Spreadsheet to organize points?

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I love a good spreadsheet and need to make one to keep all my points organized especially since we have 3 contracts and had to cancel and rebook several trips this year. I can't keep track of my one time use points, transferred points, banking deadlines etc. Anyone have a format they can share? I'm having a hard time figuring out how to organize this one.

 

[kboo]

Watching too ... I am keeping a running notes on my phone, but it's getting pretty unwieldy. 3 contracts, 2 UYs, more modifications than I was ever planning.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Watching too ... I am keeping a running notes on my phone, but it's getting pretty unwieldy. 3 contracts, 2 UYs, more modifications than I was ever planning.

Yes! This is us too! 3 contracts and 2 use years.

 

[goofy kc]

I used to use an excel file but find pencil and paper works best for me. I have a DVC notebook that I use to track points, figure out options for future stays, etc. 5 contracts, 2 use years, lots of movement... I keep a list of points I am planning to use so I don't screw up a future trip - yup, I've done that! Had to spend Thanksgiving in a studio because we wanted extra space in June. Argh.

This is also where I keep names, phone numbers, and emails of f&f that have traveled with us, comes in handy more than I would have ever guessed. I also have a page listing the rooms we have stayed in, which can also be helpful when making requests or arranging a f&f trip - "You remember, the room that looked out over the pool that time?" The room page is also nice for nostalgia Finally, I use it to keep track of airfares in the months prior to a trip.

FYI - I'm a teacher so pencils are my jam.

 

[LSchrow]

For years, I've used spreadsheets for keeping track of our points (6 contracts, 4 memberships, 3 UYs)........but gave up this year. Between rescheduling, adding & subtracting rescheduled points (4 times), banked/borrowed/unborrowed & expiring points, crossing UYs, etc, I had to give up. I now have a steno book almost entirely filled with pages of changes. The good news is that after all the dust settled, i reanalyzed our upcoming trips & was able to save ALL our points with a bunch of manipulations amongst contracts!
I usually have our planning spreadsheet all done at least months in advance, but am only starting now. That one is my personal favorite, with flights (#'s, date/time, cost, RR #s), DVC ressies (#'s, room type, requests), daily park hours (including EMH), Festival info (concerts, shows, etc), FPs, Dining, special dining discounts, special activities, etc. A friend asked me why i bother, so I asked her to check her MDE - sure, enough, it proved my point that MDE is just too unreliable to depend upon. You can also see all plans for an extended visit (we go for about 2 weeks) easily on a spreadsheet, something that's impossible on MDE without a ton of scrolling up & down, back & forth la-dee-dahing.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I used to use an excel file but find pencil and paper works best for me. I have a DVC notebook that I use to track points, figure out options for future stays, etc. 5 contracts, 2 use years, lots of movement... I keep a list of points I am planning to use so I don't screw up a future trip - yup, I've done that! Had to spend Thanksgiving in a studio because we wanted extra space in June. Argh.

This is also where I keep names, phone numbers, and emails of f&f that have traveled with us, comes in handy more than I would have ever guessed. I also have a page listing the rooms we have stayed in, which can also be helpful when making requests or arranging a f&f trip - "You remember, the room that looked out over the pool that time?" The room page is also nice for nostalgia Finally, I use it to keep track of airfares in the months prior to a trip.

FYI - I'm a teacher so pencils are my jam.

I bought a little notebook on our last trip for just this purpose but I can't find it anywhere. I think I need a spreadsheet now though so I can have it handy all the time.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

For years, I've used spreadsheets for keeping track of our points (6 contracts, 4 memberships, 3 UYs)........but gave up this year. Between rescheduling, adding & subtracting rescheduled points (4 times), banked/borrowed/unborrowed & expiring points, crossing UYs, etc, I had to give up. I now have a steno book almost entirely filled with pages of changes. The good news is that after all the dust settled, i reanalyzed our upcoming trips & was able to save ALL our points with a bunch of manipulations amongst contracts!
I usually have our planning spreadsheet all done at least months in advance, but am only starting now. That one is my personal favorite, with flights (#'s, date/time, cost, RR #s), DVC ressies (#'s, room type, requests), daily park hours (including EMH), Festival info (concerts, shows, etc), FPs, Dining, special dining discounts, special activities, etc. A friend asked me why i bother, so I asked her to check her MDE - sure, enough, it proved my point that MDE is just to unreliable to depend upon. You can also see all plans for an extended visit (we go for about 2 weeks) easily on a spreadsheet, something that's impossible on MDE without a ton of scrolling up & down, back & forth.

Oh I love my planning spreadsheet, it's one of my favorite parts of the planning process

 

[sethschroeder]

One thing I like is math to a specific UY put in to columns.

Put the contracts first to last expiring across the columns.

Run down the rows entering how much each night costs until you end up with a negative number at which point switch to the next column.

Then when you have to switch UY you will just need to plan on using the following years points (borrow).

 

[RalphRR]

I will give my 2 cents worth on this topic.

First I would use a separate tab for each contract, with the following columns:
1. Transactions: which is where you would record everything you do to that contract like book reservations bank or borrow points add points when they are posted to your account
2: Prior year points
3. 3 columns for current year points banked in, current year points and borrowed in
4: Next year points
5: Any other things you want to track

Then link the bottom line totals of the prior year, current year and next year tabs to a summary tab so you can see all of your points in one place.

