Another UY question

[Disney st8 of mind]

I hope I make sense in what I'm trying to ask. We are looking at buying resale and usually travel the end of August. Let's say we are looking at a UY of Dec. Since we would want to go in Aug would we be able to use those points since it is still in 2012 or would we have to borrow them since they aren't there until Dec? If we borrow Dec 2012 points to go Aug 2012 then we would be short when Aug 2013 rolls around. Does that then mean we could borrow Dec 2013 points to go Aug 2013? If this turns out to be the case, we would have to look at borrowing every year ... can you even do that? Thanks!

 

[CarolMN]

I hope I make sense in what I'm trying to ask. We are looking at buying resale and usually travel the end of August. Let's say we are looking at a UY of Dec. Since we would want to go in Aug would we be able to use those points since it is still in 2012 or would we have to borrow them since they aren't there until Dec? If we borrow Dec 2012 points to go Aug 2012 then we would be short when Aug 2013 rolls around. Does that then mean we could borrow Dec 2013 points to go Aug 2013? If this turns out to be the case, we would have to look at borrowing every year ... can you even do that? Thanks!

If you were vacationing in August 2012 and had a December use year, you would normally use points from your 2011 use year (those points are good for vacations between 12/1/2011 and 11/30/2012). 2011 would be the "current use year" for August 2012 vacations.

You could also use points that you had previously banked into 2011 from 2010 (those points were originally valid for vacations between 12/1/2010 and 11/30/2011).

If you wanted to use points from your 2012 use year, you would have to borrow then into your 2011 use year. December 2012 use year points would be good for vacations between 12/1/2012 and 11/30/2013.

You can bank points ahead one year and you can borrow points from one year ahead.

This thread is a little old, but it will still help you understand more about use year:

Understanding Use Year

 

[Disney st8 of mind]

I'm assuming that the sellers must have borrowed from this year because they only have a small portion listed as current. I didn't read your link yet , but do you know if you can borrow each year so that if we start with that cycle and want to go the same time every year, we would always be borrowing from the next year?

 

[CarolMN]

I'm assuming that the sellers must have borrowed from this year because they only have a small portion listed as current. I didn't read your link yet , but do you know if you can borrow each year so that if we start with that cycle and want to go the same time every year, we would always be borrowing from the next year?

Yes, you can borrow at any time as long as there are points in the next use year left to borrow.

Once borrowed, the points cannot be returned to their original use year. If you cancel the reservation that used them and cannot reschedule before the end of the current use year, the points expire and are forfeited. For example, if you borrowed 100 points from your 2012 use year to take an August 2012 vacation and then cancelled the August vacation, the points would have to be used by 11/30/2012. If you couldn't take a vacation before then, the points are lost.

Respectfully, if you are usually going to travel in August, a December use year is not a very good one for you. That is especially true if you have to start out borrowing. My advice is to pass on that contract and look for one that better suits your family's vacation travel.

P.S. Yes, you would be borrowing for every trip. Also, MS will not allow you to borrow points unless you are making a reservation that will actually use the points.

 

[Disney st8 of mind]

Thanks for all the help! Why would Dec not be a good UY? Wouldn't it still fit in with the 8 month window if I have to bank or is there another reason?

 

[drusba]

Thanks for all the help! Why would Dec not be a good UY? Wouldn't it still fit in with the 8 month window if I have to bank or is there another reason?

It does because banking deadline is July 31 and thus for a usual AUG trip it is OK; however, it is borderline rather than ideal for usual Aug trip. If you could find one with March, April or June use year, that has current use year points, it would be ideal because you would also avoid needing to borrow from the get go. Price could potentially be the deciding factor and if whomever is selling that "stripped" Dec contract (meaning seller has already used up all current use year points) is offering it at a lower price than you are seeing for unstripped contracts at the same resort then you might consider it.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thanks for all the help! Why would Dec not be a good UY? Wouldn't it still fit in with the 8 month window if I have to bank or is there another reason?

Part of the reason it is suggested to purchase a UY that starts just before your normal travel is also because if you cancel and have used borrowed or banked points you'll have a longer time period to try and reschedule or to do something else like rent. In your scenario with a Dec UY and perpetually borrowing the banking window won't even matter. If you cancel an August trip in July you will need to use the points in the next 4-5 months. But if you had an August UY and were cancelling in July with borrowed points you'd have 12 months to reschedule or rent.

 

[Sandisw]

Part of the reason it is suggested to purchase a UY that starts just before your normal travel is also because if you cancel and have used borrowed or banked points you'll have a longer time period to try and reschedule or to do something else like rent. In your scenario with a Dec UY and perpetually borrowing the banking window won't even matter. If you cancel an August trip in July you will need to use the points in the next 4-5 months. But if you had an August UY and were cancelling in July with borrowed points you'd have 12 months to reschedule or rent.

And to add to this, getting reservations in October/November on short notice are not easy so points from a cancelled August trip would be difficult, IMO, to use up during that time frame.

I agree with others, if August is going to be your typical time of travel, try to get a UY closer to the time of travel. We are August travelers and own June for this reason.

Good luck!