Use year: Bookings after banking deadline

[PinkPixel]

One of the details that holds me back from purchasing is deciding what use year fits my family. We have school age children and have recently travelled during June, but after the record setting heat wave endured with 10 year high temps for Orlando, I said never again. I said that last year, but I mean it this time, I think… anyway.. I’ve learned that banking deadline and the 4 month period after it are possibly more important than use year for 11 months window. I’m still confused. I was thinking October use year could work because we could book during the winter and spring breaks and still be able to cancel 30 days ahead if needed. But that deadline is May 31st, so a June trip would be in no man’s land. what really happens in no man’s land? Can you make a booking within 60 and keep changing it out into the next use year? Or those points expire in this example in Sept.

Is there a great visual or narrative exemple of possible what if’s for DVC that relate to this?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

One of the details that holds me back from purchasing is deciding what use year fits my family. We have school age children and have recently travelled during June, but after the record setting heat wave endured with 10 year high temps for Orlando, I said never again. I said that last year, but I mean it this time, I think… anyway.. I’ve learned that banking deadline and the 4 month period after it are possibly more important than use year for 11 months window. I’m still confused. I was thinking October use year could work because we could book during the winter and spring breaks and still be able to cancel 30 days ahead if needed. But that deadline is May 31st, so a June trip would be in no man’s land. what really happens in no man’s land? Can you make a booking within 60 and keep changing it out into the next use year? Or those points expire in this example in Sept.

Is there a great visual or narrative exemple of possible what if’s for DVC that relate to this?

Would you ever travel in October itself or November? If not, December might be your best bet. You'd lose Thanksgiving, but you'd have Winter break, Spring break, plus June and July all in your banking window.

I don't mind pulling my kids out of school once a year for a vacation, but I like to avoid doing it in the first few months while they're getting used to their new teachers and classrooms. So we went December UY because we don't mind losing August through November.

 

[Brian Noble]

But that deadline is May 31st, so a June trip would be in no man’s land. what really happens in no man’s land? Can you make a booking within 60 and keep changing it out into the next use year? Or those points expire in this example in Sept.

If you cancel any stay within 30 days of check-in, those points go into Holding, and can only be used on very short-term stays that start within 60 days of booking. Holding points cannot be banked, even if you are still prior to your banking deadline and they expire at the end of their UY. You can't keep changing it into the next UY.

So, to me, the 30-day holding deadline is in some ways more important than the banking deadline. Even if you cancel a stay early in your UY, if you cancel w/in 30 days the points are severely limited. Given DVC's notorious lack of short-term availability, this is a big deal.

In some sense, this extends the "trips in the banking window" an extra month for those who don't want to cancel in the Holding window. As long as you cancel the June trip before the end of May, you can still bank those points.

Of course, sometimes you have something that comes up at the very last minute. In such cases, it might be better to offer the reservation for rent. If no one bites, you can always cancel up to the day before, and it's no worse than 29 days before. That gives you a little window.

If you know there are three (or more) consecutive months that you'd rather not be at WDW, that's a good way to frame your UY decision. Like you, I really don't want to be in Orlando when it is surface-of-the-sun hot there.

 

[PinkPixel]

If you cancel any stay within 30 days of check-in, those points go into Holding, and can only be used on very short-term stays that start within 60 days of booking. Holding points cannot be banked, even if you are still prior to your banking deadline and they expire at the end of their UY. You can't keep changing it into the next UY.

So, to me, the 30-day holding deadline is in some ways more important than the banking deadline. Even if you cancel a stay early in your UY, if you cancel w/in 30 days the points are severely limited. Given DVC's notorious lack of short-term availability, this is a big deal.

In some sense, this extends the "trips in the banking window" an extra month for those who don't want to cancel in the Holding window. As long as you cancel the June trip before the end of May, you can still bank those points.

Of course, sometimes you have something that comes up at the very last minute. In such cases, it might be better to offer the reservation for rent. If no one bites, you can always cancel up to the day before, and it's no worse than 29 days before. That gives you a little window.

