A strategy for banking points

[chuckcorden]

Let's see if I have this straight. My use year starts on Oct. 1 and I have 'til March 31 to bank 100% of my points. I have 250 points. Let's say that I want to use 88 points for a stay at WDW in March or April of 2007. That leaves me with 162 points. Now if I bank these points prior to March 31, I must bank all 162 to meet the 100% requirement. Am I correct?

As an aside: If I don't bank points during the first six months, then I can only bank 50% (or 25% or 0%) of my points in subsequent months. Also, I can only bank once a year. Are these assumptions correct?

Another question: Assuming the figures above (I have banked 162 points). As of Oct. 1, 2007, I receive another 250 points. Now I have 412 points. I wish to use 71 points for a vacation in October, 2007 and 90 points for a trip in March or April of 2008. That leaves me with 251 points remaining and when I bank them prior to March 31, 2008, I will have 501 points (251 + 250) for the use year beginning on Oct. 1, 2008.

I hope I haven't made this too confusing but I want to make sure that I have a handle on all of this. I've been a member of DVC for a few days now and there is so much to learn.

Thanks for your patience.

Chuck

 

[Chuck S]

You may bank as many times as you wish during your use year...however, the percentages have no reflection upon your points left, but are based upon the total of your contract, the totals are cumulative

For instance, on your 250 point contract during your 100% window you may bank all of your points. During your 50% window, you may bank up to a total of 125 points, including any points you may have banked previously. For instance using your scenario of having 162 points left, say that during your 100% window you bank 25 of those points. You want to bank more during your 50% window, you may only bank 100 points more, for a cumulative total of 125 points or 50% of your total contract. That would leave you with 37 points you have to use or lose before the end or your use year.

Also, you can not bank more than your contract total, so you could not bank 251 points, only a maximum of 250 points.

You can, however, have 750 points available for reservation every third year, by banking year 1, using year 2, and borrowing year 3. Once points are banked or borrowed, it can not be "undone".

 

[momsgoofy]

Sheesh! This is about as complicated as who stole the cookie from the cookie jar...

No, seriously, it is my biggest headache right now, so I'm glad to see someone else asking, but I don't know if I still get it all...clearly. Let me try...

UY- June
Total points on June 1 - 300
Points remaining at present - 134
Date to bank 100% by - November 30
(and whatever else the next dates are...don't know off the top of my head)

IF I get this...
I can bank all of the remaining points (134) by November 30

OR
If I wanted, I could wait till the 50% window and still bank all remaining (134) points because it is less than 50% of the total amount of points.

Is that right? If it is, well, then alrighty!! I'm getting this banking thing. And if I am getting it, then a big woohoo because I was starting to stress about "to bank or not to bank - that is the question" since as it looks now, we won't be taking any trips till after June 1, 2007, BUT there is a slim chance that I might get to go for a few days by myself so I might want to use some points if that happens.

So, could ye old wise DIS DVCers tell me if I'm getting this...or am at least close?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Chuck S]

Sheesh! This is about as complicated as who stole the cookie from the cookie jar...

No, seriously, it is my biggest headache right now, so I'm glad to see someone else asking, but I don't know if I still get it all...clearly. Let me try...

UY- June
Total points on June 1 - 300
Points remaining at present - 134
Date to bank 100% by - November 30
(and whatever else the next dates are...don't know off the top of my head)

IF I get this...
I can bank all of the remaining points (134) by November 30

OR
If I wanted, I could wait till the 50% window and still bank all remaining (134) points because it is less than 50% of the total amount of points.

Is that right? If it is, well, then alrighty!! I'm getting this banking thing. And if I am getting it, then a big woohoo because I was starting to stress about "to bank or not to bank - that is the question" since as it looks now, we won't be taking any trips till after June 1, 2007, BUT there is a slim chance that I might get to go for a few days by myself so I might want to use some points if that happens.

So, could ye old wise DIS DVCers tell me if I'm getting this...or am at least close?

Thanks so much!!!

You got it!! With a 300 point contract you can bank up to 150 total points until the end of the 50% banking window.

