Use Year

[Callie]

How can you figure out what use year is best for your family? My mom is looking into buying a contract, and we aren't so sure which use year would be best for us.
We usually travel last week of May, first week of June. Thanks!

 

[PSC]

The problem with "What is the best use year" questions is that your vacation plans will most likely change over the 50 year life of your DVC contract. You probably won't be going on vacation at the end of May / beginning of June forever. The one thing you want to be careful of is the banking deadline for a given use year. Currently you can't bank points in the last 4 months of your use year. If you have a vacation planned for that period, and you have to cancel it while you are inside that period, it means you're in a use it or lose it situation. Any use year that keeps your May / June normal vacation time inside the first 8 months should be fine.

 

[5forDiz]

How can you figure out what use year is best for your family? My mom is looking into buying a contract, and we aren't so sure which use year would be best for us.
We usually travel last week of May, first week of June. Thanks!

June Use Year month would work well imho but pp does make an excellent point that your vacation habits may very well change over life of your contract. Just fyi Use Year months are February, March, April, June, August, September, October and December ( no January, May, July or November).

June Use Year will give you until January 31 to bank the current Use Year points so on June 1 2009 you'd receive your allotment of points for your 2009 Use Year which you may use up to May 31 2010 or bank all or part of that UY allotment by January 31 2010 into your 2010 Use Year.

If you made a reservation and had to cancel that would have to be done at least 31 days before the check-in date and you'd still need to be within the banking window of the first 8 months of your Use Year in order to still bank those current UY points. June Use Year would cover you well for travel with a check-in date from June 1 through February 28 because even if you had a check-in date of Feb 28 but called to cancel as late as January 28 (31 days before check-in) you'd still be within the banking window since your banking deadline is January 31. Travel during March, April or May that is cancelled would leave you until May 31 to utilize or lose those points because you'd be beyond January 31 banking deadline.

 

[disneynutz]

How can you figure out what use year is best for your family? My mom is looking into buying a contract, and we aren't so sure which use year would be best for us.
We usually travel last week of May, first week of June. Thanks!

April would be a good choice. You would have until the end of November bank any unused points.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

April would be good. Dec, Feb or March would also work. Definitely not June if you plan on traveling in May (I think the PP probably missed that you travel in May as well as June). If you ever had to cancel a May ressie you'd almost certainly lose your points with a June UY.

 

[Callie]

Thanks for all the help

 

[wildernessDad]

May would be a good UY for you.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

May would be a good UY for you.

I don't think there is a May UY........nor Jan, July and Nov.

 

[wildernessDad]

I don't think there is a May UY........nor Jan, July and Nov.

You are correct. I just had a senior moment. Sorry.

 

[Brownie54]

Rather than start a new thread, I will post my question here(same subject). I am looking at vacationing in July/August AND December. Am I right in thinking April UY would be best for me? Thanks in advance!

 

[maburke]

Rather than start a new thread, I will post my question here(same subject). I am looking at vacationing in July/August AND December. Am I right in thinking April UY would be best for me? Thanks in advance!

If you travel at a regular time (and think that it will stay consistent), then you want to travel as early in your UY as possible, to allow time to bank or use the points if you cancel. So I would think that a June UY would be even better than an April. If it won't stay consistent, but you know there is a time you will NEVER travel, make that time come at the end of your UY.

 

[disneynutz]

A June UY gives you until January 31st to bank any unused points.