6/3/2021 Update: Disney Vacation Club has updated the language on their website today, confirming that the new direct minimum for purchase and perks is 150 points. This updated language appears at the bottom of the Member Exclusives page on the Disney Vacation Club website and states, “Effective June 3, 2021, to obtain a Disney Vacation Club Membership Card, Members must accumulate a total of at least 150 Vacation Points purchased directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc.“.
All current blue cardholders will continue to be grandfathered into this increase, as seen previously.
No new member benefits were announced in association with this increase.
Original Article: 5/28/21
If you are looking to add-on some direct points to get that coveted blue membership card, the time is now before it gets even more expensive to do so!
We have learned that Disney Vacation Club plans to increase their minimum direct ownership requirement and the requirement to qualify for Membership Extras to 150 points, effective Thursday, June 3rd, 2021. While no official announcement has been made by Disney or Disney Vacation Club at this time, multiple owners have reported hearing from their guides that an increase is on the way. In line with other recent increases, we expect this information to be updated on the Disney Vacation Club website shortly before it goes into effect, with little advanced notice.
While this direct minimum increase was previously turning into a yearly occurrence, this increase will be the second time we have seen the direct ownership minimum increase in a twelve-month period. It also comes when very few Disney Vacation Club perks are available for members to take advantage of.
There continues to be no announced date for Annual Pass sales to resume, which is largely the primary reason many Disney Vacation Club owners elect to purchase directly due to the discounts received by members. Other events, such as Moonlight Magic after-hours parties, have also not seen any planned return at this time.
We last saw the minimum raised from 100 points to 125 points on October 19th, 2020. Before that, DVC has raised the direct minimum for new members and Membership Extras in the following intervals:
- February 2018: Raised to 75 points.
- September 2019: Raised to 100 points.
- October 2020: Raised to 125 points.
This shows a drastic increase in this requirement in just a few short years.
It is expected that all current blue cardholders will continue to be grandfathered into this increase, as seen previously.
With the recent news of the new Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, this increase may be part of a larger sales plan for DVC as we continue to emerge from the pandemic.
Join in the conversation over on the DVC Forums, as well as the DVC Fan Facebook Group! Also, stay tuned to DVC Fan for additional information as it becomes available and commentary about this pending change.
If this is true, I’m beginning to think that the current DVC management regime has a goal of pushing people away from buying direct. They likely see it as a way to quickly generate revenue with a thought process of someone will buy another 25 points to have the blue card benefits resulting in another $4-5K for Disney. In reality more people will walk away and avoid buying direct than spend the extra money so they won’t gain anything by doing it. Moves like this by DVC as we come out of the pandemic seem completely lacking in common sense.
They are definitely short sighted moves aimed at profits now vs long term growth.
Agreed. I, for one, was planning to add on Direct to become a blue card member. I was going to do 125 points at Saratoga Springs. Now that the resort has increased by $15 per point AND I’d have to buy another 25 points; I’ve decided to avoid becoming a blue card member. Hopefully I won’t regret this decision, but I was already stretching the “worth” of becoming a Direct member when I needed to buy 125 points at $165 per point to do so. Oh well … still love my DVC membership as is.
I really think they’re priming us for major point inflation when the CA DVC comes up for sale. Just my opinion, but Riviera’s high point chart is laying the groundwork for future DVCs built. Riviera’s chart looks expensive compared to the OG 14, but it may be the baseline in the future where you need 150 points to get a studio off season. This is a luxury product, honestly, so and Disney isn’t affordable for many, many people anyway. The demographics are there for them to raise prices. Millennials now outnumber Boomers and are hitting peak earnings and having families now. Peak Boomer retirement is in the next three years. They’re the last generation IMO that have great pensions. Also, we have had a historic run on the stock market. There’s a huge wealth transfer coming as the Silent|older Boomers die and pass wealth on.
As well, look at Moderate resorts prices with all the resort fees and taxes. Caribbean Beach is $300-$400 a night in some seasons. Not cheap! I think moderates are the benchmark for comparison to push people to DVC. If it’s now costing me $3000 for a week at moderates, $30,000 for direct buy-in at Riviera may not seem *that* much of a reach.
I think Disney is preparing us for point/room inflation.
Excellent article. We boomers need to be sure to have enough direct purchase contracts with 150 points+ to leave to each of our millennial children
should i assume that the grandfathered blue card will apply to inherited contracts?