Yes, David’s does require full payment within 24 hours of securing a reservation. I used PayPal credit as payment for David’s and was able to pay it off interest free over 6 months. That helped offset the sticker shock of a big payment upfront.We have a reservation for April, currently through DVC. Process was pretty easy and we got exactly what we wanted (1 BR BLT). I like that they do not require full payment at the time of booking. I've heard nothing bad about David's, but I'm pretty sure they require full payment immediately.
It is true DVC tacks on a CC charge of 3-4 percent on dining plan addition and you can't use gift cards.