Banking confusion...

[lenshanem]

If I start booking this March for trips for my next use year (December 2004) do I need to have all banking done for this use year (December 2003)? The banking deadline is this next September so I will actually be making ressies using another use year's points before the deadline comes for banking any unused points from this use year.
I kinda wanted to wait in case I need to bank more points if my brother backs out of a trip planned for this coming July. (I'm correct in that we can only bank once?)

Wow, this stuff just never gets easier!

Thanks to anyone who can understand what in the world I just said!

 

[DebbieB]

You could use your December 2004 points for a 2005 trip and leave your 2003 points where they are for now. But watch your banking window on those 2003 points if you don't use them all. You can bank more than once, but the percentages apply to your total points. For example, if you have 200 points and you are before the 50% window, you could bank 50 now and 50 later for a total of 100 before the deadline. If you bank 75 now, you could only bank 25 more by the 50% deadline. You could also bank a total of 50 by the 25% deadline, if you did not bank previously.

 

[Dean]

You will have to bank any points before you can use them. If you book with next years points, you won't be able to simply swap the banked points for next years points. If the room were still available after you bank, youmight be able to cancel a day and rebook accomplishing the same swap. You could also use the wait list if you need to for this.

I'm assuming you have no points to bank if nothing happenes to this July's trip. IF that is the case, I'd book with next years points then if you end up with extra points that you banked, I'd simply try to substitute them in any way MS will let you, just as I noted above. If you might have to borrow points for your December trip, I'd wait until you know for sure before you borrow any. IF you don't have enough points in next years use year to do the entire thing, just book what you can. If there are days that you can't book, omit the weekend days first as they take more points and are usually much easier to get.

 

[lenshanem]

Wow...
Actually I will have points to bank even if the July vacaction still goes as planned. It is only 5 points, but I will need them to finish up with one night for a trip in next use year. Obviously, I woudln't need thsoe 5 points for the trip I book in March so it appears from what you both are saying I shoudl be fine to book in March using points from next use year and then in sptember bank thsoe extra few points.
Now if the July trip gets cnacelled that is a whoel other story...
YIKES!!!
Thansk!

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by lenshanem
Wow...
Actually I will have points to bank even if the July vacaction still goes as planned. It is only 5 points, but I will need them to finish up with one night for a trip in next use year. Obviously, I woudln't need thsoe 5 points for the trip I book in March so it appears from what you both are saying I shoudl be fine to book in March using points from next use year and then in sptember bank thsoe extra few points.
Now if the July trip gets cnacelled that is a whoel other story...
YIKES!!!
Thansk!

Go ahead and bank the 5 points now and use them first then you can regroup if you have problems with the other trip.

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

Shan,

For a December UY, your 100% banking deadline is May 31st (I believe). I have already banked my remaining 2003 Dec UY BCV points, and have booked my first Dec 2004 UY trip (also using the 29 points that I previously banked). Now, I may switch accomodations at the 7 month window, for our Sept trip (in Feb). If there is availability at OKW, we will change and be able to bank the 16 points in ressie difference. Again, I will bank these points prior to May 31, 2004.

What MS told me on Friday (1/16), was that if I change that Sept ressie, ask to MS to bank the remaining points and reallocate for my Dec 2004 trip.

Seems, like others are stating that I was told something slightly different.

Edward

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by FriendsOfEeyore
What MS told me on Friday (1/16), was that if I change that Sept ressie, ask to MS to bank the remaining points and reallocate for my Dec 2004 trip.

Seems, like others are stating that I was told something slightly different.

Not really. You need to first understand the technical rules (which are not written down for us to see) then how it can be done. Like so many things with DVC and Disney, the rules are variably enforced, usually in favor of the individual but at the expense of the group. This is one of those situations where you will get multiple answers, mostly variations on a theme.

The rule, as I understand it, is that one cannot just substitute the points used to make a specific reservation. That one must in fact actually cancel the night(s) in question and rebook them back into the same reservation. This is not problem if the unit type is available but is a big problem if it's not. Even if some days are available and others not, it usually works out unless you're dealing with a large number of points. In reality, the computer will allow them to sub the points without losing the reservation. So here are the various answers you'll get.

• You can sub the points because there are units available.
• You can not sub the points because there are no units available.
• You can sub the points even if there are no units available.
• You can sub the points because it's you're home resort even if no units are available.

Of course it even gets more complicated if you want to sub non home resort points inside the 7 month window. I’ve heard all of these personally and seen them all posted at one time or another. In general, I’d say the most common approach that MS takes is to be generous with substituting home resort points even when there they couldn’t cancel and rebook and that they are usually unwilling to sub none home resort points unless the unit is available and you could cancel the days then rebook them. Frankly, even substituting home resort points when the resort is book is a disservice to the other members and should only be done when DVC made a mistake and they are correcting it.

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

Dean,

I agree with you regarding the reallocating if there are no units available, or if there is a waitlist. Honestly, this is exactly how I thought that the rules were. But when I talked to "Janey" on Friday, she made it sound like it was no big deal.

Either way, it won't kill me... First of all we are talking 16 points.. Secondly, lord knows that I will be back at some point in 2005..

Thanks for the correction,

Edward

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by FriendsOfEeyore
Dean,

I agree with you regarding the reallocating if there are no units available, or if there is a waitlist. Honestly, this is exactly how I thought that the rules were. But when I talked to "Janey" on Friday, she made it sound like it was no big deal.

Either way, it won't kill me... First of all we are talking 16 points.. Secondly, lord knows that I will be back at some point in 2005..

Thanks for the correction,

Edward

LOL, no problem. Not really a correction
, more of an expanded explanation. This is one of the areas that drives me nuts with DVC, the fact that the rules are variably or not enforced. I can see an exception for a very unusual or difficult circumstance but with DVC it seems that with some issues, the exception is the rule.