Buying 180 DVC points at Saratoga Springs: our real story
DVC Owner Stories 001, a Saratoga sleep-around story. We bought 180 resale points at Saratoga Springs, on a December use year, and use them to book other resorts. This is our own contract, start to finish, with the numbers from our closing statement and our bookings.
Every Friday we share one owner's real story and plan. If you'd like yours featured, send us a message on Instagram and share as much or as little as you like: every featured owner gets a free lifetime subscription to DVC Companion.
See it on Instagram@dvccompanion · the original 9-slide carousel→The short version
- Listed at $100 a point, bought at $96: $20,472 out the door with closing and the seller's 2026 dues.
- 42 days from offer to points in the account, 27 of them waiting on Disney's right of first refusal.
- A placeholder stay booked the day the points landed, then switched at the 7-month window to Copper Creek and Beach Club in May.
- We plan to bank the 51 points left over, giving the 2027 use year 231 points for a Copper Creek two-bedroom next December.
- It pays for itself in about 4½ years against Disney's prices, or about 8 against renting points at $20.
Listed at $100. We paid $96 a point.
| Sale price (180 points × $96) | $17,280 |
| Closing and title | $1,538 |
| Seller's 2026 dues, paid back ($9.19 a point × 180) | $1,654 |
| Out the door | $20,472 |
Closing and title broke down as title and escrow $639, Disney's transfer fee $500, the Fidelity fee $225, recording and taxes $153 and a $20 courier. Paying back the seller's 2026 dues means we got all 180 of the 2026 points.
It's a December use year: our 2026 points cover stays from Dec 1, 2026 to Nov 30, 2027. The deed runs to January 2054, 27 more use years.
42 days from offer to points in the account
- Aug 21 (Fri): made the offer at $96 on a $100 listing.
- Aug 24 (Mon): accepted.
- Aug 27 (Thu): signed and sent to Disney for right of first refusal (ROFR).
- Sep 23 (Wed): Disney passed, after 27 days in ROFR.
- Sep 28 (Mon): closed.
- Oct 1 (Thu): deed recorded.
- Oct 2 (Fri): 180 points in our account.
Six weeks in all, more than half of it waiting on Disney. ROFR is Disney's right to buy a resale contract instead of the buyer; it passed on ours. Every contract is different.
A placeholder stay, booked on day one
The day the points arrived we booked something to hold while we figured out the stay we really wanted:
- Polynesian deluxe studio, resort view, Mar 3–5, 2027: 50 points
- Kidani Village one-bedroom, savanna view, Mar 5–7, 2027: 82 points
132 of our 180 points, pieced together on the Split Stay Builder because very few rooms were left. Disney's cash price for the four nights: $5,754.
Window opened. Switched the same day.
On Oct 14, the day the 7-month window opened for May 14 check-ins, we switched to the stay we wanted, planned on the 7-Month Switch Analyzer:
- Copper Creek one-bedroom villa, May 12–14, 2027: 60 points
- Beach Club one-bedroom villa, May 14–16, 2027: 69 points, for Stormalong Bay, the pool every kid deserves to see
129 of 180 points, 3 fewer than the placeholder. Disney's cash price: $4,390. That left 51 points for the year.
Banking the 51 into 2027
| 2026 use year (Dec 1, 2026 – Nov 30, 2027) | 2027 use year (Dec 1, 2027 – Nov 30, 2028) |
|---|---|
| Started with 180 | New points 180 |
| May stay −129 | Banked in (planned) +51 |
| Left over 51 | To spend 231 |
We plan to bank the 51; the deadline for 2026 points is July 31, 2027 (the end of the use year's 8th month). Banking is final: once banked, those 51 live in the 2027 use year and expire with it.
The plan: Copper Creek, 217 points
- The plan: a Copper Creek two-bedroom villa, Dec 1–6, 2027, 5 nights, 217 points (41/41/47/47/41 a night). Booking outlook at 7 months: Not Likely.
- The fallback: a Beach Club two-bedroom villa, same nights, 215 points (41/41/46/46/41), 2 fewer. Booking outlook: Fair.
Booking opens at 7 months, on May 1, 2027. That leaves 231 − 217 = 14 points for the year. Disney's cash price at Copper Creek: $7,858. The booking outlook is how this stay has usually booked in past years, not live availability.
Pays for itself in 4½ to 8 years
| Measured against | Pays for itself in |
|---|---|
| Paying Disney (points worth $30 each) | about 4½ years |
| Renting the same 180 points a year from an owner at $20 each | about 8 years |
Breakeven: each year's 180 points at $30 (or $20), minus dues, until they add up to the $18,818 we paid. Prices rise 5% a year and dues 4%. If rent stays flat at $20, it takes about 12½ years. Nothing is counted for selling the contract later; it's the same math as the Buying Guide's breakeven.
So far, the May stay and the December plan are worth $12,248 against $22,192 in: 55%. That's $4,390 on 2026 points (May 12–16, 2027, Copper Creek and Beach Club) and $7,858 on 2027 points (Dec 1–6, 2027, Copper Creek two-bedroom).
Saratoga Springs DVC points chart: every room and season →
Your turn: What would you have done differently? Tell us in the comments on Instagram.
Our own contract and closing statement; every resale contract is different. Points from the 2027 DVC point charts; cash values from Disney's published prices, as recorded in Bookings & Stays. Booking outlook is history at the 7-month window, not availability. Breakeven uses the Buying Guide's math with points at $30 or $20, rising 5% a year, and dues rising 4% a year. Not financial advice.
