Use Year Help

[clarker99]

We like to travel in April and then again in Oct or Nov. Based on reading the forums my best use year options would be April, Sept or October?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[disneynutz]

Points can only be banked during the first 8 months of your UY. Your UY is not a calendar year. Points need to be available during the dates of your stay, not when you make the reservation. Banking moves points one UY forward, borrowing moves points one UY back. Banking and borrowing are final transactions and can not be reversed.

Bill

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, those would all work!

 

[clarker99]

Points can only be banked during the first 8 months of your UY. Your UY is not a calendar year. Points need to be available during the dates of your stay, not when you make the reservation. Banking moves points one UY forward, borrowing moves points one UY back. Banking and borrowing are final transactions and can not be reversed.

Bill

Yeah, I understand. Was more trying to narrow down a good use year for banking points based on our current travel habits. April, Sept and Oct would all be within the 8mo window based on April and Oct/Nov travel dates. Just wanted confirmation from a few experienced people before I start making offers.

 

[Disneykate605]

Yeah, I understand. Was more trying to narrow down a good use year for banking points based on our current travel habits. April, Sept and Oct would all be within the 8mo window based on April and Oct/Nov travel dates. Just wanted confirmation from a few experienced people before I start making offers.

For those travel times I would say that April or October would be your best bet. We have 3 UY... April, October and December. I definitely prefer the April and October over the December UY. We do most of our travel between April and November. I have a plan to someday sell the December and replace it with another October contract but who knows...

 

[zakdavid]

My habits are similar to yours and I went with September That way whether I travel in October, november or april, I have till April 30th to bank extra points.

 

[sethschroeder]

Personally I am in the minority but our biggest contract is actually 5 to 9 months from when we normally travel. It allows me to still bank points if I cancel outside the point holding period and gives us the longer amount of time to try and walk if needed for the busies time of year.

For you that would be a April busiest time of year and I would plan on August. I could even see July based on getting a little extra walking time prior to the September which in the future is going to continue to likely be cheaper and cheaper than the rest of the year thus draw possibly a bigger group of people that used to go in January/early December for the point requirement.

 

[clarker99]

Personally I am in the minority but our biggest contract is actually 5 to 9 months from when we normally travel. It allows me to still bank points if I cancel outside the point holding period and gives us the longer amount of time to try and walk if needed for the busies time of year.

For you that would be a April busiest time of year and I would plan on August. I could even see July based on getting a little extra walking time prior to the September which in the future is going to continue to likely be cheaper and cheaper than the rest of the year thus draw possibly a bigger group of people that used to go in January/early December for the point requirement.

But booking has no relation to Use Year. You can book 11/7months and walk a reso anytime, so I am a little confused by your logic? I want to be able to bank the points just in case we have to cancel last minute. For example, picking a July 'Use Year' and we have reso in mid-April. If that gets cancelled last minute and we are passed our banking window and points will disappear in June... so that makes no sense?

 

[jerseyduke]

October is a no.
Worst possible UY for September Travel.
April is probably a tad better than Sept, but April is still within your banking deadline of a Sept UY. That being said, I would do with April if you found 2 equal contracts. But I would take the better contact between April and September

 

[clarker99]

October is a no.
Worst possible UY for September Travel.
April is probably a tad better than Sept, but April is still within your banking deadline of a Sept UY. That being said, I would do with April if you found 2 equal contracts. But I would take the better contact between April and September

Our travel dates would never be in September. April and Oct or Nov are our current habits... so, Oct Use Year would work.

I was just looking for verification from the some existing DVC users and I think I have found it. Anyone of April, Sept or Oct are good Use years for our travel habits.

 

[jerseyduke]

But booking has no relation to Use Year. You can book 11/7months and walk a reso anytime, so I am a little confused by your logic? I want to be able to bank the points just in case we have to cancel last minute. For example, picking a July 'Use Year' and we have reso in mid-April. If that gets cancelled last minute and we are passed our banking window and points will disappear in June... so that makes no sense?

What @sethschroeder is saying (I think) is that when for example is -
September UY for someone who travels in Sept seems perfect, travelling in the first month of your UY - the best insurance against breakage.

Trip for 9/2021 - book in 10/2020 with 2021 points - perfect

Now what if demand changes and all of a sudden September reservations need to be walked.
Now you have to book a reservation in 8/2021 in 9/2020. How do you walk this? You would have to borrow 2021 points into your 2020 UY.

 

[jerseyduke]

Our travel dates would never be in September. April and Oct or Nov are our current habits... so, Oct Use Year would work.

I was just looking for verification from the some existing DVC users and I think I have found it. Anyone of April, Sept or Oct are good Use years for our travel habits.

Sorry, misread, thought you traveled in Sept as well. I myself would take September here, but all three are fine.

