On January 1, 2022, Disney Vacation Club made the “official” switch to digital membership cards. All blue card-carrying members saw their physical cards expire on December 31, 2021. If you are unsure how to obtain your digital card, you can view Paul’s step-by-step guide here. At the beginning of January, many Cast Members were still lenient with accepting the expired membership card for discounts and entry into the EPCOT member lounge. But as January went on, digital membership proof became a requirement. Those who are entitled to direct benefits should display DVC Y on their digital membership. Non-qualifying digital cards display DVC ND. This is the cast members’ queue whether to provide discounts or other benefits to these members.
What’s Going On?
Unfortunately, the switch to digital credentials has not been smooth sailing for all members. A number of people are currently stuck with the wrong affiliations, displaying a DVC ND instead of a DVC Y. This is affecting grandfathered-in members (resale members with blue cards prior to any restrictions) and even some direct owning members who also own restricted resale contracts. Many are sharing their frustration over on DISboards and social media groups.
I spoke with a DVC owner named, Scott Junken, who is dealing with this glitch. He let me know that after several phone calls and chats with member services the continued response is it is a known glitch that is being worked on. At first, members contacting member services were told the fix would be completed by the end of January. However, it is now March and they are unfortunately still working on it with no time of resolution now. DVC has not officially announced they are working on the glitch. However, those calling and asking member services are disseminating the information themselves.
What is the Solution?
The solution being provided is for those affected to print a copy of their blue card. This can be found in their online membership account. An online copy will have an expiration date of 30 days from the day of access. Therefore, if this issue persists, you will have to print a new card every 30 days. The main issue with this temporary solution is that not all cast members at both Disney World and Disneyland have received proper communication regarding accepting printed cards as credentials for direct owners. This means members are having to (hopefully politely) challenge cast members when they are turned down for using their discounts. Or they have to go without discounts. This is not an ideal situation for those trying to enjoy their vacation and use their membership for the extras they are currently entitled to.
We are hoping that a solution can be reached regarding this issue soon so that members are provided with the correct affiliations and don’t have to explain themselves every time they try to use their membership card.
Let Us Know Your Thoughts.
Let us know in the comments what you think of the new Digital DVC Membership Card and if you had any issues with it. Stay tuned to DVC Fan for updates on all things DVC!
Yes I had trouble downloading the digital card. Haven’t used it yet so I don’t know how it works, when I need it, or if it will work. My big question is can someone buy a DVC membership if they don’t have a smart phone? The entire reliance on technology is getting out of control.
I had an issue with my DVC card (direct) – called and member services told me to go in and re-enter some of the information in my profile like my cell number. Member services said just re-entering your information appears to be a work around. I did and it worked. My card now says DVC=Y.
We are in the same boat. Our digital cards show “DVC ND” but dvcmember.com displays a “blue” card. If that were not confusing enough, using Disney self checkout at Main St. Emporium, my spouse got the DVC discount. Clearly bits of Disney IT have the right status, just not all of Disney IT. (This is what happens when you outsource IT.)
I have tried many times to download our DVC membership cards no success!
We are senior citizens and we do not have smart phones – our phones do not do apps or text – also, we do not want to carry phones into WDW – why not do both – blue cards and phones???
I also have the “ND” showing mistakenly. When I called I was told “it was a known problem” and that I would just have to sign in to my DVC account on my phone and the castmember would be able to see I should get the discount. I’m pretty sure that is not the “official” answer. 😂 no way that causes less confusion.
Thanks for writing this article, Amy. It’s been a real
sore spot for me as I was a resale owner until about 1 month ago and added 150 direct points with reason being solely to gain direct benefits. One month later my credentials still read ND as a brand new direct owner. My DVC sales rep has been outstanding on updates with a IT ticket open to fix my issue but it does seem at this point it’s not to be fixed.
I HATE even the idea of digital cards! I for one do NOT want to be constantly attached to my phone while on vacation and loved having the actual card. We are currently experiencing this “glitch” and were told that they will submit a form with our info letting the powers that be know that we need this fixed. The cast member said to keep checking and redownloading our card to see if it’s fixed and if it gets close to our June trip and it’s not fixed then we should call back so they can come up with a solution for us! This is ridiculous! We pay our dues on time and are privy to the discounts, etc. so we should get them. I wish they would have asked US, the MEMBERS themselves, what we wanted instead of forcing this digital card to make us carry our phones everywhere and hope the battery lasts!
This happened to us at Aulani where when purchasing nearly 400.00 worth of merchandise I was told after showing my digital card that it showed ND. I was told to use my Disney Visa where I would at least receive a 10% discount. That was all they would give me.