Is there any benefit to buying Direct DVC if Florida Resident?

I treated myself to a BIG Christmas gift this year, I decided to move to Orlando AND just bought my first resale DVC contract! Awaiting points now to be placed in account!

I can't see any real benefit to buying direct if you live here. I can imagine buying direct and caring about benefits IF and ONLY I bought in at the Disneyland Hotel spot opening in a few years for special dates to travel out to CA, because then at least I'm traveling somewhere not in FL, but other than that, resale all day as a FL resident. No reason to buy direct at a resort here in FL unless you have cash to just throw away and it makes zero impact on any of your finances.

I'm goin Saratoga till the wheels fall off!!! Most likely, if I don't go ahead with a CA direct contract, it will be another SSR resale contract for me. I can still enjoy most DVC resorts all throughout the year, and if I really wanna be on property for special dates like NYE, then I got my SSR ready to go. The benefits are such an afterthought as a resale owner now, the real benefit is you saved a ton of money and can go to most resorts and enjoy life, as it should be!
 
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How come no one has mentioned the back pack you get when you buy direct. This is the biggest perk. That’s why everyone who buys direct does, not for AP’s, Epcot lounge or Moonlight Magic. I’m obviously joking. AP’s is the biggest reason. Most buy direct when they go to WDW and are shown the savings, but most don’t know about resale. Even if you didn’t live in Florida, the money saved on resale buys a lot of passes for years to come. We bought resale initially and a 25 point direct contract to get benefits. That was in 2017, DVC caught on to that and in the future, I think you will see it go to 150. Just my opinion, I have no insider information. I am shocked that they raised it from 100 to 125. It seems they are going to go back to the old way of 150 or 160 point buy in contracts for new members and add on contracts on new resorts might go up to say 75 up from 50 ( CCV and RIV).
 
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How come no one has mentioned the back pack you get when you buy direct. This is the biggest perk.

This was pre-Covid, but they had a whole wall of the DVC totes they used to send out at the Disney outlet in Orlando. They were expensive, too! Like $30, maybe $40, I think! So, you could totally save on that big expense.
 


Correct me if I’m wrong, but when every direct contract was sold, didn‘t it come with “the perks?” So “the perks” should follow that contract till its death including if and when it’s sold and resold no matter how many times. It’s just another power grab by Disney to limit any discounts on the loyal customers that keep them afloat. IMO, direct is not worth the thousands extra in costs for minimal discounts, especially if you’re a FL resident.
 
How come no one has mentioned the back pack you get when you buy direct. This is the biggest perk. That’s why everyone who buys direct does, not for AP’s, Epcot lounge or Moonlight Magic..

I know you're joking, but I have to admit, this nags at me just a little. We closed on our resale contract yesterday and saved around $22K...but I have to admit I have a tiny bit of FOMO about the backpack! DH and I have been laughing about this for the past 8 weeks, calling it the "22 thousand dollar back pack." I confess I still kinda want one. :scared:
 


I know you're joking, but I have to admit, this nags at me just a little. We closed on our resale contract yesterday and saved around $22K...but I have to admit I have a tiny bit of FOMO about the backpack! DH and I have been laughing about this for the past 8 weeks, calling it the "22 thousand dollar back pack." I confess I still kinda want one. :scared:

I'm right there with you - no perk is worth $22 thousand.

I'll sell you my backpack for a bargain at 50% off. Only $11 thousand and it's yours! :rotfl:
 
How come no one has mentioned the back pack you get when you buy direct. This is the biggest perk. That’s why everyone who buys direct does, not for AP’s, Epcot lounge or Moonlight Magic. I’m obviously joking. AP’s is the biggest reason. Most buy direct when they go to WDW and are shown the savings, but most don’t know about resale. Even if you didn’t live in Florida, the money saved on resale buys a lot of passes for years to come. We bought resale initially and a 25 point direct contract to get benefits. That was in 2017, DVC caught on to that and in the future, I think you will see it go to 150. Just my opinion, I have no insider information. I am shocked that they raised it from 100 to 125. It seems they are going to go back to the old way of 150 or 160 point buy in contracts for new members and add on contracts on new resorts might go up to say 75 up from 50 ( CCV and RIV).

After purchasing 100 direct points last month before the minimum increase, "the backpack" arrived. DH asked how much is cost..... I told him don't ask questions you don't really want the answers to.
 
I imagine EBay has those backpacks for sale if you really must have one! :tongue:
I have 2 and I didn’t get them from EBay. But that would be waaaayyyy cheaper. I also have 1 tote bag, which they gave away before the backpack. The tote cost a lot less than the backpacks, got it with 25 point purchase for benefits. Later bought a 75 and a 100 point contracts.
 
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If you are a florida resident, then buy resale only - nothing worth the extra $$$ except the AP pass which you already get as a FL resident.
 
I think you will see it go to 150. Just my opinion, I have no insider information. I am shocked that they raised it from 100 to 125. It seems they are going to go back to the old way of 150 or 160 point buy in contracts for new members and add on contracts on new resorts might go up to say 75 up from 50 ( CCV and RIV).
I agree that direct may go to 150 for the blue card, but also think this strategy will back-fire and actually benefit the resale market. One has to do the math and cost analysis for a 150 contract. I do not see them changing the minimum purchase to 75 for add on members because again, this may push people away. 25 points are still an option, but you have to pay cash for the 25 points - it cannot be financed.
 
Small add on I would buy direct. They match my use year, pay with a CC, no restrictions on my points. Larger contract I would consider resale.
 
We've only bought direct. First, we didn't know about resale. Then when I discovered the resale market thru the forums, DH didn't like the outlay of cash with a 6 to 9 week wait for points. Since it's his $$$$ and I like instant gratification as much as the next person, we continued to buy direct. I will say, it being just the two of us, we haven't needed many points and when we added on it was in small increments which the people who buy resale say buying direct isn't much of a loss of savings. Apparently anything over 100 points should be bought resale and anything under direct is ok.
 

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