Purchasing different use Year??

[buzzrelly]

Hi all. I have a question… I am a current DVC member at Bay Lake Tower with a December use year. That works great because we tend to use those points in the spring.

I am interested in getting a small contract at the Polynesian to use strictly for the food and wine festival.

I understand the differences between buying direct and resale, so I am not interested in debating that. What I am curious about is, it a good idea if I stick with my same December use year, or should I be looking at a different use year? I understand it can be confusing, but considering how I want to use those points, does it make more sense for me to have an August or September use year?

I am also curious how this would work... say I purchase a 50 points direct, with a December use year. Right now I would have the 50 points from December 2016 and I could borrow 50 points from December 2017.

If I got 50 points with say a September use year, I would get those September 2016 points, September 2017 points and not have to borrow from 2018 so that in 2018 I could use the 2018 points and borrow 2019 points. Does that make sense?

I feel like if I stick with my December use year I am actually kind of behind on points because I plan to use them the first week in November?

What am I missing??


Edited because I was using the talking feature on my phone and a whole bunch didn't make any sense! Hopefully it's better now

 

[CarolMN]

A December use year carries more risk If you mainly plan to use points the first week in November. Your banking deadline is July 30 & should you cancel a November trip after July 30, you will only have until December 1 to use them (11/30 is the last night that can be paid for with those points).

Different use years can be a pain if you plan to combine them for a single stay. Assuming you will mainly use the Poly points for F&W and your BLT points for most other trips, the inconvenience of managing two use years is minimal, IMO.

FWIW, I'd look for a use year of August, September or October. If you buy direct before the beginning of the second contract's 2017 use year, you will still get 2016 points. Disney may press you to take a December use year since you already have a contract and may insist you buy a minimum number of points if you insist on non-December use year. I don't remember the current number of points required for a new membership.

In summary - you need to decide if the "insurance" provided by a different use year is worth a little more effort to manage your contracts.

 

[Matty B13]

We have two different UY's and just keep everything written down in a notebook. It really isn't that big of a deal. I think the September UY makes much more sense.

 

[MrPTato]

Minimum may be 25 pts. We just added on in December to our Poly contract.

 

[frank808]

Minimum for a new use year would be 50 points. As another poster mentioned, dvc might want you to keep the same use year. Just explain why you need the new use year and you are buying the minimum of 50 points. 25 points is the minimum for a direct add on to same use year.

 

[com_op_2000]

I have two different UYs and just maintain everything on a spreadsheet to help keep things in order.

 

[DVCjj]

Just my 2 cents (I own Poly and love BLT) but if your plans are strictly for F&W, maybe you should ask a Guide to put you on a waiting list for BCV or BWV if possible? There is nothing like the ability to walk to/from F&W.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We like keeping the same UY for ease, we have dine this a few times for SSR adding 25 points eaxh time direct and VGF. We just waitlist the resort we want. It never has taken longer than 3 weeks for them to come up.

 

[a742246]

I would go for a September UY on your next contract if you are planning to go for the Food and Wine Festival. Two different UY are not that hard to handle. What I find a little more complicated is handling 2 different resorts with 2 different UY's. So I would suggest you think about getting the same resort you have now but with a Sept UY.

 

[MrInfinity]

I am a current DVC member at Bay Lake Tower with a December use year. That works great because we tend to use those points in the spring.
I am interested in getting a small contract at the Polynesian to use strictly for the food and wine festival.
Considering how I want to use those points, does it make more sense for me to have an August or September use year?
I feel like if I stick with my December use year I am actually kind of behind on points because I plan to use them the first week in November?

In your case the two UYs make a lot of sense. As you put it, you are "kind of behind on points" to go in November on a Dec UY since your current year points have to sit there for 11 months.

I am also curious how this would work... say I purchase a 50 points direct, with a December use year. Right now I would have the 50 points from December 2016 and I could borrow 50 points from December 2017.

If I got 50 points with say a September use year, I would get those September 2016 points, September 2017 points and not have to borrow from 2018 so that in 2018 I could use the 2018 points and borrow 2019 points. Does that make sense?

