Worth it to buy small 30pts contract as a starter?

[aenrigh1]

Hi All,

I've noticed some small contracts (30 pts) on the resale market for really good prices. Right now my family can easily fit into a studio, so we could get 2-3 nights in the off season if we went every year, or more nights if we went every other year. I assume that my family will grow and our visits will become more frequent, so how hard or expensive is it to add points later on. Do you advise doing that through Disney direct? Or should I wait until I can buy a larger contract (100+ pts). Trying to avoid financing.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you would be happy with that plan, go for it.

Buying more points directly is expensive but easy. Getting more via resale is less expensive but a process. I’m not sure any of it is *hard*, though.

 

[ironz]

It's possible, and a good idea to not have to finance DVC, for sure.
Do think through a few things:
--30 points doesn't really go very far, but if that works for your current needs, that's great. (You will probably want to make sure you can book your DVC stays as early as possible to get the best use of points-- some studios go fast, esp at certain times of year.)
--If you decide you want to add on (add-on-itis is real!), it is more convenient as far as point management to at least add on in the same Use Year, if not at that same resort with same UY. So you may have to wait for the perfect add-on contract.
-- With a small original contract, if you add on at a different resort, you will not be able to combine those points for one longer reservation at the 11 month mark. You'd have to do a split stay or wait until 7 months to combine.

just a few things to think about, coming from an owner with 2 small contracts (65 and 50 points). But if you buy, welcome home!

 

[BillPA]

Just be aware that there are additional cost when buying. You have closing costs, title insurance.... It could run you $300-400 on a 30 points contract

 

[clutter]

I have a 35 point contract that I purchased when AKV opened. I was a DVC owner at BCV at the time, so I was able (then, don't know about now) to purchase that minimum amount of points. A few years ago, I sold my BCV since I don't go to Disney as often. However, I can bank and borrow to 105 points, which will get me a value season studio every three years. The nice thing about a small contract is that the annual fees aren't that much. I have a Disney visa and charge my everyday expenses on it. That earns me enough points each year to pay the fees. So other than my initial investment (which I will likely get back when I sell) my DVC stays are free!

All that said, my BCV points were a resale contract before Disney started restricting benefits for resale purchasers, so I was grandfathered in. And my AKV was direct from Disney (but also purchased before the restrictions). So that would be a serious consideration for me.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi All,

I've noticed some small contracts (30 pts) on the resale market for really good prices. Right now my family can easily fit into a studio, so we could get 2-3 nights in the off season if we went every year, or more nights if we went every other year. I assume that my family will grow and our visits will become more frequent, so how hard or expensive is it to add points later on. Do you advise doing that through Disney direct? Or should I wait until I can buy a larger contract (100+ pts). Trying to avoid financing.

From looking back using my own experience, the answer would be no.

We bought a very small AKV contract just to get our feet wet. And while it was worth it to go small for that experience, the size of that contract left very little room for flexibility. That 25-point contract didn't go too far (6 nights in a std. view studio every 3 years during Adventure Season) and before you knew it, we were adding on another contract to be able to do more. In hindsight, a 100-point contract would have been the ideal starting point for us.

However, everyone is different. If you feel that you can make 30 points work for you at your home resort (don't count on AKV value studios or bwv std. views) during the times when you vacation the most, then go for it.

 

[The Jackal]

Which resort are you looking at. At most you might get 2 nights, some just 1 night with only 30. Like others have said, a little bigger contract will give more leeway. Some rooms are difficult to get even with the 11 month home resort booking ability. But I think OKW is only 10 points a night, so it could be a last resort possibility. Most people start with a smaller contract then want more and more. There are several threads on this. It’s called Add-on-itis and is contagious. Watch out.

 

[SL6827]

I bought a 40 point contract to do just that. Get my feet "wet". Will either add on to that one in the future, or sell it and buy a 75-85 point contract and that will be it for us.

 

[Dean]

Hi All,

I've noticed some small contracts (30 pts) on the resale market for really good prices. Right now my family can easily fit into a studio, so we could get 2-3 nights in the off season if we went every year, or more nights if we went every other year. I assume that my family will grow and our visits will become more frequent, so how hard or expensive is it to add points later on. Do you advise doing that through Disney direct? Or should I wait until I can buy a larger contract (100+ pts). Trying to avoid financing.

Unless one is well versed in DVC and timeshares AND has a specific long term plan where this would work, I wouldn't do it. On 30 points one might never make up the difference in cost when you consider the closing costs in addition. I certainly wouldn't buy to add on later, it really limits you're options on doing so.

 

[kristenrice]

Hi All,

I've noticed some small contracts (30 pts) on the resale market for really good prices. Right now my family can easily fit into a studio, so we could get 2-3 nights in the off season if we went every year, or more nights if we went every other year. I assume that my family will grow and our visits will become more frequent, so how hard or expensive is it to add points later on. Do you advise doing that through Disney direct? Or should I wait until I can buy a larger contract (100+ pts). Trying to avoid financing.

I just want to add that the lower point seasons are NOT the "off" season for DVC. They are actually some of the busiest times and it can be very hard to get a room, particularly a studio, during some of these "low" seasons. If you only have 30 points, you better make sure you lock up a room at your home resort at the 11 month mark because your options at 7 months will be limited not only by availability but also by your small contract size. With only 30 points, I would definitely not plan on using it for annual vacations. You might find better flexibility and less anxiety by using 60 points every other year.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I'm considering doing the same thing - except I'm looking at 50-60 point contracts. We aren't necessarily "every year for a week" travelers, but looking at the past five years, we've gone about every 18 months for anywhere from 3-5 nights at a time. When we've rented points in the past, we've either rented an OKW studio for a long weekend in September, or 5 nights in a studio in the summer. This has run us anywhere from 50-80 points. The purchase of a 50 point contract would be to guarantee we could continue to afford to do Disney at least every other year, years from now when who knows what a room at Pop, French Quarter, or even a cash or rented points stay at OKW would run us. We love Old Key West, so I'm not worried about getting enough points to get us a studio at one of the higher point resorts. I keep doing the math every which way, and I feel like this will save us money in the long run, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet!

 

[FireflyTrance]

I purchased a 50 point contract and regretted it. It's just too small to do much with, even if you like to stay in studios. We like to stay at least 6 nights each time we go though. If you live nearby and are truly ok with 2-3 night trips, then maybe?

 

[momtwoboys]

we bought a resale contract 100 points, and it had 100 points not used and 100 coming so for a great price we have a allotment of 200 to start, and book studios so we will use some and bank the rest for the next year..