Use Year: Any advantage?

[Kiger]

Is there any advantage to one use year over another? We recently purchased and have an April use year. Not that you have any control over what use year you are assigned to, but is any one considered advantageous over another?

 

[fan of the mouse]

I wondered the same thing. We also have an April Use Year.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Yes, there is an advantage. The prefered use year depends on when you vacation most. It is better if your use year starts just before the time of year that you vacation. This way, if you should have to cancel within 30 days or less, you have most of the rest of the year to rebook using your holding account points. Another advantage is banking. If you cancel a trip more than 30 days out, you will now have time to bank before the deadlines.

Hope this helps...

 

[KathyR]

If you travel at different times of the year use year really does not matter. It only matters in the event of cancelling a ressie, so you have more time to rebook a new ressie or bank your points. For example I have a August use year, and I travel in Sept-Dec. IF I ever need to cancel one of my ressies, I could still use the points for a new ressie until July 31 of the following year. Plus, I would still be within my banking window to bank all my current years points which is 6 months out! So there can be advantages to a particular use year. But remember if you travel in different seasons, use year really doesn't matter

BTW-You can also request a specific use year with your guide when you join!

 

[wdeversole]

If you should ever need to cancel a reservation, it might.

Let's say you normally travel in September. If you had an April use year, and you should have to cancel for some unknown reason (more than 30 days out), you would still be in the 100% banking window, and could bank all of your points to the next year if you couldn't reschedule before March.

However, if you had reservations for March, with an April use year, and had to cancel (after the banking deadline has past - but more than 30 days out), you would have to use the points by the end of March or lose them.

Some people recommend that if you always vacation at the same time each year, you should get a use year a few months before your normal vacation time, so JUST IN CASE you should have to cancel your ressies, you'll still have time to bank the points.

Disney will sell you a different use year than the one they are currently selling, if it is available.

Hope this made sense.

 

[DVCajun]

I have an August use year. I specifically like August because January is the last month i can bank 100% of my points. This makes it very easy for me to keep track of my points-- I basically consider my use year to be the calendar year. I make sure I use all of my points by the end of the calendar year by borrowing if I travel before August and then using the remainder before January (or by banking in January, not that I have needed that particular option yet!). I realize this may sound rather convoluted, but it works for me.

 

[Richyams]

We got lucky. We bought way back in '92 and had no idea of the benefit of one use year over another. We got a September use year and we only vacation in WDW during the fall and winter.

It only matters if you vacation at the same time every year....your vacation habits may change someday.

Use year isn't really a big issue unless you are the type that will constantly be cancelling vacations. It certainly isn't a deal breaker.

 

[disney4me4ever]

It is interesting that KathyR and wdeversole posted that you can request specific use years if they are available.

I toured BCV at the end of Aug. (was at WSW on bus., so no DH along), did the preliminary paperwork and was told they were selling March use year, which is what I wanted. Got home, reviewed everything with DH, who said "go for it". Notified our guide 9/3/02 (less than 5 days later) and were told we could not get March use and would have to have April.

I did challenge him on this and he did not offer to check, nothing. I was surprised (I'm a former CM) that he didn't at least offer, when I pushed the issue. So my advice if you want a specific use year is be persistant.

Nancy

 

[wdeversole]

I actually requested a BCV use year that was LATER than what they were currently offering, so that's probably why they let me.

At OKW, the use month Disney sold was always several months before the current month. Sales were slow enough (and the resort was big enough) that they cycled through the use years many times before the resort sold out. So if you wanted a different use year, it was probably available.

Since BCV is much smaller, and sales are so brisk, I imagine they are selling each use year until it's gone. Feb and Mar are probably sold out, and I'm sure Apr will be soon !!

 

[Disneyaholic]

Originally posted by disney4me4ever
It is interesting that KathyR and wdeversole posted that you can request specific use years if they are available.

I toured BCV at the end of Aug. (was at WSW on bus., so no DH along), did the preliminary paperwork and was told they were selling March use year, which is what I wanted. Got home, reviewed everything with DH, who said "go for it". Notified our guide 9/3/02 (less than 5 days later) and were told we could not get March use and would have to have April.

I did challenge him on this and he did not offer to check, nothing. I was surprised (I'm a former CM) that he didn't at least offer, when I pushed the issue. So my advice if you want a specific use year is be persistant.

Nancy

*IS* there a March use year? I know that there are a couple of months that do not have a use year (have no idea why, but I'm sure there's a "reasonable" explanation for it!) If there isn't a March use year, that might be the reason.

Anybody have March???

Dottie

 

[erikthewise]

When we bought back in June BCV was 30% sold. I believe they wanted to give us a Feb use year. Since we plan to go in Dec each year, that would not have worked well, so I asked for Oct use year. That was not a problem.

Actually I first asked for Dec, then for something a little earlier, and learned there is no Nov use year.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by Disneyaholic
*IS* there a March use year? I know that there are a couple of months that do not have a use year (have no idea why, but I'm sure there's a "reasonable" explanation for it!) If there isn't a March use year, that might be the reason.

Anybody have March???

Dottie

Yes, there is a March use year.

January, May, July and November are NOT sold. I've never seen any explanation for those particular months being excluded, though.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by disney4me4ever
It is interesting that KathyR and wdeversole posted that you can request specific use years if they are available.

I toured BCV at the end of Aug. (was at WSW on bus., so no DH along), did the preliminary paperwork and was told they were selling March use year, which is what I wanted. Got home, reviewed everything with DH, who said "go for it". Notified our guide 9/3/02 (less than 5 days later) and were told we could not get March use and would have to have April.

I did challenge him on this and he did not offer to check, nothing. I was surprised (I'm a former CM) that he didn't at least offer, when I pushed the issue. So my advice if you want a specific use year is be persistant.

Nancy

The reason you could no longer get March is probably due mainly to timing. Disney tries to sell a use month that will allow the buyer to bank 100% of the first year's points. For a March use year, the 100% deadline would be August 31. Since you didn't commit until September, the 100% banking deadline was past. (The 100% banking deadline for an April use year is September 30). Believe timing is also important to Disney if the buyer is taking advantage of the Magical Beginnings incentive.

 

[disney4me4ever]

CarolMN....
You are probably correct about the banking of points having something to do with my not being able to get the March use year. (I'm still new to the banking points concept, but thanks to the info on these boards, I'm learning!).

We did keep the points we were given (Sept. use year) and are planning our first trip "home" in a 1BR unit at BCV in March. (I still haven't figured out how to do the countdown thing at the bottom of my posts!)

Nancy

 

[Piglette]

Some years, we travel over Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks. Other years, we travel over Spring Break in March. Given those travel dates, what use year would y'all recommend?

 

[KathyR]

Piglette-
IMO... October would be the best use year for you. The full banking window is good through March 31st, so if you needed to cancel a trip, you would have time to use the points or bank them.

 

[Piglette]

Thanks, KathyR. Makes sense!