Contracts at different resorts?

[awatt]

Can someone explain to me how you use points if you have contracts at different resorts? Are they basically separate and you use each contract for a seperaet reservation? Thanks.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We own at different resorts because we like to book 11 months out and we like different places at different times of the year. Sometimes at 7 months I want to add on a few days and I can use points from a different resort to add on these days. For instance at 11 months we booked a 2 bedroom at BCV for a 4th of July vacation, but I booked my DSis a studio at BWV because I didn't have enough BCV points to include her at BCV, but she would be close to us. Then at 7 months I was able to move her BWV reservation over to BCV.

I also use our VB points primarily to book a Beach Cottage at 11 months out. Then at 7 months I try to get rooms for other family members to join us and I use other points for those rooms.

 

[PoohNFriends]

I'm not a long-term expert, but hopefully I can provide an explantation that will be helpful and others can add info. We have points at AKV and VGC with the same use year. At the 11 month mark I can make a reservation at VGC with VGC points or at AKV with AKV points (but not at VGC with AKV points or at AKV with VGC points). At or after the 7 month mark I can combine points from both contracts to try to make a reservation at any of the resorts.
The same is true for banked and borrowed points - they can only be used at the home resort they belong to at the 11 month mark, but can be used at any resort on or after the 7 month mark.
Hope that gives you a basic understanding, I will let someone else add what happens when the contracts are at different resorts with different use years since I am not as familiar with this.

 

[ekm]

I'm not a long-term expert, but hopefully I can provide an explantation that will be helpful and others can add info. We have points at AKV and VGC with the same use year. At the 11 month mark I can make a reservation at VGC with VGC points or at AKV with AKV points (but not at VGC with AKV points or at AKV with VGC points). At or after the 7 month mark I can combine points from both contracts to try to make a reservation at any of the resorts.
The same is true for banked and borrowed points - they can only be used at the home resort they belong to at the 11 month mark, but can be used at any resort on or after the 7 month mark.
Hope that gives you a basic understanding, I will let someone else add what happens when the contracts are at different resorts with different use years since I am not as familiar with this.

Good explanation.
We own at OKW and HH, and have the same use year.
I don't think that having different use years at different resorts complicates matters too much. You have an 11 month window with one resort and you may have less than 7 months when combining with another resort, depending on the use year.
For example, If you have one resort with a January use year and another resort with a September use year, you can book December within the 11 month window with the first one, but you will only have a 3 month window if you want to combine the points with the other resort.
Perhaps someone in this situation can provide a better explanation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Having points with different Use Years does complicate it more than have add-on contracts. You have to make a separate reservation for any nights booked with a different UY.

For example, we have 175 OKW and 100 VWL, all the same contract, just VWL was an add-on. We also have 50 OKW with a different UY; so it is a different contract, not an add-on.

When I want to use the 50 points, I either have to transfer them to my other contract (limited to one transfer in or out a year, so that uses one in for one contract and one out for the other). Once they are transferred in, they maintain the same UY as before, but I can combine them with the other points to make a single night.

If I don't transfer them, I can use the 50 point contract for as many nights as they will get me and have those nights linked to the nights I get with my other points.

But at 7 months out, I can use the 175 OKW and 100 VWL anyway I like because they are the same contract.

 

[awatt]

Thanks to all of you. Now it is clear. I have addon-itis and want to do it right if i decide to add on.

 

[LisaS]

I don't think that having different use years at different resorts complicates matters too much. You have an 11 month window with one resort and you may have less than 7 months when combining with another resort, depending on the use year.
For example, If you have one resort with a January use year and another resort with a September use year, you can book December within the 11 month window with the first one, but you will only have a 3 month window if you want to combine the points with the other resort.
Perhaps someone in this situation can provide a better explanation.

Your Use Year does not affect when you can make a reservation. You can book with home resort points 11 months from check in and with non-home resort points starting 7 months from check in regardless of your UY. So if you have a September UY and want to go to WDW in December, you can book in January if you are using home resort points or in May if using non-home points.

If you have two contracts with different UYs you cannot combine the points to make a reservation even if the contracts are for the same resort. You can either transfer points from one contract to the other (using your one transfer per UY on both contracts to do so) or you can reserve part of your stay with points from one contract and the rest of the nights of your stay with points from the other contract and link the two reservations together. If in addition to being different UYs the contracts are also for different resorts then you would book some of your nights 11 months out using the home resort points and try to book the additional nights you wanted at 7 months out using points from the other contract (subject to availability) and then have the two reservations linked together.