Managing your points

[mommary]

Getting ready to add buy a new contract at BLT. I already have 2 contracts at VWL, totaling 500 points.e Does anyone ever hava a hard time managing their points from year to year.
I'm worried that if I add on another contract for 200 or 250 I will be overwhelmed figuring out how to use them.
Would appreciate any input as I am speaking to my guide tomorrow.
Thankyou

 

[Donald is #1]

I don't think that I can help since I only have 340 points and they are at the same resort. But since I am considering adding on at another resort, I can't wait to see the responses.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have three contracts, but the two larger ones are at one resort and a smaller one is at a second resort. We tend to only worry about managing the smaller contract, since the larger two can be combined, and kind of manage themselves. I would advise keeping the totals seperate for each resort and managing that way. We started out with 230 points and quickly learned it was not enough, so we added on another 150 at the same resort. We KNEW we wanted the 11 month window with all our points back then. When AKV came out though, we HAD to get a few points there, since we had hoped it would be DVC when it was being built. The trouble was, that by the time they made AKL into DVC, we already had the best number of points for us. Adding on the small contract has indeed complicated things a bit, but it isn't bad if you just treat seperate resorts seperately.

 

[DVC Mike]

Getting ready to add buy a new contract at BLT. I already have 2 contracts at VWL, totaling 500 points.e Does anyone ever hava a hard time managing their points from year to year.
I'm worried that if I add on another contract for 200 or 250 I will be overwhelmed figuring out how to use them.
Would appreciate any input as I am speaking to my guide tomorrow.
Thankyou

I have 22 contracts totalling 1,125 points, and I can manage my points with a simple Excel spreadsheet. They are all in the same UY, which makes it much simpler.

 

[DVCJones]

I have 22 contracts totalling 1,125 points, and I can manage my points with a simple Excel spreadsheet. They are all in the same UY, which makes it much simpler.

Ding ding ding!!!! We have a winner!!

Wow, that is a lot of points....

You win the prize for the most points.

 

[Inkmahm]

I have 22 contracts totalling 1,125 points, and I can manage my points with a simple Excel spreadsheet. They are all in the same UY, which makes it much simpler.

I have 7 contracts totalling 530 points at 3 different resorts. I used a simple Excel spreadsheet, too.

What really helped though as deciding how we wanted to use the contracts in general and then doing a transition year to get there. We now use AKV points for our March vacation, BWV points for October and VWL points for December. That makes planning SO much easier for me.

 

[Nikisha421]

I have 22 contracts totalling 1,125 points, and I can manage my points with a simple Excel spreadsheet. They are all in the same UY, which makes it much simpler.

i was just passing by...i get most of my knowledge by doing more readng than commenting...but 22 contracts I wish I could...I barely manage my 1 contract and i am always in borrow mord

 

[dcfromva]

Getting ready to add buy a new contract at BLT. I already have 2 contracts at VWL, totaling 500 points.e Does anyone ever hava a hard time managing their points from year to year.
I'm worried that if I add on another contract for 200 or 250 I will be overwhelmed figuring out how to use them.
Would appreciate any input as I am speaking to my guide tomorrow.
Thankyou

I think your need to go to Disney expands to fill up the vaccum. We just added on at BLT and VGC in addition to what we already have. I used to think we have just enough points before we added on. I am amazed that all but 37 points have been booked (or earmarked in the case of VGC which hasn't opened up to bookings, yet) and I have done a little bit of borrowing, too.

 

[disneynutz]

Do yourself a favor and download Bill's Tracker program.

I would be lost without it!

http://web.nalu.net/~wneth/dvcplanner.htm

 

[wildernessDad]

I use one spreadsheet for each resort and they are fairly crude, but they do work. I am slowly coming up to speed to be able to create my own Mac program which will do this stuff for me. Right now, I'm at the learning objective C stage. I know C and have used C++ in the past to create Mac programs, so we'll see how it goes this second time around.

 

[dvc_john]

I don't have as many points as DVC Mike, but I do own at all 10 DVC resorts.
I don't have any problem managing the points (they are all the same UY).
I've never lost a point, and I use caskbill's tracker program.
Almost always I use points at their home resort, and I bank and borrow a lot.

 

[tiggerrifficheidi]

I use one spreadsheet for each resort and they are fairly crude, but they do work. I am slowly coming up to speed to be able to create my own Mac program which will do this stuff for me. Right now, I'm at the learning objective C stage. I know C and have used C++ in the past to create Mac programs, so we'll see how it goes this second time around.

I would LOVE to see a Mac program for this type of thing. All I can find are windows-based...and it's not enough of an incentive for me to run Windows on my Mac.

 

[disney4metoo]

Ding ding ding!!!! We have a winner!!

Wow, that is a lot of points....

You win the prize for the most points.

There is a list of the members who own over a thousand points here on the Disboards http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=872388 Wait till you see the list!

 

[Scott H]

I don't have as many points as DVC Mike, but I do own at all 10 DVC resorts.
I don't have any problem managing the points (they are all the same UY).
I've never lost a point, and I use caskbill's tracker program.
Almost always I use points at their home resort, and I bank and borrow a lot.

28 contracts here , we use Quicken and track our points, like a bank account, never lost a point, yes it is a project to keep on top of them, as we also bank and borrow a lot. Seems like lately we borrow more with the Baltic cruises. We are also at all 10 resorts (I believe, so I haev been told, there are very few folks in that group).

I really should switch to an xls or caskbill's program, or both or all three as a backup.

 

[tecodis]

28 contracts here , we use Quicken and track our points, like a bank account, never lost a point, yes it is a project to keep on top of them, as we also bank and borrow a lot. Seems like lately we borrow more with the Baltic cruises. We are also at all 10 resorts (I believe, so I haev been told, there are very few folks in that group).

I really should switch to an xls or caskbill's program, or both or all three as a backup.

Quicken? I love Quicken but can't imagine tracking points through it?
I use Caskbill's DVCTracker and find that worked really well and simple to use.

 

[wdw1972]

Ding ding ding!!!! We have a winner!!

Wow, that is a lot of points....

You win the prize for the most points.

Umm...almost. I've got 1140 spread among 4 resorts, all with the same use year. I've been a member 12 years and have never had a problem keeping track of them with a simple excel spreadsheet (separate columns for each resort).

 

[tecodis]

Umm...almost. I've got 1140 spread among 4 resorts, all with the same use year. I've been a member 12 years and have never had a problem keeping track of them with a simple excel spreadsheet (separate columns for each resort).

However, personally, I would have no need for that many points. And the annual dues must be staggering! I'm guessing around $5000?

About 500 would suit me just fine, I think.

 

[dwelty]

However, personally, I would have no need for that many points. And the annual dues must be staggering! I'm guessing around $5000?

About 500 would suit me just fine, I think.

I depends on how you look at it. Both Sue and Mike visit WDW quite often. If the were to pay rack rates on every trip, it would add up to alot more then the $4500 or so in member fees that they pay. Heck for many non DVC members this is what a weeks say would cost at a deluxe resort in similar accomidations.

 

[tecodis]

I depends on how you look at it. Both Sue and Mike visit WDW quite often. If the were to pay rack rates on every trip, it would add up to alot more then the $4500 or so in member fees that they pay. Heck for many non DVC members this is what a weeks say would cost at a deluxe resort in similar accomidations.

True!
I visit quite often and was paying a ton (even with AP rates) each year. Sadly, that meant I had that much less cash for actually purhcasing DVC once I made the decision last year. If only I would have went to the DVC open house I had signed up for back in 2001! I'm in that "wish I would have done it years ago" camp!