Multi Contract Questions....

[jbax]

Leaning heavy toward Resale. Family of 5. Likely to use 1 week every year at a 1BR Villa, or maybe every other year, but upgrade to a 2br Villa.

Thinking of persuing 3-4 separate 90-120pt contracts at the following:
OKW, AKV, BLT, VGF.

Assuming all the UY line up, how would I be allowed to book my time at these. Since I have 3 "home" resort contracts, can I book any of the 3 11mo out and just use the points from the other 2 contracts to pay for the full week?

Do you think this is a good strategy?

 

[Msmithmd]

Nope. Home booking advantage is on that resorts points only. You can only combine at 7 months.

Now indirectly you can do this, by banking and borrowing to use 2+ years worth of one resorts' points on one reservation. But just to be clear, if you want BLT (for example) at 11 months, the reservation has to be all BLT points.

 

[jbax]

I will be travelling during peak time "magic season" April break for schools.

So 11mo out I book 3 nights at each home resort, at 7mo out, would it be stupid to assume that I can then swap out and move all my points to 1 resort?

 

[chalee94]

yeah, you need to do some more research. if you have 200 pts at OKW and 30 pts at BLT and want to book BLT at 11 months out, then it is like you don't even have an OKW contract. you can bank and borrow from the BLT pts to get 90 BLT pts every third year but that's all. the OKW pts can be used at OKW at 11 months out but they are on the shelf until the 7 month window for all other resorts.

another way of understanding it is to say that the points have the home resort advantage, not you as the owner.

if i own 40 OKW pts and want to book the VGF at 11 months out, i can transfer in 100 VGF pts from an owner of a VGF contract and use those pts at the 11 month window.

 

[jbax]

So from experience, is it easy at 7mo out (Sept 2013) to combine Sep resort contracts points?

Is their availability during peak April break to accomplish this?

 

[Missyrose]

So from experience, is it easy at 7mo out (Sept 2013) to combine Sep resort contracts points?

Is their availability during peak April break to accomplish this?

You would be much better off picking one resort and buy enough points to book there at 11 months out. The home resort priority is especially important during peak periods.

 

[RSWA2]

Thinking of persuing 3-4 separate 90-120pt contracts at the following:
OKW, AKV, BLT, VGF.

You mentioned that you want to book 3 nights per resort at 11 months, then try to move them at 7 months (during the Magic Season). Ok that is doable, but if not, are you willing to do a split stay, moving every 3 nights?

Is the main reason for 3-4 home resorts, to have a 11 month priority at any of them and stay at them? If so, you can buy 3-4 ~100 point contracts, bank and borrow and stay at 1 resort 1 year, the next trip will be at a different resort, etc. This would be easier than trying to combine points at 7 months into 1 continuous stay at 1 of the home resorts.

 

[ELMC]

So from experience, is it easy at 7mo out (Sept 2013) to combine Sep resort contracts points?

Is their availability during peak April break to accomplish this?

The use year of your points has no effect on when you can book. As long as points will be available at the time of your reservation, you can book.

 

[disneynutz]

I would decide which resorts that you want to call home for the 11 month booking advantage.

Buy enough points to stay there every other year. Bank or borrow to double the points for a reservation.

Forget about booking at 7 months because you may not get what you want. You can always try but you have your 11 month reservation in place at your favorite resort(s).

Keep all contracts the same UY and titled the same to combine all contracts into one account.

Bill

 

[jbax]

All good feedback and suggestions.

Will keep searching and reading the forum for as much useful info as I can get.

I am sure I will have more questions, as I go thru this process.


THANKS!

 

[Sandisw]

I will be travelling during peak time "magic season" April break for schools.

So 11mo out I book 3 nights at each home resort, at 7mo out, would it be stupid to assume that I can then swap out and move all my points to 1 resort?

You wouldn't be swapping the points. At 7 months, you'd be able to book at any resort that has availability. What you would be doing is canceling the original reservation and rebooking. What you have to remember is that borrowed points will stay borrowed so I'd you have to do that at 11 months, be sure you take that into consideration when switching the reservation.

But, I agree with others. I'd start with a resort you'd be happy staying at and buy there and see how the booking at 7 months works before going with other resorts. We own 2 but we have enough in each to treat them as their own. Plus, we always split stay so now I can book at 11 months what I want at each and don't have to worry.

Good luck!

 

[Dean]

Leaning heavy toward Resale. Family of 5. Likely to use 1 week every year at a 1BR Villa, or maybe every other year, but upgrade to a 2br Villa.

Thinking of persuing 3-4 separate 90-120pt contracts at the following:
OKW, AKV, BLT, VGF.

Assuming all the UY line up, how would I be allowed to book my time at these. Since I have 3 "home" resort contracts, can I book any of the 3 11mo out and just use the points from the other 2 contracts to pay for the full week?

Do you think this is a good strategy?

Ignoring the differences in inherent cost/value from one resort to another, that plan increases the cost by at least $10 a point, likely slightly more and as much as $15 a point based on points numbers alone. You pay 3 or 4 closings, you have great difficulty finding multiple contracts that match up and smaller contracts are generally more pp than larger ones. VGF is very unlikely resale for some time and even then, likely won't present a lot of savings resale vs retail for a while, maybe for many years.

You'll have to decide what's important to you but assuming you just want to go then and try out all resorts over time, I would not take the approach you've mentioned. I'd either buy one contract somewhere resale at a good price for the resort and hope to get in other places at times but not necessarily every time. At most I'd buy 2, one just to get points like SSR or OKW and a smaller one for a destination like GF or BLT. You'll be able to get SSR or OKW at the 7 month for a 1 or 2 BR basically any time in all likelihood. Here are the approaches I'd consider in the order of my preference taking into account your stated info, all resale.

SSR 170-250 only (consider adding second resort later if needed)
BLT 150-250, (consider adding second resort later either something like SSR as a points cow or a second destination resort).

Of course there are many variations one could consider with the same principles.