 

[JimMIA]

Also, for both of you, there is an essential tool you should have -- Caskbill's DVC Planner -- created by one of the technical mods here on the DIS. It's absolutely free and makes everything from calculating points to banking to seven- and eleven-month window opening dates SO easy. All of the dates in the Planner are even adjusted for weekends and holidays when MS is not open.

You get it here: www.caskbill.com

In addition, once you get access to your account on the member site, it will tell you right up front how many points you have available at a particular time, and it will give you reminders of banking deadlines and tell you how many points you can bank. Also, brand new feature -- you can now bank online.

Also, when you do an add-on ( ), if it's at a different resort, remember that the banking deadline limits apply to your total account.

For example, assume you own 200 points at SSR and 100 at BCV, for a total of 300 points. You've used all of your BCV points, none of your SSR points, and your 100% deadline has passed.

How many of your 200 SSR points can you bank in the 50% period? 150, because it's 50% of the total annual point allotment, not the number of points you happen to have in one resort.

 

[momsgoofy]

ChuckS...I feel like I need to snatch up one of those bouncing Mickey jack o'lanterns from ya!

Thanks...now I can sit cool for a couple more months...what a relief!!

JimMIA...ah, thanks for reminding Dory's sis that she has that sweet little planner on her laptop. She just didn't remember nor knew that it could figure the number of points she could bank...(Mickey laughs here.)

Thanks to ya both!!!

 

[Chuck S]

ChuckS...I feel like I need to snatch up one of those bouncing Mickey jack o'lanterns from ya!

Thanks...now I can sit cool for a couple more months...what a relief!!

JimMIA...ah, thanks for reminding Dory's sis that she has that sweet little planner on her laptop. She just didn't remember nor knew that it could figure the number of points she could bank...(Mickey laughs here.)

Thanks to ya both!!!

Okie Dokie, I'll send you a "boo-gram"

 

[momsgoofy]

Okie Dokie, I'll send you a "boo-gram"

Why, you are too kind...

 

[chuckcorden]

Also, for both of you, there is an essential tool you should have -- Caskbill's DVC Planner -- created by one of the technical mods here on the DIS. It's absolutely free and makes everything from calculating points to banking to seven- and eleven-month window opening dates SO easy. All of the dates in the Planner are even adjusted for weekends and holidays when MS is not open.

You get it here: www.caskbill.com

In addition, once you get access to your account on the member site, it will tell you right up front how many points you have available at a particular time, and it will give you reminders of banking deadlines and tell you how many points you can bank. Also, brand new feature -- you can now bank online.

Thanks, Jim. I've down loaded both of Caskbill's programs. They look like they could help me. At this stage, anything can.

I also can't wait to get online.

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[LisaS]

Just a few additional comments on your questions.

My use year starts on Oct. 1 and I have 'til March 31 to bank 100% of my points. I have 250 points. Let's say that I want to use 88 points for a stay at WDW in March or April of 2007. That leaves me with 162 points. Now if I bank these points prior to March 31, I must bank all 162 to meet the 100% requirement. Am I correct?

That is not quite correct. When you are in your 100% banking window, you can bank any number of points up to 100%. You are not required to bank everything you have left.

Assuming the figures above (I have banked 162 points). As of Oct. 1, 2007, I receive another 250 points. Now I have 412 points. I wish to use 71 points for a vacation in October, 2007 and 90 points for a trip in March or April of 2008. That leaves me with 251 points remaining and when I bank them prior to March 31, 2008, I will have 501 points (251 + 250) for the use year beginning on Oct. 1, 2008.

In this example, you bank 162 points into your Oct '07 Use Year. You then use 161 (71 + 90) of those banked points for vacations during your '07 Use Year, leaving 1 banked point unused. Banked points must be used in the Use Year into which they are banked. You cannot bank them a second time. So in this scenario, you would lose that 1 banked point if you did not use it for something else during your '07 Use Year. You did not use any of your regular '07 points so all 250 of them can be banked into your '08 Use Year and will expire at the end of that Use Year.

Hope this helps!

 

[kdzgon]

If you have both banked and current points available in the current UY, do use of points get allocated to banked points first automatically, or must you specifically request Disney use the banked points first when making a reservation?

 

[LisaS]

If you have both banked and current points available in the current UY, do use of points get allocated to banked points first automatically, or must you specifically request Disney use the banked points first when making a reservation?

