Use Year for March travel

[zandjmom]

If we want to travel in March do we want an April UY? March is Spring Break for Texas and would be the main travel month for us.

 

[Smilelea]

No, I think you'd want February UY if you planned to always travel in March.

 

[supersnoop]

If we want to travel in March do we want an April UY? March is Spring Break for Texas and would be the main travel month for us.

Why do you think April would be good? Usually when people make that mistake, it's because they misunderstanding the relationship between the booking window and use year.

For just March, a March use year would be best. But what other times of year would you travel?

 

[zandjmom]

Why do you think April would be good? Usually when people make that mistake, it's because they misunderstanding the relationship between the booking window and use year.

For just March, a March use year would be best. But what other times of year would you travel?

If I get my points in April, 11 months from then would be March. That's my thinking but that's also why I'm asking. I don't want to get it wrong.

 

[supersnoop]

If I get my points in April, 11 months from then would be March. That's my thinking but that's also why I'm asking. I don't want to get it wrong.

That's a common misconception. You don't "get" points at the beginning of your use year; you get them when you buy the contract. You just can't use them until the use year.

Step 1: determine when you can book. 11 months for home resort and 7 months for others.
Step 2: determine which use year your reservation falls in. At that point, you can use banked points from the previous year, current year points, and borrowed points from the next year.

Or, as I like to say, "if you can book it, you can borrow for it."

 

[fearthisinc]

If we want to travel in March do we want an April UY? March is Spring Break for Texas and would be the main travel month for us.

If you are traveling in March and do not normally travel any other time of the year then you would want a February or March Use Year.. Booking window means nothing when it comes to your Use Year.. Your Use Year is when your points get filled.. It really has nothing to do with the booking window.. The booking window is just the time when you are allowed to book a certain resort.. Home Resort you can book 11 months in advance and all others at 7 months.. It does not matter what Use Year you have.. You will always be able to book at either 11 months (Home Resort) or 7 months (Other Resorts) before your planned vacation..

The main thing to keep in mind with Use Year is your banking deadline.. For a March Use Year you would have until October 31 to bank your points.. Once you pass this date your points become "use em or lose em"... You would then have until the last day of February to use them.. So, for example, if you buy a contract that has 100 points coming in 2018 with a March Use Year, you would have until October 2018 to bank the points.. If you fail to bank the points you would have until February 28 to use them.. If you fail to use them then they are gone..

 

[_auroraborealis_]

April is basically the worst UY for March travel. It means you're traveling in the last 30 days of your UY and if anything goes wrong, the points will be in holding with no way to bank or use them.

Booking is always 11 months out. The points do not need to be available at booking, just at time of travel.

 

[CarolMN]

Spend a few minutes with this thread:

Understanding Use Year

 

[drusba]

Two examples to demonstrate the issue:

March use year and you want to go in March 2019 and stay in your home resort: in April 2018, at 11 months out from date of arrival, you can call or go online and reserve the room you want for March 2019 and use March 2019 points. You could also use banked March 2018 points or borrow points if needed from March 2020. If you have to cancel that reservation at two months out in January 2019, you can still use any of those points in the canceled reservation for a reservation that occurs any time before March 2020.

April use year and you want to go in March 2019 and stay at your home resort: you can call or go online and make that reservation in April 2018 and use for that reservation your April 2018 points, any banked April 2017 points, and borrow points from April 2019. If you have to cancel that reservation in January 2019, you are completely screwed. All the points in the canceled reservation will expire for use on March 31, 2019, and thus you lose them all unless you can find a way to travel by then.

Because of the possibility of having to cancel a trip, it has often beeen mentioned that the best use year is one that usually begins shortly before the time of year you usually go, and the worst use year is one that begins shortly after the time you usually go.

 

[mustinjourney]

Two examples to demonstrate the issue:

March use year and you want to go in March 2019 and stay in your home resort: in February 2018, at 11 months out from date of arrival, you can call or go online and reserve the room you want for March 2019 and use March 2019 points. You could also use banked March 2018 points or borrow points if needed from March 2020. If you have to cancel that reservation at two months out in January 2019, you can still use any of those points in the canceled reservation for a reservation that occurs any time before March 2020.