If you know there are three (or more) consecutive months that you'd rather not be at WDW, that's a good way to frame your UY decision. Like you, I really don't want to be in Orlando when it is surface-of-the-sun hot there.

Thank you for the straight forward info! I appreciate the explanation of holding points being more or less equal if they occur in any part of the use year, in regards to being unbankable? I looked into the travel insurance that is offered as an upcharge to DVC members and it only mentions maintenance costs in relation to the contract itself. Is there any insurance that covers the value of the points? Also, I'm sorry if this a dense question, but is there a variable that identifies the actual cost per point in a given year of the contact? Thanks!

 

[Brian Noble]

Is there any insurance that covers the value of the points?

I don't think so, in part because....

is there a variable that identifies the actual cost per point in a given year of the contact?

...there are many different opinions about how to do that. Some are simple, some more complicated.

The cut-to-the-chase version: If you are worried about what-happens-if, it's pretty rare that someone has to cancel at the last minute due to something unexpected. The last 2.5 years have changed our perception about that, but it's still not very common. I've taken a bunch of vacations to WDW and elsewhere, and don't think I've had a "last-minute" cancellation yet.

However, if you anticipate regularly having to cancel stays at the last minute (as in, within 30 days) DVC (or any timeshare) might not be right for you. A timeshare isn't as flexible as a hotel booking, and that's partly why they are less expensive than the equivalent hotel stays.

 

[Chuck S]

A use year that is close to the same as your normal annual travel time works best. For instance, I usually travel in June and January. So a June use year works well for me. However, I do occasionally (rarely) book a couple days at the end ofMay, and I know if I cancel, those points are lost.

 

[CarolMN]

Spend some time with this thread:

Understanding Use Year

 

[Nabas]

We pick Use Years based on the 3 months we are least likely to use those DVC points. (The idea being, if you cancel within 31 days, those point go into Holding anyway.)

Since you have to said you never want to go in the heat again, that means June, July, and August.

So a September Use Year might work for you.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We pick Use Years based on the 3 months we are least likely to use those DVC points. (The idea being, if you cancel within 31 days, those point go into Holding anyway.)

Yes! People always say to base UY when you most often travel, but it's more important to base UY on when you NEVER travel.

Since you have to said you never want to go in the heat again, that means June, July, and August.

So a September Use Year might work for you.

Parents of growing kids often come to eat their words when it comes to abandoning summer entirely. It's easy to miss a week of Kindergarten for a WDW trip. It's a lot harder to miss a week of Calculus 2.

 

[Nabas]

Parents of growing kids often come to eat their words when it comes to abandoning summer entirely. It's easy to miss a week of Kindergarten for a WDW trip. It's a lot harder to miss a week of Calculus 2.

The thing about having a September Use Year, if you do have to cancel within 31 days and your points go into Holding, July and August are among the easiest months to book within the 60-day Holding window.

With kids out of school in the summer, this gives you some flexibility to book something without completely losing those Holding points.

 

[PinkPixel]

We pick Use Years based on the 3 months we are least likely to use those DVC points. (The idea being, if you cancel within 31 days, those point go into Holding anyway.)

Since you have to said you never want to go in the heat again, that means June, July, and August.

So a September Use Year might work for you.

Thank you

 

[RichVIII]

I would also say in the 8+ years we have owned, the UY we picked for how we traveled nearly 10 years ago doesn’t make as much sense now. But we can’t change that now and we make it work.

 

[CarolynFH]

I would also say in the 8+ years we have owned, the UY we picked for how we traveled nearly 10 years ago doesn’t make as much sense now. But we can’t change that now and we make it work.

We lucked out! The Guide said, “Your UY is September.” We said, “OK.” Since we’ve always considered June through August our least favorite months to visit, it’s been perfect for us!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I would have paid $10 extra per point for a January UY. But alas.