Is use year important?

[Jaga]

I have an option of resale packages in April, August and December use years.

They all have negative equity ie some points used borrowed etc and therefore I suspect that use year in this case may be relevant.

I normally travel in Sept and plan in the next two/three years to travel in July/August.

I am getting VERY confused whether use year in the case of tracking banked/borrowed points is relevant.
Could someone who has got this concept sorted please explain whether I should be concerning my little brain on this anymore? Thanks

 

[WebmasterDoc]

Use year is simply the month when your points are renewed each year. The banking deadlines are all based on this date and banked points must be used before this date.

Otherwise, Use Year is only a factor when/if you have to cancel a reservation on short notice. Since cancellations made within 30 days will cause points to go into a holding account, you would have to use those points before the end of the use year.

If you have an Aug use year and cancel a July reservation within 30 days, you would have to use those points before July 31 or lose them- as they may NOT be banked.

If you have an April Use Year and cancel the same reservation, you will have until the end of March to reuse the points.

Except for cancellations, Use Year has no other significance.

Enjoy!

 

[Caskbill]

Jaga, the only real importance of use year is if you have to cancel a reservation. When you cancel, points go back into your account, but if it were near the end of your use year, the points may go back at a time where they can no longer be banked and you would have to use them or lose them.

As an example suppose you compare an April use year to a September use year. You make a reservation for August, and wind up cancelling it in June. For an April use year, you still have 10 months left, and can therefore bank all the points from the cancelled reservation. However, if it was a September use year, you would only have 3-months left and would be at the 25% banking window. You might not be able to bank all the points recovered from your cancelled reservation.

Now, there's other affects on use year. In the above example, your April use year would be for 2001 year points for your August reservation. However, your September use year would be using year 2000 points for your August reservation. You would receive your 2001 points on Sept 1, 2001. This is what will make the difference in your purchase choices between April, August and December use years. To 'see' it more clearly, use the following chart which shows an April use year. Make a similar chart for August, and a third chart for December. Then, knowing that you can bank from any one use year into the following year, or you can borrow from any use year into the prior year, you can compare the points banked, borrowed, or remaining in each of your potential purchases, and see which is the best value.

If you need more help, feel free to post back with the actual numbers, prices asked, points in the contracts, how many points available, or banked, or borrowed, and from which years, for each contract. Then either myself, or many others, could help you decide on the best 'deal'.

<Table border><TR ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom"><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Use</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Start</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>End</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Annual</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 COLSPAN=3><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Banking Deadlines</B></FONT></TD></TR><TR ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom"><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Year</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Date</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Date</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>Points</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:0%"><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>100%</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:0%"><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>50%</B></FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:0%"><FONT FACE="Arial"><B>25%</B></FONT></TD></TR><TR ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom"><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">2000</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">4/1/00</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">3/31/01</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">220</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">9/30/00</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">12/31/00</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">1/31/01</FONT></TD></TR><TR ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom"><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">2001</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">4/1/01</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">3/31/02</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">220</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">9/30/01</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">12/31/01</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">1/31/02</FONT></TD></TR><TR ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom"><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">2002</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">4/1/02</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">3/31/03</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">220</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">9/30/02</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">12/31/02</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">1/31/03</FONT></TD></TR><TR ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom"><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">2003</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">4/1/03</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">3/31/04</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">220</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">9/30/03</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">12/31/03</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">1/31/04</FONT></TD></TR><TR ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom"><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">2004</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">4/1/04</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">3/31/05</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99><FONT FACE="Arial">220</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">9/30/04</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">12/31/04</FONT></TD><TD BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 STYLE="vnd.ms-excel.numberformat:m/d/yy"><FONT FACE="Arial">1/31/05</FONT></TD></TR></Table>

 

[Jaga]

Thanks Caskbill and any others who may have an opinion.

Current Shortlist

1. BWV $67 point August UY 109 points available August 2001. All available 2002
2. BWV $67 point April UY 157 points available and borrowed. Expires April 2002. 15 points for 2002 UY
3. BWV $70 point April UY 150 available from April 2001. 150 available April 2002
4. OKW $66 point Dec UY 150 banked Dec 2000. 150 available Dec 2001

I want to go again in March/April for a stay of 5-6 days in a 1 bed. Then would normally travel July- Sept 2002

All sellors want maintenance paid for points available (naturally)...but I cannot work out what the true credit of a point is minus maintenance and thus the actual best package.

OKW package looks best but we prefer BWV

PS Should I be holding out for better

 

[WebmasterDoc]

The OKW resale does seem best (remember- all of these are asking prices- you can also offer less for any of them)
The BWV- April @ $70 is OK- you will pay maintenance fees again in Jan (for any contract). Again- a lower offer might still be worthwhile- especially if BWV is where you prefer to stay.

The other BWV resales concern me because you will pay maint on the borrowed points on one (April) in Jan. and will pay a full years maint on the other and not get more points until next Aug. I would definitely make a lower offer on these.

Make an offer you can live with- the worst which can happen is they will turn it down!

Good luck!

 

[Laurajean1014]

OKW resale looks attractive! I would bid $59/pp and pay your closing an maintenance costs. Then again, I prefer OKW as a resort.

If you plan to vaca in BWV, then you should buy at that resort! #3 Option looks best out of the BWV options, but your still not vacationing til 2002 or later! Set out with a lower bid for the borrowed points resales (they must know they're not as valuable at this time).

Your closing costs will run you around $475-$525, if you add the $70 plus the cc, you're near the Disney price per point and you may request a uy! So, if they're not willing to go down in price, maybe you should pass (for now) or call Disney direct.

Also, what time of the year do you wish to travel? This may help you to make up your mind (as stated in previous posts). Also, at some point you may want to add-on, (150 gets you a week or less at BWV). If you add-on, I suggest you keep the same resort unless your past 500 or more, then you can afford the best "deal" as opposed to the most practical.

I love DVC and would highly recommend it at any use year!

Good luck and let us know how your doing..............