Advice on buying Disney Vacation Club points?

Ask the Timeshare Crusader / February, 2011

I am interested in purchasing Disney Vacation Club points but want to be sure I know all the ins and outs of buying on the resale market before taking the plunge. Any advice?

If you're thinking of buying a membership into Disney Vacation Club (DVC), best to complete the paperwork prior to March 20, 2011.

After March 20, consumers who purchase on the resale market will NOT get all the benefits that other DVC members get. They will not be eligible to make reservations for the Concierge, Disney, or Adventurer Collections. This means no reservations on Disney Cruises, no reservations at a host of Disney owned hotels, and no family tours through the Adventurer Collection.

However, vacation points purchased on the resale market will be valid for reservations at Disney Vacation Club resorts, as well as for RCI exchanges, Club Cordial, and Club Intrawest. Also, the new policy doesn't impact banking, borrowing or transferring vacation points. For those of you who purchased on the secondary market prior to March 21, 2011, you may use those vacation points for all member getaways.

Now, with all this knowledge under our respective belts, I am still a huge proponent of buying on the resale market vs. directly from the developer. With timeshares, there is no such thing as "new" and "used" - a timeshare is a timeshare, no matter where you buy it. If you are buying DVC solely for stays at DVC resorts -- or to exchange with the companies listed above - then, purchasing resale is the way to go. If you are more interested in the Disney Adventurer Collection, as an example, then you will need to buy directly from Disney (for a much inflated rate I'm sad to say).

I've covered many aspects of buying a timeshare - both from developers and via resale - in past issues of the RedWeek.com Newsletter. Please be sure to browse the RedWeek Timeshare Crusader archives for more information on this topic.