Unexperienced user question

[jaimeadk]

I am wanting to submit an offer on a resale today. It has an October Use Year with 97 points on it for 2008. In October 2009, it will get an additional 160 points. I want to book a 2 bedroom trip for the last week in June 2010. I know this is a busy time of year so I would want to book 11 months out so I'd book last week of July 2009. It would take 200 points. I would have 97 points so I would borrow 103 from the points coming available on Oct 2009. This is my question though - do my 97 points have to be used by October 2009? I would use them to book my trip in July '09 but they wouldn't technically be "used" until June 2010. I think I am making it more difficult than it is but I can't quite figure it out. Can someone explain to me how I would do this. Thanks for taking time for a newbie question.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Your 97 points ('08 Use Year) have to be used by 9/30/09, unless you bank them into your 2009 Use Year (10/1/09 - 9/30/10). If you know you won't use those 97 points before 9/30/09 then you'll want to bank them as soon as you are able to. (You will call Member Services to do this.) Then you'll be able to use them for your June, 2010 reservation, along with 103 points from your 2009 UY. You'll then have 57 points left in that UY. If you won't' use those before 9/30/09 you'll want to bank them into your 2010 UY (10/1/10 - 9/30/11).

Once points are banked they cannot be unbanked. The same is true for borrowing. You can only bank points once. If they aren't used by the end of that next UY they will expire. The same is true of borrowing...you can only borrow one year forward and if you don't use them they expire. Banked points can't be borrowed and borrowed points can't be banked.

Good luck and congrats!

 

[Chuck S]

OK, from what you posted, I assume you are buying a 160 point contract with an October use year, and some of the points from the October 1, 2008, use year were borrowed and used by the current owners, so on October 1, 2008, you will receive 97 points for use between October 1, 2008, to September 30, 2009.

If that is correct, you can bank those October 2008, points into the October 2009, use year. Meaning that on October 1, 2009, you would have 160 + 97 banked points, or 257 points for use between October 1, 2009, and September 30, 2010. The points have to be available in your account for the time of travel, not time of booking. So calling in July 2009, for a June 2010, reservation, would not require borrowing, it would use the 97 banked 2008 points and 103 current 2009 points, leaving you with 57 October 2009 pints you could bank to October 1, 2010.

 

[jaimeadk]

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. I think I was getting confused/hung up on the "the points don't have to be in your account at time of booking - the points have to be in your account at the time of travel". That makes so much more sense. Thanks again.

 

[DebbieB]

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. I think I was getting confused/hung up on the "the points don't have to be in your account at time of booking - the points have to be in your account at the time of travel". That makes so much more sense. Thanks again.

That is what throws alot of people. Actually, the points are already in your account. If I look at my DVC points online, the points are listed there up to my April 2011 use year. They don't "deposit" when the use year starts, they are already there 3 years in advance. So if you look at it that way, it makes more sense.