DVC resale points are one of the best-kept secrets in Disney travel. While most people assume that owning Disney Vacation Club means paying Disney's full retail price, the resale market offers a way to get into the same program for significantly less. This page covers what DVC resale points actually are, how they work, and what you need to know before you buy.
What Are DVC Resale Points?
Disney Vacation Club is structured around points. Each year, as a member, you receive a set number of points based on your contract. Those points are your currency for booking resort stays across the DVC system. When you buy on the resale market, you are purchasing a contract from an existing DVC member who has decided to sell. The deed transfers to you, and all the points that come with that contract are yours to use going forward.
So DVC resale points are not a different category of points. They are the same points, attached to the same deeded ownership, just purchased from a person rather than directly from Disney. Once the transfer completes, you are a full DVC member with the same annual points, the same home resort priority, and the same ability to bank or borrow points across use years.
The thing that makes resale attractive is price. Because you are buying from a private seller rather than Disney, the per-point cost is typically much lower than what Disney charges for the same resort. That difference can add up to thousands of dollars on a single contract.
How Resale Points Work Day to Day
Once your contract closes and Disney processes the transfer, your membership is active. Each year when your use year rolls around, your full point allotment replenishes. You log into the DVC member site, browse available rooms, and book stays using your points.
The booking process is the same whether you purchased resale or direct. You call or use the member website to check availability and reserve a room. Points are deducted based on the number of nights, the room type, the resort, and the time of year.
You also have flexibility in how you use your points year to year. If you do not use all your points in a given year, you can bank them into the following use year. If you want to take a larger trip than your annual allocation allows, you can borrow points from next year. Both options give you room to plan your vacations without rigid year-to-year constraints.
The Home Resort Booking Window
One of the most valuable features of DVC ownership is the home resort booking advantage. As a member, you can book your home resort 11 months before your check-in date. For every other DVC resort, the booking window opens at 7 months.
This matters a lot for popular resorts and busy travel times. If you want a studio at Beach Club Villas during an EPCOT festival, or a two-bedroom at Polynesian over a holiday week, you are going to need that 11-month window. Trying to grab those rooms at 7 months is possible but competitive. Owners at those resorts have a real advantage.
So when you are choosing which resort to buy, think about where you actually want to stay most. Browse our current DVC resale listings to see what is available at your preferred resorts.
What Resale Buyers Do and Do Not Get
This is worth being straightforward about. Resale buyers get full DVC membership benefits at their home resort, including the 11-month booking priority, access to all DVC resort inventory at the 7-month window, and the ability to bank, borrow, and trade points through Interval International. You can book any DVC villa type from studios to grand villas.
What resale buyers do not get are the so-called Membership Extras. These are perks that Disney reserves for members who purchased directly. The list has changed over time, but it has included things like access to Disney Collection hotels, Concierge Collection properties, and certain special events. Disney made this change to the resale program back in 2016.
For most buyers, these missing extras do not matter much. The core of DVC is booking DVC resorts, and that part works exactly the same whether you bought resale or direct. But it is worth knowing the difference so you are not caught off guard.
There is one additional exception worth mentioning. Riviera Resort contracts purchased on the resale market can only be used at Riviera. They do not have access to other DVC properties. This is a unique restriction that applies only to Riviera resale contracts. If you are buying at Riviera, plan to stay at Riviera.
Understanding Annual Dues
Along with the purchase price, every DVC member pays annual maintenance fees. These dues cover the ongoing cost of running the resorts, including housekeeping, landscaping, utilities, insurance, and management. They are charged per point, and the rate varies by resort.
Dues are a real ongoing cost and should factor into your decision. The DVC annual dues page shows current rates across all resorts. When you compare the cost of DVC ownership to what you would otherwise pay for comparable Disney accommodations, dues are part of the math.
Generally, DVC ownership makes strong financial sense for families who visit Disney regularly. The per-night cost of a DVC villa when you spread the purchase price across the life of the contract, add in annual dues, and account for what you would otherwise spend on deluxe hotel rooms tends to favor ownership. But that calculation depends on how often you go, where you stay, and what you paid for the contract.
What to Look for When Shopping Resale Points
Not all DVC resale contracts are the same, even if they are at the same resort. Here are the key factors to compare:
Price per point: This is the most direct way to compare contracts across resorts and sellers. Divide the total asking price by the number of contract points to get the per-point cost. Compare this to the DVC retail prices page to see how much you are saving versus buying direct.
Available points: What points come with the contract right now? Some sellers strip their points before listing, meaning you would get little or nothing in the first year. Others may have banked extra points, giving you a head start. The listing should show this clearly.
Use year: This is the month when your annual points renew. It also determines your banking and borrowing deadlines. Different use years work better for different vacation habits. A June use year works well if you tend to travel in late summer or fall. A February use year suits people who vacation in spring and summer.
Contract expiration: DVC deeds expire at a set date that varies by resort. Older resorts like Old Key West and Vero Beach expire as early as 2042. Newer resorts run to 2060, 2068, or beyond. A longer deed gives you more years of use, which affects the long-term value of what you are buying.
The Resale Process at DVC Sales
DVC Sales is a licensed real estate brokerage that handles DVC resale transactions. When you find a listing you like on our listings page, you submit an offer. If the seller accepts, both parties sign a purchase agreement and the contract goes to Disney for their Right of First Refusal review. Disney has 30 days to decide whether to match the sale price and repurchase the contract. If they pass, closing begins with a licensed title company.
From accepted offer to completed transfer, the process typically takes 60 to 90 days. As a buyer, you pay the agreed price plus closing costs. Disney charges a $500 administration fee on the buyer's side. You do not pay a commission to DVC Sales. Our commission comes from the seller's side of the transaction.
Our team is available seven days a week if you have questions at any point. You can also use the DVC compare prices tool to benchmark what you are seeing against the broader market.
Is Buying Resale the Right Move?
For most buyers who plan to vacation at Disney regularly, yes. The savings versus buying direct are real and significant. The booking system works the same way. The resorts are the same. And with a licensed brokerage like DVC Sales handling the transaction, the process is straightforward and properly documented.
There are cases where buying direct makes sense. If you specifically want access to the Membership Extras perks, or if you are buying at Riviera and want flexibility to book other resorts with those points, direct might be worth the premium. But for the majority of buyers who want to stay at DVC resorts and save money doing it, resale is the smarter path.
If you are ready to get started, browse our current listings or reach out through our contact page. We are happy to walk you through the options and help you find the right contract for your family.
