Adding Points Need Advice!!!!!

[okw30]

We have owned at okw for about 6 years , 230 points feb. use year. We are about to make an offer on a resale 100 points okw, with August use year. I called member services because I had some questions about having two different use years. They of coarse were trying to talk me out of buying a resale, said it was better to buy from them. They said the points cannot be combined. Now I am very confused, is this a bad Idea????? please help.

 

[Chuck S]

Given the choice, personally, I would look for a resale with the same use year as my master contract...especially if it is at the same resort as my master contract. It will just make managing those banking and borrowing windows easier.

Many folks on these boards do have multiple use years, though, and seem very happy with them.

 

[Inkmahm]

I was going to do the same thing when we added 180 points at VWL after initially buying 150 BWV through the Timeshare Store. I was going to get another contract through resale but it had a different UY. My guide suggested to me that I should have talked to him first as there are many reasons why it is easier to have the same UY for all of your points. I decided to trust my guide and we purchased the same UY points through Disney. Didn't have to wait long to get them, either.

With hindsight, I am VERY glad I don't have yet another variable in our planning for our points. Having 3 home resorts (we also bought 150 AKV points this month) is tough enough. At least they all have the same UY so I don't have to worry about planning trips around changing UYs.

 

[kdzgon]

I have found that once I do the math, many resale contracts are actually more expensive than buying direct from Disney, especially if the purpose is to add on to an existing contract. You need to compare the full cost of a resale contract (price per point PLUS closing costs PLUS MF reimbursements) to the cost from Disney. Also, most (but not all) contracts from Disney include current year points (fully bankable irregardless of normal banking deadlines) yet a number of resale contracts are missing some or all of the current year points.

For example, there is a 100 pt OKW contract on TTS, August UY, with the following: 100 points coming on 8/1/08 and 100 points coming on 8/1/09. Can close 5/6/07. No Annual Dues until 2008. Priced at $88 per point.

Total net cost would be approx $9,200 ($8,800 + $400 est closing costs), or $92 per point, and no 2007 MFs.

Direct from Disney, as long as you were to purchase by Mar 31, this will cost you $9,200 ($92 per point for OKW) plus no more than 10 mos maintenance costs of $365.83. HOWEVER, you will have 100 current year points, which you could use, bank or rent. I use an estimated value of $10 per pt ($1,000 total in this example), as it is pretty easy to rent them out at that price should you choose to do so. This brings your net cost to $8,565.83 ($9200 + $365.83 - $1,000), or $85.66 per point AND NO ROFR to worry about! Your offer would have to be approx $81.50 to EQUAL Disney's price!

Even assuming no MFs until 2008, the Feb UY is even worse, even though the price is $83, as there are no points until 2008 (net price approx $87 per point). In this case, you will have 196 more points by adding on direct, or a net "savings" over the resale contract of $10.94 per point!

Bottom line, adding on direct from Disney is still less expensive for you in both these instances. The only plus to these contracts is for non-owners - they can buy in at less than the minimum point requirement of Disney direct.

 

[LisaS]

I called member services because I had some questions about having two different use years. They of coarse were trying to talk me out of buying a resale, said it was better to buy from them. They said the points cannot be combined. Now I am very confused, is this a bad Idea????? please help.

If you purchase an "add-on" to your current master contract (same UY, same membership number) the two contracts function like one pool of points. When you make a reservation you can draw points from either or both contracts. Banking deadlines are the same for both contracts and the total number of points you own in both contracts are used when calculating your banking percentages.

If you buy a different UY, it will be a set up as a new master contract, as different from your other contract as my contracts are from yours. It will have its own membership number. If you want to use points from both contracts for one stay, you would make two reservations booking part of your stay with each contract and then have MS link them together. If you had 6 points left in one contract and 5 left in the other and needed 11 points to book one more night, you would have to use your one transfer per Use Year to transfer points from one contract to the other.

I second kdzgon's advice about comparing resale contracts to buying directly from Disney. The smaller (100 points or fewer) resale contracts sell for a premium. Once you add in closing costs and dues reimbursements and factor in how many points you get with the contract, and compare that to Disney's price, no closing costs, pro-rated dues and the full set of current-UY points, buying from Disney is sometimes the better deal. And you will have your current-UY points in your account in 24 hours. Since you have a Feb UY, you just missed getting 2006 UY points from Disney by 3 weeks. If you purchased today, you would get 2007 UY points with your add-on which is still better than waiting until 2008 for your first set of points.

 

[shellbelle1971]

The previous posters have made good points, but our family has two different master contracts with two different years and I like it because that gives us the ability to do two point transfers per year if we need to. (We never transfer points between the two contracts.)

So far, I have no difficulty maintaining two accounts, and have never "lost" points or had any kind of problem. I do use a spreadsheet to help me keep track, but it isn't hard to do.

 

[jemiaule]

As someone who has mostly February UY contracts and bought an August UY resale...DON'T DO IT! What a PITA it has been having two different UY to tangle with. I have already sold two of my smaller August UY contracts and will probably sell the last one this year as well.

 

[okw30]

thanks everyone