Worth it to buy 25 or 50 pts??

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

My dh has always wanted to buy DVC but we never seemed to find the right moment to purchase it nor did we have the $$ for 150 pts.

It is our 25th wedding anniversary and I thought it would be a nice idea to buy a low amount of points with the idea of using them every other year or every two years.

Do you think it is worth it for me to do this?? It's my intention to be able to stay dvc for 2 or 3 nights every other year or so.

Also, I understand that when you buy resale, there are restrictions to what you can use your points on - no dcl, no concierge and no adventures....is there anything else that is restricted.

Also, other than staying dvc, is there any other benefit to owning dvc points.

Thanks so much.

[DizBub]

Well, I always think this is a good idea. As far as your plan to stay only 2 or 3 nights every other year, I personally wouldn't bother buying DVC. Resale on so few points are almost impossible to find and you would still have to pay those Members Fees. No real advantages to owning such a small amount of points.

If you really want to buy 25 or 50 points should fit your visiting needs.

[AllieV]

Your idea was also my intent recently. Here's my thread. I liked the idea of buying what I could and getting the advantages of ownership like booking my own room, checking availability and cross-checking with airlines, harassing member services for a waitlist

If you're only going every few years, I'd recommend renting the points instead. Just my 3 cents.

[cz4ever]

Even a small DVC account has some advantages, e.g., the DVC rate for annual passes and some modest discounts. You would also, as Allie notes, be able to check availability directly which would make it relatively easy to rent (via transfer) points from another DVC owner. The downside is that small contracts tend to be quite pricey (no $50/point deals for that size) and the closing costs will be significant (e.g., a $300 closing cost is a big hit for a 25- or 50-point sale).

[Sandisw]

IMO, I think owning a small contract can still be worth it, especially if you want to stay in the deluxe resorts.

I was somebody who could never get involved in renting due to lack of control and the risks involved and started with only 50 points. Of course, in my case, it didn't take long and I added on--within a week of closing on my resale contract--but our plan was always to own more points!!!

While finding those 25 - 50 point contracts are more difficult and may be a bit more expensive, they are there and if you are flexible with home resort, can prove worthwhile in the long run.

In terms of the perks, definitely don't buy in for those as they can change all the time and are not guaranteed.

Good luck!

[sechelt]

I became an owner doing just that. I bought a 25 point contract, through the Timeshare Store, because it was all I could afford. I really wanted to be a part of DVC. Contact them (I dealt with Jamie) and have your name put on a list because the small point contracts often are sold before even being advertised. I admit I paid near full price and the closing costs were almost $300 but to me it was worth it, just to get my foot in the door. I have since added two 50 point contracts directly from Disney and with incentives, they actually cost less per point than what I paid resale. To me, that's the biggest advantage of being a DVC owner. Being able to add points in smaller contracts and when I want to.

Good luck and hopefully soon we can say, Welcome Home!

[ELMC]

Originally Posted by Donald & Daisy Duck

My dh has always wanted to buy DVC but we never seemed to find the right moment to purchase it nor did we have the $$ for 150 pts.

It is our 25th wedding anniversary and I thought it would be a nice idea to buy a low amount of points with the idea of using them every other year or every two years.

Do you think it is worth it for me to do this?? It's my intention to be able to stay dvc for 2 or 3 nights every other year or so.

If you can afford it, I don't see a reason not to do it. 50 points is enough to stay 4-5 nights every year in a studio at either BWV or AKV as well as OKW. That's a pretty nice vacation every year.

Originally Posted by Donald & Daisy Duck

Also, I understand that when you buy resale, there are restrictions to what you can use your points on - no dcl, no concierge and no adventures....is there anything else that is restricted.

I wouldn't worry about it, because with a 50 point contract you wouldn't really have enough points to take advantage of these options anyway.

Originally Posted by Donald & Daisy Duck

Also, other than staying dvc, is there any other benefit to owning dvc points.

There are, like a $150 discount on the annual pass and discounts at shops and things like that. However, these discounts are not guaranteed, can be revoked at any time and are, therefore, not a good reason to purchase DVC.