When I've been in this situation, I always mention to the MS CM that I want to use up my banked points first and I'm always told that "the computer does that automatically". I don't like to take anything for granted, so even though the system is set up to use banked points first, I always mention to MS that that is what I want to do.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Just wanted to add that I have never had any issues with them using the banked points first, but I do usually ask to clarify that point when I make the first ressie of a use year if I have banked points in that year.

 

[JimMIA]

Just wanted to add that I have never had any issues with them using the banked points first, but I do usually ask to clarify that point when I make the first ressie of a use year if I have banked points in that year.

I had them miss the banked points last year, but thanks to comments like this on the DIS, I knew to double-check and we got it fixed.

 

[Ksp]

Thanks for posting this thread -- it's always good to reaquaint my brain with the banking rules-- I'd hate to get burned and lose points.
This is the DIS version of online learning, lol! Here I am, drinking coffee and doing my own point-counting. Good mornin' , everybody.

 

[chuckcorden]

You may bank as many times as you wish during your use year...however, the percentages have no reflection upon your points left, but are based upon the total of your contract, the totals are cumulative

For instance, on your 250 point contract during your 100% window you may bank all of your points. During your 50% window, you may bank up to a total of 125 points, including any points you may have banked previously. For instance using your scenario of having 162 points left, say that during your 100% window you bank 25 of those points. You want to bank more during your 50% window, you may only bank 100 points more, for a cumulative total of 125 points or 50% of your total contract. That would leave you with 37 points you have to use or lose before the end or your use year.

OK, I think I have it. A followup question: Why wouldn't you bank all the points that you can [minus what you will need for vacation(s)] as early as you can? That way you wouldn't be scrambling around at the end of the year with points that will be forfeited.

Also, you can not bank more than your contract total, so you could not bank 251 points, only a maximum of 250 points.

Even I can understand that.

You can, however, have 750 points available for reservation every third year, by banking year 1, using year 2, and borrowing year 3. Once points are banked or borrowed, it can not be "undone".

This gave me the biggest problem since I had to solve polynomiel(?) equations. My daughter is the math teacher not me. But then in a flash of insight, it came to me. Bank 250 points in year 1, use all 250 in year two, and borrow 250 points from year 4 combined with the 250 from year 3 gives you 750 points for reservation purposes. But thinking about it, you can't do that every three years because once you borrow 250 points from year 4, you can't bank those points in year 4. Am I correct or am I, like Br'er Rabbit caught in a briar patch?

Thank you (I think)

Chuck

 

[dianeschlicht]

LOL, you have my head spinning with that one! YOu are right in thinking that as long as you always use as many points as you banked the previous year, you are fine.

As to using 3 years for one ressie....That can only be done on the middle year.

250 points for 2006 banked into 2007
250 for 2007 with 250 from 2006 added
make a ressie in 2007 using those 500 points plus borrowing 250 from 2008. Does that example help?

 

[Chuck S]

OK, I think I have it. A followup question: Why wouldn't you bank all the points that you can [minus what you will need for vacation(s)] as early as you can? That way you wouldn't be scrambling around at the end of the year with points that will be forfeited.

Sometimes plans change. For instance, say you had a ressie during the first 3 months of your use year that needed 50 points, you banked 200. Then something happened and you had to cancel the ressie. As long as you were in the 100% window, you could bank those 50 points.

 

[LisaS]

A followup question: Why wouldn't you bank all the points that you can [minus what you will need for vacation(s)] as early as you can? That way you wouldn't be scrambling around at the end of the year with points that will be forfeited.

It is definitely a good idea to bank your remaining points as soon as you have booked your trips for the current Use Year.

But there may be times when you choose not to bank all of your leftover points right away. For example, if you owned at OKW and booked there at 11 months out but hoped to switch to BCV at 7 months out. BCV will cost more points so a member in this situation might keep just enough of the current Use Year's points to complete that BCV reservation if they can get it at 7 months. If they don't get the BCV reservation, they could then bank those remaining points subject to banking deadlines. So you would only want to do this if the timing would work out that you could still bank the points if the BCV reservation didn't work out.

Similarly, you might be on a waitlist and want to hold on to enough points to pay for those nights if they come through, but again, with an eye on your banking deadlines.