When you are a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member, whether you purchasing directly from Disney, or on the resale market, you have the option to exchange your points with Interval International. This can be a great way to travel to destinations that might not be available through DVC, and extend the expiration date of your DVC points.
In this article, we will explain how the point trading process works, what the costs are, how many DVC points it takes to exchange, and how to take advantage of all that Interval International (also referred to as II in this article) has to offer. We will be covering a lot of ground in this article, but it’s important to note, once you have an II membership, there are a lot of software tools on II’s website that are available to you which guide you through the process.
You will not need to be a master at understanding any of these points below to start, but we have written this article to give DVC members a deep understanding of what’s happening behind the scenes, and help those that don’t have an II membership yet understand the costs and benefits that come from venturing down the path of timeshare exchange.
With that said, if you’d like to understand everything there is to know about exchanging Disney Vacation Club points with Interval International, this article is for you!
What Is Interval International?
If you are not familiar with Interval International, it is a timeshare exchange company that has over two million members worldwide. DVC members can use both their DVC points or cash to book over 1,000 resorts through Interval International with other popular timeshare developers like Marriott, Westin, and Hyatt. This gives DVC members more flexibility and allows them to visit destinations outside of Disney Vacation Club’s resorts as well as the ability to book last-minute vacation rentals when paying with cash.
How To Get Started
The process of exchanging your DVC points with Interval International is simple. First, you will need to sign up for a membership with Interval International, later in the article we will cover the costs of purchasing your membership. Once you have done this, you can log in and browse the available vacation rentals and resorts that are available to exchange with.
When you find a resort that you would like to travel to, you can choose to trade your DVC points, or pay for the reservation with cash if your check-in date is 18 months away or less. How far in advance you can book a reservation, and whether or not you will be paying with DVC points or cash, is determined by the type of reservation you wish to book, which we will cover in the next section.
Types Of Reservations Offered By Interval International
There are 4 main types of reservations that can be booked through Interval International, read on to explore your options!
Vacation Exchange
This type of reservation is used only for 7-night weeklong stays, and can be booked up to 2 years before your desired check-in date.
If your requested stay is available and you have the required amount of Vacation Points, DVC members can receive confirmation of the the reservation instantly online. If your desired resort or dates are unavailable, DVC members can place an exchange request and Interval International will continually search for your desired vacation on your behalf. If the exchange you requested becomes available at a later date, you will receive an automatic confirmation of your exchange.
ShortStay Exchange
This type of reservation is used for trips lasting 1-night to 6-nights, and can be booked up to 1 year before your desired check-in date. Interval International members are required to have an Interval Gold or platinum membership to gain access to this additional benefit.
Getaways
Getaways are 7-night weeklong reservations that are paid for with cash, and DVC members can book them up to 18 months before their desired check-in date.
Interval International offers their “Best Price Guarantee” for Getaway reservations. This means if you find a lower price for the same unit size and resort, for the same time period you reserved, you will be refunded the difference. This offer is valid within the first 24 hours of booking your getaway.
ShortStay Getaways
ShortStay Getaways are stays that are 6 night or less that are paid for with cash, and are available to book up to 6 months before your check-in date. Interval International extends their “Best Price Guarantee” for ShortStay Getaway reservations as well.
Interval International Reservation Booking Windows
| Vacation Type | Reservation Window Opens | Reservation Window Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Interval Vacation Exchanges (7 consecutive nights, except for exchanges in Japan) | Up to 2 years before check-in date | 1 day before check-in date |
| Interval ShortStay Exchanges® (1 to 6 nights) | Up to 1 year before check-in date | 1 day before check-in date |
| Interval Getaways (7 nights) | Up to 18 months before check-in date | 1 day before check-in date |
| Interval ShortStay Getaways (1 to 6 nights) | Up to 6 months before check-in date | 1 day before check-in date |
How Many DVC Points Does It Take To Exchange With II?
Now that we know what options are available, you might wonder, how many DVC points does it take to travel to resorts outside of the DVC resort portfolio? We’ve added a point chart below that helps members understand what each reservation will cost in points, but we will have to explain a few of the terms you’ll see in the chart below to bring you up to speed and help you understand the chart.
- Interval Quality Tier: Interval International ranks all resorts in their network on the basis of resort location, resort accommodations & facilities, kitchen and dining facilities, and much more. The tiers from lowest to highest ranking are: Affiliate, Select, Premier and Elite.
