Selecting a Use Year for a New Purchase

[Tess W]

Hello to All:
I have been reading these posts for awhile to get information that will help us decide whether or not to purchase 300 points at BCV. Now that they are really available, I still have questions about the optimal selection of use year. Because school calendars come out in September, I like to do much of my vacation planning for the forseeable future in that month. We have tended to travel to WDW in March, October, and November. (We are planning to go this March). What should I consider in selecting a Use Year, (assuming I can have my choice). Thanks, in advance, for your help. -Tess W.

 

[MulanMom]

We have an Aug. use year. At the time we purchased, our preference for traveling was between Sept. and December. Still is, for the most part. When you are looking at making reservations 11 months out, anything can happen in the interim that may require changing/postponing your trip. If your reservation is early in the use year, it gives you more time to reschedule the trip or bank the points into the next use year. After you hit the 6 month point in your use year, your ability to bank points decreases.

If you usually go to WDW in Oct./Nov., then perhaps an Aug. or Sept. use year would be the better choice.

Just my .02!

Sharon

 

[EROS]

TESS, I wouldn' t worry about it. I feel that the emphasis on picking the "right" Use Year is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy overrated . In looking at our own records, we have visited WDW during 5 different months over the last 7 years.

IF you're certain that you'll be traveling to WDW during the same 1-2 month period over the next 40 YEARS (LOL), then it makes sense to pick a Use Year just PRIOR to your scheduled visits. Otherwise, just relax and smell the coffee!!!!!!

We have an APRIL Use year which was exclusively determined by the resale contracts which we bought!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PamOKW]

I agree with Eros. Concern about Use Year is not that important, especially if you are going to be traveling at varying times of the year.

Just a reminder -- Use Year doesn't have anything to do with when you can make reservations. You just use the calendar for that -- to determine if you are 11 months out or less for your home resort and 7 months out or less for all DVC resorts.
The only time Use Year matters is if you are cancelling on short notice a trip that is towards the end of your Use Year.

 

[Lyndarella]

We like to visit WDW in Jan. or early fall. We picked Oct. use year because we figured if we goof and end up HAVING to use points before they expire, we'd be most likely to be able to do that in Sept. If we run SHORT on points, we get new pts in Oct. That way we are always set for fall!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I don't think use year is important unless you plan on doing a lot of canceling.

 

[jmminarik]

Maybe I'm just wired wrong, but our September Use year always confuzzes me until I sit down and write out when we get new points. Maybe this is because I also have to figure out my vacation time (which starts on my comany's FY, October), which gets mucked up by the carry-over period (end Dec).

You'd think Sept. would be easy for me to deal with after spending 27 years in Academia.

Given your 'preferred' travel times, i'd go for an early fall use year, even though it confuzzes me.

Joe...ususally confuzzed by timespans longer than a week.

 

[MulanMom]

We've been owners since '93. In the beginning, we didn't think use year mattered much, either. Then came a trip we couldn't go on due to injury/medical incident (within the 30 days). And another with family that was blown apart due to an unforeseeable separation/divorce. If they were in the last months of our use year, we would have lost the points. As it turned out, we were fortunate enough to reuse them before the end of the use year.

Of course, that was before I knew about the rental board here! I wouldn't have been so worried about losing my points!

Sharon

 

[PKK/MJK]

A lot of DVCers don't think use year matters too much--and it doesn't--until you get hit, like Mulan Mom did, with unfortunate and unexpected cancellations. So if you are a cautious person and if you have the opportunity to pick a use year, pick one close to, or just prior to, when you usually vacation. My suggestion for you--if you figure you will mostly vacation in October, November and March-- would be to pick an October use year. You are able to bank all those points until the end of March--so if you had to cancel a vacation in any of those months(as long as you cancel more than 30 days prior to the trip), you would be OK--you could still bank all the points. A lot of times you don't get to choose use year though--but you could always ask. And, of course, if you are ever "stuck" with points that you can't bank, there are a lot of people who would love to rent them from you.

 

[Tess W]

Thank you for all of your good advice! We hope to check out the models in March and then make a final purchase decision. It is good to know you can rent points here as another option if/when unforseeable things come up.
-Tess W.