If you’re trying to use the Point Calculator on Buy and Sell DVC’s website to estimate how many DVC points you’ll need for a given vacation, here’s a clear step-by-step walkthrough—along with some helpful tips on how point requirements are determined:
How to navigate the Point Calculator tool
- Go to the Point Calculator page on Buy and Sell DVC’s site—this tool lets you input your travel dates and shows you points required per resort and room type.
- Enter your check‑in and check‑out dates. The system calculates the total points needed for your stay based on nightly cost charts.
- Adjust filters, such as resort, room size (Studio, 1‑Bedroom, 2‑Bedroom, Grand Villa), and sometimes view category, if available in the tool.
- Review the output, which shows how many points each selected resort and room type would cost for your specified stay dates.
Key factors affecting point cost
- Resort & room type: Premium resorts (like Riviera, Beach Club, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Bay Lake Tower) require significantly more points than lower‑demand resorts like Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, or Animal Kingdom Villas.
- Season & travel dates: Points vary by season (e.g., summer, holiday, standard). Peak seasons cost more.
- Length of stay: Point requirements are calculated per night, so longer vacations need more points.
Planning with real examples
- A typical first-time buyer often starts with 100–200 points, depending on how often and how long they plan to travel, and which resort they choose.
- For example, staying at Old Key West in a Studio for 5 nights during mid‑season might cost ~100 points, whereas the same stay at Bay Lake Tower could cost 150–200 points.
Extra tips & booking strategies
- Bank and borrow: You can bank unused points from the current Use Year into the next, or borrow up to 100% of next year’s points to use in the current year—helpful for longer vacations or irregular stays.
- Resale vs direct: Resale DVC contracts typically cost 40–60% less per point than buying direct from Disney—but resale points carry some limitations (like not counting toward the 150 direct‑purchase minimum required for Blue Member benefits).
- Annual dues: Be sure to account for yearly maintenance fees (dues), which vary by resort and increase over time. Even if a resort seems cheaper initially, higher annual dues can impact long‑term cost-effectiveness.
Suggested workflow for planning a vacation
- Pick a resort you’d like to stay at.
- Use the Point Calculator to estimate nightly point totals for your preferred dates and room type.
- Sum the total points needed and compare it to different sample vacations.
- Decide an initial contract size—many start with ~150 points, which supports a week‑long stay in a Studio or 1‑Bedroom each year—and the option to add more later if needed.
- Weigh resale vs direct: resale typically offers huge savings, but only direct purchases count toward 150-point requirement for full Blue Card member benefits.
Summary
- The Buy and Sell DVC point calculator lets you enter vacation dates and room types to estimate required points.
- Point costs vary widely based on resort, room size, and season.
- Use banking/borrowing strategies to maximize flexibility.
- Typical starting contracts are 100–200 points, though 150 is a common sweet spot.
- Don’t forget to account for annual resort dues and resale limitations.