DVC Resale 101: The Questions Every First-Time Buyer Asks

Sponsored by The Timeshare Store, Stack the Magic's exclusive partner for DVC resale and rentals.

Quick Answer: Buying Disney Vacation Club points on the resale market usually costs far less than buying from Disney, often $10,000 to $22,000 less on a 150-point contract by our math. The trade-offs are narrow but real: resale points can't book Riviera or the other newer restricted resorts, and they skip Disney's member perks. Size the contract to the trip you take every year, check its expiration date, and allow two to three months from accepted offer to first booking.

You've stayed in a DVC villa and now you're wondering about owning one. Then a resale listing hits you with BW160-08, 51 / 2026, BKD, expires 2042.

Why does resale cost so much less than buying from Disney?

Disney sells new points at its Walt Disney World resorts for $215 to $275 a point, before promotions. Resale contracts at the same resorts run from about $80 a point at Old Key West to about $185 at the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, based on The Timeshare Store's current price ranges, with small contracts at the top of each range.

You get the same deeded real estate, the same reservation system and point charts, and the same booking windows: 11 months at your home resort, 7 months elsewhere. Resale contracts can also be as small as 25 points; Disney asks new members to buy at least 100.

What can't resale points do?

Since January 19, 2019, Disney's rules let owners who didn't buy from Disney book Disney's Riviera Resort only if it's their home resort, and resale Riviera points book only Riviera, plus the DVC World Collection. The Cabins at Fort Wilderness and The Villas at Disneyland Hotel work the same way.

Resale points at the original resorts, Old Key West through Copper Creek plus the Polynesian's Island Tower, can book any of those resorts. They can't be used for Disney Cruise Line or Disney's hotel exchanges, and resale owners don't get Membership Extras, Disney's member discounts and events.

Our take: the biggest difference is Membership Extras, which only direct owners get, and for us the annual pass discount is the one that counts most. If that matters to you, or cruising on points or regular Riviera stays is the dream, buy direct. If not, resale gives up very little, and the discounts on Disney's Visa cards make up some of what you miss.

How do you read a resale listing?

Take one from The Timeshare Store's BoardWalk Villas listings when we looked on October 16: 160 points, an August use year, $125 a point. Here's what each detail means:

• Use year: the month your points arrive (August, here). It doesn't limit when you travel, but it sets your banking deadline: March 31 for an August use year.
• Points available: this year's points and the next two years'. This one has 51 now and 160 arriving August 1, 2027, so the seller used most of this year's. A year showing more than the contract size is "loaded" with banked or borrowed points and costs a bit more; one with this year's points used up is "stripped."
• Banked (BKD): points carried into the next use year. They can't be banked a second time.
• Expiration: every contract ends January 31 of a set year, from 2042 at BoardWalk, Beach Club, Boulder Ridge and Old Key West's original deed, out to 2075 at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness.
• Dues at closing: any share of this year's dues you'd owe. Here it's $0, since no dues are owed until 2027.

Fewer years left means fewer trips to spread the price over, so later end dates cost more. Old Key West shows it cleanly: its 2057 extension sells for about $15 a point more than its 2042 deed. If you'll own for 15 years rather than 40, the earlier date can be the better buy.

How many points does your family need?

Start from the trip you take every year, not the listing. On Disney's 2026 chart, a week in a standard-view deluxe studio at BoardWalk Villas takes 76 points in September and 158 over Christmas; a one-bedroom villa takes 149 to 306 for the same weeks. A studio week a year usually means something like 100 to 160 points, and a one-bedroom roughly doubles that. Buy too few and you're renting the difference.

The Original DVC Resale Experts, Since 1994

Find the DVC resale contract that fits your family

The Timeshare Store lists Disney Vacation Club resale contracts across Walt Disney World, with the points, use year and price per point on each one.

Browse DVC resale listings ↗

Post sponsored by The Timeshare Store, Stack the Magic's exclusive partner for DVC resale and rentals. The Timeshare Store, Inc. is a Florida real estate corporation licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (license CQ1007362).

Our DVC Resale Calculator sizes the contract for your own trip and compares owning it with paying Disney’s cash rate every year.

What does it cost to close, and how long does it take?

At closing you'll pay the title company's closing costs, Disney's $500 Contract Administration Fee on every resale contract signed since January 1, 2026, and any current-year dues the seller hasn't covered. After that, dues come every year and tend to rise: roughly $1,250 to $1,850 a year on 150 points at Walt Disney World's resorts in 2026.

Then there's the wait. After you sign and pay a 10% deposit, Disney has a right of first refusal: it can buy the contract itself on the same terms. It has up to 30 days to decide and rarely steps in; The Timeshare Store says Disney bought back fewer than 4% of its 2026 sales through August, and your deposit comes back if one is.

Closing, then Disney's transfer into your name, take about another one to two months, so leave room before a specific 11-month booking. Loans come from specialist lenders, typically 10% down over up to 10 years, and the first lender on The Timeshare Store's financing page quotes roughly 12% to 18% APR, so paying cash or keeping the loan short saves a lot.

Walt Disney World resorts only. From The Timeshare Store's resale price ranges and closing costs, Disney's resale FAQ and DVCNews' tracking of Disney's direct prices. Last Checked: October 16, 2026.

So, should you buy resale?

Buy resale if you take a Walt Disney World trip most years, know which resort feels like home, and don't need Riviera or a cruise on points. Pick a late-ending resort for a 30-year family tradition, or Old Key West's 2042 deed for the lowest price per point.

Never stayed in a villa? Rent points for one trip first; it's the cheapest way to see whether a studio fits your crew. When you're ready, The Timeshare Store's resale listings filter by resort, points and use year.