Question about use year.....

[crazyme5kids]

Bear with me o this please I'm a little dense sometimes lol!

Say I purchase a DVC that has an Aug. use year, do I have to use it by Aug or could I use it for Dec.? For example: I have points for Aug.2005, will bank them to use in 2006. I want to go in Dec. not Aug. Can I use my points for 2005 and 2006 in Dec. of 2006 or would I loose my 2005 points because they expire?

 

[tjkraz]

The Aug UY runs from 8/1 to 7/31 annually. Your 2005 points would be valid for stays from 8/1/05 to 7/31/06. If banked, those points would then be valid from 8/1/06 to 7/31/07.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks! Can you bank two years worth of points and then use them the 3rd year with the same scenario (Aug. use year but going inDec. of year 3)?

 

[tjkraz]

You can only bank one year forward. In the example above, your 2005 points banked into 2006 must be used by 7/31/07 or they are forfeit.

But you can use banked, current and BORROWED points to give yourself three years' worth. If you wanted to vacation in Dec '06, you could use your 2005 banked points, 2006 current year's points and borrow from '07.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thank you! Another question if you don't mind. I am considering buying DVC and would like to know from others if you feel it was a good value to purchase if you only want to go every 2 to 3 years? I don't think I would be that interested in renting my points out, more about saving to be able to go for a 2 week stay. Any thoughts?

 

[tjkraz]

As long as you are actually using or renting your points (as opposed to just letting them expire), it's just as good a value in your situation as it is for those of us who visit 1-2 times per year. It might even be a better value since you aren't paying for airfare as often.

The only pitfall, if you want to call it that, is the likelihood that you'll pay for several of those expensive weekends during your stay. We usually vacation for only 5-6 nights at a time. Our typical DVC stay is Sunday - Thursday. Sometimes we'll splurge for a Saturday or Sunday night on points...other times we'll pay cash to stay at a cheap Disney or non-Disney resort for one night.

But don't get me wrong...even with the weekend points the way they are, you'll save thousands on your accommodations over the duration of the contract. It just might take 2 or 3 years more than other folks to reach that breakeven point.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks for your help! No matter how cheap I try to plan a vacation, I wind up spending a fortune. I'm just really trying to figure out if this will be a good investment for us or not. I like to stay at better hotels and pricing a 2 week trip to WDW we could pay for half of the DVC purchase. So with that reasoning alone it would be worth it. Hmmmmmmmmm........ sounds like I am taliking myself into it LOL ! Now I just need to decide where!

 

[tjkraz]

I like to stay at better hotels and pricing a 2 week trip to WDW we could pay for half of the DVC purchase.

Sounds about right to me. Most people find that they break even on the initial investment in less than 10 years. Then you can get almost 40 more years of vacations (at Saratoga Springs) for a fraction of the cost.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Can't wait for my husband to get home in two weeks and tell him my new plan. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Dean]

Thank you! Another question if you don't mind. I am considering buying DVC and would like to know from others if you feel it was a good value to purchase if you only want to go every 2 to 3 years? I don't think I would be that interested in renting my points out, more about saving to be able to go for a 2 week stay. Any thoughts?

DVC can be a good deal for every 2 years but it depends on specifics. The best deal is for Sun-Fri stays. Stays of a full 6-7 days but light on weekends is the next best option. When you get to every 3 years, you run the risk of timing issues and you may lose points or have to scramble at times. If you won't use for mostly weekends, will go every 2 years mostly, buy the number of points you need for your stays with banking/borrowing and won't use the other points exchange options; I would highly encourage it.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I have another question. Say I have two hundred points. I use 175. I have 25 left over. I want to stay at AK for 1 night but need 28 points for a night. Can I pay the difference, or do I buy points from someone (these are not actual point values just # for my example).

Also, how does the maintenence fee work? Is it based on the number of points bought?

 

[tjkraz]

I have another question. Say I have two hundred points. I use 175. I have 25 left over. I want to stay at AK for 1 night but need 28 points for a night. Can I pay the difference, or do I buy points from someone (these are not actual point values just # for my example).

You can't book a night on points and cash. Yes, you could rent points from another member, but you'd have to actually have them transferred to you so that you have the full 28 points in your account.

Most, if not all people find themselves in some constant state of being either banked or borrowed. Given how the point tables vary from one resort to the next and one season to the next, it would be nearly impossible to use the exact number of points you own year-after-year.

If you only plan to visit every 2-3 years, you'll have to be a little more careful about your point accounting as Dean indicated. Otherwise you could end up being unable to use or bank those straggling points.

Also, how does the maintenence fee work? Is it based on the number of points bought?

Yes. Current dues at Saratoga Springs run $3.83 per point. You can pay all at once at the start of the year or in 12 monthly installments (with no interest or processing fee charged.) This post has the rates for the other resorts:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=483351

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks everyone!