Two resorts with different use years....

[PrincessDuck]

We already own 320 points at SSR with a September use year that was bought direct over 9 years ago. We are looking at purchasing more points at a different resort thru resale. I am thinking of a December or February use year for this new purchase.

I want to make sure that I understand the good and bad with having 2 use years. I feel that I have enough at SSR to not have to combine points from the contracts for the most part.

If I want to combine for some reason at some point, how would that work? Thinking this might happen if we wanted a 3 bedroom at some point in time. It might just be two reservations using points from each contract for each one?

Thanks so much for any advice. I just want to make sure that I understand everything before going ahead.

 

[Geomom]

We already own 320 points at SSR with a September use year that was bought direct over 9 years ago. We are looking at purchasing more points at a different resort thru resale. I am thinking of a December or February use year for this new purchase.

I want to make sure that I understand the good and bad with having 2 use years. I feel that I have enough at SSR to not have to combine points from the contracts for the most part.

If I want to combine for some reason at some point, how would that work? Thinking this might happen if we wanted a 3 bedroom at some point in time. It might just be two reservations using points from each contract for each one?

Thanks so much for any advice. I just want to make sure that I understand everything before going ahead.

We haven't done it yet, but you can transfer points from one contract to the other. Those points will end up with the UY of the contract you transferred them into. I think there is a limit to how many transfers you can do in a year...possibly just 1? I'm sure someone else can answer that for me.

We have 2 resale contracts with 2 different UYs. 250 pts at OKW, and 100 at BWV. We use the April UY BWV one to do every other year Fall trips so that we're near Epcot for Food and Wine or Thanksgiving/Christmas stuff. OKW one with the Dec UY is for our annual trips in Feb. or April.

 

[disneynutz]

You are limited to one transfer in or out per year. Some CM's will let you transfer more often between your own accounts. You have to use MS to book with transferred points, they won't show up in your account. Having more than one UY is more to keep track of and manage, we have two, wish we didn't.

Bill

 

[jbh275]

We've got two use years, VGC and SSR. I really like having two different use years. Gives you a flexibility to wait list more than 2 nights. We did a big family trip to Aulani and it came in handy to waitlist 4 different nights. We had to waitlist a couple of the rooms on the front and back of the reservation. Wouldn't have been able to do that with same use year (or would have been restricted to two waitlist reservations).

However, there is not reason to transfer them into your other account. You'll see both accounts when you log in. But for example, I can't transfer my SSR points into my VGC and use them outside of the 7 month mark, so what good is it transferring them. Plus, like mentioned above, you can't see them so you do have to call in to use them.

So for example, Aulani, it was better for me to use these use years separate. I was able to book 4 rooms and waitlist 4 different nights. Once my nights came through, even though they were different use years, I just called and they linked the nights to 1 full week reservation.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dean]

We already own 320 points at SSR with a September use year that was bought direct over 9 years ago. We are looking at purchasing more points at a different resort thru resale. I am thinking of a December or February use year for this new purchase.

I want to make sure that I understand the good and bad with having 2 use years. I feel that I have enough at SSR to not have to combine points from the contracts for the most part.

If I want to combine for some reason at some point, how would that work? Thinking this might happen if we wanted a 3 bedroom at some point in time. It might just be two reservations using points from each contract for each one?

Thanks so much for any advice. I just want to make sure that I understand everything before going ahead.

Unless you have a specific plan for a different UY, I'd go for the same one. I'd only do a different one if you plan to target specific trips where a different UY is much better AND it's enough points to stand alone.

 

[PrincessDuck]

Unless you have a specific plan for a different UY, I'd go for the same one. I'd only do a different one if you plan to target specific trips where a different UY is much better AND it's enough points to stand alone.

Yes, my plan is to buy enough points to stand alone. We now only live 7 hours from Orlando, so I was thinking a contract with a different use year would cover May thru August trips where my September use year could put us in a bind.

