If you had to do it over again, would you change your direct/resale strategy?

[DonMacGregor]

I'm confused about the 2022 points buying direct. Do you get them at either RIV or GFL right now? That "free points" was part of my pitch to DH for buying direct.

You get current use year points at any resort you buy direct from Disney. If you bought a March use year contract at Saratoga Springs, for example, you’d still be in the 2022 use year for another week or so, and would be entitled to the points that were issued March 1st of last year, because they are still current points until February 28th when 2023 March use year points become current.

 

[Canchaser143]

You get current use year points at any resort you buy direct from Disney. If you bought a March use year contract at Saratoga Springs, for example, you’d still be in the 2022 use year for another week or so, and would be entitled to the points that were issued March 1st of last year, because they are still current points until February 28th when 2023 March use year points become current.

I did not know this!

 

[Sandisw]

I'm confused about the 2022 points buying direct. Do you get them at either RIV or GFL right now? That "free points" was part of my pitch to DH for buying direct.

You get them for every UY but Feb, whether that is RIV or VGF, because we have started the 2023 UY for Feb. As soon as we hit March 1st, then March UY won't get them eithre. The "free points" is nothing more than buying late in a UY and being able to bank past the deadline.

And, because MF's are prorated by calendar year and not UY, it feels like they are "free"...but in essence, you are simply getting what you are entitled to get...the only exception is when a resort opens and then you only get points from the calendar year that it does.

S

 

[jodifla]

No wouldn't change anything. We bought 25 years ago and financed. Paid it off early. Then we added on direct and paid cash when I came into a small inheritance.

The financing cost was worth it. We got our points right away and escaped the skyrocketing costs of the points. And we used our points to pay for hotel rooms instead of paying cash.

And best of all we never had to kick ourselves and say, "we wish we would have bought earlier!"

 

[crazycatlady]

Thank you! The ability to bank some points for "free" is helping swallow the much higher price of direct. We haven't decided if we are going that route or not but keeps it under consideration. Then we would just pay pro-rated dues on the 2022 points (from Jan to Sept 30th?) if we were going for an Oct UY, correct?

My plan is to start making some lowish offers on resale AKL or CCR in the next couple of weeks and hope we snag something good. I would like to have these resale pts asap in case the incentives come out for DLH before May. We travel to DW in May to check out RIV and VGF to see if we love either of them enough to buy direct. If not, we will look for a smallish (100 pts or under) contract at BWV and wait for DLH or Poly2 for our direct points, if we decide to get any.

I believe that if a direct contract is my first DVC contract, we have to buy a contract with at least 150 pts, right? I can't buy one 75 point at VGL and one 75 point at RIV or DLH? Can I buy a smaller direct contract at DLH if we already own a resale contract at AKL? We only go to CA every other or every third year, so we don't need a lot of points there. I realize that I wouldn't get blue card privileges. I would buy another smaller direct contract somewhere else to get up to the required 150 pts.

 

[crazycatlady]

You get them for every UY but Feb, whether that is RIV or VGF, because we have started the 2023 UY for Feb. As soon as we hit March 1st, then March UY won't get them eithre. The "free points" is nothing more than buying late in a UY and being able to bank past the deadline.

And, because MF's are prorated by calendar year and not UY, it feels like they are "free"...but in essence, you are simply getting what you are entitled to get...the only exception is when a resort opens and then you only get points from the calendar year that it does.

S

Oh, got it. So Poly2 (if new Assoc.) and DLH won't be giving away the previous year points.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Oh, got it. So Poly2 (if new Assoc.) and DLH won't be giving away the previous year points.

Correct, because there was no prior use year (no resort, no points, no use year).

 

[intamin]

I believe that if a direct contract is my first DVC contract, we have to buy a contract with at least 150 pts, right? I can't buy one 75 point at VGL and one 75 point at RIV or DLH? Can I buy a smaller direct contract at DLH if we already own a resale contract at AKL?

If you are new to DVC, you are only allowed to buy 150 direct points or more and it must entirely be at one resort. You are also not allowed to split the 150 points into multiple contracts.
*updated thanks to DonMacGregor *

If you already own resale, then you can split the 150 direct points into however many contracts you’d like and as long as you reach 150 total direct points you qualify for benefits.

