Borrowing more than 50% of points

[tjkraz]

But the offset to higher than normal banking is to allow more borrowing, not less which keeps more points further out.

This isn't the normal scenario where maybe 10% of all points are banked, 10% are borrowed and everything stays in balance. This is banking that was prompted by losing 3 months of availability at every resort, combined with low utilization that occurred through most of 2020 when people were unwilling or unable to travel.

Conservatively, there were at least 30 million points banked or extended in 2020. The 3-month resort closure represented about 20 million points of lost capacity. Aulani and VGC were closed longer. And resorts weren't operating at normal capacity, so we know many owners were willingly not using their points.

As 2022 rolls around, DVC has villa capacity to absorb about 90 million points. But owners are receiving 90 million new points this year (and every year.) That 30+ million banked excess from 2020 is still floating in the ether. The only real way for it to drop off is for the points to gradually expire unused. Or for the system to permanently remain in a state of increased banking.

The borrowing restriction is helping to minimize the loss by expiration. It's giving favoritism to banked and current year usage over borrowing. If DVC were to lift the borrowing restriction, it would only accelerate the process of members losing points to expiration.

 

[Sandisw]

But the offset to higher than normal banking is to allow more borrowing, not less which keeps more points further out.

It could but it all depends on when the travel is. Now if they could find a way to make it for short term stays not far out, I agree. But for Fall and December 2022, which is in the booking window already, more points would not, at least IMO.

 

[Sandisw]

I wish they would start getting creative with the points glut. Cruise ships are running half empty, so let members book them at reduced points cost. Let white cards book Galactic Starcruiser. Stuff like that. The problem isn't going to solve itself. The only way points clear the system when whole resorts were closed for a period of time is if you give members a way to "spend" their points on non-villa experiences.


That's going to prolong the problem. If all travel concerns vanished tomorrow, the demand for reservations from the glut of banked points is going to mean no availability. If there's no availability, people aren't going to be able to get reservations even when they WANT to travel... which means they're going to bank at a higher rate than normal, and the cycle continues.

Exactly do not sure, other than allowing stays booked last minute to borrow helps.

If you can’t get a stay now in Fall 2022 easily with 50% borrowing because of the banking done due to 2020 and 2021 travel, I don’t see how lifting borrowing now helps that.

IMO, I don’t see any lifts until 2023 at the earliest.

 

[TikiRob]

I was booking Copper Creek studios for dates in November and December of 2020 only 30 days out. Availablility at most resorts was decent until Summer 2021. I can't for the life of me understand why they didn't let people who wanted to travel in the first year of reopening to borrow all they wanted. I know I would have borrowed the full 100% and my measly points would have helped all those now traveling on banked points.

 

[js]

I was booking Copper Creek studios for dates in November and December of 2020 only 30 days out. Availablility at most resorts was decent until Summer 2021. I can't for the life of me understand why they didn't let people who wanted to travel in the first year of reopening to borrow all they wanted. I know I would have borrowed the full 100% and my measly points would have helped all those now traveling on banked points.

Me too. As I said on the first page, I'm the minority in saying the 50% cap helped me LOL I have no control of spending my points and, even today, in constant borrow mode, which since I am, still gives me the exact points in my UY since I am always borrowing. When I could borrow 100%, I was always borrowing from the full year ahead. This 50% rule, has me going a little more but with less accommodations. Where I use to stay in an 1-2 bedroom at GFVs, maybe now I'll do 8 nights at OKW, just came back from 7 nights at BR and stayed 10 nights at BWVs, but all studios, where I use to book 1-2 bedrooms and go less.

 

[bumbershoot]

The only way points clear the system when whole resorts were closed for a period of time is if you give members a way to "spend" their points on non-villa experiences.

Agreed.

I have never left a point on the table since we purchased in 2009 but ALWAYS borrowing LOL

Same. It's good to get a bit caught up.

