Buy DVC Points: What You Need to Know
Purchasing DVC points is a meaningful financial commitment, and the decision deserves more than a surface-level comparison of prices. We've helped hundreds of families work through this analysis, and the ones who end up happiest with their ownership are the ones who understood what they were buying before they signed anything. Not just the per-point cost, but the mechanics of how the system works, what the ongoing obligations look like, and whether DVC actually fits their vacation patterns.
This guide walks through everything you need to understand before buying DVC points, whether you're considering purchasing directly from Disney or through the resale market.
What DVC Points Actually Are
DVC points are the vacation currency of the Disney Vacation Club system. Every year, your contract gives you a set number of points that you can use to book stays at DVC resort properties. The number of points required for any given room depends on the resort, the room type, and the time of year. A studio at a less-in-demand resort during a slow season might cost 10 or 11 points per night. A two-bedroom villa at a premium resort during the holiday period could require 50 or 60 points per night.
Points are allocated annually based on your contract's use year, which is the 12-month cycle during which your points are active. You can bank unused points from one use year into the next, or borrow points from the following year to cover a larger trip. These tools give you flexibility to manage your point balance across different vacation years, though both banking and borrowing have rules and deadlines that you need to understand to use them effectively.
What you're purchasing when you buy DVC is not a time-share in the traditional sense where you own a specific week at a specific property. Instead, you own a deeded real estate interest that gives you access to the point system across all DVC resorts. Your home resort determines where you have priority booking access, but your points can be used throughout the system within the applicable booking windows.
Direct Purchase vs. Resale: The Core Decision
You have two ways to purchase DVC points: directly from Disney through their sales organization, or through the resale market from an existing owner using a licensed resale brokerage like DVC Sales. The financial difference between these two paths is substantial, and it's the first thing any serious DVC buyer should understand.
Purchasing directly from Disney gives you access to the newest contracts and to certain member perks that resale buyers don't receive. These include discounted Annual Passes, the ability to exchange points for Adventures by Disney trips and Disney Cruise Line voyages, and a few other supplementary benefits. Disney direct pricing is set by Disney, and there's no negotiating on price.
Purchasing through the resale market means buying a contract from an existing owner who no longer wants or needs their membership. Resale contracts typically sell for 40% to 60% less than what Disney charges for the same points. The specific savings depend on the resort, contract size, and market conditions at the time of purchase. For the vast majority of families, the core value of DVC is in the villa stays themselves, and resale ownership delivers that same experience at significantly lower cost.
The trade-offs of resale are the restrictions: no booking at Disney Riviera Resort (for contracts at other resorts), and no access to the perks listed above. For families who primarily want to stay in DVC villas at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, these restrictions rarely matter in practice. For a deeper look at how restrictions work, see our how DVC works page.
How Much to Buy: Sizing Your Contract
One of the most common mistakes first-time DVC buyers make is purchasing too many or too few points. Getting the size right requires honest thinking about how you actually vacation, not how you imagine you might vacation in the best-case scenario.
Start by thinking about your typical DVC trip. How often do you see yourself going to a Disney resort each year? Once a year for a week? Twice a year for shorter stays? Every other year for a longer trip? Once you have a realistic picture of your vacation patterns, look at the point charts for the resort you're considering and calculate how many points your typical trip would require.
DVC point charts are publicly available and show the cost per night for each room type at each resort by season. A family that wants a studio at a moderate-demand resort for seven nights in the fall might need 100 to 130 points. A family that wants a two-bedroom villa at a premium resort during Christmas week might need 400 points for the same trip. The range is wide, which is why doing the actual math matters.
If you're on the fence between two contract sizes, leaning slightly smaller is generally the safer choice. You can always add points later through an additional resale purchase. Going too large on your first contract locks you into annual dues obligations on points you may not use, which adds cost without adding vacation value.
Choosing Your Home Resort
Your home resort is the single most consequential decision in a DVC purchase. It determines where you have 11-month priority booking access, which controls your ability to book the most desirable room types and dates at that property. At resorts with high demand, the difference between 11-month access and 7-month access can be the difference between getting the room you want and finding that it's already booked.
