ANY PLUSES TO HAVING 2 DIFFERENT USE YEARS

[love the mouse 22]

OR IS THAT A BAD IDEA ? LOTS OF CONTRACTS OUT THERE I LIKE BUT NOTHING IN MY USE YEAR APPEALS TO ME

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It is more of a nuisance unless you are absolutely sure you will never want to use both contracts at 7 months.

 

[Ben E N]

If they are at the same home resort, but somewhere close to 6 months apart, you can transfer them from one another to your benefit. Say your months are March and September. If you take a June trip, transfer your points to March. You could then bank them if you needed to cancel. December trip? Transfer them to September for the same reason.

A hassle it seems, and I am not speaking from experience, but that is a hypothetical advantage.

 

[DM3MD]

In my opinion, patience on the front end waiting for the right contract (or maybe even paying a little more than you'd like) heavily outweighs the inconvenience of trying to manage two use years... having to sit on hold every time you call in transfers, not having points automatically combined for straightforward online booking when 7/11 month windows open up, etc.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

One things about 2 different UY's is you get 2 waitlists per UY so you would have 4 instead of 2 if you kept the same UY. If you have a plan to use it separately it also isn't bad. But if you plan to use the points together then it's easier by far to keep it to a single UY.

If they are at the same home resort, but somewhere close to 6 months apart, you can transfer them from one another to your benefit. Say your months are March and September. If you take a June trip, transfer your points to March. You could then bank them if you needed to cancel. December trip? Transfer them to September for the same reason.

A hassle it seems, and I am not speaking from experience, but that is a hypothetical advantage.

If your indicating that the transfer would change the banking deadline that is incorrect. Transferred points retain their UY and their original banking window.

 

[Ben E N]

If your indicating that the transfer would change the banking deadline that is incorrect. Transferred points retain their UY and their original banking window.

Ah, then no there is no advantage at all that I can think of. Sorry for the misinformation, as I said I do not have experience with this myself and thought I had read about it earlier.

 

[Boardwalkin]

We have two contracts, but have never transferred between the two for any vacation. We stay in studios and I book individual vactions out of each one. One benefit I took advantage of this year is that I was able to purchase one time use points on both contracts.

 

[bwvBound]

An advantage of multiple UY: Different geographies support different UY.

For example, one might avoid Summer months at WDW ... but love summer at Disneyland. So an OCT UY fits for the WDW travels; and a MAR or APR UY for California or Hawaii travel where the summer visits are more tolerable.

---- Opinion/Editorial below ----

Personally, I hate booking any stay using DVC points beyond my banking window. Thus, my OCT UY (great for WDW!) leaves me in crisis mode for Disneyland when friends and family drop in during school breaks or visiting Aulani in Sept (a favorite period). I won't book DVC for June, July, August or Sept travel ... and sometimes that really bugs me.

Notice that in my personal example, I am living by self-imposed constraints. I understand that my points could be used for June-Sept months ... but I choose not to use them during that window as I cancel ~50% of all my travel plans. I know myself too well to risk booking beyond the banking window. My choice. I'm sticking to it.

 

[Dean]

OR IS THAT A BAD IDEA ? LOTS OF CONTRACTS OUT THERE I LIKE BUT NOTHING IN MY USE YEAR APPEALS TO ME

Extra wait lists and the chance to target certain trips earlier in a given UY are the only ones that come to mind. For full sized contracts it's not that bad depending but it is an aggravation. If one can balance a checkbook, they can manage the points, they just have to make sure they do so.

 

[JPdvcstore]

OR IS THAT A BAD IDEA ? LOTS OF CONTRACTS OUT THERE I LIKE BUT NOTHING IN MY USE YEAR APPEALS TO ME

I would recommend contacting DVC Members Services (1-800-800-9800). Ask the Member Services Agent what its the good, bad and ugly having two different USE YEARS. I prefer having the same USE YEAR, and all your points fall under one member ID number. However, I have some clients that have multiple ID numbers with different USE YEARs and they make it work. Its worth a call to DVC if you are undecided on what to purchase.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would not ask MS a question like this. MS is not trained in this stuff. Even in stuff they should know they are often wrong or stone cold make stuff up.

 

[Dean]

I would recommend contacting DVC Members Services (1-800-800-9800). Ask the Member Services Agent what its the good, bad and ugly having two different USE YEARS. I prefer having the same USE YEAR, and all your points fall under one member ID number. However, I have some clients that have multiple ID numbers with different USE YEARs and they make it work. Its worth a call to DVC if you are undecided on what to purchase.