- Season: The season tiers from lowest to highest ranking are: Shoulder, Mid, and Peak. The season is directly determined by the Travel Demand Index (TDI) range.
- TDI Range: TDI stands for Travel Demand Index, which measures the demand for a specific resort at a specific time of the year. We will take a deep-dive on exploring TDI in the next section after the point chart.
| Interval Quality Tier | Season | TDI Range | Day(s) of Week | Studio | 1 Bed | 2 Bed | 3 Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elite | Peak | 115-150 | Full-Week | 130 | 150 | 260 | 340 |
| Sun-Thu | 15 | 17 | 30 | 39 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 28 | 33 | 55 | 73 | |||
| Mid | 90-110 | Full-Week | 120 | 140 | 240 | 310 | |
| Sun-Thu | 14 | 16 | 28 | 36 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 25 | 30 | 50 | 65 | |||
| Shoulder | 50-85 | Full-Week | 100 | 120 | 200 | 270 | |
| Sun-Thu | 12 | 14 | 23 | 31 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 20 | 25 | 43 | 58 | |||
| Premier | Peak | 115-150 | Full-Week | 110 | 130 | 230 | 300 |
| Sun-Thu | 13 | 15 | 27 | 35 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 23 | 28 | 48 | 63 | |||
| Mid | 90-110 | Full-Week | 100 | 120 | 210 | 270 | |
| Sun-Thu | 12 | 14 | 24 | 31 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 20 | 25 | 45 | 58 | |||
| Shoulder | 50-85 | Full-Week | 80 | 100 | 180 | 240 | |
| Sun-Thu | 10 | 12 | 21 | 28 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 15 | 20 | 38 | 50 | |||
| Select | Peak | 115-150 | Full-Week | 90 | 110 | 200 | 260 |
| Sun-Thu | 11 | 13 | 23 | 30 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 18 | 23 | 43 | 55 | |||
| Mid | 90-110 | Full-Week | 80 | 100 | 180 | 230 | |
| Sun-Thu | 10 | 12 | 21 | 27 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 15 | 20 | 38 | 48 | |||
| Shoulder | 50-85 | Full-Week | 60 | 80 | 160 | 210 | |
| Sun-Thu | 7 | 10 | 18 | 24 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 13 | 15 | 35 | 45 | |||
| Affiliate | Peak | 115-150 | Full-Week | 80 | 90 | 170 | 220 |
| Sun-Thu | 10 | 11 | 20 | 25 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 15 | 18 | 35 | 48 | |||
| Mid | 90-110 | Full-Week | 70 | 80 | 150 | 190 | |
| Sun-Thu | 8 | 10 | 17 | 22 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 15 | 15 | 33 | 40 | |||
| Shoulder | 50-85 | Full-Week | 50 | 70 | 140 | 170 | |
| Sun-Thu | 6 | 8 | 16 | 20 | |||
| Fri/Sat | 10 | 15 | 30 | 35 |
Learning About Travel Demand Index (TDI)
To determine seasonal demand of specific destinations that you wish to book, DVC members must first refer to the Travel Demand Index (TDI) for their desired resort location.
In the next section, we will teach you how to determine the TDI for the resort you’re trying to book at the time of year you wish to travel.
Determining The TDI of Your Desired Resort
You can find the Travel Demand Index for the resort you wish to book by browsing the Interval International Resort Directory, which can be found it at IntervalWorld.com. Each geographical area has it’s own Travel Demand Index chart, and many resorts in that geographical area will use the same chart.
We’ve added two charts below of the Orlando and New York regions below so you can get a feel for how to read the chart, and dont worry! We’ll explain exactly how to read the charts in the paragraphs just below.
Looking at the charts above, you can see the numbers of each week of the year are listed from the top down. Travel Demand Index is listed from left to right.
First, you will want to find the row that represents the week of the year you would like to travel to your destination then look to the right on that row to find the colored square. If the colored square is in the center column, that represents market average, and that week’s TDI is 100. Each column to the right of the center column represents a travel demand index that is higher by 5 units. Each column to the left of the center column represents a travel demand index that is lower by 5 units.
Keep in mind, there are different charts for each region. The Travel Demand Index number can be different from year to year, and each year has a color-coded key at the bottom of the TDI chart.
