DVC Tips and Tricks II

In our continuous quest to provide you with useful advice for your future Disney Vacation Club visits, we’re back with more suggestions. Here’s the latest batch of DVC tips and tricks. 

Prioritize Weekdays 

I doubt that you’ve meticulously studied the various DVC Points Charts like I have. Frankly, it’s an obsession on my part, as I try to find the One True Hack for maximizing DVC Points value. 

Something you probably should know is that DVC charges fewer points for weeknights than weekends. I’ll use Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas as an example. When you book Sundays-Thursdays at this resort, you’ll spend seven to 18 points per night for a Studio, including Value Accommodations. Conversely, Fridays and Saturdays cost ten to 33 points for the same room.

In other words, you pay an extra 11-30 percent for the same room on the weekend. DVC does this because it’s easier for guests to travel on the weekends. You don’t need to spend vacation days that way. 

However, should you have booking flexibility, you can take full advantage of this pricing incongruity. As you get older, you’ll accumulate more vacation days and PTO. Some people also “work from home” at Disney resorts. If you’re someone who can do that, the value is tremendous. 

As an example, three weeknights at Animal Kingdom Villas would cost 30 DVC Points for a Standard Studio during Time Period 1. Meanwhile, a Friday and Saturday would be 26 points. You’re getting that extra date for just four DVC Points more. This is an extreme example for an Animal Kingdom Studio, but it drives home the point. You should always look for ways to stretch your points. Avoiding weekend nights is quietly one of the best ways to do so. 

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Measure Twice, Cut Once

This is a construction and carpentry term that applies to many aspects of life. The idea is that you should always reconsider your plans before committing to a course of action. Before you break out a saw or a drill, you should make sure that you’ve measured correctly. This same logic applies to a DVC booking.

Take it from me, someone who had Holding Points at the end of last year. You don’t want to book a trip that you’re not entirely sure you won’t take. My family committed to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets on Halloween Night 2025. So, we went ahead and booked a hotel room for that week as well.

We had every reason to do this, as we’ve spent seven of the past ten Halloweens at Walt Disney World, including 2020! We spent the night at The Edison because Magic Kingdom didn’t even host a Halloween party that year. So, we’re always up for Halloween at Disney. 

Alas, we switched plans due to minor health issues of mine. I had known that was a possibility for a while, yet I booked the trip. Then, I failed to cancel in time, which brings me to the second half of this piece of advice.

You should always be acutely aware of cancellation deadlines for your DVC reservations. That way, when you’re approaching the cutoff date, you can have a hard conversation about whether you truly intend to go. Had my family done that, we could have avoided the Holding Points fiasco. 

By the way, the corollary here is not to buy non-refundable tickets unless you’re sure. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets aren’t refundable, which made that loss a sunk cost for us. Basically, this tip is, “Be smarter than me.” 

Gift Card Payments Are Easier Than Ever

Here’s a brand new spin on a longstanding idea. Each year, I provide a list of Disney gift card hacks to help you pay for your Annual Dues. Well, Disney gift cards can go toward all parts of your vacation. 

Historically, guests haven’t used them as much at Disney theme parks and resorts. The reason why is quite simple. My Disney Experience and the Disneyland app don’t allow guests to use Disney gift cards as the primary form of payment. Well, they didn’t until recently.

My Disney Experience now imports saved gift cards from the DisneyGiftCard website. Disneyland’s app still doesn’t have it yet, but it appears to be just a matter of time. Guests can now load up on gift cards and then use them to pay for food, beverages, mobile orders, and tickets. Currently, they’re not eligible for Lightning Lane purchases. 

Simply add your Disney gift card information to your profile on My Disney Experience. Then, save your information to My Disney wallet. You can store up to six gift cards this way.  

Disney hasn’t commented yet on why Lightning Lanes are currently excluded. I honestly don’t know whether that will change or not. Still, this is huge news for those of you who love to go bargain hunting for Disney gift card deals. DVC members can pay meals and tickets with gift card credit. It’s a remarkable new opportunity as of late June 2026.

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