That 30+ million banked excess from 2020 is still floating in the ether. The only real way for it to drop off is for the points to gradually expire unused.

OR to let you use future points *now*, by borrowing them, rather than use them in the future when all those banked points will need to be used.

If I can use all my 2023 points in 2022 (feb UY so it's as close to the "real" year as you can get) then I won't have them to use later on when others are trying to use banked points.

Me too. As I said on the first page, I'm the minority in saying the 50% cap helped me LOL I have no control of spending my points and, even today, in constant borrow mode, which since I am, still gives me the exact points in my UY since I am always borrowing. When I could borrow 100%, I was always borrowing from the full year ahead. This 50% rule, has me going a little more but with less accommodations. Where I use to stay in an 1-2 bedroom at GFVs, maybe now I'll do 8 nights at OKW, just came back from 7 nights at BR and stayed 10 nights at BWVs, but all studios, where I use to book 1-2 bedrooms and go less.

How is it allowing that? Have I misunderstood this restriction? Is the restriction for any given reservation, or is it for your account? I've been thinking it's by account/contract, so I cannot make a short reservation for November 2022 with borrowed Feb 2023 points since I'm using almost half of them for a February trip (and I have only one contract). But if it's by individual reservation, then I could.

 

[BeachClub1282]

This rule needs to go away! My family (8 of us) fly across the country from WA State so we go once every three years and use all our points on a 2 week vacation using two different DVC contracts. We book three different rooms, get 10 day tickets and only have to buy 8 plane tickets once every 3 years. In three years the parks have usually changed/added rides for us to try. We had a trip planned in 2019 but had to cancel it because the parks were closed for covid and we didn't go last year because of the uncertainty of what was going to be open. We decided to go in December 2022 and now we have 150 points we can't use and our trip is 3 days shorter then it would have been. Also this isn't making any rooms available, I was online at 5am PT 11 month out trying to book a standard view 2br and 2 standard view studios at our home resort the BW and only got the 2br because I checked in the middle of the day and one was available the two studios I couldn't even get the BW view I had to get the pool/garden view that cost the same as the BW view for some reason at 11 months out from our check in date. So this making rooms available is a lie.

 

[Sandisw]

This rule needs to go away! My family (8 of us) fly across the country from WA State so we go once every three years and use all our points on a 2 week vacation using two different DVC contracts. We book three different rooms, get 10 day tickets and only have to buy 8 plane tickets once every 3 years. In three years the parks have usually changed/added rides for us to try. We had a trip planned in 2019 but had to cancel it because the parks were closed for covid and we didn't go last year because of the uncertainty of what was going to be open. We decided to go in December 2022 and now we have 150 points we can't use and our trip is 3 days shorter then it would have been. Also this isn't making any rooms available, I was online at 5am PT 11 month out trying to book a standard view 2br and 2 standard view studios at our home resort the BW and only got the 2br because I checked in the middle of the day and one was available the two studios I couldn't even get the BW view I had to get the pool/garden view that cost the same as the BW view for some reason at 11 months out from our check in date. So this making rooms available is a lie.

I am sorry it’s impacting you the way it is. But the fact that you have to stay 3 nights less means another owner is filling those rooms with points that they have, which is why it is working.

Preventing it doesn’t make more rooms open, just that more owners will be able to stay and less points will be competing for those same nights.

Unfortunately the time of year you are booking is always like this, especially for those rooms.

People started walking SV and BW view rooms months ago for December and with all the extra points still in the system, it was even harder this year.

Hopefully, it will be gone by 2023 and your next trip will be back to normal!