I always hated when someone would send me a spreadsheet and say fill it out. I would spend more time trying to understand what they wanted and how to fill it out than if I did it myself. I do things my own way which is why I just gave ideas for you to do your own thing.

RalphRR

 

[JFox]

I have a spreadsheet that I use to track 2 contracts. Each UY is like a check book register, I intial deposit, banking deposit, deductions from vacations and remaining points to be banked forward. I add notes just to help me keep it straight.

 

[Alice Sr.]

I have a spreadsheet that I have used for the last few years. It's a pita, but I am so happy I was keeping it or I would have sworn Disney ripped me off on the cancelled reservations. But they were spot on. I appreciate that many of you prefer a journal and I may give that a try. I think it will be a more pleasant experience. Can't believe how many years I went with just my memory, won't be counting on that anymore for more than one reason lol.

 

[MB_Ellie]

Here's one example: https://www.dvcstore.com/blog/dvc-trip-planning-devising-a-way-to-track-our-points/

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Watching too ... I am keeping a running notes on my phone, but it's getting pretty unwieldy. 3 contracts, 2 UYs, more modifications than I was ever planning.

OMG me too. I have not kept track on my own, because the dashboard has that information. However, the transaction report is really hard for me to read, especially when with all the modifications.

Once the points are banked or borrowed, they just show on the dashboard as their new use year, even though they aren't exactly the same when it comes to deadlines. I can't find any place on the dashboard that breaks these points down, and I've had to call a couple times this year to ask which use year the points were actually from. THAT is why I'd like to start keeping track on my own, but I tried to transfer the information from my transaction reports to my own file and gave up.

 

[JFox]

I like to keep my 2 contract points separate. During a recent call to MS the agent kept referring to the total including both contracts. That doesn't work for me, I might have X number of points available but they can't all be used the same way. Without my spreadsheet I would be lost. There is too much to keep in my head. And if I were to get hit by a bus tomorrow I would want my family to be able to understand the point situation.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I will give my 2 cents worth on this topic.

First I would use a separate tab for each contract, with the following columns:
1. Transactions: which is where you would record everything you do to that contract like book reservations bank or borrow points add points when they are posted to your account
2: Prior year points
3. 3 columns for current year points banked in, current year points and borrowed in
4: Next year points
5: Any other things you want to track

Then link the bottom line totals of the prior year, current year and next year tabs to a summary tab so you can see all of your points in one place.

I always hated when someone would send me a spreadsheet and say fill it out. I would spend more time trying to understand what they wanted and how to fill it out than if I did it myself. I do things my own way which is why I just gave ideas for you to do your own thing.

RalphRR

Thank you. I have started to create a spreadsheet for my contracts multiple times but I could just never figure out the right organization of the information. I agree about needing to modify someone else's but I am a visual person so sometimes I just need to see other people's examples to know "oh I like how they did that" etc.

OMG me too. I have not kept track on my own, because the dashboard has that information. However, the transaction report is really hard for me to read, especially when with all the modifications.

Once the points are banked or borrowed, they just show on the dashboard as their new use year, even though they aren't exactly the same when it comes to deadlines. I can't find any place on the dashboard that breaks these points down, and I've had to call a couple times this year to ask which use year the points were actually from. THAT is why I'd like to start keeping track on my own, but I tried to transfer the information from my transaction reports to my own file and gave up.

Yes! The transaction report is super confusing to me. I've spent the last hour with my husband trying to decipher how we used our points from the summary in order to move the information over to a spreadsheet and I'm still confused. I am going to have to call MS to help me see how I used my points for my upcoming trips since we need to cancel one and likely modify the other.

 

[kboo]

Once the points are banked or borrowed, they just show on the dashboard as their new use year, even though they aren't exactly the same when it comes to deadlines.

Yes!! Previously, it didn’t matter since I know how many points I have in each contract and so I’d always use at least some banked and as much of the full contract year as possible (if not borrow a few points). But previously, we’d not make very many changes, either.

Now in the pandemic, I have canceled and rescheduled 3 trips and reallocated points to make sure they got used, so it’s all a big mess. Normally it wouldn’t have mattered so much because there was always another trip in the near future. Now not so much.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Yes!! Previously, it didn’t matter since I know how many points I have in each contract and so I’d always use at least some banked and as much of the full contract year as possible (if not borrow a few points). But previously, we’d not make very many changes, either.

Now in the pandemic, I have canceled and rescheduled 3 trips and reallocated points to make sure they got used, so it’s all a big mess. Normally it wouldn’t have mattered so much because there was always another trip in the near future. Now not so much.

I went from having 0 2020 points left to use from being fully borrowed out, to having banked 2018 points tied up in a reservation next month.

I've canceled one trip, and tinkered with/rescheduled so much of my August trip that it's an enormous mess. I've decided I'm canceling the August trip, and my hope is that I can move those 114 points (+6 to make an even multiple of 10) into RCI's network to give them an extra two years. I've been stalling on calling though; I've really been looking forward to going to Vero Beach.