It looks like we got a little ahead of ourselves last week, assuming that Disney Vacation Club would listen to its members and offer a monthly credit card option to pay annual dues. In an email late last week and an announcement issued on the Member Dashboard today, DVC has stated that this new credit card option only allows for the ability to set up a yearly automatic payment to the credit card of your choice.
Dues Credit Card Auto-Pay is now available for U.S. Members who want to pay Disney Vacation Club Annual Dues in full each year on January 15 using a credit card! If you would like to set up recurring annual payments using a credit card, visit the Dues section of this website to register your credit card. On January 15, we will process your payment automatically. Monthly Auto-Pay is still available to Members with a U.S. bank account on file. No action is required if you prefer monthly Auto-Pay and are already registered. Please note that if you are currently on monthly Auto-Pay, the 2020 Annual Dues balance must be paid in full before registering for 2021 Annual Dues Auto-Pay with credit card.
Source: Disney Vacation Club
I’ll admit that we may have read between the lines a bit much, and for that, I apologize to anyone who got overly excited by the thought of a monthly credit card annual dues option. However, what I can’t get past is how DVC actually thought ANYONE would be excited by this announcement.
One glance at comments over the years from members on DISboards or in the DVC Fan Facebook Group will show a common theme. Members wish they had a monthly credit card autopay option. I honestly can’t tell you the number of times I’ve personally answered a question on this subject or read someone suggesting it.
The second common theme is a request for more payment flexibility options for international Disney Vacation Club owners to pay both dues and loan payments. I’m no rocket scientist, but a credit card seems like a pretty easy solution to that problem.
Instead, we get this… a new option that basically allows DVC to reach into your wallet and take your money once a year, which only serves to benefit them. And let’s not overlook the fact that it was included in Disney Vacation Club Member Insider, meaning that they actually thought we would be excited by this new option.
Maybe I’m over-reacting, but as much as I try to give Disney Vacation Club the benefit of the doubt time and time again, it’s really beginning to feel like they’ve lost touch with their members.
While part of this is me sounding off, I’m really interested in hearing what you all think regarding this announcement (or lack thereof). Share your thoughts below or join in the conversation over on the Facebook Group!