Use year

[Tdisney]

If we plan on travelling in late may or june we should try to find a contract with a use year in Aug right? To allow for the 11 month window.

 

[Sandisw]

You want a UY that falls just BEFORE you usually travel. For May and June vacations, February and March UY's would be the best, but December would also work.

You have the ability to bank points within the first 8 months of your UY. When you have to cancel a trip (more than 30 days in advance), you want to still be in that 8 month window so you have the ability to bank the points for use the following year.

As far as the 11 month booking window, it has nothing to do with UY. You will always be able to book a trip at your home resort 11 months from the check - in date. You just have to make sure that your account will have the points in it by the time you travel.

Here is an example: You have a March UY. To book a trip for June 2010, you could call and book the reservation in July 2009, even though your new points are not yet in your account. In March 2010, you will be given your new points which will be used for the June 2010 vacation. As long as the points will be there on the date of travel, you are all set!

 

[chalee94]

UY has nothing at all to do with when you can book a reservation.

please read this thread for more information.

 

[wildernessDad]

An Aug UY would be one of the worst for you. Pick an April UY, a UY just before you wish to travel. That way, if you have to cancel, you are likely to have plenty of time to bank your points.

 

[Tdisney]

Thanks a bunch that helped alot. Is 30 days the minimum days to cancel your trip ? And can you get insurance like when you book through disney for a regular room?

 

[Sandisw]

No, you can cancel up to 1 day prior and not lose your points. However, if you cancel between 1 to 30 days, your points go into a "holding" account. Once in holding, they can not be banked or borrowed, and can only be used for vacations planned 60 days or less in advance.

If you cancel more than 30 days out, then the points are returned your your account with no restrictions and they can still be banked (if you are still within your banking window).

Yes, there is trip insurance that can be purchased to cover DVC points. I have never used it so not sure of the specifics.

 

[5forDiz]

A reservation needs to be cancelled AT LEAST 31 days before check-in date for the
CURRENT USE YEAR POINTS to still be bankable & it must also be the first 8th months of that UY for those current UY points to still be bankable. If you also utilized points banked from previous UY &/or borrowed from upcoming UY for reservation those points must be utlized during the UY the reservation is in regardless of when you cancel because banked or borrowed points can never be "put back" into the UY that they were initially from.

You may always make a reservation at your Home Resort 11 months before check-in date you want and as early as 7 months before check-in date at non-Home Resort you wish to stay at. Points to cover your reservation will be from current Use Year allotment &/or from points you've banked from previous UY or that MS will borrow from your upcoming UY.

Since there isn't a May Use Year and you plan to mostly travel in June imho then June is your best pick for Use Year - you will get your allotment of points on June 1 each year so for example

~ on June 1 2009 receive 2009 UY allotment of points
which you will utilize for trip on June 21 2009
but you need to cancel
and if you do so on May 21 2009 or earlier (which is 31 days or more before check-in date & allows these points to still be bankable to 2010 UY )
~ THEN you would either have until May 31 2010 to utilize these
2009 Use Year points OR you'd have until Jan 31 2010 to BANK
these points into June 2010 Use Year.
But if you cancelled between 30 days to 1 day before check-in although you wouldn't be able to bank these points you would still have until May 31 2010 to utilize the points which is the last date of your current 2009 Use Year.

Also if this reservation was going to make use of points you ha banked from June 2008 UY &/or borrowed from June 2010 UY then these banked or borrowed points would need to be utilized no matter when cancellation was made no later than May 31 2010 which is the last day of 2009 Use Year since these points cannot be banked or put back into the Use Year they were initially from.