Newbie Q: Use Year / Borrowing

[abcdef1234]

Newbie question about use year: if I buy a resale contract with a December use year, and there are 0 points for December, 2024, am I able to borrow points from the December, 2025 use year to make a reservation at my home resort on January 2, 2025 now to take advantage of the 11 month window? What are the rules if I then subsequently cancel that January, 2025 reservation? Do I have to use those borrowed points before December, 2024? Am I restricted from banking them and/or making a reservation for, say January 15, 2025? I think the answer to all three of those questions is "yes," based upon what I'm reading from other threads. But, I'd like someone who is more experienced to confirm.

And, what's the definition of "use" - does that mean making a reservation, or does it mean actually staying the night? I think it means actually staying the night. Correct?

 

[D-Trick]

You are correct to all.

When you borrow from UY25 to UY24, that transaction is final and those points cannot be banked back to UY25 or borrowed further to UY23. If you cancel the January '25 reservation, those points are then available for any reservation up until end of Nov '25. Do not cancel within 31 days; else the points go into holding and can only be used for stays within 60 days.

Don't overthink it: Use year refers to when you use the points; not when you make a reservation.

 

[abcdef1234]

You are correct to all.

When you borrow from UY25 to UY24, that transaction is final and those points cannot be banked back to UY25 or borrowed further to UY23. If you cancel the January '25 reservation, those points are then available for any reservation up until end of Nov '25. Do not cancel within 31 days; else the points go into holding and can only be used for stays within 60 days.

Don't overthink it: Use year refers to when you use the points; not when you make a reservation.

Thanks so much! It sounds like I was wrong about one part of this, though. Can you verifying that I am understanding this correctly:

If I bring points from the December '25 UY into the December '24 UY (so that I can use them right now to book for January '25), I would be able to cancel the January '25 reservation in, say, August '24, and re-book for, say, June '25, because that's also before the December '24 UY expires. That right?

I think I'm confusing myself because of the whole calendar year/use year difference.

 

[sndral]

Newbie question about use year: if I buy a resale contract with a December use year, and there are 0 points for December, 2024, am I able to borrow points from the December, 2025 use year to make a reservation at my home resort on January 2, 2025 now to take advantage of the 11 month window? What are the rules if I then subsequently cancel that January, 2025 reservation? Do I have to use those borrowed points before December, 2024? Am I restricted from banking them and/or making a reservation for, say January 15, 2025? I think the answer to all three of those questions is "yes," based upon what I'm reading from other threads. But, I'd like someone who is more experienced to confirm.

And, what's the definition of "use" - does that mean making a reservation, or does it mean actually staying the night? I think it means actually staying the night. Correct?

December use years are challenging to wrap your head around I think because 11 of the months the points can be used in are for the following year. I know, I have a Dec. use year.
Right now Dec. points are in their 2023 use year - sounds like your contract has 0 current (2023) points & 0 2024 points, which is a very stripped contract & thus is worth less than a Dec. use year contract that still has 2023 points (which could be banked into 2024) & 2024 points.
A trip starting 1/2/25 falls into the 2024 use year & you can book it w/ current 2024 points + any banked 2023 points + borrowed 2025 points. In your case you’d be borrowing 2025 points.
Once you’ve borrowed points you cannot unborrow them nor can you bank them so if you borrow your 2025 points into your 2024 use year in order to make your 1/2/25 reservation they will be stuck in your 2024 use year. They must be used for trips from 12/1/24 through 11/30/25 & expire on 11/30/25, thus must be used before then, so a 1/15/25 vacation would be fine, but a 1/15/26 vacation, for example, would not work.

Thanks so much! It sounds like I was wrong about one part of this, though. Can you verifying that I am understanding this correctly:

If I bring points from the December '25 UY into the December '24 UY (so that I can use them right now to book for January '25), I would be able to cancel the January '25 reservation in, say, August '24, and re-book for, say, June '25, because that's also before the December '24 UY expires. That right?

I think I'm confusing myself because of the whole calendar year/use year difference.

Yes, those ‘25 points borrowed into ‘24 are good from 12/1/2024 - 11/30/2025 which incudes June 2025.
Just be sure you reschedule that Jan. trip to June more than 30 days before 1/2/25 to avoid holding.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I strongly suggest making a spreadsheet of some sort in which you list the start and end date of each UY so for you it's:
Dec 1, 2023 to Nov 30, 2024 (current)
Dec 1, 2024 to Nov 30, 2025 (next)
Dec 1, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026 and onward

Put all of your trips and plans under the right UY, it will make planning a lot easier.

 

[D-Trick]

If I bring points from the December '25 UY into the December '24 UY (so that I can use them right now to book for January '25), I would be able to cancel the January '25 reservation in, say, August '24, and re-book for, say, June '25, because that's also before the December '24 UY expires. That right?

That is correct.

And as the PP mentioned, December UYs are probably the most confusing. However they do hold one advantage over all other UYs: the ability to buy add-on direct points later in the calendar year (i.e. Nov, before Dec 1), receive current UY points for free (often referred to as "double points") which DVC will bank for you, and then only have to pay 1 month of prorated dues for the next UY points. So you'd be getting 2 years of points and only have to pay 1 month's worth in dues!