Renting DVC points- A Great Way to save Money on Disney

What in the world is renting DVC points? DVC is short for Disney’s Vacation Club. This is Walt Disney’s version of a time share. If you have questions about what DVC is, start here. Kim has broken the basics down for you over several articles. I’m going to lay out how to how to stay in a deluxe resort for less, without being a DVC owner.

Renting DVC points

If you are a DVC owner you have a certain amount of points available to you based on how you initially purchased. What happens if you can’t use your points? You can rent them out to other Disney lovers. Here is where you and I stand to benefit.

In this scenario we are going to be talking about renting via a broker, specifically the DVC Rental Store. Just so I have your full attention as to the amazing saving potential I am going to give you my killer deal up front. This is really the best case scenario where all the stars have aligned to give me the best deal.

The Big Deal

I was able at book a studio villa room at Saratoga Springs which is a deluxe resort on a Saturday night for….. drum roll please $144! The rack rate for this particular resort on Saturday in July was $407 and $284 for a Florida Resident. That is quite a cost savings.

Renting Points

I used the DVC Rental Store to book my room. ( this is not sponsored, I paid for the room with my own money) They have a handy calculator to determine how many points you will need to stay in a particular room on your chosen night(s). The cost per point is somewhere between $17-20 depending on the resort and time of year. You can make a request to book your desired room in advance.

Now here is where you can really save some money. The DVC Rental Store has an ever changing list of discounted reservations or super discounted points. They have an email that goes out every week with the discount specials. I check it every week!

When you see some discounted points they are typically going to expire soon ( within a few months). This may not work if you are not flexible or are planning far into the future. The super discounted rooms are typically just available at Saratoga Springs due to the size and larger availability of the resort.

The Process

When you receive the email, check the discounted points and submit a request via the website with your dates and desired room size. I did ask to use the points at Animal Kingdom lodge because I saw a room was available. I can check this because I am a DVC member but you can also try this tool.

The agent at the rental store responded to my request confirming the availability. Within 24 hours.

I then confirmed I wanted to book the room. At that point the room at Animal Kingdom Lodge was gone but there was still a room at Saratoga Springs. I said I wanted to move forward with booking.

About 12 hours later I received another email asking me to pick my room type , standard or preferred. A few hours later I was sent information on how to pay for the room via their payment portal online. I had to pay for the room before it was booked. After I responded the agent then had to reach out to the actual owner of the points. The owner of the points then books the room for me as their guest.

As you can see there is quite a bit of back and forth. The rooms can get booked up at any minute. I was very diligent about checking and responding to my emails so I would not miss out on this amazing deal.

I have tried unsuccessfully to book with the discounted points in the past. It is worth checking. Sometimes there are great deals to be found. Maybe you would be able to stay at a place you may not otherwise be able to afford.

You can use this service to book a deluxe resort at a great savings 11 months in advance. Or if you are flexible like me you can snag a great rate last minute. Check out our little video to see all the fun to be had at this amazing deluxe resort. I have also included a handy list of all the deluxe resorts. (At the time this article was published)

DVC Resorts

• Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House
• Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village
• Bay Lake Tower ( Contemporary)
• The Grand Floridian
• The Polynesian Resort
• The Beach Club Resort
• The Board Walk Resort
• The Wilderness Lodge- Copper Creek
• The Wilderness Lodge-Boulder Ridge
• Old Key West
• Saratoga Springs
• Vero Beach Resort
• Grand Californian Resort
• Aulani Resort in Hawaii
• Disney’s Hilton Head Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort – Opening Soon

Have you rented points before? Is it something you may try? Reach out with any questions. Let me know in the comments!