If you have a February use year, you can bank all of your points up until July 31. If you have a March use year, you can bank all of you points up until August 31. You have some time to get your plans in order and to learn the ins and outs of renting (if that is the direction you choose to go) before you have to leap in. The worst case scenario is that you bank the points and then rent them next year (no restriction on renting banked points, you just can't transfer them to another member as I recall). If you plan to go every year, I would bank the points. Then, if in a future year you want to take a longer trip or stay in a larger unit you will have the extra points (you just keep using banked points for your reservations or to supplement your reservations till that time and keep banking each year).