Exactly. The difference is that your trip falls in between the two. It doesn't affect much in terms of being able to take the trip... But if you needed 3 yrs worth of points, it would.
Dec UY and trip in Nov 2017... You are using 2016 points late in the UY and borrowing 2017 a month in advance.
Sep UY and trip in Nov 2017... You would bank the Sep 2016 points into 2017, then use those and your current 2017 points in Nov. You also have the option to borrow from 2018 should your trip cost 110 or 120.

Either way, you are using 2016's and 2017's points. There are some subtle differences regarding cancelling. On the Dec UY, you are using late points and borrowing, so if you cancel you'll have to re-spend those points on scraps. With the Sep one, you are banking and then early in your UY which makes cancelling or changing easy. If you cancel a Nov trip in Sep, you would have plenty of time to book something else in the spring/summer and still be 7-11 mo out for lots of availability.

For your 2018 trip, it matters even more.
With Dec UY... You've spent 2016 and 2017 points, so you'll unlock 2018 in Dec, which you can borrow to take a trip prior to when the points become available. Hard limit of 50 points on this trip.
With Sep UY... You've spent 2016 and 2017 points, but now 2018 points are current so you can borrow 2019. In 2018 you can take a trip with 100 pts.
(In either case you can buy 25 extra from Disney)

 

[jodybird511]

If you add on in the same use year, but a different home resort, min is still 25 (as opposed to 50)?

 

[supersnoop]

I have one small BWV contract in a separate use year for this exact scenario. As long as you never intermix points, it's a great plan.

 

[disneynutz]

As long as you can keep things straight, many have more than one UY. If it doesn't work out, you are allowed to sell and buy a different UY.

Bill

 

[johnsgrl]

The bulk of my points are at AKV with a December use year, and we added a 50pt BWV contract with a September use year for just that purpose. We don't necessarily need to go to F&W every year, so we planned on alternating use so we would go once a year. Hah! that plan lasted all of three minutes, at least for the coming year, we are going to AKV for a F&G Trip and the 50 pt BWV gave us a (very) hard to get Sunday-Thursday reservation for this October.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If you add on in the same use year, but a different home resort, min is still 25 (as opposed to 50)?

That is correct.

 

[icydog]

I had a Vero Beach Contract with another use year from my main contract and subcontracts. I transferred the points every year to my main contract. But it became too hard to manage and I sold it. YMMV but for me it didn't work.

 

[buzzrelly]

In your case the two UYs make a lot of sense. As you put it, you are "kind of behind on points" to go in November on a Dec UY since your current year points have to sit there for 11 months.

Exactly. The difference is that your trip falls in between the two. It doesn't affect much in terms of being able to take the trip... But if you needed 3 yrs worth of points, it would.
Dec UY and trip in Nov 2017... You are using 2016 points late in the UY and borrowing 2017 a month in advance.
Sep UY and trip in Nov 2017... You would bank the Sep 2016 points into 2017, then use those and your current 2017 points in Nov. You also have the option to borrow from 2018 should your trip cost 110 or 120.

Either way, you are using 2016's and 2017's points. There are some subtle differences regarding cancelling. On the Dec UY, you are using late points and borrowing, so if you cancel you'll have to re-spend those points on scraps. With the Sep one, you are banking and then early in your UY which makes cancelling or changing easy. If you cancel a Nov trip in Sep, you would have plenty of time to book something else in the spring/summer and still be 7-11 mo out for lots of availability.

For your 2018 trip, it matters even more.
With Dec UY... You've spent 2016 and 2017 points, so you'll unlock 2018 in Dec, which you can borrow to take a trip prior to when the points become available. Hard limit of 50 points on this trip.
With Sep UY... You've spent 2016 and 2017 points, but now 2018 points are current so you can borrow 2019. In 2018 you can take a trip with 100 pts.
(In either case you can buy 25 extra from Disney)

THANK YOU! You just summed up what I was trying to think! I knew this made so much more sense! Thank you!