How to Rent Disney Vacation Club Points: The Best Way to Save Money on Disney Resorts

If you’re planning a trip to Disney World, trying to figure out how to save money may be at the forefront of your mind. Because I’m sure you hear people complain all the time about how expensive Disney is. And I won’t lie. It can be expensive. But there are also lots of way to save money at Disney World and here I’ll show you how to rent Disney Vacation Club Points to save thousands on Disney resorts.

If you haven’t heard of this before, it may sound too good to be true. Because why on earth would there be rooms that cost so much less out there to book? But I promise it’s not and I’ll explain it all to you. We’ve done it before and ended up in a Deluxe Resort room for a fraction of the cost of booking it on the Disney site.

So here’s everything you need to know about renting Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points for a cheaper stay.

What is Disney Vacation Club?

Disney Vacation Club is basically like a Disney timeshare. Members buy in and then get a certain number of points each year that they can use for a Disney stay.

Each member has a “home resort” that they can book their stay in, but at the 7 month mark, if there are openings at other resorts, they can book a stay at a different resort.

But if members aren’t going to use their points, or have a stay booked that they aren’t going to make it to, they can sell those reservations to other people. So these people would be “renting” the use of those points.

What are DVC Points?

DVC points are how Disney Vacation Club prices out stays for their members. Each member pays to have a certain number of points per year, and each stay will cost a certain number of points per night.

Disney Vacation Club Resorts

All Disney Vacation Club Resorts are Deluxe Resorts. While DVC members do have the option to use there points at certain Value or Moderate hotels (or even cruises!) you generally won’t be able to find these resorts available as a points renter.

So if you’re renting points, you will almost always be staying at a Deluxe Resort (generally for a cheaper price than a Moderate resort!).

But you also don’t have to use DVC points to stay at these resorts. They are bookable on the Disney website or through a travel agent. BUT using DVC points for a stay will save you a lot of money!

Walt Disney World DVC Resorts

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

Disneyland DVC Resorts

While Disney World by far has the most DVC options, you can also use points to stay at Disneyland in California.

• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel
• The Villas at Disneyland Hotel

Beach Destination DVC Resorts

There are also three beach destinations not connect to a Disney Park that you can use points at, including Hawaii!

• AULANI, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii
• Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort (South Carolina)
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (Florida)

What are DVC Rooms Like?

Room Location

DVC rooms are generally different than the rooms at the rest of the resort, and may even be in a separate section entirely.

For example, at the Contemporary Resort near Magic Kingdom in Disney World, the DVC rooms are next door to the main tower in Bay Lake Tower.

Room Design & Layout

Unlike the standard studio rooms that are in most of the resorts, by renting DVC points you can have an option to have a studio room, or a villa with one, two, or even more bedrooms.

Studio DVC rooms come with a small kitchenette. But villas with at least one bedroom come with a full kitchen (meaning you could save money by cooking some meals) and a washer and dryer. (Studio rooms have access to shared laundry facilities.)

The design of DVC rooms may be different than the rest of the resort in some instances too, because they are on separate refurbishment schedules. For instance, the room in the main tower of the Contemporary Resort got an Incredibles-themed makeover in 2021. But the rooms in Bay Lake Tower did not.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something to be aware of that when you hear about a Disney resort being renovated, that doesn’t necessarily mean the DVC rooms have as well.

How Much Does It Cost to Rent Disney Vacation Club Points?

How much it costs to rent Disney Vacation Club points varies depending on what resort you want to stay at, the size of the room, and the time of year.

But for a studio room you can generally expect to spend between 10 and 25 points per night, usually at a cost of $15 to $25 per point. (I usually see reservations around $23 per point.)

But how much can you actually save?

I price out DVC rentals vs. what they would cost booking through Disney all the time (in fact, you can sign up here to get my weekly deals), and I regularly see instances that save $1,500 to $2,000 per stay. I’ve seen deals that save $2,500 for five nights at Old Key West and $2,300 for four nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

So, if you want to stay at a Deluxe Disney Resort you can save A LOT.

