First Trip Strategy w/ Borrowing & Banking (Oct UY)

[Emilv]

Hi everyone! We just closed on 150 direct points at Polynesian with an October Use Year, with the intention of traveling every other year. As part of Magical Beginnings, we sold back our 2025 points.

We’re excited to plan our first trip, but want to make sure we’re thinking about banking and borrowing correctly. For our first trip in December 2026, am I correct that we’ll need to use all of our 2026 Use Year points, since any 2026 points can’t be banked far enough to be used for a December 2028 trip (no 2027 trip, off year )? That part seems straightforward based on the point charts, but I’d love to confirm we’re understanding it correctly.

Thanks in advance, we’re thrilled to finally be DVC owners!

 

[Sandisw]

Welcome home!!! Everything is based on when the trip happens.

Figure that out first and then it makes understanding what points you can use is easier.

A Dec 2026 trip is in your Oct 2026 UY…when you go to book it…which you can now and I would ask DVC to help you use your Welcome Home stay to get it…you can used banked 2025 points (if you had them), 2026 points, and borrow 2027 points to finish the reservation.

 

[Genie+]

Yes, for a December 2028 trip your Oct 2026 points won’t work because even if banked they’d expire Sept 30, 2028.

 

[Emilv]

Thank you both, its clear to us now!

 

[DoubleBaconBLT]

Thank you both, its clear to us now!

As @Sandisw said, do NOT book your first stay yourself! Call Member Services and ask them to help you book a Welcome Home stay. They can use your points to book from their cash inventory, which means you would have access to tons of resorts and room options that aren't normally available. We did our Welcome Home stay in December at Boardwalk and it was amazing! They booked it for us in September - which we will NEVER be able to do again because December is so popular and that short of a time to book is unheard of. We never would have been able to book Boardwalk in September for a December trip without the Welcome Home stay.

If you book a stay yourself, then you aren't eligible for a Welcome Home stay. It's only on your very first booking. So don't book anything yet. Call Member Services and they'll help you out.

 

[JamJam2021]

As @Sandisw said, do NOT book your first stay yourself! Call Member Services and ask them to help you book a Welcome Home stay. They can use your points to book from their cash inventory, which means you would have access to tons of resorts and room options that aren't normally available. We did our Welcome Home stay in December at Boardwalk and it was amazing! They booked it for us in September - which we will NEVER be able to do again because December is so popular and that short of a time to book is unheard of. We never would have been able to book Boardwalk in September for a December trip without the Welcome Home stay.

If you book a stay yourself, then you aren't eligible for a Welcome Home stay. It's only on your very first booking. So don't book anything yet. Call Member Services and they'll help you out.

I’m a resale buyer - booked my reservation online but haven’t stayed there yet Does this welcome home first trip work for me?

 

[DebbieB]

I’m a resale buyer - booked my reservation online but haven’t stayed there yet Does this welcome home first trip work for me?

No, direct only

 

[juliebee]

I’m a resale buyer - booked my reservation online but haven’t stayed there yet Does this welcome home first trip work for me?

The Welcome Home trip is for direct buyers to help them make their first reservation. If the resort does not have the availability, sometimes they can take alternate inventory to make that first direct trip work out. Unfortunately it's not for resale owners and there is nothing else special about the Welcome Home trip- just scheduling help.

 

[JamJam2021]

Darn. I guess I’ll figure out my own way.
Thank. Sorry about sidetracking your thread

 

[Hypaflex]

As @Sandisw said, do NOT book your first stay yourself! Call Member Services and ask them to help you book a Welcome Home stay. They can use your points to book from their cash inventory, which means you would have access to tons of resorts and room options that aren't normally available. We did our Welcome Home stay in December at Boardwalk and it was amazing! They booked it for us in September - which we will NEVER be able to do again because December is so popular and that short of a time to book is unheard of. We never would have been able to book Boardwalk in September for a December trip without the Welcome Home stay.

If you book a stay yourself, then you aren't eligible for a Welcome Home stay. It's only on your very first booking. So don't book anything yet. Call Member Services and they'll help you out.

would you recommend calling member services to request welcome home stay or your guide? Curious which one seems more historically successful, lol