Disney World is notoriously a massively expensive trip for families…like SO expensive. Have you looked at those ticket prices lately?!

Thankfully, thanks to points + miles and a little bit of strategy (see below!!)- you truly can save THOUSANDS on your *ideal* stay at Walt Disney World!

It is still SO wild to me that trips that I thought would FOREVER be out of reach for our one income family, are 100% possible (and booked!!)..all because we decided to dive head first into reward travel. Turning the spending we were ALREADY doing >> bucket list family vacations = LIFE-CHANGING!

If you haven’t watched our Masterclass on How to Travel the World for Nearly Free- grab your spot here! It’s FREE! Okay- saving thousands on your Disney World stay, let’s go!

When it comes to NOT paying full price for an ideal Disney World hotel, you’ve got 3 main options. With Disney World, it really is ideal to stay on property. Especially, at a Deluxe property if you can, because you get allllll the perks- early entry, extended evening hours, free parking, and more!

Let’s dig in!

Option 1- On Property Marriott Disney World Hotels

One of the great parts about putting the spending you are ALREADY doing on new cards (instead of the same card over and over), is you can EASILY earn free hotel nights with the right strategy.

…and many times boujee, or REALLY expensive hotels, for FREE or pretty darn close to zero cost!

On property at Disney World, there is really only ONE hotel collection directly bookable with credit card points…and thats the 3 Marriott properties a part of the Disney Swan & Dolphin collection.

They are all right next to each other, however I think their are two most notable factors.

First, that ONLY the Dolphin property allows 5 in a room (occupancy matters at Disney!). Secondly, the Swan Reserve (the third property in the collection across the street) is a bit more swanky than the other two.

All three Marriott Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts are in the EPCOT area. Staying within walking distance of both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios means a smoother day at the parks (YES PLEASE!).

These rooms average around $250-400 a night…BUT there is a cheaper way!!

And we want allllll the savings we can get! Because Lord knows we need to conserve ALL our dollars for those park tickets, park food, and not to mention flights…uh ALL the things $$$$.

By strategically signing up for a new Marriott credit card, you can use your everyday spending to earn a nearly free stay at these Deluxe Disney properties.

Best Marriott cards for saving on a Disney World stay

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card a few times a year will have an elevated offer for 5 free 50k Night Certificates when you spend $4,000 in 3 months. This offer would be perfect for getting you 5 nights at the Disney Swan or Dolphin properties!

These certificates can be used on any night at a Marriott property that is 50k points or less. Marriott also let’s you “top off” these certificates with up to 15k additional points, so technically you can book nights up to 65k points. So if needed, you could transfer points over from our #1 favorite travel rewards card the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to top off these certificates!

(More on why this is THE card to have in your wallet here!)

As you can see on the flexible date calendar below, the price on award nights at these resorts can vary, so you may need to have a bit of flexibility with your dates to keep your booking night under that 65k range!

The second card that would provide a lot of value for Walt Disney World is the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. This card earns you 60,000 Bonus Points plus plus 1 Free Night Award after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (Free Night valued at 50,000 points).

So if you snagged this offer on the Bold card, and then you referred your partner for that same card– you would have FOUR nights for nearly free at these Deluxe Disney World properties.

Keep in mind these free night certificates DO expire– one year from when they are earned! So definitely have a PLAN in mind if you snag one of these offers.

**Note: Unlike, Hyatt and Hilton, Marriott DOES charge resort fees, so although your stay will not be 100% free- you will be saving THOUSANDS!**

Option 2- Reimburse ANY hotel with Venture Miles!

Although using your miles to “cover your travel purchases” won’t get you the MOST value out of them (transferring them OUT to partners of your card will!)- sometimes savings is savings amirite!?

My favorite cards that allow you to reimburse yourself for travel purchases using your miles, are the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

Holding both of these cards in your wallet, allows you to have a stash of miles at the ready to reimburse yourself for travel expenses…like any hotel you want at Disney! ORRRR even your Disney tickets when purchasing through a third party like undercovertourist.com!

(I also love having these miles to save on Airbnb’s when we need a bit of discount…big family people problems, sometimes a hotel just doesn’t make sense!)

The Capital One Venture and Venture X get you 2x points on EVERY purchase and offer lucrative welcome offers that would provide hundreds of savings on Walt Disney World hotels!

