Use all your points each use-year?

[psimon]

You didn't have my situation. I usually bank every year and none of them go to waste as I use them the next year.

I bank every year too! It's just that I still didn't use all my 2007 points, which were banked. After using and selling banked 2007 points, I still have a few left over that are dying shortly in my 2008 UY. I am way behind and have no time for another trip.

My motto..... "work gets in the way of life!"

Guess I need to take a bigger room next time just to burn points!

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[rowbear]

We too are similar in that most times we use what we have, but there have been times when we have used less and times that we need to borrow. This year we may bank up to 31 pts. However, we still are not within the 7 month window for one of our trips and plan to try and stay somewhere else and thus will use more points.

We typically take 3 vacations a year. We could probably squeeze out 3 Disney vacations with the number of points we have each year but for us that is too much of the same. What happens (very often) is that one year we will take only one DisVac and then the next we load up. In the last 12 months we have been to Disney only one time. In the next 12 months we will be at WDW 3 times and HHI 1 time.

 

[Inkmahm]

None of these fit me. I always bank and borrow to get larger trips every other year. I never lose points.

This is close to what we do, too. We do 3 trips per year but in years where we bring relatives with us I may end up borrowing. Sometimes I end up borrowing and banking in the same year.

 

[rowbear]

I bank our points every year regardless. I do it every February whether it is needed or not.

 

[JimMIA]

We also bank every year, then borrow if we take any short-notice trips in the last 4 months. It's a good way to ensure that you don't lose points.

 

[rentayenta]

Just banked 2008's points so thus far I am a banker!

 

[rowbear]

We also bank every year, then borrow if we take any short-notice trips in the last 4 months. It's a good way to ensure that you don't lose points.

Yeah the only downside that I can tell is that it is slightly harder to read your point page on the DVC site.

 

[travelbug]

You didn't have my situation. I usually bank every year and none of them go to waste as I use them the next year.

Yup, that's my situation too.

 

[kim_d]

DH and I were always running a deficit- borrowing for future trips. So we added another 130 points last year. However, we still are borrowing. So we decided that after our trip in Jan 2010 we are not going back to WDW until 2011- to allow our points to reset. We have been going multiple times a year so it seems like a stretch to wait over a year for another trip.

 

[mvc1997]

Yep, we've lost a few some years.
Mostly bank for big family trips every other year!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I lost 5 points the first year till I completely understood the whole banking etc. thing. Since then, I'm always at a deficit borrowing from the next year. I wish I could add on but I don't want to pay additional maint. so I keep resisting the constant urge to add on!

 

[rowbear]

DH and I were always running a deficit- borrowing for future trips. So we added another 130 points last year. However, we still are borrowing. So we decided that after our trip in Jan 2010 we are not going back to WDW until 2011- to allow our points to reset. We have been going multiple times a year so it seems like a stretch to wait over a year for another trip.

We are usually the opposite. Almost every year it seems we have banked points from the previous year that are in a must-use situation. When we signed up they gave us an extra year's points. I think they thought we would never be able to burn an additional 300 points in less than 6 months. They underestimated us apparently but since then we almost always have a surplus. This suits me fine. I like knowing I can go on a spontaneous vacation (if I can get a room).

This year has been the trickiest because I was so busy last year it was hard to get away. As a result we had 240 must use by December 1st points and we will have almost as many next year from this year's bank. Oh the horror of multiple Disney trips!

 

[ead79]

I essentially use all my points each year.

When we first joined DVC we got an extra use year's worth of points. We spent most of those on a splurge week at AKV concierge last year, so now we have 17 extra points left over, which I banked.

In the past, for the time of year we like to visit, we owned enough points (160) for 6 nights in a 1BR savannah view at AKV. Now with the 2010 points re-allocation, we'll be around 2 or so points short each year for the same thing. So once we use up our 17 extra points, we'll probably borrow the 2 or so extra points we need for a while until we do an add-on.

 

[JimC]

Could not vote. It depends on the contract and the year. Sometimes I am banking, sometimes borrowing and it varies from year to year and contract to contract. I've never lost points and don't expect to except for possibly some stray points at the end of my OKW and BCV terms.

 

[Grumpygrandpa]

I banked once in my first year of ownership. Since then I have added on twice and now have 525 points and am in a constant state of borrowing. I have an Oct UY and have no 09 points left and only 388 2010 points. I have never ever let any points evaporate.

 

[psimon]

We lost less than 20 points one year but it was only because we thought they were banked and they were not.

I would never dream of letting even a sinlge point die though knowingly. Never ever. They are much too valuable and that is just a total waste. If I can't use them and my family couldn't use them I would either try to rent whatever was left or even just give them to someone who could use them.

I do rent out the extras, but renters don't usually take up all I have left. Then what?

An example... this year I was left with about 40 points banked form my 2007 UY. I was able to find a renter that wanted most, but not all of them. Now I am stuck with less than 10 points. What can I do with them? I can't transfer as they are banked points. I can't sell them because there's not much you can do with so little... What option is left? Am I missing something?

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[Entropy]

We bought enough points to be able to stay in a 1BR for 10 nights every other year. On the alternate years, we go on a cruise or vacation somewhere else. I love WDW but I'm not going to use all of my vacation there.

 

[disneynutz]

We are fortunate that we have enough points to end up banking every year.

Letting any points die would really push me over the edge.

 

[DVC Mike]

I've never let any of my points go unused. We somehoem manage to use them all every year.

Of course, some contracts have their points banked and others borrowed, to effectively use them all at the right time.

 

[Disney_Mama]

You didn't have my situation. I usually bank every year and none of them go to waste as I use them the next year.

Same with me.