April use year and you want to go in March 2019 and stay at your home resort: you can call or go online and make that reservation in February 2018 and use for that reservation your April 2018 points, any banked April 2017 points, and borrow points from April 2019. If you have to cancel that reservation in January 2019, you are completely screwed. All the points in the canceled reservation will expire for use on March 31, 2019, and thus you lose them all unless you can find a way to travel by then.

Because of the possibility of having to cancel a trip, it has often beeen mentioned that the best use year is one that usually begins shortly before the time of year you usually go, and the worst use year is one that begins shortly after the time you usually go.

I'm assuming you meant April 2018 instead of February 2018 for the 11 month window for a March 2019 trip?

 

[drusba]

Yes, I will change it. My mind sometimes goes stupid. Thank you.

 

[zandjmom]

No, I think you'd want February UY if you planned to always travel in March.

If I get my points in

If you are traveling in March and do not normally travel any other time of the year then you would want a February or March Use Year.. Booking window means nothing when it comes to your Use Year.. Your Use Year is when your points get filled.. It really has nothing to do with the booking window.. The booking window is just the time when you are allowed to book a certain resort.. Home Resort you can book 11 months in advance and all others at 7 months.. It does not matter what Use Year you have.. You will always be able to book at either 11 months (Home Resort) or 7 months (Other Resorts) before your planned vacation..

The main thing to keep in mind with Use Year is your banking deadline.. For a March Use Year you would have until October 31 to bank your points.. Once you pass this date your points become "use em or lose em"... You would then have until the last day of February to use them.. So, for example, if you buy a contract that has 100 points coming in 2018 with a March Use Year, you would have until October 2018 to bank the points.. If you fail to bank the points you would have until February 28 to use them.. If you fail to use them then they are gone..

thank you!

Spend a few minutes with this thread:

Understanding Use Year

Thank you! I will take a look

 

[zandjmom]

Two examples to demonstrate the issue:

March use year and you want to go in March 2019 and stay in your home resort: in April 2018, at 11 months out from date of arrival, you can call or go online and reserve the room you want for March 2019 and use March 2019 points. You could also use banked March 2018 points or borrow points if needed from March 2020. If you have to cancel that reservation at two months out in January 2019, you can still use any of those points in the canceled reservation for a reservation that occurs any time before March 2020.

April use year and you want to go in March 2019 and stay at your home resort: you can call or go online and make that reservation in April 2018 and use for that reservation your April 2018 points, any banked April 2017 points, and borrow points from April 2019. If you have to cancel that reservation in January 2019, you are completely screwed. All the points in the canceled reservation will expire for use on March 31, 2019, and thus you lose them all unless you can find a way to travel by then.

Because of the possibility of having to cancel a trip, it has often beeen mentioned that the best use year is one that usually begins shortly before the time of year you usually go, and the worst use year is one that begins shortly after the time you usually go.

Thank you! This helps.

 

[zandjmom]

April is basically the worst UY for March travel. It means you're traveling in the last 30 days of your UY and if anything goes wrong, the points will be in holding with no way to bank or use them.

Booking is always 11 months out. The points do not need to be available at booking, just at time of travel.

I did not know that! I assumed you had to have the points when you booked.

 

[mustinjourney]

Yes, I will change it. My mind sometimes goes stupid. Thank you.

I do that sometimes as well. Glad I'm not the only one. hahaha

 

[mustinjourney]

I did not know that! I assumed you had to have the points when you booked.

technically speaking you do have those points. Don't think of the points as "showing up" at the beginning of the UY -- just that they are available for stays DURING your UY.

 

[Dean]

If you

If we want to travel in March do we want an April UY? March is Spring Break for Texas and would be the main travel month for us.

March is best if you wouldn't travel prior. Feb is reasonable as well. I tend to feel UY is more importance than many do. A good UY is easily worth a full years worth of points difference in your situation, more if there are specific risks of having to make changes after reserved 11 months out like family health issues or school/work uncertainties. Basically the more like you are to have to have to adjust later, the more important it is. However, even when there is little known risk, there is always the chance or life happening so I feel it's important for everyone that travels consistent times. And where they don't travel in such a way that a specific UY gives additional protection, they are taking inherently more risk in buying DVC.

 

[keaster]

We travel mostly in March and find our February UY is perfect for us.