Hypothetical use of points

[DVCRookie2023]

I am looking to become a member soon and want to take our first trip in March 2025. I am likely buying a 165 point contract at either RIV, Poly or GF. We will likely (starting out anyway) go every other year. My hypothetical question is:

For our first trip in March 2025 is there any scenario for which I could join DVC, bank my 2024 points and borrow my 2026 points for a grand total of 495 points for my first stay in March of 2025? Ideally we would like to book at our home resort at 11 months out.

Thanks for any input as I am still learning about the cutoffs for banking/borrowing which I am sure is the key to this answer. If there are any solid articles/videos/etc on this topic that would be helpful also!

 

[rspencer38]

Yes this is definitely a possibility provided you purchased with enough time to bank 2024 points.

Banking deadlines would depend on your use year. Say you got a march use year contract starting in 2024, you would have up until the end of Oct of 2024 to bank those points into 2025. Additionally you could borrow your 2026 points into March 2025 and have the full 3 years available.

There are plenty of scenarios and deadlines based solely on use years. Also, this assumes you are buying either a resale contract with full points from 2024 onwards or a direct contract.

 

[RoseGold]

Of course, if the points were already banked or you bought with enough time to bank them.

If you bought, say Feb UY, you'd need to make sure you bank by the end of Sep. You'd have your 2024 points (banked before Sep 2024), your 2025 points available for bookings starting Feb 1 2025, and your 2026 points to borrow.

This gets more confusing if you have something like an April UY, because it shifts the whole thing a year, and traveling in March is a terrible idea with an April UY. You'd need to bank the 2023 points by October 2023, 2024 points would start Apr 1 2024, and you would borrow 2025 points.

 

[DVCRookie2023]

Of course, if the points were already banked or you bought with enough time to bank them.

If you bought, say Feb UY, you'd need to make sure you bank by the end of Sep. You'd have your 2024 points (banked before Sep), your 2025 points available for bookings starting Feb 1 2025, and your 2026 points to borrow.

This gets more confusing if you have something like an April UY, because it shifts the whole thing a year, and traveling in March is a terrible idea with an April UY.

Thank you. But if my 2025 points are only available starting Feb 1 2025 and I want to book the trip for March 2025 - that seems kind of unlikely, availability wise. Right?

This is the problem I think with my scenario - it does not allow me enough time to book the trip 11 months out.

 

[RoseGold]

Thank you. But if my 2025 points are only available starting Feb 1 2025 and I want to book the trip for March 2025 - that seems kind of unlikely, availability wise. Right?

This is the problem I think with my scenario - it does not allow me enough time to book the trip 11 months out.

I mean this kindly, you need to read more about UYs. It's not like you are rope dropping Feb 1 2025 for Mar 2025. You book 11 months out. Feb 1 2025 is the earliest date the points are valid. It has nothing to do with when you can book the reservation.

 

[DVCRookie2023]

Of course, if the points were already banked or you bought with enough time to bank them.

If you bought, say Feb UY, you'd need to make sure you bank by the end of Sep. You'd have your 2024 points (banked before Sep 2024), your 2025 points available for bookings starting Feb 1 2025, and your 2026 points to borrow.

This gets more confusing if you have something like an April UY, because it shifts the whole thing a year, and traveling in March is a terrible idea with an April UY. You'd need to bank the 2023 points by October 2023, 2024 points would start Apr 1 2024, and you would borrow 2025 points.

I just replied to the other poster - it seems as if I would not allow myself time to book the vacation if the points aren't available until Feb 1 2025. Looks like I would need to shift this back a year to make it work, correct?

 

[RoseGold]

I just replied to the other poster - it seems as if I would not allow myself time to book the vacation if the points aren't available until Feb 1 2025. Looks like I would need to shift this back a year to make it work, correct?

No. That's not true at all.

 

[rspencer38]

Thank you. But if my 2025 points are only available starting Feb 1 2025 and I want to book the trip for March 2025 - that seems kind of unlikely, availability wise. Right?

This is the problem I think with my scenario - it does not allow me enough time to book the trip 11 months out.

The previous poster is correct - I'd suggest youtubing some videos on the whole DVC ownership program and how booking works with use years.

If you had a use year for February, you can book 11 months prior to any date between Feb 1st 2025 and Jan 31st 2026. You don't need to actually be inside your use year to book, just that the stay has to be within the use year.

So for that march 2025 stay you could book sometime in April 2024. (depending on the actual date in March 2025 that you are looking for).

 

[DVCRookie2023]

The previous poster is correct - I'd suggest youtubing some videos on the whole DVC ownership program and how booking works with use years.

If you had a use year for February, you can book 11 months prior to any date between Feb 1st 2025 and Jan 31st 2026. You don't need to actually be inside your use year to book, just that the stay has to be within the use year.

So for that march 2025 stay you could book sometime in April 2024. (depending on the actual date in March 2025 that you are looking for).

Ah thank you. I have done extensive research on the financial side of things but definitely need to look more in-depth into this. This makes much more sense now. Thank you.

 

[rspencer38]

It can get confusing but the thing to remember is that booking has nothing to do with use year. You can always book 11 months prior to any booking (or 7 months at a different resort) assuming no restrictions like holding points etc..

