another question

[jupers]

More questions...

What is the difference between buying say 200 points on one contract and 2 100 point contracts at different resorts, aside from the booking window. If they have the same use year are the all available at the same time?

 

[heynowirv]

See you already answered your own question.It's the booking window ,but it also depends on what size lodging you need, time of year .

Say you need a 2 bedroom then obviously you'll need alot more points to book at the 11 month window that if you need a studio.

 

[jupers]

Ok, now I confused myself.

I guess what I'm asking is if I have 2 small contracts at different resort, but want to combine the points for those 2 small contracts for 1 stay, then do I have to wait for the 7 month window or because I own at 1 resort can I book at 11 months?
Does that make more sense?

 

[vicki_c]

Ok, now I confused myself.

I guess what I'm asking is if I have 2 small contracts at different resort, but want to combine the points for those 2 small contracts for 1 stay, then do I have to wait for the 7 month window or because I own at 1 resort can I book at 11 months?
Does that make more sense?

Use year has nothing to do with when you can book a reservation.

Each contract has its own home resort and 11 month window for THAT resort. If you want to combine 2 contracts from 2 resorts, you can only use all the points at the 7 month window.

The only way I ever thought that was a workable plan was if you used 2-3 years of points at one time using borrowing and banking. So one trip you would go to resort A using multiple years of Resort A points, next trip - resort B doing the same.

Of course, if you don't book until 7 months or less out, then I guess it doesn't matter.

 

[chalee94]

I guess what I'm asking is if I have 2 small contracts at different resort, but want to combine the points for those 2 small contracts for 1 stay, then do I have to wait for the 7 month window or because I own at 1 resort can I book at 11 months?

if you own 1000 SSR pts and 25 BLT pts, then at 11 months out, you can use up to 75 BLT pts (25 banked BLT, 25 current BLT and 25 borrowed BLT pts) to book BLT (which will only work every third year). at 7 months, you can use your SSR pts to book BLT if there is availability.

the same is true for the SSR contract, if you want to book treehouses at 11 months out, your BLT contract is useless - those 25 home resort pts are no good at SSR until the 7 month window.

you need the right "currency" at 11 months...at 7 months, points are points.

 

[Sandisw]

Home resort points never change their home resorts. Owning at different resorts does not change that.

For example, you can only use BLT points at BLT prior to 7 months, even if you own elsewhere.

Having the same UY, keeps them under the same membership, which does allow you to use all your points at the 7 month window. If they are different UY's, then you have to do a transfer to use them to book a single night.

 

[Mjasp]

Can someone please clarify to me what the use year "really" means, if it doesn't matter when you can book?

Thx

 

[ToddyLu]

It just means the "month" that you get your points...and then you count out 8 months from that for your banking deadline. That is all UY means. It has nothing to do with the booking of a reservation. You have to separate UY from making a reservation.

For instance my UY is DEC. I like to vacation in Oct-DEC. That is not really a good UY for me because if I have a trip booked for 11/1-11/7 and cancel my points are restricted by rules and I am only able to use my points for another 3 weeks--the end of my UY. I would have been better off getting a Sept or Ooct UY. But becasue of my DH's schedule coming out each Dec--Dec works better for me having definite dates for travel at the BEGINNING of my UY.

Make all the reservations you want, just don't cancel...your UY can get you in trouble if you are very close to the end of it and cancel.

IF you want to travel during F&W--you might want a BWV contract with an OCT UY. That way if you book a reservation 10/01-10/08, and cancel you still have the rest of the UY to use your points.

 

[chalee94]

Can someone please clarify to me what the use year "really" means, if it doesn't matter when you can book?

that's what it means, though: when you "use" your pts.

if i have an oct UY and i am "using" the points for a stay on oct 10, 2011 for 5 nights...then i know i am "using" the points in my 2011 UY which goes from oct 1, 2011 to sept 30, 2012. if i can't "use" my pts from oct 1, 2011 to sept 30, 2012, then i can bank them forward one year but i would need to "use" them for a stay oct 1, 2012 to sept 30, 2013.

you just have to separate notions of booking from "using" and booking (and it is a little confusing that the points are no longer available once you book a villa with them even if you haven't stayed there yet). it is also confusing to keep track of a late in the calendar use year, like december, since most of your 2010 use year is actually in 2011 (dec 1, 2010 through nov 30, 2011) - so you're more likely to "use" your 2010 "use year" pts in calendar year 2011.

booking is simply based on home resort. as long as you have points that can be banked or borrowed to where they can be used in the "use year" of the reservation, you can book 11 months out at your home resort.

more info on use year is here if you need it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1942668

 

[ToddyLu]

Just think of it more as "use month". THere is a sticky called Understanding UY.

 

[Mjasp]

Ahhh, I "think" I get it now LOL

 

[chalee94]

It just means the "month" that you get your points...

this can be a confusing way to say it, though. according to my DVC account online, i've already "got" my 2012 and 2013 pts.

but since my 2013 pts are valid for stays starting oct 1, 2013 (or oct 1, 2012 if i borrowed them) and that is beyond my 11 month booking window, i can't really book anything yet even though i "have" them...so it's probably just going to be a little confusing no matter how you explain it...