Close to making a decision - Use year question ?

[Mouse511]

Hi - DH and I are pretty close to making a decision on purchasing a DVC membership. We have been reading this board for quite sometime, but just would like a little clarification on Use Year.

I did the 'search function' but it doesn't work very well with this topic....

Our question is - we almost always go the last week of October - what would be the 'best' use year month for us when we will be going ever October ???

As I am a DVC rookie - I was thinking November - but I could be wrong.

Also - I know this question has been posted plenty of times before - maybe a Mod could make a sticky and list a Use Year thread description??

Thanks

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Mouse511, We are in the same boat as you- I hope someone can clarify for us- I am thinking our use year needs to be starting 11 mos out from when we want to plan on actually taking vacation- we want to go in July or August more often meaning (I think) we would need our use year to start August or September... Ya think?

 

[gamamalovesdisney]

If you usually go in October, then you will want a use year of September or October so that if you have to cancel, you will have time to bank your points.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

So. Does Use year equate to when you usually want to use your points or when you can make reservations on your points? Can you make reservations w/o points in "account" and then when check in as long as points are available by then OR You can't make reservations unless points are available? Getting confused a bit now...

 

[DebbieB]

Mouse511, We are in the same boat as you- I hope someone can clarify for us- I am thinking our use year needs to be starting 11 mos out from when we want to plan on actually taking vacation- we want to go in July or August more often meaning (I think) we would need our use year to start August or September... Ya think?

You want to look for a use year BEFORE your typical travel month. For example, if you have a stay booked for July with an August use year (8/1 to 7/31), if you had to cancel after the banking deadline and before the 30 day limit, you would have to use the points by 7/31, which would be the end of your use year. If you had a June use year (6/1-5/31) you would have until the next 5/31.

Use year has nothing to do with when you can reserve a stay. When you book a stay, you look at which use year the dates of stay fall into and those are the points that are considered "current". You do not have to wait until your use year starts to use the points, the points for all use years are already in your account.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

DebbieB thanks! Now that poses another question for me- Banking deadline? When would that fall? Hopefully never a cancellation but never know what could happen so you're right I need to make sure we are prepared for that- Also, I guess to ask about borrowing- Hope we don't have to borrow because I think that would mean we wouldn't be able to go one year due to no points available but... is there also a time frame to borrow for current year before use year starts- like if use year is 08/01-07/31 can we borrow 07/01 or have to borrow well in advance like 4 months before use year is over

 

[MAO]

You bank any points you don't want to use in your current use year prior to the last four months of that use year. You borrow when you make a reservation and it's based on the reservation date.

Assume your use year is June 1st, you got in the system as of June 1st 2008 and you have 100 points. It is now July something or other 2008 and you want to make a reservation for March 2009 using 75 points.

If your reservation is for your home resort, you are within your 11 month advantage period and you can make it now. If the reservation is for a different DVC resort, you'll have to wait until the check-in day (March whatever) of August 2008 to call. (You can call later than that; up to a day or two ahead I believe though availability is not guaranteed which is why you'll see most discussions centering around the 11 or 7 month timeframe.) Ok, now you have a March 2009 reservation and 25 points left in your 2008 use year. You can wait until January 31 2009 to bank the points into 2009 (giving you 125 points for a reservation during the June 1 2009 to May 31 2010 timeframe) or you can make another reservation using those 25 points up until May 31 2009. If you don't bank them by January 31 2009 or use them yourself or rent/transfer them to someone else by May 31 2009, they are gone.

If you decide that you would like to use those 25 points during the June 1 2008 through May 31 2009 timeframe, but the only reservation you are interested would be 30 points, you would call (either 11 months or 7 months or less, based on which DVC resort you want) and Member Services will "borrow" the extra 5 points from your 2009 Use Year. So, say you made both reservations tomorrow -- one for 75 points in March 2009 and one for 30 points in, I don't know, September 2008. You've now used up all your 2008 points and have 95 points left for 2009.

You may find it helpful to get a piece of lined paper and put the next 24 months or so on it, then try and note what would happen based on different scenarios. We're used to thinking of a year as starting on January 1st, so the Use Year starting at a different time gets confusing. Also, trying to think about the 11 or 7 months lead time for making a reservation vs. when you have to bank your points can get mixed up in your head. Don't worry too much about the borrowing, except if you start planning a big get-together that might require you banking some points into next year *and* borrowing points from two years ahead. That's when I really reach for the paper so I make sure I'm able to do what I want to do!

 

[RobDoc]

So. Does Use year equate to when you usually want to use your points or when you can make reservations on your points? Can you make reservations w/o points in "account" and then when check in as long as points are available by then OR You can't make reservations unless points are available? Getting confused a bit now...

Use Year is simply when your points are renewed each year. It has nothing to do with when you may travel or when you can make a reservation. You can make any reservation at your home resort 11 months in advance and at other resorts 7 months ahead - regardless when your Use Year may be - the only thing important about making a reservation is that you will have access to sufficient points at the time of the trip - and that can be by banking, borrowing or use of current points not yet in your account.

 

[DebbieB]

When you want to make a reservation, you look at the use year that your stay falls into. You can use those points as current, use banked from the use year before and borrow from the next use year (you can only borrow 1 use year ahead).

For example:
June use year
July 2009 stay

July 2009 would be in your 2009 use year (6/1/09 to 5/31/10). 2009 would be considered current year points. You can also use banked points from your 2008 use year and borrow from your 2010 use year.

Another example:

June use year
May 2009 stay

This stay would be in your 2008 use year (6/1/08 to 5/31/09). 2008 points would be considered current year. You could also use banked 2007 points and borrow 2009 points.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

MAO, Doc, & DebbieB- Thank-You Thank-You My Goodness so much to take in but I am really getting it and Mouse511 I hope you don't mind how I am learning from your original post- Hope it has also helped you a great deal though! Thank-You for the very detailed scenarios guys- We finally watched our DVD today (received on Wednesday) I have been working and we wanted to watch it as a family- I am so psyched and now can't wait til Tuesday to speak w/ our Guide again! This board is great! & to think we started on this just to plan our next years vacation- This is going to take us through the next many years and I have to say mainly thanks to all of the many responses and posts I have read here from you all! It has helped us to make our decision and look beyong our current motivating factors and also look into what the future needs/wants may bring as well!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

You definitely need to do your homework before you sign on the dotted line. This board is great because it gives you a source to double-check the information you receive from your guide and get a bit more clarification on the things that still might be "iffy".