Bank or risk it?

[jade m]

We have put a deposit down for VWL. Hurray! But we have some final concerns and could use your help. I guess you need to "bank" your points at six months left in your use year (or 1/2 of them at 3 months). The question is: should you bank them if you are unsure you will want them during the last six months (assuming you could get a reservation), or if you bank them are you committed to no points during the last six months?
We also wonder what most people do, rent or trade if you dont bank and find you cant use them?

 

[Lew]

If I were not absolutely sure I was going to use them, I would go ahead and bank them. If you do decide to go, you can always borrow what you need from your next use year.

 

[Caskbill]

The safest is to bank them. Then as mentioned, if you want to vacation during that time, simply borrow next year's points. Effectively you'd just be 'swapping' the two years around, but this 'saves' the points, thus having double points next year if you don't use them this year.

Do be mindful though of a few things.

Borrowed points cannot be put back. If you borrow for a reservation, then cancel, those points could become lost if you couldn't make a new reservation and use them.

If you bank points into next year, they HAVE to be used that year.

Caskbill