Buying DVC Direct vs Resale – What’s The Difference?

Buying resale or direct you are a DVC member! Every member has the same banking, borrowing and booking windows. Every member is a deeded owner and,  you are treated the same with member services.  

You also have the same thing guaranteed in your contract that direct buyers have, your annual Vacation Points.  Yes that is correct,  the ONLY thing guaranteed by DVC, regardless of whether you’re buying directly from Disney or on the resale market, is that you get your points every year. Additional member perks that are available to members who purchased directly from Disney can be added, changed or completely taken away.

What Else Do You Get When You Buy A Resale Contact?

• You have the same expiration and maintenance fees as a direct buyer
• You have the same booking windows as a direct buyer
• You get free DVD rentals at DVC resorts
• You have access to Interval International

You also get savings buying resale that direct members do not receive!

There are a few benefits that you do not get when buying resale:

• Annual Pass Discount (see how many days you need to go to break even)
• Dining & Merchandise discounts (if you have the Disney Chase Visa or AP, you still have access to these discounts)
• Access to the member-only events
• Access to the lounge at Epcot
• Access to Top of the World at Bay Lake
• The ability to use your points for cruising (this is generally not a good value for your Vacation Points)
• Disney hotels (also generally not a good value for your Vacation Points)
• Concierge Collection Resorts
• Adventures by Disney
• Resale points purchased from the original 14 DVC resorts cannot be used at Riviera, Villas at Disneyland Hotel, and Cabins at Fort Wilderness

*Benefits and exclusions are subject to change. Click here for latest list of membership extras and eligibility.

Deciding to purchase a Disney Vacation Club property is a big and rather important decision. Owning DVC will allow you and your family to take luxurious vacations to Deluxe Disney resorts while creating long lasting memories for many years to come. How you decide to purchase your DVC contract can be an even bigger decision in which there are many factors to consider. Below, we’ll compare buying Disney Vacation Club direct versus buying resale. 

When Disney Vacation Club opened its first property in the early 1990s, Disney enthusiasts flocked to the resort to purchase a membership to DVC for a chance to be part of the ultimate vacation ownership club for Disney fans. But as with any type of large purchase, some owners eventually need to sell their contracts for various reasons, which created a secondary market that provides considerable cost-savings for resale contract buyers. 

The secondary resale market provides owners who can no longer use their membership with a way of passing along their contract to another family who can enjoy its membership and benefits for many years. It also offers potential DVC owners with a cost effective way to purchase a DVC contract at a large discount from Disney’s direct prices. 

What Are The Differences Between Resale And Direct Purchases?

Cost

The biggest difference between buying DVC resale versus direct is the cost of your purchase. 

Resale pricing can save a buyer anywhere from 30-50% off Disney’s direct prices. Below is a list of current Disney direct pricing compared to resale pricing.

*Prices are based on current DVC Shop listings and average sales prices at the time of writing this article. All pricing and availability subject to change. 

Resale buyers should also keep in mind that as with residential property listings, all listed prices are negotiable. Your DVC Shop representative can assist you in making a fair offer that will likely pass Disney’s Right of First Refusal (read more about ROFR here). 

Availability

When purchasing directly from Disney buyers must choose from the limited selection of contracts that Disney is currently selling. Disney is currently officially selling contracts at the new Riviera Resort and the Aulani Resort. It can be possible from time to time to purchase other home resorts directly from Disney, but it is subject to limited availability. Disney also only sells contracts of 100 points or more. While periodically owner upgrades or Right of First Refusal buybacks result in Disney having additional contracts to sell through their sales office, the available contracts usually remain limited to only the newest resorts.

The resale market, on the other hand, has a wide range of contracts available from many different buyers. There are contracts available at every Disney resort as well as small point and large point contracts. This makes purchasing the perfect contract for you and your family even easier as you’ll have the opportunity to purchase exactly what you need and want as opposed to buying only what is available direct through Disney.

Usability

Just like when purchasing direct from Disney, anyone who purchases a DVC contract as a resale will receive a membership with a Use Year and a number of points they are allotted to use each year. Resale buyers who purchase at any of Disney’s original 14 resorts receive the same usability as direct buyers for banking, borrowing and using points at these resorts. Resale buyers who purchase at the Riviera, Villas at Disneyland Hotel or Cabins at Fort Wilderness are limited to using their points at their home resort only.

All owners are also eligible to use their points through Interval International’s exchange program that offers a vast network thousands of resorts in over 80 countries.

All owners also have the ability to rent any amount of their yearly allotment of points. Renting points can offset a variety of vacations, including cruises, DVC cash stays or stays booked through DVC rental points. For more information about rentals contact a DVC Shop rental representative at this link. 

Are There Any Other Restrictions?

While purchasing resale can save you thousands of dollars, only members who own 150 points or more and purchased directly from Disney are eligible to use their points to book into a select number of Disney resorts and experiences including Disney Collection Resorts, Disney Cruises, Adventures by Disney and the Disney Concierge Collection.

Additionally, resale buyers are not eligible for some of the benefits that Disney has deemed “Membership Extras.” These incidental benefits are subject to change at any time and are exclusive to owners who have opted to purchase at least 150 points at full price directly from Disney (as of June 2021). 

Below is a list of some membership extras currently available to direct buyers:

• Other ticket discounts for events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and After Hours at Disney (generally $5 – $35 off general admission prices)
• Table-service dining discounts (from 10-20% off) – discounts not given on Quick-service dining
• Participation in some Member Exclusive Events

Use the following link for an updated list of membership extras and eligibility.

While the Membership Extras only benefit direct DVC buyers, there are a multitude of ways to obtain similar discounts without purchasing directly through Disney. For example, many resale buyers opt to sign up for a Disney Visa Credit Card by Chase which offers cardholders discounts on dining and shopping as well as other membership perks. After performing a cost analysis, most owners and potential owners agree that Membership Extras are not worth the extra cost of purchasing directly from Disney.

Buying Disney Vacation Club resale versus direct is a great way to save a substantial sum on your DVC purchase. For more information about purchasing a DVC resale contract, contact a licensed DVC Shop representative today. You can also view current DVC resale listings at this link.

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