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

We bought AKV direct while waiting to close on VGF resale. We were able to get prior year points which we used for a Christmas time welcome home trip to BRV. We've also been to 2 MM events and take advantage of the dining and merchandise discount. Hopefully AP's will return as that is a big direct perk imo. Getting direct first to get the welcome home trip was great for us.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Deleted. Post I was commenting on is being corrected.

 

[crazycatlady]

We bought AKV direct while waiting to close on VGF resale. We were able to get prior year points which we used for a Christmas time welcome home trip to BRV. We've also been to 2 MM events and take advantage of the dining and merchandise discount. Hopefully AP's will return as that is a big direct perk imo. Getting direct first to get the welcome home trip was great for us.

Excellent point and something I hadn't considered. We were hoping to use our direct purchase for the first week of December this year and the welcome home trip would hopefully allow us to do that since I am sure by May the pickings will be slim. If I buy resale before May, I don't get the welcome home trip benefit when I buy direct for the first time?

 

[DonMacGregor]

We bought AKV direct while waiting to close on VGF resale. We were able to get prior year points which we used for a Christmas time welcome home trip to BRV. We've also been to 2 MM events and take advantage of the dining and merchandise discount. Hopefully AP's will return as that is a big direct perk imo. Getting direct first to get the welcome home trip was great for us.

When we bought our first contract at SSR, we had been looking resale for a few months and had learned about prior UY points when purchasing direct. After an issue with a bad listing and another with a VERY long delayed closing, we decided to go direct. We deliberately waited until January to buy our February UY points, knowing we'd have 150 points banked from day 1. Never had to borrow points since (and we are up to 525 points). In fact, we have 137 2023 points still available and all 3 of our 2023 trips are booked.

Some people say you're better to be constantly borrowing instead of banking, in case something goes south on Mother Earth again, but we like knowing that IF another trip opportunity presents itself or we want to gift some points, etc. they are always there.

 

[Sandisw]

Thank you! The ability to bank some points for "free" is helping swallow the much higher price of direct. We haven't decided if we are going that route or not but keeps it under consideration. Then we would just pay pro-rated dues on the 2022 points (from Jan to Sept 30th?) if we were going for an Oct UY, correct?

My plan is to start making some lowish offers on resale AKL or CCR in the next couple of weeks and hope we snag something good. I would like to have these resale pts asap in case the incentives come out for DLH before May. We travel to DW in May to check out RIV and VGF to see if we love either of them enough to buy direct. If not, we will look for a smallish (100 pts or under) contract at BWV and wait for DLH or Poly2 for our direct points, if we decide to get any.

I believe that if a direct contract is my first DVC contract, we have to buy a contract with at least 150 pts, right? I can't buy one 75 point at VGL and one 75 point at RIV or DLH? Can I buy a smaller direct contract at DLH if we already own a resale contract at AKL? We only go to CA every other or every third year, so we don't need a lot of points there. I realize that I wouldn't get blue card privileges. I would buy another smaller direct contract somewhere else to get up to the required 150 pts.

When buying direct, the dues are based on calendar year so you won’t pay any 2022 UY.

You will pay 2023 dues from the date you sign the direct contract, no matter what points you get.

For example, if I bought today with a Feb UY, I’d owe 2023 dues for about 10 1/2 months, and start with 2023 points.

If I bought today with a June UY, I’d get 2022 points…since I am still in my June 2022 UY, and my dues would be exactly the same,,, 10 1/2 months for 2023.…as they would if my UY was February.

If you decided to buy with an Oct UY, your 2023 dues will be based on date you buy…but as long as you buy before October 1st, you will get 2022 points.

 

[CarolynFH]

Then we would just pay pro-rated dues on the 2022 points (from Jan to Sept 30th?) if we were going for an Oct UY, correct?

Sandi just explained very well above - you’d pay prorated 2023 dues based on date you bought. Dues are calendar year, not UY.

If I buy resale before May, I don't get the welcome home trip benefit when I buy direct for the first time?

Correct. The welcome home benefit is for brand new direct buyers only who can’t book the dates they want (usually within 6-7 months of purchase, but not necessarily limited to that) because of availability. Not guaranteed to be your desired resort and not guaranteed at all, but they’ll try.

 

[crazycatlady]

Thank you!

 

[intamin]

Deleted

 

[DonMacGregor]

Deleted

 

[intamin]

Deleted

 

[DonMacGregor]

Deleted

 

[SkampyOne]

Oh, and for new members, you're getting a Sept UY (switched from August a few weeks ago). They do this so that you have plenty of time to hit your banking deadline.