DVC Points - Banking and Borrowing

[William Marsden]

I've got some questions about when I can bank and borrow pts. I'm the company pianist for a ballet company and my family is always able to vacation in May when the ballet season finishes. Lucky for us, I think May is a great time to see WDW. Let's say I have 200 pts. and I'm planning a big trip for May of 2007. I want to use a total of 600 pts. for the vacation. A lot of people tell me that my use year should be in May but if I banked my 2006 pts. and used my 2007 points, when would my 2008 pts. be available to borrow? If my use year was in May and the 2008 pts. weren't available until May of 2007 then I won't be able to have those pts. to use on a big 2007 vacation. If I banked my 2005 points, would they expire by 2007? Should I look at a use year of June or October which would be 11 or 7 months before May so that I'd be able to bank my 2005 points, use my 2006 points and borrow my 2007 pts. when I make a reservation in June or October of 2006 for May of 2007. I hope all of this somehow makes sense.

 

[robinb]

Welcome to the DIS!

You will want your UY to be around April. You will be able to BANK 4/2006 into 2007 and BORROW 4/2008 into 2007. If you had a June UY you could not borrow the 2008 points and use them in May since they would be borrowed into a UY that starts in 7/2007, after your planned trip.

If you have a UY after May, then you will have to bank all your 2005 points right away and not use them. Personally, I wouldn't be able to join DVC and put off my first vacation as a member until May 2007!

ETA: It sounds like you're looking into a Grand Villa for a week at Sarasota Springs Resort. There are other ways to house just as many people and save points. A 2 Bedroom plus a studio (sleeps 8 & 4 respectively) is only 397 points. It's not as "WOW!" as a GV, but your family will be just as impressed. Believe me .

 

[William Marsden]

Okay, if my use year was in April, when would my 2008 pts. be available? Actually we're looking at a cruise and a two bedroom villa. Even with 600 pts. we're looking at only being able to use pts. for one adult on the cruise (a seven dayer).

 

[JimMIA]

I've got some questions about when I can bank and borrow pts. I'm the company pianist for a ballet company and my family is always able to vacation in May when the ballet season finishes. Lucky for us, I think May is a great time to see WDW.

Well first of all, congratualtions! If you are assured of getting a certain period of time off each year, that makes life MUCH simpler.

Let's say I have 200 pts. and I'm planning a big trip for May of 2007. I want to use a total of 600 pts. for the vacation. A lot of people tell me that my use year should be in May

Uh...no. There is no such thing as a May use year, but that is probably really not as important as you think. Let's just say you are like me, and you have an October use year, and you own 200 points.

Any time between October 1, 2005 and March 30, 2006, you can bank all 200 points. (pay attention to those banking deadlines - they're important!) Those points will then not be available until October 1, 2006 and they will remain available until September 30, 2007.

On October 1,2006, you will receive your '06 allotment, and that plus your now-banked points will give you 400 points to use by 9/30/07.

Also, at any time between 10/1/06 and 9/30/07, you can borrow up to all 200 of your '07 points. If you do, during May 2007 you will have 600 points available - 200 banked '05 points + your 200 current use year points + your 200 borrowed points.

 

[DebbieB]

Okay, if my use year was in April, when would my 2008 pts. be available? Actually we're looking at a cruise and a two bedroom villa. Even with 600 pts. we're looking at only being able to use pts. for one adult on the cruise (a seven dayer).

You could borrow 2008 points for stays between 4/1/07 and 3/31/08. All points use is based on date of stay, not on the date you make the reservation. So for a May 2007 stay, you could make the reservation in June 2006 using banked 2006, current 2007 (the date of stay is in your 2007 use year so they would be current year) and borrowed 2008.

Banked 2005 points would have to be used for stays on or before 3/31/07.

 

[RobDoc]

Use Year has nothing to do with when you can make a reservation. Reservations are only dependent on the number of points you will have access to at the time of the reservation.

There is no May Use Year. A March or April Use Year would work for you and allow time to reuse points in the event of a cancellation, but will complicate your May, 2007 trip. For a May, 2007 reservation, if bank all of your 2005 points they will be available thru February, 2007 (with a March Use Year) and they will not be available for a May, 2007 trip.

Lets say you have a Sep. Use Year and bank the 2005 points. They will be good thru August, 2007 and available for your May trip. You will then have access to the September 2006 points (they are good thru August, 2007) and can borrow your September, 2007 points to use in May, 2007.

If you will only go to WDW every 3 years, you may find membership will not save $$, so you should carefully consider your WDW travel habits before purchase.

Enjoy!

 

[William Marsden]

Thanks that really helps me out. Okay now I've got another big dumb question. Lets say I bought a membership with an October UY that came with 75 unused points. Would I be able to bank those points, then have 200 more points on 10/1/05 for a total of 275 banked points. Then let's say in June of 2006 I booked a cruise for May of 2007. Now I know that the 75 points would have expired on 10/1/06 but since I spent them on the reservation in June of 2006...... I bet this probably wouldn't be allowed but I'm just wondering.

 

[RobDoc]

No, the points would need to be available at the time of the reservation- not when you make the reservation. If they have already expired, they won't help for the cruise. In this case, they will expire on September 30, 2006 and can't be used beyond that date for any reservation.

Good luck!

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks that really helps me out. Okay now I've got another big dumb question. Lets say I bought a membership with an October UY that came with 75 unused points. Would I be able to bank those points, then have 200 more points on 10/1/05 for a total of 275 banked points.

I'll take this part. WHEN you bank makes all the difference. The banking deadlines are up to 100% in the first six months (end of March, in your example), up to 50% cumulative by the end of the ninth month (100 points by June 30), and 25% cumulative by the end of the 10th month (so, 50 by July 31)

Therefore, if you bought that contract right away, you would have until the end of June to bank the 75 points. As Doc pointed out, they would then become available on October 1, 2005 and would expire on September 30, 2006.