Banking, Borrowing and Use Year...Help me Understand!

[MommyBell08]

I think I'm over thinking this. Let's say I have a 100 point contract with a January UY. If it is Febuary 2010 and I have no points banked from the previous year, how long do I have to bank my points before I 'loose' them, giving me 2OO points for the next year? Also is this done online with my member number or over the phone? thanx! If I have banked points and have to cancel, I can loose them based on my UY and when my trip falls right? Is this where UY is important? Thanks so much for anyones help.

 

[dzorn]

Do they have January UY?
Feb UY would have to be banked by Sept 30th.

Usually it is 4 months before next UY.

Ideally you want a majority of your trips at the beginning of your UY. If you need to cancel more than 31 days out if you are early in your UY you could still bank if you are not going to be able to schedual a trip before you UY ends. Banked and borrowed points expire at the end of your UY they are non reverable transactions so if you need to cancel they would still stay in the UY you banked or borrowed them into.

Denise in MI

 

[Sandisw]

First, there is no Jan UY (I know it was just your example) so let's go with Feb UY instead.

If you have a Feb UY, that is when your points become current every year. So, every Feb 1st, you have 100 points that are now available for use from that day until January 31st of the following year.

The only way not to have points on that first day is if they have been borrowed into the previous UY.

You will always have the first 8 months of the UY to bank your points. For Feb, that gives you until September 30th of every year to bank them into the next year. So, 2010 points can be banked up until September 30th. Once banked, they will be good from Feb 1st, 2011 through January 31st, 2012.

If you travel on banked points and then cancel (at least 31 days out--different things happen if you cancel with less than that), those banked points will expire at the end of the UY they are in. So, if you had a reservation booked for December 2010 (your Feb 2010 UY) using banked points from 2009, and cancel that trip, those 2009 banked points would expire on January 31st, 2011.

What is most important, IMO, about UY is that you want one that allows you to travel near the beginning of it so that you have a lot of flexibility in using your points up if you have to cancel a trip, change a trip, or have to borrow points for a trip.

When you travel outside the banking window near the end of the UY, and cancel, you don't have a lot of time to re-book a trip to use the points.

 

[dzorn]

First, there is no Jan UY (I know it was just your example) so let's go with Feb UY instead.

If you have a Feb UY, that is when your points become current every year. So, every Feb 1st, you have 100 points that are now available for use from that day until January 31st of the following year.

The only way not to have points on that first day is if they have been borrowed into the previous UY.

You will always have the first 8 months of the UY to bank your points. For Feb, that gives you until July 31stFeb UY need to be banked by September 30th not July 31st of every year to bank them into the next year. So, 2010 points can be banked by July 31st in the 2011 UY. Once banked, they will be goo from Feb 1st, 2011 through January 31st, 2012.

If you travel on banked points and then cancel (at least 31 days out--different things happen if you cancel with less than that), those banked points will expire at the end of the UY they are in. So, if you had a reservation booked for December 2010 (your Feb 2010 UY) using banked points from 2009, and cancel that trip, those 2009 banked points would expire on January 31st, 2011.

What is most important, IMO, about UY is that you want one that allows you to travel near the beginning of it so that you have a lot of flexibility in using your points up if you have to cancel a trip, change a trip, or have to borrow points for a trip.

When you travel outside the banking window near the end of the UY, and cancel, you don't have a lot of time to re-book a trip to use the points.

Denise in MI

 

[Sandisw]

Denise in MI

Thank you for catching my error!!!! I fixed it in my original post as not to confuse others.

 

[auralia]

not to hyjack the thread but i have a question along those lines too.. ok we'll say June use year... i can book 11 months out from when i want to go... it's february right now i have 0 points, i have 100 points comming in june... can i book december in february on the basis of the points that are comming in june at my home resort? or do i have to wait until june and there by miss my 11 month window because i have to wait for the use year to start to book? I hope that makes sence... thanks!

 

[oct2014]

You do not need to wait for your use year to make a reservation. Mine is March and I made reservations a few months ago for this summer.

Caroline

 

[MommyBell08]

Thanks so much for helping me understand. Great information

 

[DebbieB]

not to hyjack the thread but i have a question along those lines too.. ok we'll say June use year... i can book 11 months out from when i want to go... it's february right now i have 0 points, i have 100 points comming in june... can i book december in february on the basis of the points that are comming in june at my home resort? or do i have to wait until june and there by miss my 11 month window because i have to wait for the use year to start to book? I hope that makes sence... thanks!

That's a point that confuses many new members. You don't have to wait until the use year starts for points to "deposit". You will always have the current use year plus the 3 following in your account. I have an April use year and right now if I look at my account online I have 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
When 4/1 hits, I will have 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.

 

[MommyBell08]

not to hyjack the thread but i have a question along those lines too.. ok we'll say June use year... i can book 11 months out from when i want to go... it's february right now i have 0 points, i have 100 points comming in june... can i book december in february on the basis of the points that are comming in june at my home resort? or do i have to wait until june and there by miss my 11 month window because i have to wait for the use year to start to book? I hope that makes sence... thanks!

That was my neeeext question thanks for asking!

 

[Sandisw]

not to hyjack the thread but i have a question along those lines too.. ok we'll say June use year... i can book 11 months out from when i want to go... it's february right now i have 0 points, i have 100 points comming in june... can i book december in february on the basis of the points that are comming in june at my home resort? or do i have to wait until june and there by miss my 11 month window because i have to wait for the use year to start to book? I hope that makes sence... thanks!

No you don't have to wait. Everything goes by what is available at the time of travel, not at the time of booking.

What I do is first figure out what UY my trip will take place. Once that is known, I know that I can "pay" for that trip using banked points from the previous UY, current UY points, and borrowed points from the next UY.

So, a Dec 2010 reservation will take place in your June 2010 UY. It can be paid for with banked 2009 points, current 2010 UY points, and borrowed points from 2011.

When you call MS, that is what they will look for. As long as you points from the above available, you will be all set!

Good luck!

 

[Chuck S]

Here is the banking/use year chart from the member website:

 

[CarolMN]

Check out this thread:

Understanding Use Year - Updated 1/31/2010

 

[bumbershoot]

Also is this done online with my member number or over the phone? thanx!

You can bank them online; that's how I did it this year.