Banking Points?

[Mirthrindr2]

Do I understand correctly that banked points must always be used first? If so, can a member still book their home resort at 11 months out using Banked points, as opposed to current UY points?

Example, if we buy into AKV this week, our Guide has stated we'd have a June UY. We would plan to bank the current 07 UY points to the 08 UY since at the moment, we don't anticipate visiting WDW until a time period within the 08 UY. Can we still book 11 months out for a date within the 08 UY even though we'd be using banked 07 UY points?

Also, if you have banked all your current years UY pts. (07 in this case) to the next year's UY (2008) thinking you wouldn't be making a trip to WDW until your 08 UY..., if something changes, can you turn around and still book a trip within current 07 UY and use the points you previously banked to 08?

Guess what I'm trying to ask is, once you commit to banking your points to the next years UY, can you not change your mind and get them back in order to book a trip and use them in the current UY?

Thanks
Jim

 

[LisaS]

Do I understand correctly that banked points must always be used first? If so, can a member still book their home resort at 11 months out using Banked points, as opposed to current UY points?

They don't have to be used first but in general that is the better thing to do. The banked points expire at the end of the UY into which they are banked. Current year points could be used for a trip during that UY or banked into the next UY, extending their life by another year. So it's better to use up banked points first because they have less life left.

The only time you might want to use current UY points first is if you are planning to book two trips during the same UY and one trip was "iffy" and might end up getting cancelled and the other was more certain. If the "iffy" trip was booked first, you might choose to use current UY points for that so that if you cancelled you could bank those points, and save the banked points to book the other (less "iffy") trip.

You can book a stay at your home resort as early as 11 months prior to your check out day. You can use banked points, current UY points and if you need even more points, you can also borrow points from the following UY.

Example, if we buy into AKV this week, our Guide has stated we'd have a June UY. We would plan to bank the current 07 UY points to the 08 UY since at the moment, we don't anticipate visiting WDW until a time period within the 08 UY. Can we still book 11 months out for a date within the 08 UY even though we'd be using banked 07 UY points?

Yes absolutely. When booking between 11 months and 7 months out you must use points from that resort, but they can be banked, current and/or borrowed points.

Also, if you have banked all your current years UY pts. (07 in this case) to the next year's UY (2008) thinking you wouldn't be making a trip to WDW until your 08 UY..., if something changes, can you turn around and still book a trip within current 07 UY and use the points you previously banked to 08?

Guess what I'm trying to ask is, once you commit to banking your points to the next years UY, can you not change your mind and get them back in order to book a trip and use them in the current UY?

You cannot "unbank" points. Banking is a final transaction. What you could do in this case is borrow points from your 2008 UY into your 2007 UY to book that stay. Borrowing is also a final transaction so if you cancelled that reservation, the borrowed points would stay in your 2007 UY and expire at the end of that UY if not used for something else.

 

[CarolMN]

Do I understand correctly that banked points must always be used first? If so, can a member still book their home resort at 11 months out using Banked points, as opposed to current UY points?

Usually, you want to use banked points first because they will expire at the end of the use year into which they were banked. Once banked, they cannot be banked again.

Example, if we buy into AKV this week, our Guide has stated we'd have a June UY. We would plan to bank the current 07 UY points to the 08 UY since at the moment, we don't anticipate visiting WDW until a time period within the 08 UY. Can we still book 11 months out for a date within the 08 UY even though we'd be using banked 07 UY points?

Yes.

Also, if you have banked all your current years UY pts. (07 in this case) to the next year's UY (2008) thinking you wouldn't be making a trip to WDW until your 08 UY..., if something changes, can you turn around and still book a trip within current 07 UY and use the points you previously banked to 08?

No. Once points are banked, they cannot be returned to their original use year. However, you could borrow points from the 2008 use year for that trip. Just keep in mind that if you make the reservation and then cancel the trip, you'd have to use the borrowed points before the end of your 2007 use year (because that is when they would expire).

Guess what I'm trying to ask is, once you commit to banking your points to the next years UY, can you not change your mind and get them back in order to book a trip and use them in the current UY?

Thanks
Jim

Again, you can't get the 2007 points back, but if you wanted to take the trip, you could borrow points from 2008 to do it. The 2007 points you banked into 2008 would have to be used for a trip that begins after the 2008 use year starts and ends before the end of the 2008 use year. You can't bank the same points more than once.

Banking and borrowing are both final transactions.

Hope to welcome you home soon!

 

[GoofysGal33850]

Do I understand correctly that banked points must always be used first? If so, can a member still book their home resort at 11 months out using Banked points, as opposed to current UY points?

Example, if we buy into AKV this week, our Guide has stated we'd have a June UY. We would plan to bank the current 07 UY points to the 08 UY since at the moment, we don't anticipate visiting WDW until a time period within the 08 UY. Can we still book 11 months out for a date within the 08 UY even though we'd be using banked 07 UY points?

Also, if you have banked all your current years UY pts. (07 in this case) to the next year's UY (2008) thinking you wouldn't be making a trip to WDW until your 08 UY..., if something changes, can you turn around and still book a trip within current 07 UY and use the points you previously banked to 08?

Guess what I'm trying to ask is, once you commit to banking your points to the next years UY, can you not change your mind and get them back in order to book a trip and use them in the current UY?

Thanks
Jim

The system automatically takes banked points first. We can't 'choose' not to unless we choose a contract that has no banked points.

If you have a June UY and bank 07 into 08, then make a res beginning 6/1/08 or later, we will be using your banked points first. It doesn't matter when you call to make a res, it only matters when you plan to travel. Your scenario in the first example about using 07 banked points to make an 08 res is the exact reason why banking exists.

If you bank your 07 into 08 and decide to travel before you 07 year ends, we would be able to make the res by borrowing from your 08 regular points, up to the amount of regular points you have in 08.

As mentioned, banking is a final transaction; points cannot be reversed or rebanked. They will remain in the use year you bank into and will expire at the end of that use year.

To throw another fly in the ointment, if you have an existing res in the 08 UY and THEN bank 07 into 08, you can have your points in the 08 res reallocated to use the banked points and then make decisions on the 08 points pulled away from the 08 res. Clear as mud?

 

[LisaS]

To throw another fly in the ointment, if you have an existing res in the 08 UY and THEN bank 07 into 08, you can have your points in the 08 res reallocated to use the banked points and then make decisions on the 08 points pulled away from the 08 res. Clear as mud?

Is this done by swapping the points used for the reservation or is the reservation cancelled and rebooked using the newly banked points? I'm just wondering if there is a risk of losing the reservation to someone on the waiting list in this scenario.

 

[GoofysGal33850]

Is this done by swapping the points used for the reservation or is the reservation cancelled and rebooked using the newly banked points? I'm just wondering if there is a risk of losing the reservation to someone on the waiting list in this scenario.

Reallocating does not involve a cancel and rebook.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Reallocating does not involve a cancel and rebook.

That's great to know, because some MS castmembers have stated otherwise when calling.

 

[GoofysGal33850]

That's great to know, because some MS castmembers have stated otherwise when calling.

Ahhh! I need to expand on this, then.

Two different types of reallocating points:

Making 08 UY res and THEN banking 07 points into 08... we can reallocate as long as it's the same home resort. NO cancel and rebook. We can do this with holdong points inside the 60 day window as well.

Making a res at the 11 month window and then trying to swap points from another resort at 7 months for the res made with HRP... we MUST cancel and rebook and it's subject to availability.

Two different animals.

 

[Mirthrindr2]

Great. Thanks for the great info folks, I appreciate it.

I'm sure I'll have other questions coming. Thanks again.

Jim