I don't understand why a use year is important.

[Donna M]

I seem to be able to grasp most of everything else DVC, but that use year and why a certain one works out better for people has me confused. Anyone care to explain why a certain use year is better than another one? We usually vacation in Feb. and our use year is Feb.

 

[DebbieB]

I have an April use year. My banking deadline is Nov 30. If I book a March vacation and cancel it in January, it's too late for me to bank the points and little time to rebook. So if you typically vacation in March, an April use year might not be good. On the other hand, if you typically vacation in April or May and have to cancel, you have plenty of time to rebook or bank the points.

 

[maburke]

I seem to be able to grasp most of everything else DVC, but that use year and why a certain one works out better for people has me confused. Anyone care to explain why a certain use year is better than another one? We usually vacation in Feb. and our use year is Feb.

There's a whole thread on this, but here it is in a nutshell: Your UY is perfect for you. But if you usually travelled in January, then you'd be in a very bad position if you had to cancel a reservation. Even three months out, you'd be past your banking deadline for current points, and all points would have to be used by Jan. 31. If you cancel a February vacation, you have all year to figure out what to do with the points. HTH.

 

[Donna M]

Thanks, that helps.

 

[ToddyLu]

I don't think you can book AND travel in the last four months of your use year. My use year is DEC. So I could not call Oct.1 for dates 10/28-11/06. I would need to make those reservations before August to travel those dates.

 

[Sandisw]

I don't think you can book AND travel in the last four months of your use year. My use year is DEC. So I could not call Oct.1 for dates 10/28-11/06. I would need to make those reservations before August to travel those dates.

The rule of four does not apply to the DVC resorts. You can book and travel any time, as long as you have points. So, in your example, if you called Oct. 1st to book at BLT and there were rooms, you could definitely go 10/28.

That only applies to those in the Disney Collection, World Passport, etc, (except Disneyland).

But, the OP, your UY is important because you want as much flexibility as you can have to cancel or change a vacation without losing points.

When you have a UY right before the start of your vacation, and within your banking window, you have a lot of options if you have to cancel (31 days or more). You can rebook the trip or bank the points.

Even if you want to change a vacation, traveling during those first 8 months allow for this. I have a June UY and travel in early August. I have up until 31 days before the trip to make changes to the reservation and not worry if it takes less points.

If I was outside that window, the only changes I could make would be for vacations for more points, or risk having a short timeframe to use the points up.