Banking; again. I thought I understood it until yesterday.

[Ms. WDW]

I am truely sorry for posting this subject AGAIN, but I need to know if I truely understand this Banking thing for once and for all. I won't bore you all with the deatils, however I need to know if this is a true statement or not.

You cannot bank points year after year, after year.

If you bank year A and year B rolls around, if you do not use the points banked for year A by the end of year B, you loose them. If you need more points than you have between the banked year and current year combined, you borrow from year C.

For some reason, even after reading the Member Guide book over and over last year, I thought you could bank and bank until you got the points you needed.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by Ms. WDW
......(snip).....You cannot bank points year after year, after year.

If you bank year A and year B rolls around, if you do not use the points banked for year A by the end of year B, you loose them. If you need more points than you have between the banked year and current year combined, you borrow from year C......

Your statement is correct.

I have not recevied the new guidebook yet , but perhaps the writer is just trying to say that you could also bank use year B's points into use year C and use year C's points into use year D, etc. As you say, if you do not use the banked points, they expire at the end of the use year they were banked into. (Bad grammar, but you know what I mean )

 

[drusba]

You can bank current year points into the next use year subject to banking deadlines. Once banked those banked points must be used for a trip that takes place in the year into which the points have been banked; they cannot be banked again.

Note that is different from being able to bank year after year. For example, suppose you bank 2002 points into 2003. Those must be used in the 2003 use year, but the new points you get at the beginning of the 2003 use year can be banked into 2004.

 

[EmptyNester]

You can never have more than 3 year's worth of points available: A banked year, the current year and a borrowed year.

 

[Ms. WDW]

Thanks for the quick reply!!

I haven't received my new Member Guide Book yet either. My attempt to understand this policy came from last years book.

Well at least I now have a true understanding of how the system works.

I've always banked but never realized that banked points are used for reservations first!! In this little mind of mine I always thought that I was just adding to the "account" for use when I needed them!

Oh well; you live and learn!! Luckly I never had any expire. I would have freaked if I thought I had all these points and come to find out I didn't!

 

[Richyams]

You've been lucky, very lucky.

While they are supposed to, MS does not always use the right points, banked, borrowed, current and/or homer resort. We have heard many times of current instead of banked being used, I had a wild disagreement with them that ended with them saying I was wrong then magically almost a year later, I find that disputed 270 points in my account(which I am using for an AKL concierge stay in LESS THAN FIVE WEEKS!!)

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by Richyams
You've been lucky, very lucky.

While they are supposed to, MS does not always use the right points, banked, borrowed, current and/or homer resort.

Having worked in IT and worked to resolve computer problems over the telephone, I've learned a long time ago to never 'trust' that the person on the other end of the line is giving me the full story.

When I call for ressies, I already know and have on paper what points I need to borrow from which resort, and how the points are all spent. I also know what points we have banked at which resort. Since I use a spreadsheet to track and do my what if planning, this is very easy to do.

Once we're done confirming the rooms, we (me and MS) go through the spending of points to ensure what I wanted to spend was spent. Having the numbers in front of me really speeds up the time on the phone because I've already done the math!

The few times we've called, it seems that the MS cast member is a little surprised that I already know what I want to do....implying most DVCer's call without a firm grip on their point balances. But that may just be my skewed interpretation.

-Joe

 

[Caskbill]

The few times we've called, it seems that the MS cast member is a little surprised that I already know what I want to do....implying most DVCer's call without a firm grip on their point balances. But that may just be my skewed interpretation.

Actually I agree with that. We've been members since '93 and I've always kept track of points on a spreadsheet being a 'numbers' person like you. And often MS has seemed surprised at the detail of my records.

Even without a computer spreadsheet, it makes sense to keep track in some kind of a tablet, or ledger, just like keeping track of a bank checking account or something else similar.

You have a 'credits' column for new points allocated, banked in points, borrowed in points, transferred points etc.

You have a 'debits' column for points used, points banked out, points borrowed out, points transferred out, etc.

And all points have some kind of association for them: Mainly what resort they are, what use year they are in, and what status they are such as banked, borrowed, reservation points, holding points, etc. All of this determines how and when these points can be used.

For different contracts (not just same resort/use year add-on's) but different resorts, different use years etc, keep a separate ledger for each.

To me points are money. I keep just as much control over them as I do any other monetary account.

 

[Ms. WDW]

Thanks again for all these replies...

With regards to keeping track of the points - I do have a spread sheet. Since our activity is limited usually to one trip a year, (hate pulling DS out of school) it's really easy to keep track of the points. I have all the reservation numbers as well as the banking confirmation numbers. I keep close track of this.

Like Caskbill said "points are money" and I don't like to loose track of my money.

So when I hang up with MS I know just how many points are left in the account until the next use year rolls around.

I was just really way off track with the "banking" issue which I totally understand now!

And Richyams - Yes you are so right! I too have heard of horror stories. I'm glad you account was brought up to date "by Magic". Maybe someone had some "Pixie Dust"!