 

[Pooh12863]

This rule needs to go away! My family (8 of us) fly across the country from WA State so we go once every three years and use all our points on a 2 week vacation using two different DVC contracts. We book three different rooms, get 10 day tickets and only have to buy 8 plane tickets once every 3 years. In three years the parks have usually changed/added rides for us to try. We had a trip planned in 2019 but had to cancel it because the parks were closed for covid and we didn't go last year because of the uncertainty of what was going to be open. We decided to go in December 2022 and now we have 150 points we can't use and our trip is 3 days shorter then it would have been. Also this isn't making any rooms available, I was online at 5am PT 11 month out trying to book a standard view 2br and 2 standard view studios at our home resort the BW and only got the 2br because I checked in the middle of the day and one was available the two studios I couldn't even get the BW view I had to get the pool/garden view that cost the same as the BW view for some reason at 11 months out from our check in date. So this making rooms available is a lie.

There are 29 BW view studios and 51 SV vs around 180 P/G view with everyone and their brother wanting the first 3 weeks of December before things get real expensive after the 23rd. It would only be worse if they still allowed 100% borrowing.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I was only able to get pool view studios for my friends 5 night stay. I was lucky for myself and I got standard view, but it was after the dust settled and I guess walkers passed over what I wanted. I had mixed views and would have had to change rooms, but now I am set with same room for myself.

 

[McCrae]

International owners were allowed to bank points they were planning to use last year to this current use year. You have 3 months to use them from the start of your use year… for example Feb use year points must be used by May.

 

[mdinme]

This rule needs to go away! My family (8 of us) fly across the country from WA State so we go once every three years and use all our points on a 2 week vacation using two different DVC contracts. We book three different rooms, get 10 day tickets and only have to buy 8 plane tickets once every 3 years. In three years the parks have usually changed/added rides for us to try. We had a trip planned in 2019 but had to cancel it because the parks were closed for covid and we didn't go last year because of the uncertainty of what was going to be open. We decided to go in December 2022 and now we have 150 points we can't use and our trip is 3 days shorter then it would have been. Also this isn't making any rooms available, I was online at 5am PT 11 month out trying to book a standard view 2br and 2 standard view studios at our home resort the BW and only got the 2br because I checked in the middle of the day and one was available the two studios I couldn't even get the BW view I had to get the pool/garden view that cost the same as the BW view for some reason at 11 months out from our check in date. So this making rooms available is a lie.

Agree needs to be lifted. I called last week and they let me “this one time“ over borrow for a 2 nighter at BCV. I had no idea untI’ll that point they had changed.

 

[asunutgirl]

I have now booked three DVC stays that aren't what I wanted (lesser view, smaller room, shorter stay) because of the borrowing restricition. In one instance, I am 5 points short. Should I call and ask them about those 5 points? It is worth the wait time on the phone?

 

[CarolMN]

I have now booked three DVC stays that aren't what I wanted (lesser view, smaller room, shorter stay) because of the borrowing restricition. In one instance, I am 5 points short. Should I call and ask them about those 5 points? It is worth the wait time on the phone?

If I really wanted to go, I would call. I don't think hold times are as long as they have been reported to be in the past. Good luck!

 

[asunutgirl]

If I really wanted to go, I would call. I don't think hold times are as long as they have been reported to be in the past. Good luck!

Was just told that borrowing the extra points isn't an option.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Was just told that borrowing the extra points isn't an option.

Can you still purchase up to 24 short term points? 5 points really shouldn't be a barrier - I would just do a onetime purchase of those.

 

[han22735]

Was just told that borrowing the extra points isn't an option.

Did you kindly ask for an exception?

 

[CarolMN]

Was just told that borrowing the extra points isn't an option.

That's disappointing. Maybe try again and ask if there's anyway to get an exception since you only need 5 more? Others have been able to get exceptions if they only need a few more. Good luck!

 

[Sandisw]

Was just told that borrowing the extra points isn't an option.

Call back and ask if they can check with a supervisor to see if you can be given an exception.

 

[asunutgirl]

Can you still purchase up to 24 short term points? 5 points really shouldn't be a barrier - I would just do a onetime purchase of those.

One time use points are only available at 7 months. I will have points at 7 months from our other home resort but the room I want will be gone at 7 months.