My Points Tracker Spreadsheet

[that1jeff]

Closing docs on our first DVC contract were sent to the title company this week. So points haven't even been loaded yet, but the wife and I are getting pretty excited. Especially once I created my first pass on our points tracker spreadsheet, and seeing how the domino effect of banking/borrowing would play out in the next UYs. Playing with the points and planning out hypothetical vacations is really fun and exciting. I'm so stoked just seeing what-could-be!

 

[MeridaMonkey]

Ohhhh, you’re my kind of people

My husband and I already own at CCV so I’ve been using a points tracker spreadsheet for a few years, but we just passed ROFR for a BLT resale contract and I celebrated by adding that contract to my spreadsheet and have been having fun figuring out how to best use both contracts…

do we use them both every year, or do we get into an alternate year banking cycle and use double points every other year? The possibilities are endless, and really fun to play with…

 

[Patsaizan]

I love seeing how others layout their spreadsheets. Nice one!

 

[that1jeff]

I'm still trying to sort out a better way to layout/display multiple trips in one UY. (Assuming we're lucky enough to do smaller trips throughout the year). Obviously I can add more columns to the right as needed (Trips A, B, C, etc.), but I'm hoping to find a slick way to keep everything viewable without having to scroll over to the right. Needs a little more tinkering.

 

[CarolynFH]

I'm still trying to sort out a better way to layout/display multiple trips in one UY. (Assuming we're lucky enough to do smaller trips throughout the year). Obviously I can add more columns to the right as needed (Trips A, B, C, etc.), but I'm hoping to find a slick way to keep everything viewable without having to scroll over to the right. Needs a little more tinkering.

What about a chronological setup? I've been using this one, admittedly very simple, since 1998.

 

[that1jeff]

What about a chronological setup? I've been using this one, admittedly very simple, since 1998.

Hmmm. I do like that chronological format as well. I'm thinking now the answer might be multiple tabs/sheets.

 

[CarolynFH]

Hmmm. I do like that chronological format as well. I'm thinking now the answer might be multiple tabs/sheets.

Yes, mine is very simple because we own only one home resort, and our two contracts there can be used as one pool of points. If you're going to have more than one home resort, I can see needing multiple sheets.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I use something more like what CarolynFH uses - I prefer to scroll downward too. Having added a contract at another resort (but same UY), I now colour code the reservations so that I can more clearly see where my points are going. I think it will help me decide what points to bank/borrow.

 

[MeridaMonkey]

I do go horizontally on mine but I have a fair few years of data visible on the screen so I don’t have to scroll too much.

I was able to use formulas so the sheet automatically calculates what’s available for banking/borrowing based on my usage, and I add comments where needed with details each points stay.

 

[that1jeff]

I do go horizontally on mine but I have a fair few years of data visible on the screen so I don’t have to scroll too much.

I was able to use formulas so the sheet automatically calculates what’s available for banking/borrowing based on my usage, and I add comments where needed with details each points stay.

View attachment 871230

Lovely!

Got to tinker a little (or probably "a lot") more with mine. But I just added another sheet where I can punch in the potential bookings. And then the sheet which is purely for viewing/tracking points references back to the "bookings" sheet.

Also got formulas set up to do the same points calculation automatically on mine as well...
Punch in the total points required for the potential booking(s). Then I can play with banking/borrowing to meet the required points needed. To ultimately to get my variance to "0" so there are no wasted points.

My variance column/cell will only turn GREEN if it reads "0." It turns RED if I'm short 25 points or more. And turns YELLOW if I'm short 1 to 24 points...so I can easily tell if the given scenario allows me to the option to buy OTU points.

Is there an existing "Show Off Your DVC Points Tracker Spreadsheet" thread? If not, I'm shocked. lol.

 

[CarolynFH]

Is there an existing "Show Off Your DVC Points Tracker Spreadsheet" thread? If not, I'm shocked. lol.

PS I want to make it clear that my spreadsheet has formulas built in too so that I don’t have to do the arithmetic. We started our DVC life by borrowing, so I don’t have a Points Borrowed column, it simply shows via subtraction from the New Use Year total.

