A question about transferring points...

[rjthkids]

I can't believe we've already started to discuss our next disney vacation only four days after getting back from our first one!

We would like to go back in Oct. 2007, and this time invite his family (this time we invited mine). My only condition to all of this is that I wanted more time to be there. I felt like a week was such a rush, and I would like two.

In order to do this, we'd need an extra 350 or so points to cover the whole two weeks. I have been reading up on here about paying to have points transfered to my account, and I just had a couple of questions about how it worked...

does it matter what resort the member belonged to who transferred points to my account? in other words, if my home resort is SSR and their home resort is OKW, does that mean I can't use their OKW points to make a SSR reservation in the eleven month window?

It's the same question about use year. My use year is Feb...if someone else's use year was different (say I get my allotment in February and the person we're getting points from gets them in January 06) does this matter? Can you bank them just the same? I'm thinking of buying the points to transfer in when we get our new use year, and then banking them all so we're set for making our reservations when we need to.

TIA for all your help!

 

[Cruelladeville]

Are you sure you want to pay $3500 to borrow someone's points when you can use that same money to make a sizeable down-payment on your own set of points???

In answer to your questions: the points you rent are put into your account, but they retain their home resort, so if they are OKW points, you would have to wait until the 7 month window to stay at SSR. MS will dump the points into your current year's account if the points are from the owner's current year, and then you have until the end of your use year to use them. In other words, if you rented 2006 points from the owner, they would be put into your 2006 account, or used to cover your 2006 reservations. Before renting any points, call MS to be sure that the points can be banked. If you pay attention to use year, it will be simpler, and buying another contract is the easiest of all!

 

[rjthkids]

Are you sure you want to pay $3500 to borrow someone's points when you can use that same money to make a sizeable down-payment on your own set of points???

Yeah, this would not be a regular occurance. We do not need to make the long term commitment to those extra points nor want the permanent and significant increase in maintenance fees that would come with purchasing that many points. It's more a "treat" than any regular pattern of lodging.

But thanks for the heads up. I would definitely want to make sure I was renting from someone who had the same home resort as me, or else we would lose the 11 month window!

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

This might sound crazy, but what about a week "off site" then move to your DVC room for the second week. We do this every year and the kids love it.

We usually stay at the Wyndham Palms for $159 per night and it's a 1500 sq ft 2-bedroom with a 50" big screen television w/ DVD, a leather sectional couch with pullout, and a 200 sq ft master bathroom with marble floors. It's 10 minutes to MGM, 15 to Epcot and AK and 20 MK. It sleeps 6 easily.

Here's a link if you're interested --> Wyndham Palms

You would only be out $1000 instead of $3500.

Here is a picture of the room:

 

[drusba]

Transfered points are supposed to retain their resort identity and thus any transferred OKW points can be used for SSR only with the 7 month window; however, some have mentioned previously that MS does not always do it correctly and the transferred points are sometimes turned into your resort's points. Transferred points can be banked after the transfer subject to usual banking rules. Note, one way to lower significantly the number of extra points you will need for that "2 week" trip is to do what a lot of members do: give up two nights and reserve 12 nights beginning with a Sunday and depart on a Friday. You will find that will amply satiate your "2 week" desire and you will save the points that would be needed for two weekend nights, example: 2 weeks in a 2BR at SSR in October is 510 points, do the 12 night trip that begins on Sunday and it is only 400 points.

 

[rjthkids]

I'm appreciating all the tips! Thanks!