What year use is best?

[disneybride96]

We are considering DVC, but all this banking and borrowing points has me confused. I understand the process and percentages, but how does that all work with your year use? We normally travel in the off seasons - Sept, Oct, Nov and January. If we want to bank or borrrow, would it be best to have our year use closer to our normal travel time, or does it really matter?

 

[rogerram]

if you travel between sept and jan, then either a september or august use year might be ideal. That way if you need to get some points for those, you would get them right before you go.

 

[stampinshauna]

I agree with the previous poster. Pick a use year before your regular travel months. We usually travel in the fall and winter, so an August use year was perfect.

 

[LisaS]

As you have already figured out, your "Use Year Month" determines your point banking deadlines. Once you are into the last 2 months of your Use Year, you cannot bank any of your points. If you had a trip planned for the last month of your Use Year and had to cancel it 6 weeks or so in advance, you would be into that "no banking" phase of your Use Year. If you couldn't reschedule the trip before the end of your Use Year, then your points would expire at the end of your Use Year and you would lose them.

So, if you expect your travel dates to remain fairly consistent over your years of DVC ownership, try to get a Use Year that is a month or so before you would normally travel. In your case, a September Use Year would work very well.

Keep in mind that you can book your stays 11 months in advance at your home resort and 7 months in advance at other resorts regardless of your Use Year Month -- it has nothing whatsoever to do with when you can make reservations. You just need to have enough points in the same Use Year as your travel dates to cover the reservation.

Hope this helps!

 

[beachblanket]

I agree with the previous poster. Pick a use year before your regular travel months. We usually travel in the fall and winter, so an August use year was perfect.

We considered doing that, but since our vacation schedule is variable, we ended up with the "default" December year. That lets us procrastinate when necessary in any given year!!!