The challenge for you is going to be finding the right contract and trying to negotiate a price that works for you. 50 point contracts often fetch a premium, so you should research the real cost of a 50 point contract vs. a 100 point contract and see where the value is. Remember, you can always offset your purchase price by renting out the extra points. It's a little work, but it may be worth it! Good luck!

[DizBub]

Originally Posted by cz4ever

Even a small DVC account has some advantages, e.g., the DVC rate for annual passes and some modest discounts. You would also, as Allie notes, be able to check availability directly which would make it relatively easy to rent (via transfer) points from another DVC owner. The downside is that small contracts tend to be quite pricey (no $50/point deals for that size) and the closing costs will be significant (e.g., a $300 closing cost is a big hit for a 25- or 50-point sale).

Very good point about the closing costs on a small contract. Ouch.

I was going to mention that the single biggest perk/discount was the AP discount but since OP said they would only be coming 2 or 3 nights every other year didn't think that info was relevant.

[ELMC]

Originally Posted by DizBub

Very good point about the closing costs on a small contract. Ouch.

I was going to mention that the single biggest perk/discount was the AP discount but since OP said they would only be coming 2 or 3 nights every other year didn't think that info was relevant.

Agreed. But if they stay in studios at low times, they could easily bank and borrow to get as many as 20 nights within a 12 month period. (2011 and 2012 points for a 10 night stay, then 11 months later in 2013 use those points and 2014 points for another 10 night stay).

Another thing, and I hope The Mouse isn't listening, but that AP discount is too good. My prediction is that it will change sooner rather than later.

[DizBub]

Originally Posted by ELMC

Agreed. But if they stay in studios at low times, they could easily bank and borrow to get as many as 20 nights within a 12 month period. (2011 and 2012 points for a 10 night stay, then 11 months later in 2013 use those points and 2014 points for another 10 night stay).

Another thing, and I hope The Mouse isn't listening, but that AP discount is too good. My prediction is that it will change sooner rather than later.

I hear ya on this one. Totally agree because this is what I/you would do but when OP says they only want to stay every other year for such a short time I figure they have a reason for that.


If you hadn't already given yourself one of these I would have given you one. Shhhh.....ix-nay on the AP talk.

[DougEMG]

Originally Posted by ELMC

Agreed. But if they stay in studios at low times, they could easily bank and borrow to get as many as 20 nights within a 12 month period. (2011 and 2012 points for a 10 night stay, then 11 months later in 2013 use those points and 2014 points for another 10 night stay).

Another thing, and I hope The Mouse isn't listening, but that AP discount is too good. My prediction is that it will change sooner rather than later.

But getting such a good deal on the AP is a good reason for going more often, and hence needing more points

[ELMC]

Originally Posted by DougEMG

But getting such a good deal on the AP is a good reason for going more often, and hence needing more points

I believe that The Mouse believes that you will go anyway. And you will buy more points anyway. Let's face it, we're hooked. The AP discount is nice, but a lot of us would still go just as much without it (even if we say we wouldn't).

[zavandor]

I think it's worth, in fact I bought 65 points at SSR exactly with the idea to use them for a two week stay in adventure season every three year.
But it's a little difficult to be able to use all the points this way without the risk of loosing anything.
For example, I can use 195 points every three year. 15 nights in a studio @SSR in January is 192 points. 16 nights is 204. If I'll book 15 nights I'll have 3 points to spare that it's very difficult to use (you can only transfer points once per year, so it would be difficult to find someone willing to pay for only 3 points).
If I book 15 nights I'd have to buy 9 one time points, that are $15 from Disney. Not cheap, but it's an option.

If you plan to buy only 25 points to stay every other year, this problem will be more frequent for you, however very doable.

[Meggysmum]

Remember too that small contracts are usually sold at a premium as they are popular but that also means that if you decide it is not for you and choose to sell you may well find that you have a really easy contract to sell and will be able to ask a good price too!

Not that I think you will sell, once bitten you will probably have the bug and just want more!

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

Thanks so much for all your responses. I contacted the Timeshare Store and told them what I was interested in and will get emails from them twice a week or so.

I do understand that financially it is probably more prudent to purchase a larger block of points, but that is really I don't know if that would be ideal for our situation. I think we need to start small and work up to big

I will keep you posted on my progress. Our anniversary isn't till October, so I have a little time still