Newbie Question about Use Year?

[marvali]

I am a newbie. My Use Year is June. I understand banking and borrowing points, but my question has to do with using your points during the use year.

The points are added to my account on June 1, and expire on May 31 the next year. Does that mean I have to use up all of the allotted points (if I don't bank them) by May 31, or can I check in on a vacation prior to May 31that will use up the rest of my allotted points, even if checkout is say June 1 or 2? Or in this case, would I only be able to use points from this use year up until May 31 and points from next use year for the last two days (June 1 and 2)?

Not sure this will ever apply to me with a June use year with kids in school, but just wondering in case I have to squeeze in a final trip to use up any points I didn't bank.

Thanks for any help!

 

[drusba]

The night of May 31 with checkout June 1 would be the last usable day for points in the use year. The night of June 1 would require points from the new use year or banked points from prior. Application of points depends on each night you are there regardless of whether the trip overlaps use years.

 

[Granny]

The points are added to my account on June 1, and expire on May 31 the next year. Does that mean I have to use up all of the allotted points (if I don't bank them) by May 31, or can I check in on a vacation prior to May 31that will use up the rest of my allotted points, even if checkout is say June 1 or 2? Or in this case, would I only be able to use points from this use year up until May 31 and points from next use year for the last two days (June 1 and 2)?

DVC reservations that span a UY will charge each night's points to the appropriate UY. So in this case a vacation that checks out on June 1 (night of May 31) will be in one UY. If it checks out on June 2 or later, those additional nights will be in the next UY.

Of course, you can bank points from one UY to the next if you won't need them in their original UY.

Not sure this will ever apply to me with a June use year with kids in school, but just wondering in case I have to squeeze in a final trip to use up any points I didn't bank.

It's good to be thinking about these things now. It might also influence your future vacation planning. With a June UY, your safest summer vacation plans would be for check-ins after July 1. That way, if you cancel the trip (prior to 30 days in advance) you'd have almost an entire year to use the points or several months to bank them.

If you cancel a June trip though, you'd only have until the end of June to use those points. If you cancel after February 1, you wouldn't be able to bank them.

We have never cancelled a trip and hope that we don't have to. But if you can plan to give yourself maximum flexibility, that can be a nice insurance for unexpected cancellations.

 

[marvali]

Thanks drusba and Granny. That is the information I was looking for and how I thought it would work. Good additional input Granny.

Appreciate the help!

 

[LisaS]

With a June UY, your safest summer vacation plans would be for check-ins after July 1. That way, if you cancel the trip (prior to 30 days in advance) you'd have almost an entire year to use the points or several months to bank them.

If you cancel a June trip though, you'd only have until the end of June to use those points. If you cancel after February 1, you wouldn't be able to bank them.

I think you meant "check-ins after June 1st". The OP would be OK cancelling a June trip with a June UY since that is the first month of the UY. Cancelling a May trip would be a problem however since the points would expire on May 31st.

OP: The reason Granny mentioned cancelling at least 31 days out is because if you cancel 30 days or less from your check-in day, the points used for the trip go into the holding account. Points in holding can only be used to book a stay 60 days in advance of your check-in date and cannot be banked. If you did have to cancel a June (or July or August) trip less than 31 days from check in, with a June Use Year you would have until May 31st of the following year to use them for something else.

 

[Granny]

I think you meant "check-ins after June 1st". The OP would be OK cancelling a June trip with a June UY since that is the first month of the UY. Cancelling a May trip would be a problem however since the points would expire on May 31st.

You are, of course, quite correct. For some reason, I was thinking a July UY...which doesn't even exist!! That'll teach me to answer a question before my first cup of coffee!

Sorry for the confusing response.