Question about having two contracts.

[DisneyKidds]

Still looking for the right resale(s) to come along. We are considering getting 2 resale contracts, one at VWL (200) and one at BWV (150), for a total of approx 350 points.

Had a question about trading for other vacations. This is not something we plan on doing often, but curious none the less.

Say we want to trade a week in a 1 br DVC for a week skiing. Assume we would have to give up 220 points to get the week. That would be more than we have in either individual contract. I assume that if we have 2 seperate contracts we'd have 2 accounts. Is this correct? Can we combine points from two contracts/accounts to make the trade?

I guess an easy solution would be to plan adequately and bank/borrow against one contract. If we didn't want to bank or borrow could we transfer points from one account to another? Would this create trading issues given that the combined account balance would be from 2 different resorts (11/7 mos issues)?

What are the issues related to transferring points? I read somewhere you can only have one transfer in/out per year. Is this correct? Do people find that to be a problem?

Lots of questions - but I know you guys have lots of answers . Thanks!

 

[CRobin]

I have never traded points through one of the exchanges, so I'll leave that answer to one of the experts.

I do, however, have two contracts with two different use years, and have not had a problem combining points for a ressie at the 7 month window (the contracts are for two resorts).

Sometimes you get a CM at MS who doesn't know how to do it, but a supervisor does.

 

[DisneyKidds]

CRobin - thanks for the reply. I can see there not being a problem at 7 mos since points from any "home" resort are good at any other DVC resort within that 7 mo window. Have you ever made a ressie more than 7 mos in advance?

From what I've read, you must make BWV ressies 11 mos in advance if you want to get a standard view (and save some points ). This is what we'd try and get but I'm assuming that by supplementing my BWV account with VWL points I would lose the 11 mo window . Hopefully that is not the case - but I'd bet it is. Of course, I could make a ressie at 11 mos for 6 nights and hope I get the 7th at 7 mos - but that seems like a risk and a hassle.

 

[CRobin]

Yes, that's the case. You reserve with the "least common denominator", so if you want to go BWV @ 11 months, you need enough points on your BWV contract, or you can borrow.

We've gone the route of locking in a ressie at 11 months, then waitlisting (if needed) at the 7 month window when we don't have the right points available on the right contract. So far, that hasn't been a problem.

Relative to your other post on transfers, it seems that there is a grey area there. I don't know that they would consider one member transferring points between two contracts a real "transfer", but I've never tested that.

I'd suggest e-mailing MS with your question as worded and see what they say. If the response is positive, you have documentation in the event you need it.

 

[Dean]

I can answer most of your question. You can only use the points at 11 months that are specific to your home resort. You are limited to only one transfer per contract. DVC does give a lot of flexibility with transfers between contracts of one owner and the one per contract and the no tranfsering of banked or borrowed points is usually waived. Generally it is not necessary to transfer points to accomplish your goals anyway.

lets say you had no banked points and wanted to stay a week at VWL. You only had the 200 points and had to decide whether to borrow or take your chances at the 7 month window using you BW points. You decide not to borrow and take your chances. You'd make the 5 nights (weeknights) using the VWL points then the best option would be to make the weekend at BW at the 11 month window then at the 7 month window, you could change those days to VWL if available. If not, you still have guaranteed rooms, you just have to change resorts. Of course you could borrow from your WL contract and then bank the extra BW points.

The other question I have some info on but not the exact info you request. CC, DCL, etc must come from one contract and this is where it gets tricky. I have never had a problem with MS telling me I couldn't transfer points between contracts of a single owner when that was the only reasonable way to get things accomplished. In the past, they have never forced one to borrow points instead of transfer in this situation that I am aware of. That includes if the points are banked or borrowed points. If someone knows of this being a problem, I'd like to hear about it. Remember that the exchange offered must fit the banking, borrowing and home resort rules, this could force one to give up a higher cost week to fit the rules though I doubt it would happen all that often. I don't know if the points for an exchange must come from one contract, I actually doubt it in this situation. Even if it does, MS can make it happen. You may need to practice these words however:

I understand MS has significant more leeway regarding transfers between different contracts of a single owner.

Don't take the first no as the final answer if it means not accomplishing your goal.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Thanks .

Now if we could just be the first to get our offer in on the resales we want. We've been too late on two offers so far . We'll keep looking and it will happen . Lots of resales available, but there seem to be plenty of buyers to go around, at least on the really good deals.

 

[Caskbill]

The question of does two different contracts at two different resorts give the 11-month window at both, comes up often on these boards.

When you think about it, it really wouldn't make good sense if it did. If it did work that way, then if someone had a 300 point contract, say at OKW, and bought 25 points at VWL and another 25 at BWV (when Disney was still selling), and that gave them a 350 point contract good at ANY of the resorts, then there would be absolutely NO home resort advantage to speak of.

Everyone would probably be doing those 25 point add-on's, and then everyone would have 11-months at EVERY resort.

It's pretty obvious that wouldn't be fair. A BWV owner, paying maybe $0.50 more per point in dues, both deserves, and has paid for, that BWV 11-month advantage.

All my 330 points are OKW. I love the other resorts also, and am content to take my chances at the 7-month window. That is fair.

 

[Dean]

Caskbill, I was with you right up until the point that a higher yearly fee makes a better resort. I suspect that wasn't your intention but the issue has come up before so I'll address it anyway. Fees have no portion that guarantees exclussivity. Simply owning at that resort is what guarantees the home resort priority which is currently 11 mo vs 7 mo. The priority could decrease to as low as 1 mo (11 vs 10) if so voted per the various rules and regulations. Whether the fee is higher or lower is irrelavent.

