When is the best time to purchase Direct for banking cut off?

[ellataylor]

Please could anyone help me with the best way forward with when to buy. I would like to purchase Direct points at VGF with the current incentives (so before September the 11th I think)

Our goal is to book for next August so would like to bank this year's points (and possibly borrow some from 2025). August is our preferred travel dates so I was thinking a June or August UY would be best. To go in August I would need to be able to book in September this year to get best availability I presume.

So with all this in mind when should I buy? For some reason it's confusing me very much!

 

[WDWfantasy]

Please could anyone help me with the best way forward with when to buy. I would like to purchase Direct points at VGF with the current incentives (so before September the 11th I think)

Our goal is to book for next August so would like to bank this year's points (and possibly borrow some from 2025). August is our preferred travel dates so I was thinking a June or August UY would be best. To go in August I would need to be able to book in September this year to get best availability I presume.

So with all this in mind when should I buy? For some reason it's confusing me very much!

I’d choose an August use year for two reasons. It’s your preferred travel month, and if you purchase now August is still in the 2022 use year (August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2023). You would get 2022 points and could sell those back to Disney for $22 per point using Magical Beginnings. You would then have your 2023 points available on August 1 to bank forward and book your 2024 trip in September. You would need to purchase at least four days prior to the end of the current use year. So no later than July 27 or 28. I wouldn’t wait that long if it were me.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

My initial reaction is if you tend to travel most over the summer, and especially August, you probably don't want an August UY. An August UY would have a March points-banking deadline. That means if you have plans that change, for example, in June - you're going to be stuck with points that cannot be banked. I hope my DVC math is correct is that you might be better off with a Nov/Dec UY, where banking can still be done by the end of June or the end of July. Keep in mind, the UY is when the points become available - you can use them for a reservation. So, if you have the points soon, in a Dec UY (for example again), you can go out this Sept and use those points because the reservation would be after the points would be available for you.

There are many, many posts out here that you should look through, with commentary from folks much smarter than me on the details of UY! Please do more reading!

 

[WDWfantasy]

The general rule of thumb is to purchase a use year where your preferred travel time does not fall in the last 4 months of said use year. Therefore, I would choose February, March, April, June, or August. I would avoid September, October, or December. If August is your preferred travel month and you would be more likely to travel after that rather than just prior to that, if you were unable to travel in August, I would choose August based on that and the current MB offering.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The general rule of thumb is to purchase a use year where your preferred travel time does not fall in the last 4 months of said use year. Therefore, I would choose February, March, April, June, or August. I would avoid September, October, or December. If August is your preferred travel month and you would be more likely to travel after that rather than just prior to that, if you were unable to travel in August, I would choose August based on that and the current MB offering.

I'm always fascinated by the different recommendations and experiences expressed! For us, we're almost always done with our travel Jan/Feb/Mar, so with an Aug UY, we have a lot of banking flexibility if plans/reservations change or get cancelled, because we can bank at the end of March. And recently, we've had a lot of plans changing for various reasons! I'd be concerned with August travel and an August UY, the potential lack of banking options during the summer, if plans change, would be a negative.

I can see your point, too. I think my more 'negative' concern about cancellations and banking points recommends a different UY (like December). Your more 'positive' approach towards desired reservations points to an Aug UY! I see pros and cons to both! Like I said, interesting. When we bought, we gave no thought to UY, and were sold Aug. Over the years, that's turned out to be dumb luck and extremely fortunate with our winter travel patterns, and banking opportunities when plans have to be changed!

 

[WDWfantasy]

I'd be concerned with August travel and an August UY, the potential lack of banking options during the summer, if plans change, would be a negative.

Except we’re talking about bankable points. If the points are available August 1st, and we aren’t going to be able to travel as usual in August, we have until March 31 to decide if we want to bank them forward. Pressure is off so to say.

We have a February use year and we travel in February and/or May. If it doesn’t look like we’re going to travel then, I don’t have to make that banking decision until September 30.

It all depends on what you prefer. Everyone is different, and what works for me might not work for you and vice versa. If I decide all of a sudden that I want to make December my travel time, I’m living on the edge.

 

[CarolynFH]

Please could anyone help me with the best way forward with when to buy. I would like to purchase Direct points at VGF with the current incentives (so before September the 11th I think)

Our goal is to book for next August so would like to bank this year's points (and possibly borrow some from 2025). August is our preferred travel dates so I was thinking a June or August UY would be best. To go in August I would need to be able to book in September this year to get best availability I presume.

So with all this in mind when should I buy? For some reason it's confusing me very much!

You should buy now so that you get the 2022 August UY points. If you don’t buy until after August 1, you will get the 2023 points and will have to make the decision whether to sell them back under Magical Beginnings or bank them into 2024 to use for that August 2024 trip.

