Renting DVC Points: How Many Points Do I Need to Rent?

The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) offers some of the nicest Disney vacations to its members. Luckily, you don't need to be a member of the club to still enjoy these deluxe vacations. Did you know that you can rent DVC points? Naturally, the next question you're probably wondering is how many points do I need to have an amazing Disney vacation?!

This renting DVC points article will provide everything you need to know about just how many DVC points you should rent for your next Disney Vacation.

Safest Way to Book DVC Points! If you're looking for the easiest way to rent DVC points then our partners DVC Rental Store and David's Vacation Club rentals offers the most secure way to book your reservation. DVC Rental Store is the most flexible option with guests only having to put down a 25% deposit for trips booked at least 75 days out. David's Vacation Club rentals offers low prices and a requires a deposit down to begin searching availability.

Renting DVC Points: Quick Overview

If this is the first time you're hearing about renting DVC points, you'll want to start with our complete Mickey Visit guide on how to rent DVC points. It'll also explain why renting DVC points is such a great option to enjoy DVC accommodations without being a member. In short, non-DVC members can rent points from current DVC members and use them to book stays at a deluxe Disney resort. This includes resorts such as the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian Village and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

DVC accommodations are typically more spacious than hotel rooms and provide lots of other perks that hotel stays do not. You can learn more about the advantages of staying on a DVC reservation in our DVC buying guide. You really can't go wrong when renting DVC points as it's almost always a cost-savings route where you get more bang for your buck!

Our partners, DVC Rental Store and David's Vacation Club rentals, offer the safest and most secure way to renting DVC points. Here's the breakdown on both companies and how they differ.

DVC Rental Store

Our partner DVC Rental Store is known for their great flexibility and cancellation policy for renting DVC points. This is the perfect choice if you're feeling a bit apprehensive of being locked into a set date and resort. DVC Rental Store also only requires a 25% deposit down when you book if your reservation is more than 75 days out. This is a great way to get your top picks as the further in advance you book, the higher chance you have at securing your choice of resorts and dates. Book NOW with DVC Rental Store for the most flexibility in renting DVC points!

David's Vacation Club Rentals

A long standing company in the DVC rentals is our other partner, David's DVC Rentals, which is a Better Business Bureau accredited company that's been around since 2005. They tend to offer the lowest prices in comparison with many of their competitors and offer a set rate of $20-$23 per point for all their bookings so you know in advance what your price will be before they search for an owner to rent from. Book NOW with David's Vacation Club Rentals to secure some of the lowest prices in renting DVC points!

Renting DVC Points - AKV View

View from a balcony at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas

Renting DVC Points: How Many Points Should I Rent?

Once you've decided to go the renting route, you're likely wondering how many points you should rent. While the options really are endless when renting DVC points, let's break it down a bit to see just how many points you should consider for your next vacation.

DVC villas range in point value depending on the type of villa and the time of year in which you visit. Each year, Disney will publish the points needed for a stay among the 16 resorts. You can find these point charts here. If you're dreaming of that cozy Christmas morning breakfast in your villa, be prepared to snag a lot of points as it is the busiest tune if year. However, if your schedule is flexible and you can travel, let's say, in September after the hustle and bustle of the summer rush, you'll end up needing less points to cover your vacation.

So, to make it easy, let's break down and give some examples of what vacations during peak season and low season look like and see how many points you need for each of the given examples. We will assume that you're looking for a 2023 one week stay in a 1-bedroom villa that can comfortably sleep two adults and two children. We'll also give an example at two resorts. We'll go all out and look at the Villas at the Grand Floridian resort and also look at a comparable stay at Disney's Old Key West Resort. This will help you think about the type of accommodation you want and what type of location is important to you.

How do I rent DVC points?

Our go to recommendation for DVC point rentals is David's DVC Rentals which is a Better Business Bureau accredited company that's been around since 2005 to help people rent DVC points. This company will completely protect you against fraud and issues while you rent DVC points which is the safest way to rent DVC points without worry from Disney Vacation members.

You will also not have to worry about trying to get a hold of a specific DVC owner with questions about your stay since booking directly with David's service handles everything, they will be your number one contact with a fully staffed professional team ready to help you. Another great perk of using Davids Rentals DVC is that if you need to add a dining plan to your reservation (once they return) they will do all of that for you and you won't have to worry about chasing the owner around to set up your reservations. It will save you time and be handled professionally.

And most of all, David's Vacation Club Rentals is easy to use without the hassle of worrying about negotiating prices with owners. They work to protect you when you rent DVC points by doing background checks on the owner to ensure everyone is financially protected during the transaction.

Renting DVC Points: Low Season Rentals

Disney breaks up the point values for Walt Disney World resorts into 7 categories. The time of year requiring the least amount of points is in the entire month of September. Since most kids are returning to school in this month, it's considered a low season with fewer crowds. That said, the weather can be tricky in September so be sure to pack that umbrella! Nonetheless, let's break down how many points are needed for a DVC vacation in September.

Renting DVC Points - VGF 1BR

Grand Floridian 1-bedroom Villa

The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian

The Villa's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is Disney's flagship resort. With its sprawling footprint, fresh refurb and access to the monorail, it's truly a magnificent property. Plus, the DVC villas have just undergone a complete refresh and we are loving the new accommodations!

