How does the Use Year work?

[kstorms27]

Could someone please explain to me how the use year works? I think the majority of our vacations would tend to be in the fall time. Im thinking Sept.-Dec. Im just not sure how it works or what would be best for us based on our vacation time. Thanks for any help!

 

[drusba]

It is usually recommended that you get a use year that begins not too long before you usually go if you usually go during a particular time of year. If time of year you go is usually between Sep and Dec, then Sep is an ideal use year. At the other end, if the time you usually go is July or August, then Sep would be your last possible choice.

Regardless of use year, you can go any time of year. Moreover you can always call to reserve 11 months out for home resort and 7 for others. The reason for the above recommendation has to do with the risk of having to cancel a trip. Use year determines when your annual allotment of points become available for use, the first day of the use year, and by when you must bank points if you want to save them for use in the next use year, by end of eighth month of use year. Let's assume a Sep use year and a Sep trip. In Oct 2011, you call and reserve time in Sep 2012 using points coming Sep 1,2012, which will be your current use year points for that trip. Come June 2012 something happens and you have to cancel. Points go back into account and you still have until Aug 31, 2013 to use them and until April 30, 2013 to bank them into the Sep 2013-14 use year.

Now assume you have a Sep use year and you want to go in Aug 2012. You call in Oct 2011 and reserve and you use points from Sep 1, 2011 for that trip because those are the current use year points for that trip since the use year ends Aug 31, 2012. Come June 2012 you need to cancel. Points go back into account but you cannot bank them because you are beyond the banking deadline and you will lose them unless you can use them for a trip that ends no later than Aug 31, 2012.

 

[vicki_c]

As drusba explained, the importance of Use Year is really mostly about canceling. Depending on your situation, it may be difficult to exactly predict what your vacation patterns are going to be over the next 40+ years.

We like best to travel from November - February or March. We have an August use year (by default - we didn't ask for anything specific when we bought) and it's working well for us.

But after only a few years, our vacation patterns are changing. Our kids are getting older and we don't want to pull them from school any more and my DH got a job in a retail field where he can take no vacation in November and December. Two huge changes for us relative to when we vacation. We are now close to locked into Easter trips for a while. So you may find it difficult to predict.

One thing we know for sure - we will never travel in July, August or September and very rarely in June (only if we want to go to SWW). So August is still working for us and should for the foreseeable future, even if it's not the "ideal" Use Year for our travel times.

Aside from that, we never cancel (in over 20 trips, we have never cancelled a Disney reservation) - so it's not as much of a concern for us.

 

[disneynutz]

The correct UY based on your favorite travel times is added insurance against forfeiting your points should you have to cancel of postpone your vacation.

We have had to change plans due to a job change, a death in the family, and everyone catching the flu, we never thought that we would change our plans at the last minute.

Fortunately we took the time to select the correct UY.

Bill

 

[Sandisw]

With your fall travel times, I would suggest Aug/Sept UY. This puts your travel at the beginning of it, which will allow more flexibility, IMO, in the event you have to cancel or want to change your trip.

If you think that summer travel might be a possibility, then I might try for a June UY.

As already mentioned, you want to try to maximize how much time you have to use up points in case you have to cancel a trip and want to reschedule it, or, end up with holding/borrowed points that will have to be used up by the end of that UY.

No one UY will fit all travel times, but if you know you have a set travel time, then getting one that works well for that is a plus.