Think about which Disney destination and which specific resort you would want to stay at most often. If your family centers its Disney trips on Magic Kingdom, a resort on the monorail loop makes sense. If you love EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, a resort within walking distance of those parks has a real practical advantage. If you prefer a quieter, more immersive setting, Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge offer experiences you can't get at busier resort corridors.
Our resort guide covers all DVC properties with details on location, room types, amenities, and booking demand. It's worth spending time there before making a home resort decision, especially if you're not already familiar with all the DVC properties.
Price is also part of the home resort decision. Per-point resale prices vary considerably across the DVC system. More expensive home resorts cost more to purchase but may also retain value better on the resale market. Less expensive resorts offer lower entry costs and potentially lower annual dues. Our retail prices page shows current direct purchase pricing at each resort, and our listings page shows current resale pricing for comparison.
Use Year: More Important Than Most People Think
Every DVC contract has a use year, which is the 12-month period during which your annual point allocation is active. Common use years include February, June, August, September, October, and December. The use year determines when your fresh points load each year and sets the deadlines for banking unused points.
Choosing a use year that aligns with your vacation timing makes point management significantly easier. If you typically travel in July, a June or August use year means your fresh points load right before your travel season. If you travel at Christmas, an October or December use year works well. A use year that doesn't match your travel patterns means you're constantly banking or borrowing, which adds complexity and risk of losing points if you make a mistake.
When shopping for a resale contract, pay attention to the use year of any contract you're seriously considering. If you have flexibility on which use year you prefer, there are options. If you have a strong preference, be prepared for a more limited selection at some resorts.
Annual Dues: The Ongoing Obligation
Annual dues are not optional. They're a mandatory ownership obligation that you pay every year for the life of your contract, regardless of whether you use your points that year. Dues cover the operating costs, maintenance, and reserve funds for your home resort property. They're set by the resort's homeowners association and increase over time as costs rise.
The dues rate varies by resort, typically ranging from around $7 to $11 per point annually depending on the property. A 150-point contract might cost $1,100 to $1,650 per year in dues alone. Over a 25-year ownership period, cumulative dues on a 150-point contract can represent a substantial total cost, even before accounting for the initial purchase price.
When you calculate the true cost of DVC ownership, always include dues in your analysis. The purchase price and the cumulative dues together give you the real picture of what you're paying over time. For current dues rates at each resort, see our annual dues page.
What Buying DVC Points Actually Gets You
When you purchase DVC points, you're purchasing the right to use Disney Vacation Club resort accommodations for the life of your contract. The villas are genuinely different from standard Disney hotel rooms. Even entry-level studios typically include a kitchenette with a microwave, small refrigerator, and coffee maker. Larger villas include full kitchens, separate bedrooms, living rooms, and washer and dryer units.
For families who visit Disney World multiple times, the ability to prepare some meals in your villa can represent meaningful savings on top of the points-based nightly cost. More practically, it changes the rhythm of a Disney trip in a way that many families find makes extended visits more sustainable, especially with young children.
You're also getting access to resort amenities: pools, recreational facilities, and the full Disney resort experience. Your DVC villa puts you on Disney property, which means you benefit from transportation to the parks and all the on-property advantages that come with staying at a Disney resort.
The Closing Process When Buying Resale
When you purchase DVC points through the resale market, the transaction goes through a specific process that differs from typical real estate purchases. After submitting an offer through a licensed broker and having it accepted, the contract must go through Disney's Right of First Refusal review. Disney has up to 30 days to decide whether to match your offer and buy the contract themselves. If they pass, your transaction proceeds to closing with the title company.
At closing, as the buyer you'll pay Disney's $500 Administration fee in addition to your purchase price and other closing costs. The seller pays the $150 Estoppel fee. The title company records the deed with the appropriate Florida county, and Disney's member services then sets up your ownership account. From accepted offer to active membership typically takes 45 to 75 days.
For a complete walkthrough of the buying process, see our guide on how DVC works. And if you're ready to start looking at what's currently available in the resale market, our listings page shows all active contracts with full details. Our team at DVC Sales is available to answer questions at any stage of the process.
