It's easier to make a chart showing use year so it doesn't get confused with calendar year.
For a December use year your chart would look like this:
Use Year.....Vacation Dates
2002.....Dec 1, 2002 thru Nov 30, 2003
2003.....Dec 1, 2003 thru Nov 30, 2004
2004.....Dec 1, 2004 thru Nov 30, 2005
2005.....Dec 1, 2005 thru Nov 30, 2006
2006.....Dec 1, 2006 thru Nov 30, 2007
2007.....Dec 1, 2007 thru Nov 30, 2008
etc.
Your contract is 175 points. You received 175 points for 2002 but used them for magical beginnings.
You next receive another 175 points for your 2003 use year. You receive these on Dec 1, 2003 and they are good thru Nov 30, 2004.
You may bank any or all of your 2003 points into your 2004 use year (which is vacation dates Dec 1, 2004 thru Nov 30, 2005)
There are 3 different banking deadlines: 100%, 50% and 25%. Note that these are cumulative amounts. These deadlines are at 6-months, 9-months, and 10-months respectively.
Thus for a Dec use year, 6-months is the next May 31st. 9-months is the next Aug 31st, and 10-months is the next Sep 3oth.
Note that in 2004 (calendar year) May 31st is a weekend, so your deadline actually moves to the previous Friday, May 28th.
So, banking for you would be like this:
Using your December 2003 year points:
1. You may bank all 175 points into your 2004 use year anytime before or on Friday, May 28, 2004.
2. You may bank up to 50% of your 175 points into your 2004 use year on or before Tuesday, Aug 31, 2004. 50% of 175 is 87 points. (DVC rounds the 1/2 point down). If you had not banked any of your 2003 points at all prior to this date, then you can bank a maximum of 87 points. If you had already banked some points, then you may bank additional if the total is less than 87. If it's already greater than 87 points, then you may not bank any more.
Example. In March 2004 you bank 100 of your 175 points. You do no further banking. The 50% window comes up. (That window is the 1st of June through Aug 31st). You would like to bank some more points. You cannot because you may only bank a maximum of 87 points and you already have 100 points banked so you cannot bank any more.
Example. Same as above except in March you banked only 50 points. In this case, anytime during your 50% window you may bank an additional 37 points only. This brings you up to the 87 point level which is your maximum cumulative amount.
Example. Same as above except you bank nothing at all prior to your 50% window. Therefore between June 1st and Aug 31 you may bank up to 87 points, the maximum for the 50% window.
3.You may bank up to 25% of your points in the last banking window, which for you is Sep 1st thru Sep 30. 25% of 175 is 43 points. If during the year you had already banked more than 43 points, then you cannot bank any additional points. If the total already banked is less than 43, then you may bank points so that the total banked is 43 or less.
In a nutshell: December use year:
100% Window is Dec 1st through May 31st of your use year.
50% Window is June 1st through Aug 31st of your use year.
25% Window is Sep 1st through Sep 30 of your use year.
Between Oct 1st and Nov 30th of your use year, you may not bank any points at all.
If the last day of the banking window falls on a weekend or a holiday (EG May 31 can be a holiday some years), then your deadline is actually the previous Friday, the last day MS will be open before your banking window expires.
I know this has been a lengthy explanation, but hopefully this has made it very clear.
Finally, a big WELCOME HOME!