This is not what MS does. The sales staff would be the appropriate location to ask DVD but the chances of getting a helpful answer is close to zero and there is a significant chance of getting an incorrect answer. Plus regardless of the reason and answer, it will not hold up later if it ends up not being the best direction for the person asking.

 

[Bellecruiser]

This is actually a great question, and one I have struggled with over the years. At the end of the day because of my limited brain I decided to go with one use year...lol. If I had known it in the beginning I would have chosen to ask Disney what the most common use years are ACROSS the resorts, and bought that one to begin with. Now this stuff is online, but not then. At the end of the day, I think it’s better to have one Use Year, but if you don’t have it you can work around it. It is extra juggling and work, but you can do it!

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

As already noted, the plusses are pretty straight-forward. Two accounts means you can double everything you can do with one account: 4 waitlists, twice the amount of one-time use points can be purchased, 2 transfers opportunities, and potentially two use-years so you book vacations with the best use year option based on timing of the vacation.

Personally, the negatives far exceed these plusses. Being able to seamlessly combine points and not have to manage 2 use years is worth a premium, IMO. But, another poster preferred having two, so your mileage may vary.

 

[Dean]

As already noted, the plusses are pretty straight-forward. Two accounts means you can double everything you can do with one account: 4 waitlists, twice the amount of one-time use points can be purchased, 2 transfers opportunities, and potentially two use-years so you book vacations with the best use year option based on timing of the vacation.

Personally, the negatives far exceed these plusses. Being able to seamlessly combine points and not have to manage 2 use years is worth a premium, IMO. But, another poster preferred having two, so your mileage may vary.

I think it depends. Overall and for most people, I think having them all together is best. I think it matters less if they are different UY and for certain people, it can be a major plus. The other plus not mentioned is that it allows different names on the title if one wants.

 

[Ben E N]

I don't want to chime in and be wrong again, but is this next thought a possible plus as Well?

Can you book two back to back trips under the two separate accounts, and then get the dining plan for only one? So you hit the pricy and good restaurants over the first three days of your trip, and then take it back a step and eat leftovers over the next four days, without having to pay for it.
Not worth the hassle to me, but that could be considered a "plus" if this can be done.

 

[Dean]

I don't want to chime in and be wrong again, but is this next thought a possible plus as Well?

Can you book two back to back trips under the two separate accounts, and then get the dining plan for only one? So you hit the pricy and good restaurants over the first three days of your trip, and then take it back a step and eat leftovers over the next four days, without having to pay for it.
Not worth the hassle to me, but that could be considered a "plus" if this can be done.

Sure but you might have to move and you can do that anyway under one account. If you had enough points you could book both a couple of days earlier than doing them under one and reduce them later to less nights. IMO, no real benefit here.

 

[LSchrow]

Can you book two back to back trips under the two separate accounts, and then get the dining plan for only one? So you hit the pricy and good restaurants over the first three days of your trip, and then take it back a step and eat leftovers over the next four days, without having to pay for it.
Not worth the hassle to me, but that could be considered a "plus" if this can be done.

We do just that - a night or 2 on one membership with DxDDP, followed by another 10+ days without DDP, in the same room, on our other membership (Bonus: the mugs are good for 14 days). The reservations are connected, and we have not had to move. For the bulk of our May trips, we use our April contract; for our Oct trips, we use the August membership. We recently purchased a December UY, which we plan on alternating with the April, and/or adding another trip, adding days, etc.
We prefer different UYs as we go no less than twice a year, enjoy the DxDDP for a night or 2, & we were able to add DD to the newer memberships so she is a "member".
BUT......each of our memberships has enough points to book vacations without having to transfer, so using them is no more difficult than having 3 different credit cards or bank accounts.
We definitely prefer different UYs

 

[disneynutz]

We own two due to ignorance when we first bought. Two are more work, more to keep track of and of limited value if any IMO.

Bill

 

[Ben E N]

Sure but you might have to move and you can do that anyway under one account. If you had enough points you could book both a couple of days earlier than doing them under one and reduce them later to less nights. IMO, no real benefit here.

If you do this under one account, is there a good chance you do not have to move rooms? Say I did 2 nights in a Lakeview studio with the DDP, and then 4 nights in the same room type without. Would I just call the resort ahead of arrival and let them know that they don't have to switch my room, or would that then link my reservations, making it so I either had the plan for all the says or none?