 

[Dean]

Yes, my plan is to buy enough points to stand alone. We now only live 7 hours from Orlando, so I was thinking a contract with a different use year would cover May thru August trips where my September use year could put us in a bind.

It will but it will be more difficult to use points from each contract together. I don't think it's a big deal but unless you plan to routinely travel those times, I wouldn't fool with it. If you do plan to travel routinely those times and it's at least 150 or more, I think it's reasonable to buy a different UY.

 

[CarolMN]

We haven't done it yet, but you can transfer points from one contract to the other. Those points will end up with the UY of the contract you transferred them into. ............(snip)........

Geomom - Points retain their original use year and home resort tag when transferred. They do not take on the UY of the contract into which they were transferred. (That used to be true, but is not what happens currently).

 

[Geomom]

Geomom - Points retain their original use year and home resort tag when transferred. They do not take on the UY of the contract into which they were transferred. (That used to be true, but is not what happens currently).

Thank you for correcting me!

 

[DenLo]

Just some reminder items about transferring points from the Home Resort Rules and Regulations,

6.c. All Transferred Home Resort Vacation Points retain the Use Year of the transferring Club Member and expire at the end of the transferring Club Member’s Use Year, unless they are Banked.

d. Once Banked, Transferred Home Resort Vacation Points will expire at the end of the Transferring Club Member’s next Use Year, unless they are used. In addition, Transferred Home Resort Vacation Points cannot be un-Banked or returned to their original Use Year.

g. Transferred Home Resort Vacation Points may not be Borrowed or returned to the Transferring Club Member.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If I want to combine for some reason at some point, how would that work? Thinking this might happen if we wanted a 3 bedroom at some point in time. It might just be two reservations using points from each contract for each one?

Thanks so much for any advice. I just want to make sure that I understand everything before going ahead.

We have 2 UY's and while I have transferred a couple of times to use points together for a reservation I now almost always just make separate reservations in each UY and have them linked. You do have to check out and back in but we've never had to move. I do always confirm at check-in that they have us in the same room the entire trip.

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, my plan is to buy enough points to stand alone. We now only live 7 hours from Orlando, so I was thinking a contract with a different use year would cover May thru August trips where my September use year could put us in a bind.

One of the reasons we ended up going with a 2nd UY was exactly that....to cover certain time periods that were more risky with our initial UY. We ended up with June and Dec. We just added on again this summer as a way to start planning for retirement in 2 years and I ended up with a 3rd UY...August. The price was really good and a 300 point contract so I could use it on its own. The hard part will be keeping track of what I have for when, but for the most part, having the two was never an issue as I have typical travel times!!

When I do want to do a big family trip, like next summer, with GV, then I will book whatever nights I can on the different memberships, and then have MS make a note to link them. We may end up doing a split stay so it won't matter, but if we do end up in the same GV for the entire time, we will just have it noted so we don't have to change rooms when we get there. I have done this before and it hasn't been an issue.

 

[PrincessDuck]

One of the reasons we ended up going with a 2nd UY was exactly that....to cover certain time periods that were more risky with our initial UY. We ended up with June and Dec. We just added on again this summer as a way to start planning for retirement in 2 years and I ended up with a 3rd UY...August. The price was really good and a 300 point contract so I could use it on its own. The hard part will be keeping track of what I have for when, but for the most part, having the two was never an issue as I have typical travel times!!

When I do want to do a big family trip, like next summer, with GV, then I will book whatever nights I can on the different memberships, and then have MS make a note to link them. We may end up doing a split stay so it won't matter, but if we do end up in the same GV for the entire time, we will just have it noted so we don't have to change rooms when we get there. I have done this before and it hasn't been an issue.

Thanks so much for your experience. This is exactly what I want to be able to do. Our kids are at the age that we are mostly doing a two bedroom and it is using more points per trip. If we are going to buy another large amount of points, it seems to make sense to try to cover more months with a different use year. Now to figure out where we want to buy the points...