How to Rent Disney Vacation Club Points

There are two main ways you can rent DVC points: renting through a service or renting directly from an owner.

We’ll talk about both, but I recommend renting through a service because it comes with some security. Most services offer some kind of free cancellation policy, and they can help you with any reservations issues.

By renting directly with an owner though, you have to put a lot of trust in that owner to make sure your reservation is booked as it should be.

Best Place to Rent DVC Points

My number one recommendation for where to rent DVC points is David’s Vacation Club Rentals. They have been around for years, and they make it so easy. This is who we use whenever we rent DVC points (like we did for our stay at Old Key West) and it was such a seamless process.

Here’s how it works:

First, you’ll complete an online reservation form. Here, you’ll include the dates you’re traveling and your resort and room preferences. You’ll also need to include the details for everyone traveling with you. To get them to look for a reservation, you’ll also have to pay a $105 deposit.

(Note: David’s Vacation Club rentals is based in Canada, so if you are a US customer you’ll want to use a credit card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.)

Then you’ll get an email confirmation from them. IF they were able to find your requested reservation, they’ll send you the reservation details and rental agreement. Your full balance will be due when you accept the reservation and sign the rental agreement. The $105 you already paid will go toward your balance.

IF they cannot get a reservation that matches your request, they will provide some alternatives for you. You can choose to accept one of these alternate reservations or you can get your $105 refunded.

Once you have a reservation, you’ll be sent a confirmation number that you can then link to your My Disney Experience account.

How Far in Advance Should You Make DVC Points Rental Reservations?

You should aim to make these reservations AT LEAST 7 months in advance, but 11 months is really best. (David’s site work on inventory 11 months out or less.) Some of the most in-demand resorts and room types sell out 11 months in advance, so you’ll have your best chance for these the sooner you book.

Rooms at resorts like the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Grand Californian can be hard to find. However there is usually pretty open availability at resorts like Old Key West and Saratoga Springs.

Alternate Method: Confirmed Reservations for Rent

I love searching through the Confirmed Reservations for Rent page to look for great deals!

These are reservations that have already been made and are now available for someone else to buy. Usually these are reservations that members made speculatively hoping they could sell or reservations they can no longer make it to.

Because they are already confirmed, there is no flexibility with them. But you can find some great deals!

Renting DVC Points from Owners

You can also choose to rent DVC points directly from an owner. There are definitely pros & cons to this though.

You will need to REALLY make sure you trust the person you are renting from. But you can also find points for a cheaper cost per point than you would through a service.

While there are various groups around where people post DVC points for rent, most people recommend this Disboards one.

Remember though that the owner is in charge of your reservation and you are subject to any changes they make to the reservation.

If you choose to go this route, I highly recommend buying travel insurance to insure your stay should anything go wrong or at least booking your stay using a credit card that includes travel insurance as a benefit.

While I don’t think it happens often, I’ve definitely heard horror stories of people renting DVC points through an owner, only to show up and learn that the owner didn’t pay or properly make the reservation and they don’t have a hotel stay.

Pros & Cons of Renting Disney Vacation Club Points

While renting DVC points is such a great way to save money, there are some things to be aware of. Here are some pros and cons.

Pros

• Can save you THOUSANDS of dollars on Deluxe Disney Resorts and Disney beach destinations.
• You’ll get access to all the on-property hotel perks like Early Entry and Evening Extended Hours (for Deluxe Resort guests only).
• DVC Members get free parking, and this benefit will also extend to you.

Cons

• You won’t get daily housekeeping (aka “mousekeeping). Usually with DVC resorts you’ll just get it once during your stay.
• You are subject to any changes the owner makes to the reservation.
• These reservations cannot be changed and are non-refundable.

But if you want to save money, are sure about your travel plans, and book the stay with travel insurance (or a credit card that includes travel insurance as a benefit), renting DVC points can save you so much money and help you stay at some of Disney’s best resorts!

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