Let's look at a check-in date of September 2nd with a checkout date of September 9th. Again, we're looking at a 1-bedroom villa with a lake view. According to the point chart for the Grand Floridian, we'll need a total of 291 dvc points. While in this renting DVC points article we won't go too in depth into the cash cost, with David's Rentals you're looking at a total cost of $6,693 for the 291 points. That might seem like a lot, but remember that this is a one-bedroom villa and if you were to book a similar Club non-DVC room through Disney, you'd be looking at a bill of $14,923!

In summary:

Resort: The Villa's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

Villa: 1-bedroom Lake View

Dates: September 2nd through September 9th 2023

Total Points Needed: 291

Renting DVC Points - LR

Old Key West 1-bedroom Villa

Disney's Old Key West Resort

Disney's Old Key West Resort is the first Vacation Club Resort that Disney built in Florida. This fan-favorite resort is among the largest and is perfect for those looking for a true home-away-from-home feeling. It offers the largest villas and has plenty of recreational activities to enjoy.

For this example, we have to mention that Old Key West does not have different view types so we're just looking at the 1-bedroom category on its own. For our same weeklong stay in September, this resort requires a total of 150 points. As you can see, it's almost half of what the Grand Floridian is requiring. So what's the difference? This is a hard question to answer as both of the resorts are beautiful, but I think we'd all agree that a flagship resort on the monorail loop will require more points. For the 150 points, David's Vacation Club Rentals comes to a total cost of $3,150. At the time of writing this renting DVC points article, Disney does not show availability for a cash rate that would allow us to do a comparison of DVC vs cash, but it's safe to assume that the savings would still be considerable.

In summary:

Resort: Disney's Old Key West Resort

Villa: 1-bedroom

Dates: September 2nd through September 9th 2023

Total Points Needed: 150

Renting DVC Points: Low Season Summary

Resort:The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort Disney's Old Key West Resort
Villa:1-bedroom Lake View 1-bedroom
Dates:September 2nd through September 9th September 2nd through September 9th 
Points:291150

Renting DVC Points: Peak Season Rentals

Now that we've seen what a low season rental scenario looks like, let's explore what a Spring Break vacation would look like in March. If we look at any point chart, you'll see that March falls in the second to last category in the peak season. It's a very busy time of year since most schools have a break. For the peak season example, we'll take the same resorts, the same room types and the same duration of trip. Here, we'll look at a stay from March 10th through the 17th.

Renting DVC Points - VGF Pool

The pool at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian

Looking at David's Rentals, for the same 1-bedroom lake view villa we're looking at a total point requirement of 407. You will immediately notice that this is a large increase from the 291 points needed for a September stay.  David's cash cost for these rented points would be $8,547. However, a direct from Disney similar Club non-DVC room would cost you $14,638!

In summary:

Resort: The Villa's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

Villa: 1-bedroom Lake View

Dates: March 10th through the 17th 2023

Total Points Needed: 407

Renting DVC Points - Balcony

View from Disney's Old Key West

Disney's Old Key West

With great weather, Disney's Old Key West really comes alive in March. With golf, biking, swimming and lots more recreational activities, it's a great time to enjoy this resort. If we look at the same dates and villa type as before, we're looking at a total point requirement of 227. It's again a lot less than the Grand Floridian, but you can see that's still requires more points than its September counterpart.

In summary:

Resort: Disney's Old Key West

Villa: 1-bedroom

Dates: March 10th through the 17th 2023

Total Points Needed: 227

Renting DVC Points: Peak Season Summary

Resort: The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort Disney's Old Key West Resort
Villa:1-bedroom Lake View 1-bedroom
Dates:March 10th through the 17thMarch 10th through the 17th
Total Points:407227

Renting DVC Points: Final ThoughtsRenting DVC Points - Mickey

As you can see, the question of how many points you should rent really depends on where you want to stay and when you want to visit. It goes without saying that if we decided to change these examples to studio villas instead of 1 bedrooms, we'd need to rent less points. Conversely, if we were looking at 3-bedroom grand villas, then we'd need a lot more points. What's undeniable, however, is that renting DVC points through David's Rentals really does save you lots of money.

The other thing to consider is that you don't have to rent points for only weeklong stays. David's has rentals starting for just one night. So, whether it's a quick one-night minication or a 2-week family reunion, you have total flexibility in deciding how long you want your visit to be.

If you're thinking about a DVC membership, we really recommend renting as a starting point. Like I said, you'll get most of the member benefits without the upfront cost or the commitment. The villas are a big step up from hotel rooms and make for magical Disney memories!

Plan Your Next Walt Disney World Vacation

If all of this has you dreaming about your next Disney vacation, let us help! We can guide you every step of the way and answer any questions you have about your next vacation. Plus, you'll score top deals and have the certainty that you're not missing out on any discounts. Be sure to check out our FREE newsletter as well. You'll receive top tips and discounts right in your inbox! For more inspiration for your next visit, check out the following articles:

Disclosure: We have used all the products recommended on Mickey Visit. We may receive compensation when you click on links to some products featured.

About Eduardo Silva

Eduardo is High School Vice Principal who loves to share all things Disney and is also an experienced translator with voiceover work in Spanish and French. Originally from Southern California, he grew up visiting the Disneyland Resort and it's there that his passion for Disney was born. Today, Eduardo is a Disney Vacation Club member and enjoys sharing his experiences as a member writing for Mickey Visit and Disney Dose.

Planning a Disney Vacation? Get Exclusive Discounts + Free Bonuses

In addition to exclusive discounts for Mickey Visit subscribers, get our free planning printable and guide to make your life SO much easier.