find more information about DVC Direct?
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