For those of you with multiple contracts...

[CNMooner]

I was wondering how hard you find it to manage multiple contracts? We have 200 points at SSR, but if they start selling a CR DVC, I'm all over that-- I'd like to add on there so we can make ressies at 11 months at least every three years.

I'm really into planning, but I'm worried that I'll lose track of my points if they are at different resorts. What do you think? We plan to go down to disney once per year.

 

[Scratch42]

I have 3 contracts ~ 1 at SSR and 2 at BCV. To make things easier for me I have them all at the same UY.

Now that you can track on line at the DVC Member Site, it will make is easier to keep track.

janet

 

[gppnj]

There are several good point-tracker programs out there written by members. Now that there is the ability to check points and reservations on-line, keeping all that straight is easier than ever. Contracts at different resorts are a bit more complicated that one contract at one resort, but I don't think it's so complicated that it should prevent you from acquiring the points you want. It's not rocket science.

 

[Tink10]

I have 2 BWV contracts & 1 SSR & I'll be honest......I'm lost ALL of the time.

I'm basically at the point now where I call MS & hope that I have the points needed to cover ressies.....

 

[jaysue]

We have 2 BCV, 2 VB and 1 SSR contract

With the point tracking programs and the DVC member site, we are able to track all usage with a handy dandy spreadsheet

Some also use something like MS Money or Quicken and treat their DVC contracts as an asset which they add and take away points from

cheers
jaysue

 

[RobDoc]

We have contracts for 4 different Use Years at 2 resorts. I use MS Money to easily track the points and confirm the total with each reservation. With the data available on the DVC website this is even easier now.

In addition, Caskbill is working on an excellent point tracker that will handle multiple contracts. It is in beta testing right now and should be ready in the near future. There are also a couple of other tracking programs available as freeware that have been posted on the site.

 

[rkdahl]

I also have multiple contracts (4) but all are at OKW and same Use Year so it's pretty easy. I tend to manage mine just by total points rather than managing each contract seperately. It can get confusing when on any given reservation, points are taken from multiple contracts.

Question:
I'm curious for those that Use Quicken or Money, if you have multiple contracts, on any given transaction how are you finding out where the points came from or went to? Are you asking member services to give you that each time you make a reservation transaction? It will be easier now that we can look online but for me it's been a challenge.

In the past, every once in a while I asked for those confusing point usage history printouts. It can get very complicated when you have 4 contracts, banking and borrowing transactions and points flowing back and forth between each one.

 

[RobDoc]

Each of my contracts is listed as a separate account. Each reservation appears as a check and deducts points from the balance in the account. It's pretty easy to notate banking and borrowing transactions to track points used. A "deposit" is noted for the beginning of each Use Year and also when borrowed points are used to make a reservation.

MS Money (or Quicken) does work well, but Caskbill's Point Tracker will be a much cleaner program to use since it allows you to easily look at transactions in each account. MS Money also allows that, but the details aren't as easy to follow.

Stay Tuned!

 

[yitbos96bb]

Here's a question on the same subject: When SSR came out, what was the minimum that current DVC owners had to purchase. Was it the same 150 that New Owners are forced to buy, or was it a lesser number? I am just curious from a historical perspective for planning when POLY or Contemp come out.

 

[RobDoc]

150 has been the minimum for some time now. Originally, the minimum was 230, later lowered to 210 in 1993, 190 in 1994 and the current 150 in May, 1997.

I don't expect it to be lowered any further, although I suppose they could raise it at some point (doubtful IMO).

 

[yitbos96bb]

150 has been the minimum for some time now. Originally, the minimum was 230, later lowered to 210 in 1993, 190 in 1994 and the current 150 in May, 1997.

I don't expect it to be lowered any further, although I suppose they could raise it at some point (doubtful IMO).

Then how come I see so many resell contracts for less than the 150 mark. I have seen 50 point, 100, point etc. Are these Add-on contracts for the same resort, or something else?

 

[RobDoc]

Yes, any resale of less than 150 points was originally an add-on for an existing member. There is no way to break up a contract to sell and Disney is very adamant about the limit of 150. Of course, there is no such limit on a resale so there are some smaller contracts available.

 

[iankh]

I have multiple contracts, multiple UYs and multiple membership numbers.

My VWL UYs are all the same and on the same membership number. My OKW contract is on a different membership number and a different UY.

It isn't difficult at all to manage it all and there are serious advantanges to DVC considering you two separate people when it comes to transferring points between memberships. Something you can't do with a single membership.

 

[JimMIA]

We have two contracts, same use year, different resorts -- and there is a substantial size difference between the contracts. With the same use year, we don't have to worry about different banking deadlines -- they're the same.

The only issue I anticipate is deciding which contract to use various points from. To the extent that we use the 11 month window, it will probably be where our biggest contract is, so we'll want to use up the smaller contract and have most or all of our banked points in the big contract.

There's no question that multiple contracts at different resorts is something extra to manage, but I don't see it as a big problem.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Well, I admire anyone that can figure anything out with a computer, I think that I age 10 years every time I log on I have several contract with 3 use years, and I really hope that MS is accurate with my points. because it is all very confusing. I use a notebook, and I make notes every time I call MS, and even note the name of who I talked to, just to keep track of everything. At least I have a pretty good idea of where my points are going

 

[rkdahl]

Doc:

It's pretty easy to notate banking and borrowing transactions to track points used.

Doc, I understand how you subtract (a check) and add (deposit) 'points' using Money or Quicken. But what I can't seem to ever figure out is where the points come from (ie which contract) for each transaction.

Example:
Say I have 4 contracts 150/75/100/50 all same Use year, same resort. I make a reservation that requires 274 points. How do I know which contract the points came from? Then 2 months before the stay I change the number of days and re-deposit 42 points back into my account. Again...which contracts are used?

If I got a 'transaction report' that showed for each transaction which contracts were used, this would be super easy. But they don't do that and I have to track points in aggregate.

Am I missing something here?