Is the blue card as important if you live in the UK?

[Michael UK]

Hi, I am sure that this has been asked many times previously (so apologies) but I have been planning on purchasing DVC for years and was always keen on going direct just to get the perks. After a bit of research and through reading on here I now see that some perks can only really be explored if you live close to the parks such as the moonlight evening events. I'm keen to go upstairs for a coke in Epcot but don't want to pay an additional £20k to do so!

I am now considering the part purchase direct, remainder resale. Just wondered if you thought it was even worth doing that?

Thanks in advance!
Mike

 

[Ronaldo17]

We have a blue card as we bought resale in 2014, IMO the perks are not worth the extra cost in buying direct. The Epcot lounge is okay but DVC can remove it again whenever they want, it only opened a couple of years ago.
I would buy resale and add extra points with the savings, that way you get more points whatever happens.

 

[Michael UK]

Thank you for replying, makes sense.

 

[Jon84]

Top of the World lounge is available with resale, which is nice, but other than that, no perks were worth more than the $25k we saved doing resale!! (for us anyway!)

 

[bookwormde]

As far as dollar savings gold AP is likely less valuable assuming you visit only once a year and can still access the UK 14 day an possibly 21 day tickets

Special DVC events are much less valuable for those of us who have to plan our trips well ahead of time, since it is hit and miss if they will fall during a visit.

If you feel you want to book RIV regularly that might be a reason, though for I would just transfer in points or rent some days if I had to stay there

I would rather have 35% to 2x more points by going resale

 

[Bruggok]

The standard recommendation is to buy a good value resale contract of the Use Year that fits your travel pattern. In a few years if you are tired of WDW, you sell it and likely won't lose much money. If by then WDW fully reopened, international travel reopened, and you feel a blue card will bring you much happiness, then a direct add-on contract is easy because 1) existing owner gets discount and 2) they will match your existing Use Year.

Buying direct first is a poorer alternative. If you then buy resale it's much harder to find the same UY that is also priced fairly. Worse yet, if you decide you no longer want to visit WDW every 1-2 years, selling that direct contract will result in at least $50 per point loss.

 

[RoseGold]

I'm not sure why you'd ever buy direct from the UK, assuming the 14/21 day tickets return. You don't even need the AP discount, assuming that ever exists again, which is the only way I could justify it mathematically.

There are a few other perks that may or may not return, like discounts on the spa, golf, tours. There were some one-off events that I'd never go to -- not just MM, but also some paid events, like painting or wine tasting or whatever. I do have a little FOMO when I hear about those on the podcasts, but I'd never fly in for those, and it's an easy trip for me, and they might never exist again.

There is a restaurant discount. You could get a lot of the way there with Tables in Wonderland, assuming that ever exists again. I bought one with a white card in January 2020.

There's also a merch discount, which I have also gotten with a white card, in person and online, though technically white card should not qualify.

So, yea, that's an expensive Coke at Epcot.

 

[pinklotusflower]

We bought resale prior to the changes & have a blue card, being from the UK we get the 14 day tickets as it works out cheaper for us than discounted annual passes. You also get a discount on some merchendise and some restaurants. Your better off using the money you would spend on buying direct and get a lot more points buying resale. There's two of us & we got enough point to stay in a one bed 2x weeks a year, if we'd have bought direct we'd be staying in a studio.

 

[macman123]

I have 155 points direct, to get the Blue card and then 1845 resale. I only have 155 direct so I can book RIV if I need to.

 

[cheryl.UK]

We make good use of our blue card due to the Gold AP. We go twice within 12 months and spend 7 weeks in WDW. The 21 day pass does not quite cover one trip and anyway 2 21 day passes cost more than the gold AP

 

[Lee Matthews]

I would like to go to Disney yearly. Even if I don’t go to the parks so I think I will do a big 2 week holiday one year and buy the UK tickets. 2nd year go for just a week and not buy park tickets. Chill for the week but maybe by tickets to the Halloween party.

 

[Ronaldo17]

We have Gold APs and we go twice a year for three weeks each time. The Gold AP is cheaper than even two 14 day tickets, and even better value when you get DVC AP renewal rates.

 

[PoohBears#1fan]

We also make good use of the Gold APs, we'll try and get 3 trips in within the year - we have Oct '21, Feb '22 booked and will book Sept '22 so great value from the APs.

When we bought our last add on, the add on incentives with the longer contracts made buying direct by far the most viable deal, I'd said in the past that I'd never buy direct again with the current prices, but was proven wrong with the incentives.

The perks of membership have changed significantly over the years, but we feel we've enjoyed many of them.

 

[Lee Matthews]

Im now so conflicted. Main contract is still going through ROFR and I’m now looking at an add-on for AKV.

125 points direct would be about £16K vs £11k. Surely over the duration of 35 years, £4K isn’t bad when considering annual passes and discounts. Resale prices are really closing that gap.

of course I need to decide how often I want to travel

 

[m4tty_j]

I'm in this struggle at the moment. Due to work, we tend to only go over the Christmas period, so the points to stay requirement is of course higher.
To me, its making more and more sense to buy resale. The extra perks like MM and the Epcot lounge we probably wouldn't ever get to, or make massive use of.

 

[macman123]

I have 155 points direct and 2500 resale......

Just enough for the blue card.

 

[starry_solo]

It depends on your traveling habits. If you go twice within a one year time period, it might be worth it to get enough direct points to get the DVC AP once it is brought back.

Like you go November 1-14, 2022. The next year go October 15-31, so you have two trips under one AP, that sort of thing...

 

[macman123]

It depends on your traveling habits. If you go twice within a one year time period, it might be worth it to get enough direct points to get the DVC AP once it is brought back.

Like you go November 1-14, 2022. The next year go October 15-31, so you have two trips under one AP, that sort of thing...

That is what I do. Go, get an AP and then go again 11 months later.

 

[Louise Potts]

Im now so conflicted. Main contract is still going through ROFR and I’m now looking at an add-on for AKV.

125 points direct would be about £16K vs £11k. Surely over the duration of 35 years, £4K isn’t bad when considering annual passes and discounts. Resale prices are really closing that gap.

of course I need to decide how often I want to travel

Hi, do you mind if I ask if you bought direct? Just i have looked to do an add on to our resale contract to get the blue card but was told by a DVC guide online that you only get blue card if you buy at least 150pts and i noticed you were pricing up 125 pts

Thanks!

 

[macman123]

I have 155 BLT direct and now 200 RIV direct.......

It was 125 points direct for blue card but went up to 150 points.