Whether you have a small DVC contract, or you just like to use your points sparingly, there are ways to get more vacation days from your points. Besides choosing the cheaper travel periods or standard view villas, here are some ideas to help you stretch your DVC points.
Stay at the Older DVC Resorts
In general, the older DVC resorts have lower points charts than the newer ones. Older DVC resorts would include Old Key West, BoardWalk, Boulder Ridge, Beach Club, Hilton Head, Vero Beach, Saratoga Springs, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. The one recent DVC resort with a low points chart is Copper Creek since its points chart is similar to that of its Wilderness Lodge neighbor, Boulder Ridge. With each night costing fewer points at these resorts, you can more easily book a longer vacation at one of the older resorts than the newer resorts.
Schedule a Vacation from Sunday to Thursday
The most expensive nights on any resort’s points chart are Friday and Saturday nights. By booking trips that have a Sunday check-in date and Friday check-out date, you can save points over the duration of your vacation.
Book Short Stays
If you get serious FOMO (fear of missing out) and need to check out multiple EPCOT festivals or other special events throughout the year but don’t have a lot of points to use, short stays can help. Instead of a weeklong trip, you may want to consider 2- or 3-night stays at different times of the year.
Mix Different Size Accommodations
Creating split stays with different size villas is another way to save points but still get the perks you want. For example, on an episode of The DVC Show I mentioned booking a Deluxe Studio for the majority of the trip and a One Bedroom Villa for the end. This saves points compared to staying in a One Bedroom Villa for the full trip but also provides the full kitchen and washer and dryer to do laundry before heading home.
You can also find significant point savings with other room type combinations. For instance, if you have a large travel party that could fit a Three Bedroom Grand Villa, you can save points if you book a One Bedroom Villa and a Two Bedroom Villa instead.
What are some of your favorite ways to get more value out of your points?
