I think I understand everything about DVC EXCEPT "use year"

[Camping Griswalds]

I mean I get the borrowing and banking, but how do you decide which use year to pick?

My kids currently always have a Winter Break in January, and a Spring Break in March. Then 2 weeks at Christmas. However their ages are so disperate ( sophomore in H.S., 6th grade and 4 year old) how do I choose?

Also while I am at it. How many points do you think I really need to buy? My 16 yo will be gone in 2 years to college, and I doubt timing wise will be able to go to Disney with us. Then i will only need a studio because of being a family of 4. So would you recommend buying the minimum ( we would be brand new, so 160 points) at BLT for now, borrowing if we need and are able to include oldest son, and knowing in a couple of years he probably won't be vacationing with us? Heck I know for a fact that this is his last Spring Break vacation with us, because Junior yer he will go to Spain, and Senior year he goes to London.

 

[RobDoc]

Use Year is the month when your points are renewed each year. It will determine your Banking Deadline, but has nothing to do with when you may make a reservation or when you may travel.

If you will need to cancel a reservation it would be best to have a Use Year just a little earlier than your reservation so that you have more time to bank or reuse the points returned to your account. If you will travel in May, it would be better to have a March or Aprl Use Year than a June Use Year - but unless you will cancel reservations, Use Year is when your points are renewed each year. For travel in December, January and/or March, a December Use Year would work well. You may also find that your travel times may change over time.

As for the number of points you should buy you'll want to purchase what you think you'll need and then possibly add-on at a later date once you get a feel for how you will use your membership.

We started with 230 points back in 1993 and have added on to that contract 7 times and also purchased 3 more resale contracts over a period years.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[disneynutz]

You need to make your best guess about your travel plans now and if you plan to keep your ownership, 30 years in the future.

UY can be important if you need to cancel a vacation. Don't think that it doesn't happen. Kids get sick, work schedule changes, airline strikes etc.

We vacation from November to April, so we chose an October UY. If we need to cancel, (happened once already), we have until the end of May to bank our points. Points not use or banked during the UY are forfeited.

 

[Inkmahm]

We vacation from November to April, so we chose an October UY. If we need to cancel, (happened once already), we have until the end of May to bank our points. Points not use or banked during the UY are forfeited.

Same here. We vacation from end of October to end of April. We have an October use year. We will always know by the end of May if we need to bank or not as I refuse to travel to Florida any later than early May or any earlier than mid-October. It's just TOO HOT for me during the summer months.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Use year is kind of like Fiscal Year. For the US government, fiscal year is Oct 1 to Sept 30. That would be the equivalent to an Oct Use Year.

Our son is 15 and we're looking forward to going in Oct again once he has headed off to college. But he has pretty much informed us that we're not going without him.