banking points?

[caspersmom83]

I am currently buying 150 points at Saratoga Springs. I am a little confused about banking points. We will have an AUgust use year. If we bank our points at the 6 month mark to make sure we don't lose them, then a month later decide to use those points can we do that? Are those points tied up until the following use year?

 

[Chuck S]

You can not "unbank" points. However, you could borrow points from the following use year. The distinction is those borrowed points would have to be used by the end of the use year, they can't be "unborrowed", and those banked points have to be used by the end of the use year they are banked into, they can't be banked for a second year.

I hope that made sense.

 

[caspersmom83]

Just making sure I understand so as so lets say I have an August use year and think I want to go to Disney in Dec. I guess I am better off booking the room at my 11 month window and canceling prior to 30 days before hand if I have to. Rather than banking the points and waiting to see when we can go?

 

[Chuck S]

For December ressies it is always better to book at the 11-month window, it is a popular time for DVC because of the lower points requied early in the month. I just booked my December ressie

 

[Caskbill]

With your August Use Year, you have 6-months to still bank 100% of the points. That would be the end of January of the following year.

So if you're thinking of a December vacation, don't bank anything. If you make the ressie that's fine, just use your regular Aug UY points. If you cancel (more than 30 days ahead) the points are returned to your account. You would still then have to the end of January 2007 to bank them.

And if you don't make the December ressie, you can still wait till the end of January before you must bank or not.

 

[LisaS]

Just making sure I understand so as so lets say I have an August use year and think I want to go to Disney in Dec. I guess I am better off booking the room at my 11 month window and canceling prior to 30 days before hand if I have to. Rather than banking the points and waiting to see when we can go?

I'm confused by the last lines of your post. You have to have enough points in the right use year in order to make the reservation in the first place. So if you need to bank or borrow some points from one use year to another to cover the Dec '06 reservation then when you call MS you will first have to do that banking/borrowing, then make the reservation.

Which points are you talking about banking? Are you getting 2005 use year points as part of your purchase? If so, the deadline to bank 100% of those points is the end of January. Are they making an exception and letting you bank all of them after the deadline? Otherwise you will still be able to bank some of them after the end of January, but not 100% of them.

Assuming you are getting 2005 use year points as part of your purchase, those points can be used for stays from now until Jul 31, 2006. If you are not planning any trips in that time period then you must bank the points soon so that you do not lose any of them. Once banked, they can be used for stays from Aug 1, 2006 through Jul 31, 2007. If you want to go to WDW in Dec '06 and can bank your 2005 points into your 2006 use year, then you can use those banked points for the Dec '06 trip.

If you either aren't getting 2005 use year points or will be using them up between now and Jul 31, 2006, then you can use your 2006 use year points for the trip because those points can be used for stays between Aug 1, 2006 and Jul 31, 2007. If you need more points for the Dec '06 trip than you will have in your 2006 use year, then you can also borrow some/all of your 2007 use year points.

Banking and borrowing are "one way" transactions. Once you do it, you cannot move the points back to their original use year, and they expire at the end of the use year into which they have been banked/borrowed.

 

[caspersmom83]

So I am going to bank the 2005 points for my Dec 2006 trip. Thanks so much for the advice I'm sure I'll have many more questions being new to DVC.

 

[Dean]

So I am going to bank the 2005 points for my Dec 2006 trip. Thanks so much for the advice I'm sure I'll have many more questions being new to DVC.

Even if you are past the 6 month window when you get to the final point, they should still bank the points as long as you do so as a part of your purchase & closing.