Need quick advice: use year

[mickey10171]

Update 5/26/21: called member services to schedule our welcome home trip - we were strategically trying to use our one-time welcome home pass on a 50th anniversary reservation - then we were going to go in and use our points expiring on July 31 to book a last minute trip. WELL, while speaking to member services, they offered me a courtesy late banking since i just signed up! so i could have saved the points even tho my guide and the manager told me i couldnt. just want to give a heads up to anyone who is in this situation. it could have been a fluke thing but MS was able to make it happen.

Update 5/24/21: we spoke to a manager and he explained because of the surplus of points in the system due to COVID they put a stricter rule in place about purchasing the previous years points. They wont allow the courtesy late bank anymore if you are past the UY's banking deadline. so we asked if we could still get the points and try to use them before they expire in august and he was willing to do that. my husband and i are pretty flexible the next 2 months so we figured let's give it a shot - we were going to pick an August UY anyway, mind as well try to get a trip out of it! so we officially signed up this morning! thank you all for your help. this thread really gave us the push we needed to pick the right UY for us!
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Just spoke to our guide and asked about getting a August or September UY. He told me there's no way to get 2020's August or Sept UY because the banking window passed. I can get October but I have to decide by Tuesday.

The hubs and I like to predominantly travel from Sept - March...are we making a mistake if we take the Oct UY? We really want those 2020 points (plus the no MF) but don't want to make a long term mistake for the short term gain.

 

[ldo]

I'd not get Oct UY for Sept travel-No way to book an alternate date at that point. I think that I've heard of DVC doing courtesy late banking when buying direct. I'd ask him to speak with supervisor for a Sept UY.
If you wouldn't take a tons of trips in Sept, then maybe it's OK. But, think of how many points in Sept you'd typically use and think that 1 out of 5 trips you might cancel. If your (almost) free points are substantially more than a year of Sept trip points at risk, then it's a decent gamble, IMHO. If you take a big Sept trip each year, then it's not worth it.

 

[D-Trick]

October UY is definitely not in your best interests for those Sept trips.

Speak to another guide. Not being able to get Aug or Sept because we are past the banking window is incorrect. Not only can DVC change the UY on available points, but they can also bank points after the banking deadline as a courtesy for new contracts purchased direct.

 

[mickey10171]

Thank you all for the insight! He said there was some new rule recently about not being allowed to go past the banking window ..he said they used to but not anymore. I wasn't sure if there was any validity in that ...so disappointing

 

[D-Trick]

Thank you all for the insight! He said there was some new rule recently about not being allowed to go past the banking window ..he said they used to but not anymore. I wasn't sure if there was any validity in that ...so disappointing

Bummer. There have been reports on the boards of Guides being much more strict to following (new) rules.

The question I have is... what if someone already owned Aug or Sept? Could they not sell you an add on contract now?

 

[Lexxiefern]

I wouldn’t do the Oct use year either. Can you get sept use year and try to plan a trip in aug this year to use the 2020 points? If not you can always rent them out

 

[TutuluvsDisney]

Just spoke to our guide and asked about getting a August or September UY. He told me there's no way to get 2020's August or Sept UY because the banking window passed. I can get October but I have to decide by Tuesday.

The hubs and I like to predominantly travel from Sept - March...are we making a mistake if we take the Oct UY? We really want those 2020 points (plus the no MF) but don't want to make a long term mistake for the short term gain.

If you go in September, then you should not take the Oct UY. if you can be happy going Oct - March, then the Oct UY is the best choice
I go Nov - April and all my points are in the Oct UY. it is so easy to use them and i can do a cancellation and bank points by May 31.

 

[mickey10171]

Thanks everyone...im going to try one more time with the guide to see if there's any courtesy they can give me ...kicking myself for not buying a month sooner!

Wonder if anyone on here has bought recently and had luck with getting an older UY month

 

[Sunnyore]

I would sacrifice the 2020 points for the right use year. You will be making vacation plans for the next 20-50 years and you would be kicking yourself anytime you want to make plans for Sept. Saying that, I feel they should at least sell you the UY with the 2020 points not banked. We’re still not in 2021 uy for those months yet so 2020 points should be available. And if they won’t courtesy bank then plan a quick vacation or sell them to get some money back at least.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

If this is true, they are literally taking away all advantages of a direct buy that they possibly can and seeing how far they can go.