Once you have determined the TDI of your desired trade, you can refer to the point chart above to determine how many DVC points it would take to book your desired reservation.
Confirm-First Vs Points Deposit
As a DVC member using Interval International (II), you will have two options for how to fund exchanges with DVC points.
Confirm-First
Many other vacation clubs require owners to deposit their week(s) / points into II, which commits those weeks or points to be used to book resorts within II, before even being able to search for exchanges that are available to book.
DVC members have a special scenario with II that allows them to keep their DVC points in their DVC account, and only draw those DVC points out of their account at the time of receiving a reservation confirmation.
Points Deposit
Alternatively DVC members can elect to deposit all or a portion of their DVC points into Interval International. While this commits the member to using those points to book reservations within II’s network of resorts, it also banks those points for an additional 2 years. This is a great trick for greatly extending the useful life of your DVC points. This is just one additional way of getting the best value of your unused DVC points.
Trading Power
Trading power refers to degree of demand for a property when its owner wishes to utilize an exchange company. A property’s trading power can greatly enhance or greatly limit your ability to exchange it with other resorts within Interval International, but thankfully DVC members will not have to worry about exchange restrictions due to low trading power. DVC resorts carry some of the highest trading power due to their high rating with Interval (all DVC resorts carry the highest designation, Elite), and are all built in locations with a high TDI, which the Orlando area features above the market average TDI for about two-thirds of the year.
Owning a Disney Vacation Club membership is one of the best ways to ensure you have a high trading power with Interval International. This is due to the fact that Disney properties are known to offer a high quality of accommodations and the unbeatable locations throughout Disney World that DVC has chosen for their resorts are usually in high demand, especially in peak seasons.
All Interval International Fees For 2022
If you are planning on exchanging your DVC points with Interval International, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you will need to have a membership with Interval International, which can be paid for each year, or you can buy a package of up to 5 years in advance. Next you will need enough DVC points to cover the cost of your stay, if you are paying with points. If you are booking a 7-night reservation, you will need to pay a fee of $209 for the exchange.
We’ve added charts below that show all Interval International fees for the 2022 year, simply click the section below to expand it.
II Exchange Cancellation Policy for DVC Members
DVC Member have the ability to cancel any exchange confirmation that has been issued to them within seven (7) days or more in advance of the check-in date, but the DVC Member is required to notify II of their desire to cancel a reservation confirmation. If a DVC member is cancelling a reservation confirmation within 24 hours after the exchange request has been confirmed, the DVC Points used for the exchange will be returned to their DVC account, and will be fully available to use to book DVC resorts, or exchange with II at a later date.
If a DVC member is cancelling a reservation confirmation 24 hours after the exchange request has been confirmed, the DVC member’s DVC Points will not be returned to the DVC member, but the DVC member will have the right to request future use of those DVC points in the Exchange Program until December 31 of the second calendar year following the calendar year in which the DVC Member’s Confirmation was canceled.
| When Cancellation Is Initiated After Confirmation | Where The DVC Points Go | When Does The Use Of The Points Expire? |
|---|---|---|
| Within 24 hours | DVC points are returned to member’s DVC account | The DVC points that are returned to the member’s DVC account carry the same expiration date that they did before the exchange. |
| After 24 hours | DVC points are not returned to DVC account, they are deposited into the member’s II account and are only available for use within II | The DVC points that are deposited into the member’s II account can be used until Dec 31st, two years after the year in which the cancellation takes place |
Let’s Wrap Up
If you are looking for more flexibility in where you stay on your next vacation, or are looking to extend the life of your DVC points, exchanging your DVC points with Interval International is a great option for DVC members. Utilizing timeshare exchange is a great way to get more out of your DVC membership and travel to destinations that might not be available through DVC.
If you’d like to learn more about how to use Disney Vacation Club, be sure to explore the many articles we have on the DVC Shop blog.
What are your thoughts on exchanging DVC points with Interval International? Have you done it before? Let us know in the comments!
Written by
Rachel Van Norman
Contributing Writer
Rachel fell deeply in love with all things Disney as a little girl. Now as a wife and a mother herself, she shares this Disney obsession with her son and everyone around her. From her love of princesses to eating all the Disney food, Rachel spends her time radiating Disney magic and keeping everyone up to date on Disney news.