Simply use your card to pay for your Disney hotel, and then go into your account and click “Cover your Travel Purchases.” In here, you will see your travel expense listed with the ability to use your points to reimburse yourself for that vacation cost!

💳 Learn How to Apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card HERE!

💳 Learn How to Apply for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card HERE!

Option 3- Renting DVC Points for your Disney World Stay!

Probably my favorite option on the list?! This is the most unique way to save on your Disney World on property hotel and stay right in the HEART of the parks at somewhere really unique!

Again, for Disney World I really do think staying ON PROPERTY is a huge part of your experience. I am all for one to sacrifice and save, but when it comes to Disney it really MAKES the trip to stay within the parks. Early entry, extended evening hours, free parking, direct access to the Monorail with many resorts…just so many invaluable perks!!

Renting DVC points allows you to do so at a MASSIVE discount (think 40-50% savings!!) off those steeeepppp Disney World property price tags.

DVC= Disney Vacation Club is essentially Disney’s timeshare program. Owners purchase a contract and are given a set number of points that can be used to book nights at Disney resorts each year.

Sometimes though, owners can’t use all of their “points” in one year themselves, so they “rent” them to someone who can (YOU!).

This is where my friends at the Pixie Point Gals come in- my Disney saving EXPERT go-to’s.

Chelsea and Kim at the Pixie Point Gals are a mother-daughter duo and the ONLY woman run DVC points rental brokerage out there!! (insert 🎶 “who runs the world?! GIRLS!”)

Instead of undertaking the overwhelming process of trying to find someone to rent DVC points from, Pixie Point Gals does ALL the work for you…and matches you (the renter) with someone who has points to spare (a DVC owner)!

You simply fill out this rental request form HERE and tell them what property you want to stay at (they range from Value, Moderate, and Deluxe), what your check in date is, how many nights you want to stay, your ideal room size etc and they WORK THEIR MAGIC!

**Make sure to enter the code WAYFAREN when filling out the form to get $50 off your rental!!

Renting DVC points allows you to stay at PRIME Deluxe Disney World on property resorts- without the insaneeeee price tag of these stays!

YES, this is legit friends….run! (I just used Pixie Points Gals to stay 3 nights at highllyyyyy sought after Grand Floridian for more than HALF OFF in January!!)

The cash rate for our (VERY beautiful, Mary Poppins themed room) was $2,638 when booking directly with Disney. Instead, we booked through the Pixie Points Gals to “rent” DVC points and paid $1,282 instead!! Insane!!

The great part about renting DVC points is they can be used at resorts not just at Disney World…but also beach resorts like Aulani and Hilton Head, the Grand Californian at Disneyland, and more! The only thing of note on renting DVC points, is that you will not receive daily housekeeping via the hotel staff like you would when booking directly with Disney (but honestly who cares if you’re getting 50% off!?!)

1000% this is the way to go for saving (literal) THOUSANDS on your Disney World stay!

➡️ Save 40-50% off your Disney World stay renting DVC points HERE! And don’t forget to use the code WAYFAREN to take $50 off your reservation!!

**Bonus points! Use your Venture miles from your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to reimburse yourself for your DVC rental cost from Pixie Point Gals and it is (mind-blowing) savings ON SAVINGS. Who knew Disney World could be so cheap!? YOU DO friend, YOU DO.

Honorable Mention- Saving on your Disney World Stay

Okayyyyy so if all the on property stay perks don’t matter to you and want a FANTASTIC hotel points rate- booking the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort using Hyatt points is where it’s at.

The Hyatt Regency on Orlando is a Category 4 property, so it goes for either 12,000, 15,000, or 18,000 points a night, depending on if it is an off-peak, standard, or peak night!

For example on this night in February, the cash rate is $460+ each night ORRRRR you can pay 18,000 points and $0 in resort fees nightly. SUCH an insane value for your points.

My favorite way to book crazy dreamy Hyatt stays for free is by transferring points from our favorite travel rewards card the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card! Chase is the only major bank that transfers to Hyatt and the redemptions are just UNMATCHED (including this Disney one!)

So SO many ways to save on bucket list vacations friends! Don’t settle for full price travel– there IS a better way!! If you are ready to start turning those “maybe someday” vacations into “booking and GOING” make sure to download our free Points 101 Guide HERE!