Disney can be SO expensive. Thankfully, there are ways to cut costs. I have an entire downloadable guide that goes over ways to use credit card points to save on Disney – hotels, airfare, and park tickets. You can find that HERE.

But today, I want to talk about a little-known way to save 40-50% on Disney hotel rooms! It’s through Disney’s timeshare program called Disney Vacation Club. I know that the word “timeshare” gives everyone the heebie jeebies. But don’t worry, there’s no scammy tricks to get you locked into a 30-year contract. In fact, you’re not even signing up for DVC.

So, what’s the trick? Using a DVC broker! Let’s go over how it works.

What is DVC?

Disney Vacation Club (DVC) allows people to own a portion of a DVC resort by purchasing “vacation points.” These points can be used annually at your designated “home resort” or other DVC properties. DVC owners get priority booking, and reservations can be made at their home resort 11 months in advance or at other resorts seven months in advance.

Each resort and room type requires a different number of points per night. For example, a studio at Disney’s Old Key West Resort in September might cost as little as nine points per night, while a 3-bedroom Grand Villa at the Grand Floridian during Christmas could require 195 points per night.

How does using a DVC broker work?

People who do not own DVC can use a middle-man to “buy” DVC points from owners who won’t be using them. This can be done on your own, however, you may not know if the dates you want are available or if the person selling the points is legit.

This is where a brokerage company comes in! They match owners who want to sell their points with people who are looking to use them. They do all the work for you in vetting the seller and booking your trip. It makes the process so easy.

My favorite company is Pixie Point Gals. Not only are they friends of mine, but I love supporting women-owned companies. They are the only women-owned DVC brokerage company!

We recently stayed at the Grand Floridian for three nights. The “rack rate” (or full-price cash rate) would have been $2,638. Instead, we paid just $1,282. That’s over 50% off!!

Pixie Point Gals do ALL the heavy lifting. All you have to do is fill out this form with your dates, resorts you’re interested in, room size, etc, and they will work on finding the points needed to rent from a DVC owner. Then they do the whole booking process for you. It could not be easier.

Even better, if you use code JENNA, you’ll get $50 off of a stay of three nights or more!!

They can book you at properties in Disney World and Disneyland, and also at beachy resorts like Vero Beach, Hilton Head, and even Aulani in Hawaii!

Ways to bring your cost down to zero

Since this is a points and miles blog, let’s talk about ways you can take that low cash rate all the way down to zero.

The best way to do this is to charge the booking to a card where you can use points to cover the cost. There are a few options for this.

First, you can use either a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Any “travel” purchases made on these cards are eligible to be covered with Capital One Miles for up to 90 days after the purchase. Every 10,000 miles is worth $100. So, in the example I gave about our cash rate at the Grand Floridian, I would have needed 128,200 miles to cover what we paid out of pocket.

You can compare the Venture and Venture X to see which would be better for you. Or get both, which would give you over 150,000 flexible miles! Just make sure you open them at least six months apart.

Second, you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards® to cover the cost of your room. There are a variety of Chase cards that earn Chase points. My favorite is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The Ink Business cards are also great options for boosting your Chase points stash. FYI – business cards are easier than you think, so don’t let that deter you. Just like with Capital One Miles, every 10,000 points is worth $100.

In conclusion

As you can see, DVC is a hidden gem in the world of Disney. Using a DVC broker like Pixie Point Gals is a super easy way to save big on your Disney trip. And the fact that you can use points to cover the rest of the cost is just icing on the Mickey cake!