 

[DVCRookie2023]

It can get confusing but the thing to remember is that booking has nothing to do with use year. You can always book 11 months prior to any booking (or 7 months at a different resort) assuming no restrictions like holding points etc..

Yes - that was where I was getting tripped up. Seems like my best course of action is:

Join in 2024 with a February UY. Bank those points into 2025, borrow the 2026 points and then book the vacation in April of 2024

 

[RoseGold]

Join in 2024 with a February UY. Bank those points into 2025, borrow the 2026 points and then book the vacation in April of 2024

Buying direct, Disney prorates dues. So, it's in your interest to buy as late a possible in the year without losing your banking. Balancing incentives and pricing, of course.

But, buying late 2023 or Jan 2024 actually gives you a whole extra year of points.

 

[bravo2zero]

Get a June UY. If travel is March 2025, you could bank 2023 points that become available 6/1/2023 (165 points, expiring 5/31/2025), use 2024 points that become available 6/1/2024 (165 points, expiring 5/31/2025), and borrow from 2025 UY (165 points). You would then not have to borrow 2026 points.

You could do this with April UY too, but many will tell you that's a bad idea since cancellations for the March 2025 trip would go into holding.

 

[Sandisw]

Buying direct, Disney prorates dues. So, it's in your interest to buy as late a possible in the year without losing your banking. Balancing incentives and pricing, of course.

But, buying late 2023 or Jan 2024 actually gives you a whole extra year of points.

Saying you get an extra year of points is a little misleading to a new buyer… you get the same amount of points..you save on dues and it jusr feels like you have more..

Unless a resort is opening, all active resorts are given current UY..whether buying at the beginning or end of UY.

If I buy today, I am getting 2022 UY points for my Dec UY. If I buy in November’, I am getting the same points..2022 points.

 

[Sandisw]

Any trip can be booked with up to 3 years of points, assuming no changes to bank/borrow rules.

There are different situations in which you can do that for a March 2025 UY, depending on UY you choose..which is recommend to be right before typical travel time.

If you have a Feb or March UY, then you can have banked 2024, 2025 and borrow 2026 to book that trip at 11 months because March 2025 is in the 2025 UY for both those months.

However if you have any other UYS…April June, Aug, Sept, Oct, or Dec. then thst trip happens in those 2024 UY…and can be booked with banked 2023, 2024 or borrowed 2025 points.

 

[RoseGold]

If I buy today, I am getting 2022 UY points for my Dec UY. If I buy in November’, I am getting the same points..2022 points.

Yes, but if you buy In Dec 2023, you are in a new UY, there are no 2022 points. You get 2023 points (starting Dec 2023) and miss out on a whole year of points that you would have gotten if you bought in Nov 2023.

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, but if you buy In Dec 2023, you are in a new UY, there are no 2022 points. You get 2023 points (starting Dec 2023) and miss out on a whole year of points that you would have gotten if you bought in Nov 2023.

That is correct but it’s not additional points.. it’s getting current UY points…my point was that a new person who sees that can interpret that to mean that waiting until the end gets you more than the beginning and that it just not true.

So, in your example, buying in November 2023 with. Dec UY gets you 2022 points because you have not started the 2023 UY..but those are points you are entitled to and are not extra.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Get a June UY. If travel is March 2025, you could bank 2023 points that become available 6/1/2023 (165 points, expiring 5/31/2025), use 2024 points that become available 6/1/2024 (165 points, expiring 5/31/2025), and borrow from 2025 UY (165 points). You would then not have to borrow 2026 points.

You could do this with April UY too, but many will tell you that's a bad idea since cancellations for the March 2025 trip would go into holding.

June UY when you want to travel in March? I’d go with Dec through March UY if you are looking resale.

 

[bravo2zero]

June UY when you want to travel in March? I’d go with Dec through March UY if you are looking resale.

Based on my reading, I assumed three things: 1) They are buying direct, 2) only the first trip will for sure be in March, other future trips in 2027 and beyond are unknown timing, and 3) they wanted to maximize the value of their points.

Under these assumptions, June UY would only be problematic if they cancel the March 2025 trip, though still not that incredibly problematic. My own experience is that trips are not often canceled for those that are planning 2 full years in advance. June made sense to me (something after March but closer to March) because they would have access to their points for a second trip 6 months sooner than with a December UY for instance.

The point of the scenario too is to illustrate that choosing a UY after March would allow them to borrow 2025 points for the trip. This would preserve all of 2026 points for their 2027 trip, as opposed to the initial scenario from the OP.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Based on my reading, I assumed three things: 1) They are buying direct, 2) only the first trip will for sure be in March, other future trips in 2027 and beyond are unknown timing, and 3) they wanted to maximize the value of their points.

Under these assumptions, June UY would only be problematic if they cancel the March 2025 trip, though still not that incredibly problematic. My own experience is that trips are not often canceled for those that are planning 2 full years in advance. June made sense to me (something after March but closer to March) because they would have access to their points for a second trip 6 months sooner than with a December UY for instance.

The point of the scenario too is to illustrate that choosing a UY after March would allow them to borrow 2025 points for the trip. This would preserve all of 2026 points for their 2027 trip, as opposed to the initial scenario from the OP.

If going direct, why wouldn’t you just get a March UY? Bank 2024 into 2025, use 2025, borrow whatever 2026 you need and leave the rest. If the trip gets postponed, no risk of stranded points.