Use Year/Booking Confusion

[asaj]

We’ve been thinking about purchasing DVC for years, and we are finally in a position to do it. I am doing a lot of research but I’m still a bit confused on use year, specifically with how it impacts (or does it?) the booking window.

We typically go in June and December (my wife is a teacher). I kind of understand the issue with picking a use year that allows some time to bank should you need to cancel. What I am unclear on is how use year impacts your ability to book at the 11 month window.

As an example..say we have a June use year...so I understand that points will drop into our account each June 1. Let’s use 2022 as an example, and assume I am a dvc member with a June use year, 0 points banked from last year, and it’s now January 2022. If I want to book a December 2022 trip, do I have to wait until June when the points hit my account? Or am I able to book my dec trip at the 11 month window in jan because they know I’ll have the points in my account in June? Is there an optimal use year when our two primary travel windows are 6 months apart? Or try not to worry about it too much for our first contract, and just try to match use years for subsequent contracts?

Thank you, I appreciate the help!

 

[RoseGold]

I'd try for June (there is no May), with March or April also being OK. You could also reverse this to December/October if you think you're more likely to cancel the summer trip. Six months apart makes this kind of a tough choice. I find Dec UY confusing.

This is because the banking deadline is October 31 for the March points. If you had to cancel your June trip, you could still use the summer points in December or bank them to next year.

The points don't "drop." They're already there. The UY is just the time period they are valid, like an expiration date. For a March UY, those points need to be used between March and Feb of the next year, and banked by October. You can book that 11 months out for any reservation in that time period, or before or after using banked or borrowed points.

Yes, you can and should book your december in January. You can actually book a few days early and "walk" it down by modifying the reservation.

 

[CarolMN]

Take some time to review this thread:

Understanding use year

It will help you figure out the difference between booking and use year, and also help you select a good use year for your travel habits. Given your June & December pattern, I'd select June.

 

[asaj]

Thank you both, that really helps. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around this. Sounds like June would be ideal, and I’ll refer to the thread you provided until things really sink in...

Thanks again!

 

[Sunnyore]

We’ve been thinking about purchasing DVC for years, and we are finally in a position to do it. I am doing a lot of research but I’m still a bit confused on use year, specifically with how it impacts (or does it?) the booking window.

We typically go in June and December (my wife is a teacher). I kind of understand the issue with picking a use year that allows some time to bank should you need to cancel. What I am unclear on is how use year impacts your ability to book at the 11 month window.

As an example..say we have a June use year...so I understand that points will drop into our account each June 1. Let’s use 2022 as an example, and assume I am a dvc member with a June use year, 0 points banked from last year, and it’s now January 2022. If I want to book a December 2022 trip, do I have to wait until June when the points hit my account? Or am I able to book my dec trip at the 11 month window in jan because they know I’ll have the points in my account in June? Is there an optimal use year when our two primary travel windows are 6 months apart? Or try not to worry about it too much for our first contract, and just try to match use years for subsequent contracts?

Thank you, I appreciate the help!

L

I agree with RoseGold that your optimal uy is probably June since December is confusing for most people. But yes, using your example of having June uy and it is now Jan 2022, you can go ahead and book your Dec trip at 11 month window. Like RoseGold also said, the points are always there, it’s more about the window of your travel (so for your example June 1 2022-June 1 2023) will be considered your 2022 points to use. And if your banking deadline is Jan 31 but you don’t really travel Feb-May, then you don’t ever really have to worry about trip cancellation.

 

[supersnoop]

I understand that points will drop into our account each June 1

Don't think like this. When you buy the contract, you have all points until the end of the contract. The restriction is not when you get them, but rather, when you can use them. The use year has nothing to do with when or how you book a reservation at 11 months; the use year only determines which points are used for that reservation.

 

[asaj]

Don't think like this. When you buy the contract, you have all points until the end of the contract. The restriction is not when you get them, but rather, when you can use them. The use year has nothing to do with when or how you book a reservation at 11 months; the use year only determines which points are used for that reservation.

Ahhh, this helps a ton! I was not thinking about it this way, it makes so much more sense now. Thank you!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Every UY has the exact same booking window. 11 months from check in it opens for your homes resort and 7 months it opens for non-home resorts. Same for Feb, June or Dec. The main thing about a good UY is that in case of a later cancellation it either gives you time to bank the points or hopefully at least several months to rebook with them. Also as mentioned when you buy the points are already there - there's no loading of points on a particular day and then it's just a matter of what UY points are eligible to be used for the dates you want to book.

I agree you're a little tough because your normal stays are 6 months apart. I'd recommend a June UY or a Dec UY as the best. April or October would also work for that bit of free insurance against a cancellation at least 31 days ahead but the June or Dec gives you even more time.

 

[asaj]

Every UY has the exact same booking window. 11 months from check in it opens for your homes resort and 7 months it opens for non-home resorts. Same for Feb, June or Dec. The main thing about a good UY is that in case of a later cancellation it either gives you time to bank the points or hopefully at least several months to rebook with them. Also as mentioned when you buy the points are already there - there's no loading of points on a particular day and then it's just a matter of what UY points are eligible to be used for the dates you want to book.

I agree you're a little tough because your normal stays are 6 months apart. I'd recommend a June UY or a Dec UY as the best. April or October would also work for that bit of free insurance against a cancellation at least 31 days ahead but the June or Dec gives you even more time.

Thank you! I see a lot of Dec UY’s when I am browsing, so it’s nice to know I shouldn’t let that be a deterrent if everything else with the contract matches what we want. I’ll try to stick with June or Dec for this first one though.