Need HELP with point banking for 2009

[disney_fan1972]

I think my head is about to explode! On the upside if anyone can help me figure out what to do you guys can.

Soooo here is my situation.... We purchased DVC on a cruise in April of 07 at which time we got 210 points. We then went to our home resort for a week in Aug using points. We've banked our points because we knew we wouldn't be using the rest this year. Apparently (and this is where I start to get confused ) we have 310 points banked as per member services. Our use year is Dec so I am guessing that 210 of these points just dumped into our account. Well as it turns out 210 of these 310 points have to be used by Nov 08 (this is where it goes bad... for our vacationing anyway). I am 15 weeks pregnant and a teacher... what this means is that I am limited to the obvious spring break and summer for vacations and the baby is due May 25th (yes, Memorial day weekend). We had planned on saving our points and NOT travel during 2008 since with a very pregnant mom (spring break time) or a newborn (summer) I just felt it would be best to be home. What we thought we would do was save these points for a great 7 night cruise summer of 2009. Well, per member services we will only have 310 points summer of 09 since 210 expire in Nov 08... which means that even in an inside stateroom we would only cover one full fare for the cruise. At even 410 points we could have had 2 fares. (yup... I know we can borrow... and likely will when that time comes)

Ok... so aside from the fact that I TOTALLY do not understand why 100 points isn't expiring in Nov 08 rather than 210 (because even if I understood it I can't change it )... I need your advise with regards to my best course of action for these 210 points.

I don't want to waste them and quite frankly I don't really want to use them (well OK... I DO want to go to WDW... BUT the timing of WHEN we can go, ie very pregnant or with a newborn, kind of stinks). I know it would make a LOVELY Christmas gift for someone , but I just don't feel like being that nice and honestly... my brother's other half is expecting this summer so of all the people I would give it to they would appreciate it the most but they aren't planning on going anywhere... DB just started training to be a RR engineer and can't vacation until about when their baby is due.

ALL suggestions are VERY welcome!!!! Cuz about now I think I am going to cry (I thought we would have plenty of points to enjoy a special stateroom to celebrate the baby's 1st birthday)

 

[JimMIA]

Well, first of all -- did you use 110 points for a vacation and bank 100?

I'm not clear on that initial set of transactions, and I think once you answer that, the rest will clear itself up.

 

[disney_fan1972]

Origionally we banked all of our first 210... then we took out (not sure of the correct terminology) 110 to use for the August trip.

 

[JimMIA]

Okay...

You used 110 borrowed '07 points for your trip.

Here's what you should have now:
210 '06 points which were banked into '07 - expire 11/30/08 - these points are "use or lose"
100 '07 points which are good until 11/30/07 and can be banked into '08 UY up thru July '08

For a summer '09 trip, you will have available any '07 points you bank into '08 (up to 100), plus your 210 '08 allocation, plus 210 2009 points which can be borrowed.

 

[JimMIA]

Origionally we banked all of our first 210... then we took out (not sure of the correct terminology) 110 to use for the August trip.

Just to amplify a little on this...banking and borrowing are one-way, irreversible transactions.

Your original points were 2006 points. When you banked those 210 points, they went into your '07 UY and can't be brought back into their original UY.

Therefore, when you decided to take a trip during your '06 UY, MS borrowed points from your 2007 allocation. The 2006 points banked into 2007 remain in 2007 and must be used within that UY, or they're lost.

 

[disney_fan1972]

Thanks so much for answering my post!

I'm not entirely sure I understand why my banked 210 2006 points weren't tapped for our vacation, rather the 2007 points. I know I had requested that we use our banked points. Was it a mistake to bank the points? Wouldn't they expire faster if they didn't get banked? Between now and summer 2009 what should we do with new points comming in so we have the max points available then?

Asside from that is there anything we can do with the 210 points that are going to expire or are they just going to go to waste?

 

[dcfromva]

Thanks so much for answering my post!

I'm not entirely sure I understand why my banked 210 2006 points weren't tapped for our vacation, rather the 2007 points.

disney_fan1972,

When you banked your 210 2006 points, they became 2007 points. Once banked, they can not be changed back, so member services could not use your banked points for your Aug 2007 vacation. Your banked 210-06 points can only be used Dec 2007 through Nov 2008 and then they expire. (You can not borrow banked points.)

Originally we banked all of our first 210... then we took out (not sure of the correct terminology) 110 to use for the August trip.

After you banked your '06 points and then decided to take a trip in August, the only option was to borrow from your 2007 allotment.

Aside from that is there anything we can do with the 210 points that are going to expire or are they just going to go to waste?

You could rent your points and use the cash towards your cruise or you could put your points on deposit with II.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

I understand your confusion. I think at one time or another, we all learned about DVC rules the hard way!!! Our first reservation was a mess. I called and made reservations, cancelled and changed resorts (which required more points), crossed a UY in the process and had everything going on (using banked points/borrowing points)! Anyway, as other people posted above, here's how MS explained it to me.

My DH and I have an August UY. So in August 2007, we received our points. If we decide to bank 100% those points by the end of March or before, we are basically saying that we are not going to travel on those points between August 1, 2007 & July 31, 2008. On August 1, 2008, those points can be used for reservations and expire July 31, 2009. If we don't use them by July 09, we lose them. Once banked, those points can only be used during that 12-month period in the next UY, which for us would be 8/1/08 - 7/31/09. So, if we decided to take a trip before 8/1/08 and use points, the only option would be to borrow points from 2009, which is what happened to you.

There are GREAT threads on this board and I continually learn how to make the most of DVC. Having a SIL/BIL that have been members since 1993 has helped as well. Remember, your points don't have to be used at Disney either. If you find yourself in a pinch, consider taking a closer to home trip through concierge. For example, we are about 6 hours from Chicago and Washington D.C. is not much further. I would use our points for a quick trip there or consider renting before I'd lose the points!

By the way, congrats on your pregnancy! My daughter's b-day is May 21 and I loved having a May baby. For what it's worth...okay, I know we were nuts ...we went to Daytona Beach and a 4 day Disney trip when she was 2 months old. We had a ball!