Buying points at 2 places - confused at small point contracts

[Selket]

I'm a bit confused as to why people add on a small number of points at another resort. We are considering a DVC purchase of 160 points at AKV and I asked our guide about also buying another 50 points at BLT. I thought we could bank points from one year and use them all the next year at the other resort (from something I read in another post). So we'd have 210 to use at AKV and 210 to use at BLT every other year. He said we could only use our points at the resort where we bought them so banking the 50 BLT points would only give you 100 to use every other year at BLT and 320 to use at AKV.

I hope I'm making sense - is this correct?

As a note, he also encouraged us to WAIT to buy BLT if we decided we wanted that over AKV because he thought Disney would start offering more incentives or lowering the price or something. He was quite certain that waiting was the best option if we wanted BLT - not to worry about rushing to buy it. I thought that was interesting!

 

[Tara]

He said we could only use our points at the resort where we bought them so banking the 50 BLT points would only give you 100 to use every other year at BLT and 320 to use at AKV.

Not quite. You can only use the points you have in a property for 11-month booking privileges at that property. You can use any of your points at any resort, but if you pool points from different properties, you can only book 7 months out.

At least, that's my understanding.

 

[Caskbill]

Prior to the 7-month window, you can only book at your home resort(s), and only use the respective home resort points.

Your guide is correct. Every other year you could book a 100 point reservation at BLT, (using current and banked points) and a 320 point reservation at AKV (using current and banked points).

Once you got to the 7-month window, you would have your total allotment of points (210 in this case) every year to use at any resort you want.

Some people use current, banked, and borrowed points to basically triple their allotment for use every 3rd year.

Points from different resorts NEVER combine before the 7-month window opens, regardless of their status: Current, Banked, Borrowed.

If what you kind of thought occurred, then everyone could just buy a 25 point contract at each resort, and then use them all at 11-months to book somewhere. It would totally defeat the home resort booking window advantage.

 

[Selket]

Actually the 11/7 month window issue was never mentioned - he just said it outright could not be combined at all. Perhaps he misunderstood my question of combining points and thought I only meant at 11 months.

I had already thought it would be the 7 month window because the points were coming from another resort (if all were combined). Perhaps I am naive in thinking that it would be possible to book a room at a regular time of year (like during the summer) 7 months out. I realize that high demand times like Christmas/Easter would be difficult/impossible.

Is it really difficult to use those points 7 months out for, say, a July or August vacation?

 

[Grandbuddy]

and flexible as to the resort, it is not that difficult to get accommodations much of the year. DVC peak seasons are not necessarily the same as WDW peak seasons, though, so it helps to do some research.

 

[adminjedi]

and make sure you call first thing in the morning on the first day you can!

 

[JimC]

I suspect most of the small contracts are to use every other year or every third year, combining as Caskbill suggests, using the banking and borrowing features.

If the 11 month booking window is not important then you should buy where you long term costs of ownership will be lowest. That is likely SSR.

And if where you stay is not important then you further maximize your value by using those SSR points at OKW where the point requirements are the lower.

 

[Selket]

Thanks for the useful suggestions - much to think about.

I really like AKV and BLT. I guess I most prefer BLT but the point charts seem to indicate a need for more points for a similar type of room and length of stay than compared to AKV (or other places).