Purchasing a second contract at home resort.

[MattB2G]

I’m a bit naive to mixing UYs and the problems within. What’s so bad about it? If you have, say 250 pts in a Feb UY and an additional 50 in a Sept UY at the same resort, the issue becomes not being able to use 300 pts together unless you book in overlapping window of September to the following February, unless you use up your one transfer per membership?

It is considered 2 separate contracts, so either you have to split your booking of the unit your want into 2 reservations, or you have to transfer the points to the other contract and they you can make the complete booking.

 

[Sandisw]

I’m a bit naive to mixing UYs and the problems within. What’s so bad about it? If you have, say 250 pts in a Feb UY and an additional 50 in a Sept UY at the same resort, the issue becomes not being able to use 300 pts together unless you book in overlapping window of September to the following February, unless you use up your one transfer per membership?

It’s like being two members. Each is its own membership.

So to use together for a single reservation you have to transfer.

Once transferred, the points don’t work online during the home resort period so it requires a call.

Given that you are limited to one transfer per UY in or out, you could end up with stranded points or need to borrow when you have points sitting in the other UY that can be used.

Many of us who have multiple UYs do them for different trips, split stays, or just book some nights on one and some on the other.

However, it works when each membership is large enough to function on its own.

Doing a new membership with 25 or 50 points with the intention to regularly use with the others has the possibility to become very frustrating.

 

[mauionabreakaway]

Thanks for the explanations! I didn’t realize you couldn’t split a booking across use years I thought it just required overlapping booking windows.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks for the explanations! I didn’t realize you couldn’t split a booking across use years I thought it just required overlapping booking windows.

If you're not very familiar with DVC, you might be confusing UY with when you can book, because that's probably the most confusing aspect of DVC.

UY has absolutely nothing to do with "when" you can book a reservation, but UY has everything to do with "what points you can use" for that reservation.

Assuming the room you want is available, you can always book a reservation at your home resort 11 months to the day from the desired date of checkin, and you can always book a reservation at a non-home resort 7 months to the day from the desired date of checkin.

To figure out which points you can use, you look at the UY that your desired trip falls in. Say I want to book a trip at my home resort BWV that begins on August 1, 2026, 11 months from today. My UY is September, so an August 2026 trip falls in my 2025 UY (which runs 9/1/2025-8/31/2026). That means my 2025 points are "current" UY points, and I can use those. I can also use any points that I may have banked from my 2024 UY (9/1/2024-8/31/2025), and/or I can borrow points from my 2026 UY (9/1/2026-8/31/2025).

But say that the reservation I want takes 345 points, but all I have in that membership is 300 points. However, I do have another contract with the same home resort that has 50 points, more than enough to complete the reservation - but that contract has an October UY and is therefore a separate membership. In order to use 45 points from that membership to complete my desired reservation, I would have to call MS to transfer the points from the October UY membership to the September UY membership, and I'd also have to ask MS to complete the booking because I would not be able to see those points online.

That's why owners above are advising OP not to buy a small contract at their same home resort but in a different UY when they want to use those points routinely along with points from their original membership. Having two UY means having two memberships and is like being two different people, and it greatly complicates using points together, especially at 11 months.

 

[Chili327]

If you pay $275 for 16 years, that's $17 per year (without fees). If you add the dues at $9 you end up at $26 per point per year. You'd be paying a lot of money for convenience.

Yikes!! I guess it’s not THAT convenient. lol

 

[Sandisw]

Yikes!! I guess it’s not THAT convenient. lol

Wouldn’t you have to use the difference not just direct price?

Let’s say a 25 point contract goes for maybe $120 resale? It means you are paying an extra $155 per point?

That’s an $3875 over resale for the same UY. Over the course of 16 years, someone would be paying about $242 extra a year to have one membership.

I know, it doesn’t take into account you pay it all upfront but still…for me, I’d rather pay that to have the same UY than buy one that is different

And, you have sone points that can be used at the newer resorts.

Now, someone who is looking for a 50 to 75? That changes things especially since at that resort it’s large enough to be doable.

 

[Chili327]

Wouldn’t you have to use the difference not just direct price?

Let’s say a 25 point contract goes for maybe $120 resale? It means you are paying an extra $155 per point?

That’s an $3875 over resale for the same UY. Over the course of 16 years, someone would be paying about $242 extra a year to have one membership.

I know, it doesn’t take into account you pay it all upfront but still…for me, I’d rather pay that to have the same UY than buy one that is different

And, you have sone points that can be used at the newer resorts.

Now, someone who is looking for a 50 to 75? That changes things especially since at that resort it’s large enough to be doable.

Yes, definitely. But $26pp when spending makes it very apparent you could just rent points with $0 upfront for the same price.
My points range from $12 to almost $16, and I hate that I can only get $16 from a rental company for them. lol

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, definitely. But $26pp when spending makes it very apparent you could just rent points with $0 upfront for the same price.
My points range from $12 to almost $16, and I hate that I can only get $16 from a rental company for them. lol

Well, renting doesn’t allow you to use with your own membership. It’s a different situation.

My point was more that if combining is important, wait for same UY, buy direct if small enough in your same UY, or increase how many points you want so that you don’t need to rely on transfers.

 

[Chili327]

Well, renting doesn’t allow you to use with your own membership. It’s a different situation.

My point was more that if combining is important, wait for same UY, buy direct if small enough in your same UY, or increase how many points you want so that you don’t need to rely on transfers.

Yep, I agree with you, just that the $26pp was eye opening. lol