Newb question.

[bcraun]

Hello all! We're in the process of finalizing our first DVC purchase , and I'm sure it wont be our last!

Question: Do I have to have points in my account in order to book a room?

Here's the plan. We want to book a week at our home resort, Boulder Ridge, 11 months out for October 1 - 8, 2021 for both the MK's and my wife's 50th birthday. Our use year will be April. We can book the room on November 1, 2020 (11 months out). Do I have to have all of the points that I will use in my account when I first book on Nov. 1, or can I book with less than the necessary points that will be deposited into my account in April prior to the trip?

I realize that I can borrow from April 2021 at the time of booking, but there's a chance that I will want/need to also borrow from 2022 in order to get several rooms.

Am I over thinking things and just confusing myself?

 

[momto3pirates]

For a trip in November 2021 you can use banked 2020 points, current April 2021 points and borrowed 2022 points.
The points have to be available at the time of the trip. Even though you are booking in 2020, you are using the points in 2021.
I hope that makes sense.

 

[Frederic Civish]

You do not need to have any points in the account for 2019 years year. You do not need the account points from 2020 use year. you only need points in the 2021 use year. These can be points that start out in 2021 use year, or are banked into the 2021 use year, or are borrowed from the 2022 use year.

In other words, you do not need to wait until the points "Hit your account." They are already there in the appropriate use year.

 

[drusba]

In determining which points you can use when making a reservation, and whether you need to bank or or borrow, look only to the dates you will be at WDW, and remove from your mind the date you will make the reservation, which can always be done up to 11 months out from date of arrival at home resort and 7 months at others. With an April use year, the "current" use year points for that Oct 2021 points will be those from April 2021. To use any April 2020 points for that trip requires banking them before making the reservation. When you make the reservation, you could also borrow points, if needed, from April 2022. Note if you are getting any April 2019 points, they will not be usable for the Oct 2021 reservation, as they can banked only into the next year -- April 1, 2020 to end of March 31, 2022, and thus at best can be used for a trip that ends in March 2020.

 

[BillPA]

You can book your home resort 11 months ahead. As long as you will have the points when the trip happens, either banked, borrowed or current UY or any combo, you are able to make the reservation.

 

[jerseyduke]

I assume your confusion is that you have an April UY, and you want to book October 2021, but you are not sure that your 2021 points will be there in November of 2020 (when your booking window opens).

You do not get your 2021 points on the first day of your UY. They are already there. Heck your 2040 points are already there, you just are not in a booking window to get to them.

If you want to look at it in terms of "getting your points", then for April UY, you "get" your April 2021 points on May 1st 2020...as that is the first day you can book a reservation in your 2021 UY. (11 months out).

I personally do not like looking at it that way but if you do, you 'get' your points May 1st of the year before until May 1st, 2041.

 

[stewart715]

Your Use Years are when you can stay, not when you can book. If DVC all of a sudden decided to allow reservations 5 years in advance, you could book with 2024 Use Year points right now.

 

[bcraun]

Thanks for all of the help.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Be very careful about inviting a bunch of people to go on your trip and booking a villa for them using your points. Guests have the bad habit of telling you that they want to go, but when the time comes, they don't have the money to book flights or to buy park admission. Or Little Bobby has football camp that week or Baby Sue has cheerleading camp that week. Then you are stuck with empty villas that requires you cancel and, possibly, lose the points used to book the stay.