 

[DisneyKidds]

I agree it would be unfair if people were allowed to do what Caskbill describes and I wouldn't suggest the rules allow such situations. I also pretty much knew the answer to my question.

A situation we are likely to encounter is being 5 to 15 points short on a 300+ point weeklong ressie. I guess it would still be unfair, but wouldn't it be nice in a situation like that, where someone isn't trying to play the system to their advantage, for DVC to have some level of flexibility to assist members in making their vacations happen in the least stressful fashion?

 

[Caskbill]

Dean, I hope I wasn't giving the impression I thought BWV, or for that matter, any DVC resort was any better than any other. Each has something going for it. I prefer OKW myself, but others prefer BWV's. They bought there, that's their home resort, and because of higher costs they pay a higher annual fee, but <u> that's their choice to get into BWV's.</u>

However, having made that choice, they deserve the 11-month vs 7-month booking advantage.

I bought OKW, and since that was my choice, I deserve the 11-months vs 7-month booking advantage there, even though my annual dues are lower.

You're absolutely right in that the annual fees have, and should have, no impact on reservation windows. Yes, the window is strictly a matter of your home resort, and not based on the amount paid in annual dues. I hope it didn't sound like the dues had an impact on booking windows.

What I meant to say was that those who purchased at BWV did so, even knowing they would be paying higher dues than OKW, because they wanted that as their home resort so that they would have the 11-month booking window there.

 

[Orky15]

I am sooo glad I read this thread... I was considering buying points at two properties right away and I didn't realize there would be complications re: when you could use them... I figured you just got the earliest reservation time for both. Gives me something to consider!!!

 

[EROS]

I personally think that it's a hassle having contracts at separate resorts unless you clearly wish to spend time consistently at both of them. We've had no problem using our BWV points at the 7 month window elsewhere...........of course we haven't traveled to the other resorts at peak times.

GOOD LUCK,

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Caskbill
Dean, I hope I wasn't giving the impression I thought BWV, or for that matter, any DVC resort was any better than any other.

I didn't take it in the wrong way. I was sure you were just giving an example. I was more addressing the previous discussions about BWV owners deserving priority due to higher fees. There are those out there that focus on BWV because of the recent and likely temporary difficulty reserving usually relatively slow times and some point to the higher fees as giving an entitlement. I was simply pointing out that the fees are irrelevent to the home resort priority regardless of high or low. So no offense taken here and I was sure you meant none especially since your an OKW owner.

 

[DisneyKidds]

EROS - any things in particular you can site as being a hassle? We are still debating one or two contracts. DW loves VWL and we will pretty much stay there exclusively for the next 4 years. Afetr that we will mix it up. Even though we could manage with one contract (VWL) for the next few years we want to get our DVC spending done now while the circumstances are right.

DW is more reluctant than I am to do the two contract thing. However, we know that we will definitely be staying at the BW, BC and OKW in the future. Furthermore, when the kids are too old to take out of school and we need to travel in the summer we would like to be able to save some points by getting BWV standard view - which you must get at 11 months.

Lastly, years from now when we won't need 300+ points we can just sell one of the contracts.

The way I see it, it may take a little more effort to manage your points but you get a lot of flexibility having two contracts. Of course I am not even a member yet and don't know the ins and outs of the system. What concerns would you think I should have with considering two contracts?

Thanks.

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by DisneyKidds
The way I see it, it may take a little more effort to manage your points but you get a lot of flexibility having two contracts. Of course I am not even a member yet and don't know the ins and outs of the system. What concerns would you think I should have with considering two contracts?

I've seen it suggested here that if you do get a second contract at another DVC resort, you might want to try and get one with the same use year as your original contract. Makes managing the points a lot easier.

And I agree with your point about having two contracts from a selling stand point. I only have one contract, but I know we will be using it for at least 20 years. I figure that at that point, with only 20 years left for my contract, they won't be worth as much anyway.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Disneykids, you just gave all the right answers for seperate contracts. The issue is weather they are at different resorts. We have two contracts at the same resort and with the same use year. It makes it much easier.

 

[CRobin]

Kidds, maybe Eros was just "kidding" with his wink about the hassle of having two contracts, but there are many of us who have two or more, and we sure don't lose any sleep over it.

Multiple contracts give you a great deal of flexibility on the 11/7 month reservation window, banking and borrowing, etc.

No question, it takes a bit of management. And, as you point out, if down the road you decide to unload some points, you can always get rid of one of your contracts.

 

[timC]

OK.... This is an important topic for me, as we just purchased a second contract. We now have an equal size contract at BWV and VWL. I don't think we'll be straying to far from Disney property, but I'd still like some clarification, specifically.....

I'm still a confused from the answers to DisneyKidds question "Can we combine points from two contracts/accounts to make the trade?".

Outside of DVC. Can contract points be combined? Perhaps with CC or Disney collection, you could get away with 2 reservations back-to-back, if necessary, but pooling points into 1 to make 1 non-DVC reservation would be optimum.

 

[Dean]

You can combine points from different contracts, different use years and different resorts. You cannot use this to bypass the 11 month priority window with non home resorts points. Most reservations with combined points are actually 2 reservations that are linked. CC, DCL and the like can only come from one contract so transfering points to that account or banking/borrowing may be needed to amass enough points to accomplish certain goals. MS should have no problem transferring points in this situation, even if banked or borrowed points. It's simply a factor of how their system works rather than an intended rule. Relax, as long as the points aren't expiring, they will make it happen.