Anyone enjoy having multiple use years?

[bk2019]

Thanks for all the advise and stories. I’m thinking about adding a December use year to go along with my existing March use year. So we don’t have to worry about booking a reservation outside our banking deadline. We travel once a year to WDW and once a year Aulani.

 

[sethschroeder]

You are correct that they must be transferred in order to be combined, however, it’s super easy and you can do it multiple times per year even though the transfer rules would seem to say you can’t

One issue is that the transfer points do not show up in the online console so you need to track them. They are good for a one off though if needed for a single combined trip.

 

[kevtlas]

I am waiting to close on my first contract with a different use year. I think it'll be a positive as I will be able to make reservations with one or the other and always have time to make a change and still be in my banking window.

 

[Frederic Civish]

I have 3 Use Years and FOUR memberships, containing 8 contracts. I haven't really had a problem with it.

 

[FinnFogg]

I have 2 use years - April and October, and it has served me well. My first contract was OKW (resale) with April use year. Then we wanted to buy Aulani, but at the time there were not a lot of contracts available on the resale market so we took what we could get (October). We have since added other 2042-expiry points (Vero Beach) to our April use year, and a number of other Aulani contracts to our October use year. We use our Oct Aulani points to book Xmas and spring break (peak times) in Hawaii with the kids, and if we have to cancel there is still plenty of time to bank. We use our April points to book May trips to VGC and fall trips to Aulani (which again gives us plenty of time to bank if we have to cancel). It’s been 4 years now and so far no issues with 2 use years (in fact, I prefer it).

 

[BrerRemus]

I have two use years and I wish I had followed advice and bought same use years. It has really been complicated this year as I am new to DVC and with all the cancelled vacations wish they had both been Feb use years.

 

[DaveNan]

I have 3 UY, but they are at 3 different resorts. I pretty much use by BWV and AKV exclusively at the home resort. I have 3 contracts at SSR, but they are all in the same UY and I use them all over. Since I have never tried to use the points from the different resorts (UY) on the same reservation it has never been an issue. I can't say it is an advantage, but it has not been an issue. If you tended to travel throughout the year and always wanted to be booking early in your UY and frequently changed your plans, I could see it working in your favor.

 

[bwvBound]

Does anyone see an upside to multiple use years?

If I owned points on both coasts, I'd very much want different UY for each.

• For WDW travel, we prefer the cooler months and generally avoid the summer months. Our OCT UY is a good fit.
• For DLR travel ... well, frankly, we visit year round but do not shy away from the summer months. So an APR UY might be a good starting point?

Carrying this further ... if we also owned at Aulani, that travel pattern would, again, be different than WDW travel. It may, like DLR, line up well with an APR UY ... but I'd have to think a bit deeper on our patterns.

 

[kmorlock]

if buying a smaller add-on, will they let you buy at another resort with a different UY? Seems the sales ppl always want to “guide” Members toward the same resorts/same UY. What if you want different to allow split stays?

 

[CarolMN]

Bottom Line:

If you do not plan to use points from different memberships on the same reservation, multiple use years can be an advantage if you schedule your travel early in the use year and have to cancel the reservation.

If you want to use points from different use years on the same reservation, multiple use years can be a hassle. Worst case is you lose a reservation because you needed MS assistance to complete the reservation and the room you want books up before MS opens.

 

[Mouse511]

Glad I found this post, as you all have provided excellent info and have guided me to be open to multiple use years providing its at different resorts. We are in the market for a HHI contract and have had a hard time finding an Oct use year contract, but now as we will be open to other use years, this opens up multiple contracts. - Fingers crossed.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Glad I found this post, as you all have provided excellent info and have guided me to be open to multiple use years providing its at different resorts. We are in the market for a HHI contract and have had a hard time finding an Oct use year contract, but now as we will be open to other use years, this opens up multiple contracts. - Fingers crossed.

If you plan to take any summer HHI trips, October would not be an ideal UY. We have a June UY just because we added on direct to our AKV contract which also had a June UY. We now wish we had an April UY for HHI since we want to start taking spring trips.

 

[fgaini]

I have two use years. Main advantage is that I can make one additional trasnfer in / out if needed.
Everything else is a negative: cannot combine the points in one reservation unless you call MS, need to remember different banking deadline...

 

[RebelSoul]

We have two UYs, two AKV March contracts for spring trips and two CCVC October contracts for Fall and Winter. No problems. We own enough points we never have to combine.

