When can you book?

[Pumbaa_]

I have searched for an answer and can't seem to find. So if this has come up before, please excuse the uninformed!

Now, that out of the way, here is my question. I am currently looking in to a resale and want to know when can you book using the 'next' year's points. Example:

September Use Year (2002)
When can you BOOK using these points? If I wanted to stay the last week of September or early October 2002, when can you actually book using these points without borrowing?

Have almost convinced DH that it is time. Now just trying to iron out the details.
Thanks all!

 

[CRobin]

OK, on September 1,2002, your points become available. You can book your reservation at either 11 months or 7 months prior to your check out day, depending upon whether or not you are booking at your home resort or another DVC resort.

You don't have to have the points available when you book, only when you actually make the stay.

Good Luck!

 

[spiceycat]

you would have to borrow to do September 2002 - if all your points for 2002 are gone - with a September use year you would not get more points until September 2003. In October 2002 you could book September 2003 without borrowing points. Does this help or have I made the situation more complicated for you?

 

[CarolMN]

As the others have mentioned, you can always book 11 months ahead of your check out date at your home resort and 7 months ahead of check out at the other DVC resorts. You do not have to have points in your account when you book as long as there will be points in your account at the time of your reservation.

If you have a September use year, your 2002 points are good for stays between 9/1/2002 and 8/31/2003. If you were already a DVC member, you could have booked that late September, 2002 stay last October (if it was at your home resort). That transaction would NOT require any borrowing, even though you made it before 9/1/2002 (when the 2002 points actually are added to your account).

When you purchase a resale, you cannot book until after the sale has actually closed and you are entered into MS's computer. So to book that late September, 2002 stay, you will have to complete the purchase and then wait to be entered into the DVC computer. Maybe some of the others can give you an idea of how long that might take.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Thank you so much. That was the answer I was hoping to hear (Regarding the points). And it makes sense, now, the biggie, do we actually do it this year!? If we do, you know I will be posting!

 

[Caskbill]

Remember that while the points don't have to be in your account at the time of the reservation, they do have to be there at the time of the actual stay. And if you won't have enough points from your regular use year and need to borrow points for your stay, you will need to perform that borrowing transaction at the time of the reservation.

That is you must borrow the points as part of the reservation, effectively making them available for the dates of the reservation. Of course, once borrowed, points cannot be returned so you could be in a bind if you cancelled.

For example, say you have no current points, but will receive your points Sep 1, 2002. You want to make a reservation for August 2002 today (March 2002) requiring 150 points. This means you would have to borrow 150 of your Sept 2002 points in order to make the ressie. These points are actually put into your 2001 use year which goes from 9-1-2002 thru 8-31-2002. If by any chance you cancelled your Aug ressie, you would have 150 distressed points as they would have to be used by Aug 31, 2002 or lose them. They cannot be returned to your 2002 use year.

In the case you're showing, a Sep or Oct vacation is within the timeframe for your 2002 use year which is 9-1-2002 thru 8-31-2003 and assuming you had not already borrowed your 2002 points, then you would be using them in their regular 2002 year. You would still have banking priviledges on any points you didn't use for that trip.

This is where use year becomes important as to when your allocation of points is given in relation to your normal vacation times, and the potential for ever having to cancel a reservation.

If you do cancel, borrowed points could become a problem because they cannot be returned, or even if you didn't borrow, regular points could be a problem if you've passed your banking window.