Unreal.

 

[Bjaiken77]

Agreed. I have an October UY and it’s a bummer we are hesitant to book in September because it provides no back out plan. That’s not to say we won’t book in September, but it likely won’t happen often.

If you want to travel Sept-March, I find an October UY risky. We like to go in May, which is at least a small consolation prize (must bank by end of May with Oct UY).

 

[Lorana]

I would talk with another guide, honestly. Maybe they won’t let you bank them (but I find that hard to believe), but I can’t see why they wouldn’t sell you the UY you wanted so long as you knew you couldn’t bank those points.

 

[Bjaiken77]

I would talk with another guide, honestly. Maybe they won’t let you bank them (but I find that hard to believe), but I can’t see why they wouldn’t sell you the UY you wanted so long as you knew you couldn’t bank those points.

i was just thinking about coming back in a recommending this. Good point!

 

[Red Dog Run]

I'd not get Oct UY for Sept travel-No way to book an alternate date at that point. I think that I've heard of DVC doing courtesy late banking when buying direct. I'd ask him to speak with supervisor for a Sept UY.
If you wouldn't take a tons of trips in Sept, then maybe it's OK. But, think of how many points in Sept you'd typically use and think that 1 out of 5 trips you might cancel. If your (almost) free points are substantially more than a year of Sept trip points at risk, then it's a decent gamble, IMHO. If you take a big Sept trip each year, then it's not worth it.

Change guides. This is not correct. I purchased 100 OKW points in late October of 2020 with a March UY. I didn't close until early December to use my cc in interval stages. Those 2020 points were banked for me. I just came back from the trip.

 

[Lorrie7249]

Agree with other posters about going back and getting the use year you want, with current points.
I bought last year in the few last days of July. August use year was going to be the best one for my family. I was first told I could not get Aug use year until August 1st.
I came back on these boards and was encouraged to stress that I wanted Aug use year, along with the 2019 points and that they should be banked. I indicated when I went back to the guide that the purchase was dependent on getting those 2019 points banked and that use year. Guide said, I will have to get "special permission" but then later on said it was approved.
Ask for what you want, and ask they bank the points. The only caveat might be is if they don't have the current year points for a sold out resort - but I've read so many folks on here getting them for most of the resorts, I just can't see it being an issue.

 

[CarolMN]

Thank you all for the insight! He said there was some new rule recently about not being allowed to go past the banking window ..he said they used to but not anymore. I wasn't sure if there was any validity in that ...so disappointing

Just guessing here, but I suspect the "new rule" is related to the 2020 resort closures and all the extra points currently in the system right now. DVD may have already committed those 2020 points to help relieve that excess. They used and are still using many of the points they own to help Members with availability. Not selling points past the banking deadline allows them to continue to do that. I don't see them making an exception if that is the reason behind the new rule.

IMO, we should cut them some slack on this. We can't all have the cake and eat it, too.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

I would opt for the october use year for the 2020 points. Buy the minimum needed for the blue card and if more points needed add on resale. You can also try speaking with a different guide if they know it's a deal breaker for an august or September use uear maybe they will make an exception. But i would go for october if you cannot get sept.

 

[Marionnette]

You have to live with that UY until you sell or the contract expires. My response to the guide would be "give me a call back when you can sell me what I want, not what DVC wants me to accept".

 

[supersnoop]

Just spoke to our guide and asked about getting a August or September UY. He told me there's no way to get 2020's August or Sept UY because the banking window passed. I can get October but I have to decide by Tuesday.

The hubs and I like to predominantly travel from Sept - March...are we making a mistake if we take the Oct UY? We really want those 2020 points (plus the no MF) but don't want to make a long term mistake for the short term gain.

Which resort are you buying? Is it a current resort, or a sold-out resort? It's common for them to not have current year points available at sold-out resorts, so they wait until the new use year to sell those points. The "banking window" excuse doesn't match that reason, but it might just be an excuse.

 

[TCRAIG]

I would hold out for an an August or September UY - and ask for an exception to the banking rules...they are being stricter about these things these days but it never hurts to ask.