 

[harmon54]

If you buy Direct and get an October use year now would you get the extra 2019 points still? This may make me not mind a different use year! We have March right now.

 

[Sandisw]

If you buy Direct and get an October use year now would you get the extra 2019 points still? This may make me not mind a different use year! We have March right now.

Depends on what resort. If it is RIV or AUL, which are in active sales, you could ask for an Oct UY and would get 2019 UY points since that is the current use year for that month.

If you are looking at any other resorts, it depends because they have to have 2019 points still available for October.

While they can change a UY now, the only UY they could do that to and have 2019 UY points would be Dec since that is also in its 2019 UY.
The rest have already entered the 2020 UY

I have read that most have been told that the sold out resorts only have Feb to Sept UY available right now.

 

[dboules]

We are long time owners direct at VWL (aka Boulder Ridge) and AKL, both have a June use year.
I am considering buying a small contract (50 pts) at SSR with a Aug use year.

Given I am buying a small contract, how does that affect the advice given above. Would you do anything different given it's a small number of points?

In reading above it seems like most people with multiple use years treat each use year as a separate pool of points and don't mix the points. With a small contract that would really limit use since 50 points doesn't go that far.

Should I hold out for a June use year contract since I want a small add-on?

 

[sethschroeder]

We are long time owners direct at VWL (aka Boulder Ridge) and AKL, both have a June use year.
I am considering buying a small contract (50 pts) at SSR with a Aug use year.

Given I am buying a small contract, how does that affect the advice given above. Would you do anything different given it's a small number of points?

In reading above it seems like most people with multiple use years treat each use year as a separate pool of points and don't mix the points. With a small contract that would really limit use since 50 points doesn't go that far.

Should I hold out for a June use year contract since I want a small add-on?

With a small contract its either jump on it or be prepared to wait. Is there a reason why you are getting 50 points at SSR instead of AKL?

One big positive for you is that you can transfer all 50 points to June and can now see it online. Downside is that those 50 points could never be borrowed if you do transfer them (which you have to call todo).

I personally would stick to a AKL contract and stick to my same UY even if I had to pay a little more.

We are talking about what? Maybe a $15/point difference or $750 total ($20/year) to have all points at AKV and not have to worry about combing points, transfer point restriction of borrowing, not being able to combine points without transferring them, only getting 1 transfer per year so if you combine your points you can't do another contract/buy transfer points/sell transfer points.

Its easier but I went from saying its no big deal to thinking its a big relief not having to deal with it anymore (sold my 2 contracts in September and kept April w/ my new RIV points I bought).

 

[dboules]

With a small contract its either jump on it or be prepared to wait. Is there a reason why you are getting 50 points at SSR instead of AKL?

One big positive for you is that you can transfer all 50 points to June and can now see it online. Downside is that those 50 points could never be borrowed if you do transfer them (which you have to call todo).

I personally would stick to a AKL contract and stick to my same UY even if I had to pay a little more.

We are talking about what? Maybe a $15/point difference or $750 total ($20/year) to have all points at AKV and not have to worry about combing points, transfer point restriction of borrowing, not being able to combine points without transferring them, only getting 1 transfer per year so if you combine your points you can't do another contract/buy transfer points/sell transfer points.

Its easier but I went from saying its no big deal to thinking its a big relief not having to deal with it anymore (sold my 2 contracts in September and kept April w/ my new RIV points I bought).

I was thinking of adding on at SSR due to the lower maintenance fees but you raise a good point especially since AKL has a longer deed life.
I was looking at the maintenance fees and thought those were spread out over more units so historically they would continue to be lower at SSR.

I will see what I can find out there at AKL. We own at Jambo house, and I would assume if we bought at Kidani Village it would not make any difference.

 

[sethschroeder]

We own at Jambo house, and I would assume if we bought at Kidani Village it would not make any difference.

Correct no difference.

I was thinking of adding on at SSR due to the lower maintenance fees

Do you stay at other resorts typically? If thats the case less important but if you shoot for the Value/Club rooms or if you go during that early December time then it might be a bigger thing to have all points at the same resort.

Makes sense though possibly to save on the MFs but its $47/yr at this point. If you normally use them elsewhere on property though then not really a benefit to them being at AKV.

I am a big buy where you want to stay person though so you might be better of with SSR. I just never want to have to worry about future changes to availability and how non-home resort booking works.