In this particular case, the banking deadline does not make any difference, because DVC will allow a new direct buyer to bank their points whether they have passed the banking deadline or not. But if someone is selling back their points under Magical Beginnings, they are not going to be banking them anyway.

 

[cncm]

I just called a DVC guide (first time) and he told me I can't choose the UY? That they're currently selling Feb UY (specifically for VGF)...is that right?

 

[Straulin]

I just called a DVC guide (first time) and he told me I can't choose the UY? That they're currently selling Feb UY (specifically for VGF)...is that right?

I bought an August use year for VGF back in April. We were already DVC members with a February use year. I have never heard of them closing out a particular use year for points that are being sold directly to new members.

If we had added on less points than allowable for a new member, we would have been stuck with our February use year I believe as changing use years created a new membership ID for us (we now have two).

 

[WDWfantasy]

I just called a DVC guide (first time) and he told me I can't choose the UY? That they're currently selling Feb UY (specifically for VGF)...is that right?

I wouldn’t settle for that answer. I’d politely tell them what use year you want, and if you don’t get satisfaction with the answer, I’d ask for a different guide.

 

[CarolynFH]

I just called a DVC guide (first time) and he told me I can't choose the UY? That they're currently selling Feb UY (specifically for VGF)...is that right?

I agree that you should be allowed to purchase the UY you want. I'd call back and ask again. If the guide says No again, I'd tell them very politely that if you can't get a June or August UY, since those will work best for your usual travel, you won't be buying at all. Then you can call the main line and ask for a new guide.

A February UY would work for August travel but not very well. You usually want your UY to begin shortly before normal travel, so that if you have to cancel 6 weeks out, for instance, you'll have most of the UY left to reschedule or be able to bank. (If you have to cancel 30 days or less from checkin, the points go into Holding no matter what, so UY is irrelevant.)

 

[ellataylor]

Many thanks for all your advice. I just called to inquire about an Auguat UY year and the guide initially said no, but when I said I'll just wait until this August then he went off and said his manager had approved an AugustvUY for now!

I really think August would work best because if we didn't go August we would go in Fall or December.

Thanks again, think I'm going to bite the bullet eeeekkk!

 

[ellataylor]

Oh just had another thought....

If I buy August UY now, does anyone know If I will I have to pay the entire year's annual dues or just the remaining couple of months?

Thank you!

 

[Straulin]

Just the remaining months, but the dues are calendar year not use year. So it is not just 2 months but 6.

 

[cncm]

Many thanks for all your advice. I just called to inquire about an Auguat UY year and the guide initially said no, but when I said I'll just wait until this August then he went off and said his manager had approved an AugustvUY for now!

I really think August would work best because if we didn't go August we would go in Fall or December.

Thanks again, think I'm going to bite the bullet eeeekkk!

Interesting - I just asked my guide again if I could pick August UY and he said no. I may use the same strategy as you and see if that changes things. I'm so annoyed they make us jump through hoops to get the UY we want!

 

[ellataylor]

Just the remaining months, but the dues are calendar year not use year. So it is not just 2 months but 6.

Oh yes, that makes sense! Thank yoi

 

[ellataylor]

Interesting - I just asked my guide again if I could pick August UY and he said no. I may use the same strategy as you and see if that changes things. I'm so annoyed they make us jump through hoops to get the UY we want!

Urghhh, very annoying!

Were you enquiring about VGF?

 

[cncm]

Urghhh, very annoying!

Were you enquiring about VGF?

yep - and magically he was able to get an exception for me haha...glad I read your post!

 

[Anthony1971]

We have an Aug use year we Traveled in September when we first bought but changed to mostly Aug a few years in and almost every month in between and never had an issue. With a side note you really need to decide when you are traveling early in the year to use the March banking date never mattered as at the point you be will be roughly 4 months out from any travel date before your use year making your resort options very limited. The best advice for DVC (cant comment on other timeshares but I am sure it will be similar) if you can't plan with 99% certainty 7 or more months out DVC may not be right for you.

 

[mkatsy]

I just called a DVC guide (first time) and he told me I can't choose the UY? That they're currently selling Feb UY (specifically for VGF)...is that right?

I bought VGF last Friday and it was my first direct purchase. My guide also told me that they were only selling February UY. Don't take February UY, the 2022 points are gone and if you want to use Magical Beginnings you will have to sell them the 2023 points. I explained that I was willing to sign the contract right there (I was in person) but NOT February. I have a pending (not closed yet) Poly resale contract that is December UY and she was able to match the December UY allowing me to sell back the 2022 points and I will get all of my 2023 points. They are trying to push those February contracts on everyone new.