 

[Sandisw]

Personally I am in the minority but our biggest contract is actually 5 to 9 months from when we normally travel. It allows me to still bank points if I cancel outside the point holding period and gives us the longer amount of time to try and walk if needed for the busies time of year.

For you that would be a April busiest time of year and I would plan on August. I could even see July based on getting a little extra walking time prior to the September which in the future is going to continue to likely be cheaper and cheaper than the rest of the year thus draw possibly a bigger group of people that used to go in January/early December for the point requirement.

There is no July UY

 

[sethschroeder]

But booking has no relation to Use Year. You can book 11/7months and walk a reso anytime, so I am a little confused by your logic? I want to be able to bank the points just in case we have to cancel last minute. For example, picking a July 'Use Year' and we have reso in mid-April. If that gets cancelled last minute and we are passed our banking window and points will disappear in June... so that makes no sense?

Its not about booking the date you want. Its about the ability to walk your reservation without need to cross between two UYs.

A good example is: (remember I am the minority in this thought)

April Travel Month
March cancel by date to avoid point holding (cancel within 30 days of trip, anything after that date I would claim via travel insurance)
Banking points in March would be for a August UY

This gives you the maximum amount of time to walk your reservation. While you might need to walk I like the idea that I can easily start doing long walks if the certain time I want to go becomes hard to get.

There is no July UY

Ya sorry no clue on what UY's there are just how the timing works out based on my personal theory. January, May, July, November don't have a UY contract option.

 

[Sandisw]

Its not about booking the date you want. Its about the ability to walk your reservation without need to cross between two UYs.

A good example is: (remember I am the minority in this thought)

April Travel Month
March cancel by date to avoid point holding (cancel within 30 days of trip, anything after that date I would claim via travel insurance)
Banking points in March would be for a August UY

This gives you the maximum amount of time to walk your reservation. While you might need to walk I like the idea that I can easily start doing long walks if the certain time I want to go becomes hard to get.




Ya sorry no clue on what UY's there are just how the timing works out based on my personal theory. January, May, July, November don't have a UY contract option.

I understand what you are saying in terms of walking. However, the need to walk in many cases will be far less than finding a UY that has you traveling closer to the beginning of it to optimize the time to use up points if you have to cancel or change a trip.

In your example, to buy an August UY for April travel, is a risk because if someone has to change or cancel, and there are borrowed points, one only has 3 months to reschedule those points or lose them,

For the most part, walking is needed only for very hard to get rooms and very specific times, Yes, if someone knows they want to travel Oct to Dec, then maybe choosing Aug makes sense as you could need to walk. But you’d still be traveling fairly early in the UY.

 

[sethschroeder]

one only has 3 months to reschedule those points or lose them

Except you don't. If you have to cancel that close that your points go in to holding then I am claiming vacation insurance against the points.

If you cancel prior then you bank points since its 4 months out.

 

[Sandisw]

Except you don't. If you have to cancel that close that your points go in to holding then I am claiming vacation insurance against the points.

If you cancel prior then you bank points since its 4 months out.

You lose the points if they are borrowed and you can’t travel. Yes, if someone wants to add the additional cost of insurance, you get reimbursed for MFs, sure, but that doesn’t help with how many points one would have for future travel.

Point is that one can choose a UY closer to the beginning of travel and achieve both goals..given a little extra time for walking but flexibility to travel.

I personally don’t buy the travel insurance but that is because I have 3 UYs that allow me to travel different times and maximize the time to use up borrowed points if I have to change or cancel.

 

[sethschroeder]

You lose the points if they are borrowed and you can’t travel. Yes, if someone wants to add the additional cost of insurance, you get reimbursed for MFs, sure, but that doesn’t help with how many points one would have for future travel.

Point is that one can choose a UY closer to the beginning of travel and achieve both goals..given a little extra time for walking but flexibility to travel.

I personally don’t buy the travel insurance but that is because I have 3 UYs that allow me to travel different times and maximize the time to use up borrowed points if I have to change or cancel.

Ya its not for everyone. I can see why most people wouldn't do it.

I am also one that would only be cancelling for a major medical issue which in that case I wouldn't be planning on a vacation in the next month or two anyways. For Dorian we just added extra days to our vacation to make sure we were already down there.

 

[TCRAIG]

October gets my vote!

 

[Cydni88]

Points can only be banked during the first 8 months of your UY. Your UY is not a calendar year. Points need to be available during the dates of your stay, not when you make the reservation. Banking moves points one UY forward, borrowing moves points one UY back. Banking and borrowing are final transactions and can not be reversed.

Bill

I have a question and your response is easy to understand, so maybe you can confirm what I think. We just closed on a September UY contract, but want to take a trip in November. We will need to bank this years points to be able to use them for our November trip right?