 

[that1jeff]

PS I want to make it clear that my spreadsheet has formulas built in too so that I don’t have to do the arithmetic. We started our DVC life by borrowing, so I don’t have a Points Borrowed column, it simply shows via subtraction from the New Use Year total.

But of course! Who makes spreadsheets without using formulas!? Yuck!


As I'm over here with my basic addition and subtraction formulas. haha

 

[CarolynFH]

But of course! Who makes spreadsheets without using formulas!? Yuck!


As I'm over here with my basic addition and subtraction formulas. haha

What, you mean there are more than just basic addition and subtraction formulas?

 

[BrianLa]

So this is my spreadsheet. I prefer to have a column for each year's points and sum them up by membership number.

 

[accm]

I don't have a spreadsheet for tracking my points, or how I'm planning on using them. What I do track, is how much value we've gotten out of our contracts. For all of our reservations, I track how many points it cost us, what it would've cost had we booked it cash, and then the "value" of each point. Then separately, I have an overall annual cost tracker, and how much of our initial "investment" we've recouped. Obviously this isn't a perfect cost comparison (I never would've spent almost $15k on a hotel), but to me it adds even more value, as I got to stay somewhere I wouldn't have otherwise been ok paying for.

 

[gr8ful]

I do go horizontally on mine but I have a fair few years of data visible on the screen so I don’t have to scroll too much.

I was able to use formulas so the sheet automatically calculates what’s available for banking/borrowing based on my usage, and I add comments where needed with details each points stay.

View attachment 871230

Thank you, MeridaMonkey! l just finished setting up spreadsheets for my two contracts - VGF with Feb UY and BCV (ROFR) with Jun UY - using your format. This is going to help me immensely with managing two contracts with different UYs.

And thank you all for sharing! It was interesting and helpful seeing the various approaches you are taking to track your points.

I am gr8ful.

 

[Lorana]

I don't have a spreadsheet for tracking my points, or how I'm planning on using them. What I do track, is how much value we've gotten out of our contracts. For all of our reservations, I track how many points it cost us, what it would've cost had we booked it cash, and then the "value" of each point. Then separately, I have an overall annual cost tracker, and how much of our initial "investment" we've recouped. Obviously this isn't a perfect cost comparison (I never would've spent almost $15k on a hotel), but to me it adds even more value, as I got to stay somewhere I wouldn't have otherwise been ok paying for.

View attachment 871500

I do a very similar tracker for reservations, though I calculate the dues costs of those points used for the booking and then subtract that from the cash cost to get my “true” savings on a per reservation basis, since I did have to outlay that cash cost on dues.

That said, I do have another sheet within my spreadsheet that tracks Total Costs and Savings where I track in chronological order all costs and savings for my ownership - costs include initial purchase, points purchased (OTU or transfer), dues. Savings include stay savings (price I would’ve paid if paying cash), ticket savings (from buying sorcerers pass), sale proceeds (we’ve sold a couple contracts), credit card reward earnings, rental income. I arguably should track savings from DVC discounts (like 10% off dining and 20% off merchandise), but I don’t at present despite the fact that we’ve made good use of them (too much effort to track while I’m on my vacation!).

Like you, I’d never spend $17k on a single stay (that was a 5 night stay in a CCV cabin over Thanksgiving) or $32k on a family trip (the overall value of taking family to Disney for Thanksgiving when I factored in their room costs we covered), but what I do love about DVC is it letting me do those kinds of splurges that I’d never be able or willing to do if I were just paying cash (it’d be a week in a moderate resort, thank you!).

That said, now I’m thinking I need to create a points tracker. Right now I just take notes on what contract(s) are used for what reservation but this is all making me realize I need to decide how I want to track and create a new spreadsheet, lol.

 

[Dobermanns]

My spreadsheet has columns for current UY points, banked points, next UY points (in case I need to borrow) so I know what points are used in every single reservations, and the ramifications of any cancellation/modification to said reservation. Then there are columns for the remaining initial purchase price (whether it's red or green, red if still not broken even, green if already broken even), annual dues, actual discounted rack rate, and current remaining balance (red or green).

 

[SeanW]

So this is my spreadsheet. I prefer to have a column for each year's points and sum them up by membership number.
View attachment 871404

Ho-lee! I can see why you need a spreadsheet. That is impressive!