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DVC Loaded vs. Stripped Contracts: What Every Resale Buyer Needs to Know
When you browse DVC resale listings, you’ll see two terms everywhere: “loaded” and “stripped.” They sound simple, but the difference between a loaded and stripped contract can be worth thousands of dollars — or cost you a full year of vacations. Here is exactly what each term means, how to evaluate the real value, and when a stripped contract is actually worth buying.
What “Loaded” Means
A loaded contract has points available right now — either because the current use year’s points haven’t been used yet, or because the seller banked points forward from a prior year. In either case, you get access to points immediately after closing.
Some contracts are “extra loaded” — they carry banked points from the previous year on top of the current year’s full allotment. A 160-point contract that’s extra loaded might have 320 points available right after closing. That’s enough for two full trips instead of one.
What “Stripped” Means
A stripped contract has no available points. The current year’s points have already been used by the seller — either for a trip or rented out. You won’t receive any points until the next use year begins, which could be anywhere from a few weeks to nearly 12 months away.
Some contracts are partially stripped — the seller used some points but has others remaining. Listings will specify how many points are available and when the next full allotment arrives.
How to Compare Loaded vs. Stripped Prices
The standard way to evaluate contract value is price per point, but that calculation alone misses the timing of when those points are available. A more complete comparison factors in the value of the points you receive immediately.
Here’s a simple framework: DVC points on the rental market are worth roughly $18–21 per point. If a loaded 150-point contract carries an extra 150 banked points, those extra points represent about $2,700–$3,150 in immediate rental value if you chose not to use them yourself.
| Scenario | Contract Size | Points Available Now | Immediate Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra loaded | 150 pts/yr | 300 pts | ~$5,400–$6,300 |
| Loaded | 150 pts/yr | 150 pts | ~$2,700–$3,150 |
| Partially stripped | 150 pts/yr | 75 pts | ~$1,350–$1,575 |
| Stripped | 150 pts/yr | 0 pts | $0 |
Values based on ~$18/pt rental market rate. Actual value depends on use year timing and your personal travel plans.
Use the DVC cost calculator to model the true cost per night based on the points you’d actually receive in year one versus a typical full year.
The Use Year Factor
Contract state doesn’t exist in a vacuum — it only makes sense relative to the use year. A stripped contract with a June use year is very different from a stripped contract with a December use year, depending on when you’re buying.
If you’re buying in April and the contract has a June use year, a stripped contract means you’re only 2 months away from a full allotment. That’s barely worth a price discount. But if the same stripped contract had an August use year, you’d be waiting 4 months — still manageable. A March use year stripped in April means you’re waiting nearly 11 months. That deserves a significant discount.
See our complete DVC use year guide for a full breakdown of how use years work, which to choose, and how banking deadlines interact with your travel plans.
Banked Points: A Hidden Complexity
Points can be banked from one use year into the next — but only before the banking deadline, which is typically 8 months into the use year. When you buy a contract with banked points, those points expire at the end of the current use year if unused.
This is critical timing information. If you’re buying a contract in October with banked points that expire in December, you have 6–8 weeks to plan and book a trip. That sounds like a bonus, but it can become a liability if you can’t travel on short notice.
Always ask the seller (or listing broker):
- How many points are available right now?
- When do the current use year points expire?
- Are any points banked from a prior year? If so, when do they expire?
- Have any points been borrowed from the next use year?
Borrowed points are the opposite of banked: the seller used next year’s allotment early. If a contract has borrowed points, you start ownership with a deficit — you’ll have fewer points in your first full use year than the contract is supposed to provide. This should be reflected in a lower price.
Is a Stripped Contract Ever Worth Buying?
Yes — if the price reflects it. Stripped contracts at appropriately discounted prices are some of the best deals on the resale market, because most buyers avoid them out of impatience or lack of understanding. The competition thins out, and motivated sellers need to price aggressively to close.
Stripped contracts make sense if:
- You don’t have an immediate trip planned. If you’re buying to start using DVC next year anyway, a stripped contract costs you nothing in practical terms.
- The price discount is proportional to the wait. A 6-month stripped contract should be priced 4–6% below a fully loaded equivalent. A fully stripped contract with 10–11 months to wait should trade at a steeper discount.
- The home resort and use year are exactly what you want. Contract state is temporary. The home resort and use year are permanent. Don’t compromise on those to avoid a few months of waiting.
Stripped contracts do notmake sense if you’re trying to book a specific trip during a high-demand window (like a holiday week at a popular resort) in the near future. The 11-month booking window matters most for specific dates at specific resorts — and you’ll lose that window entirely for your first year.
See our home resort advantage guide to understand which resorts require 11-month booking to get the room type and dates you want.
What to Ask Before You Make an Offer
Before writing an offer on any resale contract, confirm the exact point status in writing from the broker or seller. You want:
| Information to Request | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Points available at closing | What you can book immediately |
| Current use year and expiration date | How long you have to use available points |
| Any banked points and their expiry | Bonus points with a short clock |
| Any borrowed points from next year | Means fewer points in your first full year |
| Next full use year start date | When you receive your first complete allotment |
Reputable brokers provide this information upfront. If a listing is vague about point status, ask before spending time on due diligence. See our complete guide to buying DVC resale for the full process from offer through closing.
How Contract State Affects ROFR Risk
Disney’s right of first refusal (ROFR) is exercised based on price per point, not on how loaded a contract is. A loaded contract at $120/pt and a stripped contract at $110/pt will both be evaluated by Disney purely on the per-point price. Disney doesn’t discount for stripped contracts when deciding whether to exercise.
This matters when you’re pricing an offer. If you offer $105/pt on a stripped contract because it’s stripped, Disney still evaluates that as a $105/pt offer. The key question is whether $105/pt is below Disney’s current ROFR threshold for that resort — not whether the contract has points available.
Read our full ROFR guide to understand how Disney’s buyback threshold works and how to price offers to maximize your chance of closing.
The Bottom Line
Loaded contracts are worth more than stripped contracts — but the premium should match the actual value of the extra points, not just the convenience of having them. Extra-loaded contracts with banked points from a prior year are genuinely valuable and worth a modest premium. Stripped contracts, priced correctly, are sleeper deals that patient buyers can take advantage of.
The permanent decisions — home resort, use year, contract size — matter far more than whether the contract is loaded or stripped. Don’t let point timing push you into the wrong resort or use year.
Check current DVC resale prices by resort to understand the baseline per-point cost at each property, then factor in point status when evaluating specific listings. Use the DVC calculator to model whether the total cost — including the waiting period — still makes financial sense for your situation.