Thinking about DVC....use year

[mmcculloch]

I am reading up on DVC and have read that for some use year doesn't matter but for others it does. I would travel most of in April. What use year should I have?

 

[chalee94]

march is good, but if you plan to travel at all during nov through feb, you could run into trouble if you need to cancel.

here's a thread with more detailed information on use year if you need it...

 

[murdock28]

Any yu 8 months or less prior to when you usually stay would probably be best. Therefore Sept or later (up until March) would be best, that way if you were to cancel an April trip you would still have time to bank the points.

 

[5forDiz]

I am reading up on DVC and have read that for some use year doesn't matter but for others it does. I would travel most of in April. What use year should I have?

The idea would be to give you as much time as possible between your trip &
your banking deadline or end of UY in event of late cancellation .

But you'd still need to cancel a reservation AT LEAST
31 days BEFORE check-in date in order for those points to
still be bankable
( cancelling 30 days up to 1 day before check-in results in
points going into Holding Status & you can't bank the pts
even if your banking window still open; a cancellation
of 30 days or less results in having to use the points before that Use Year
ends or you'd lose those points ).

Besides April are there some other months you may, in future years, want to travel? you may want to take into consideration too when deciding.

Jmho, for travel in April I'd pick April Use Year - banking deadline is November 30, last date of UY is March 31; example

on April 1 2009 you receive 2009 Use Year allotment of points available for stays between 4/1/2009 - 3/31/2010 &

you have reservation for April 16, 2009 using 2009 UY points & it's cancelled on March 16, 2009 latest (31 days before check-in) then

you have until November 30, 2009 to bank these points if you wish or
up until March 31, 2010 to utilize them for new vacation.

If April 16, 2009 reservation is cancelled March 17, 2009 - April 15, 2009 the points wouldn't be bankable (it's only 30 days - 1 day before checkin) BUT you'd still have until March 31, 2010 (end of 2009 UY) to use these points for another reservation.

December 31 2009 is "last check-in date" you'd still be able to bank April 2009 UY allotment of points at minimum of 31 days if you cancel that reservation at latest November 30 2009; MS would cancel & bank those points in same call as you'd be cancelling 31 days before check-in and Nov 30 2009 is last day you're able to bank.

For travel January, February or March : April Use Year wouldn't be as good a choice because a trip during these 3 months cancelled later than Nov 30 2009 is past your banking deadline & you'd have to use or lose the points by March 31 2010.

Good luck with your planning

 

[DisneyWalker44]

Put me in the school of "Use-year doesn't matter too much." I wouldn't worry about it. Find the best contract you can. Whatever use year it has, that's your best use year. You are buying a 30-50 year contract. Habbits, lifestyles and schedules change.

If you must worry about use year, focus on avoiding bad use years instead of limiting yourself to the perfect use year. If you always travel in April, June would be the worst use year (there are no May use year contracts). August somewhat worse. After that, it's hard to imagine it will matter.

 

[DisneyWalker44]

The idea would be to give you as much time as possible between your trip &
your banking deadline or end of UY in event of late cancellation .

Folks should keep in mind that borrowed or banked points can't be banked. If using either - and I suspect a lot of trips are - all that matters is you have to use those points by the end of your use year. You have from the time you find out you need to cancel until the end of your use year to find another way to use those points.

 

[5forDiz]

Folks should keep in mind that borrowed or banked points can't be banked. If using either - and I suspect a lot of trips are - all that matters is you have to use those points by the end of your use year. You have from the time you find out you need to cancel until the end of your use year to find another way to use those points.

DisneyWalker44 you make excellent point - only current Use Year points can be banked.

 

[tharr]

What if I have points for 2008 Use Year that expire March 31st -- and I want to travel from March 28th to April 4th, 2009. Can I use 2008 Use Year points for that weekly rental? Or do I have to split up the week and use 2008 points for Mar. 28th to 31st and then use 2009 points for April 1st to 4th -- leaving any leftover 2008 points to expire (since these can't be banked into 2009 since they've already been banked)?

As long as the trip STARTS by the end of the Use Year, am I okay? Or do all days have to fall into the Use Year.

 

[Sandisw]

Your trip would use both 2008 and 2009 points. Hopefully, you would be planning this during your "bankable" months. This way, you would bank the 2008 points that you won't need at the time you made the reservation.

Of course, if you bank 2008 points, and then realize you need them, you can always borrow additional 2009 points to make up for the 2008 points that were banked. The sooner you make a reservation that laps 2 UY's so you can bank what is left over, the better.

 

[tharr]

I think I understand. I would use my 2008 points for March 28th to 31st and then have to use 2009 points for the part of the vacation that falls on and after April 1st. So, any 2008 points that are leftover will expire completely on March 31st (I can't bank them).

I was hoping I could use only my 2008 points for the entire trip even though the trip ends in the 2009 Use Year. Oh well.

Thanks for your reply, Sandisw!

 

[Sandisw]

You would have been able to bank them if you were still in your banking window. I am assuming you are talking about an upcoming trip at the end of this March that is already scheduled.

Of course, you should be able to see what points you have on your member site for each of the UY. That would tell you exactly what they did when they booked your reservation.

Sandi