Can someone explain User Year to me?

[Stitch2007]

We are thinking about buying a DVC;however, I'm having a hard time understanding UY. Is it important and why?

 

[ToddyLu]

You want to pick a UY that is just before your travel time. So if my husband and I travel in the fall then Oct may be a good UY. Dec would be the worst for us. UY really only matters if you cancel a reservation.

Let's say you always go the first week of Oct. You have a Dec UY. On Sept 15th you have an illness and have to cancel your reservation. You are less than 30 days from your reservation so your points go into a HOLDING account which has to be used before the end of your UY, which is 11/30. Not good when trying to plan a DVC trip short notice.

There is a good sticky on the subject.

UY is the month in which you get your points and doesn't affect when you can book a reservation. It only really matters if you cancel a trip and you are close to the end of your UY.

 

[vicki_c]

Use Year simply denotes the period of time in which a particular use year's points can be used for a trip.

So an August use year has points that can be used from August 1 of one year to July 31 of the next year. It does not matter when you book the trip, only when your travel dates are. If you have points in that use year (like your 2011 use year for example) you can book a trip.

It's mostly important when it comes to cancelling trips because as you get closer to the end of your use year, cancellations come with more limitations on how you can reuse the points.

It's usually said that it's best to have a use year that starts right before your normal travel dates.

 

[ToddyLu]

UY also tells you the date you have to have your points banked by. We do have a Dec UY so our unused points have to be banked by 7/31 each year (the end of the eight month of our Dec UY). You do not want to forget this date.

So if you travel in the Spring a March UY would be good. There are several months that do not have UYs--I think Novemenber and July are two.

 

[CarolMN]

The examples are old, but the info is good:

Understanding Use Year

 

[jarestel]

The "use year" is primarily a concern for those whose travel times are somewhat restricted by job or personal situations and also for those whose vacation plans always seem to be changing. For people with freedom to travel throughout the year and the ability to make and keep travel plans, use year isn't much of a concern.

Good luck!

 

[Sandisw]

If you have a time of year that you typically travel, then trying to get a UY that falls just prior to your trip allows you the most flexibility in terms of what to do with points if you have to cancel or change a trip.

As mentioned, it plays no role in when you can book. We have a June UY because we travel in the summer and will do so until I retire since I am a teacher. If I ever cancel an Aug trip, I have some options to use up the points.

If you travel all different times and can reschedule without a lot of issue, then UY is of less importance.

If you buy direct from Disney, you can tell them the UY you want and they will sell it to you (providing they are not out of points). When going resale, you may have to be flexible and be willing to maybe go with a few different options.

Good luck!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about use year. As previously stated, unless you anticipate having to last-minute cancel trips, it really doesn't have an impact. When purchasing directly from Disney, they'll usually tell you what your use year is going to be, rather than asking you which one you want. Resale is the one place you can really pick and chose.

The other thing to keep in mind is that, depending on which resort you're purchasing, you'll be using the contract for the next 40-50 years. What makes perfect sense to the way you vacation today will most likely be quite different as time passes. For example, picking a use year based on traveling during kid's school vacations will change over time as your kids get out of school, and you decide it's better to vacation in the fall when prices are cheaper and temperatures are more comfortable.

 

[Stitch2007]

Thanks for all the quick responses. Over the past few years we have gone at different times so there isn't a usual time for us. We don't have kids yet and are pretty flexible with when we go. We plan on buying from Disney and will be looking into a tour during our trip in November.

 

[BlackRock]

It really does not matter what your user year is; your dues will be due at the first of the year regardless of user year. Just as long as you plan on making sure you use the points once you book them.

The beauty of the DVC is you can change the time of year you go and you are not locked into any special period.

Good Luck
Black Rock