Navigating Multiple Use Years

[Hokies37]

We’re in ROFR with a second use year. Any tips for staying organized between multiple UYs? Would love to see any spreadsheets or methods you use!

 

[drusba]

For many years, I have had two use years, one with BWV points and one with both BWV and AKV points. Have not found it to be as complex as some have mentioned that it is. There are some rules or practices to be aware of:

Our deeds have the same named owners, which assures they will be in the same online DVC account, and thus one can keep track of both and use points from both using the same online account. The different use years means you have two different member numbers, each shown separately in the online account, which leads to the following:

1. You will have two different annual dues bills and each needs to be paid separately. If you have automatic monthly withdrawal from your checking account to pay dues, you can set it up to have one withdrawal at the beginning of the month and one in the middle, or both at the same time, The exception to that is that your first monthly payment every year occurs mid-Jan regardless of designated times of withdrawal.

2. Each use year has its own eighth-month-out date by which to bank points, which you need to keep track of.

3. Though both use years appear in the same DVC online account, the points from one use year cannot be combined with points from another use year to make one reservation, unless you first transfer points from one use year to another. For those who prefer using a transfer, be aware that, despite the one-transfer-per-use-year rule, DVC generally allows multiple transfers per use year for an owner who is transferring points from one of his use years to another of his use years.

4. The alternative to doing a transfer is to make two separate reservations, using one use year for the beginning of the trip and the other use year for the end, and then contact MS (by phone, chat or email) to "link" the two reservations. Linking assures you will not have to change rooms during the vacation despite having two separate reservations. Be aware that each of the reservations you make is subject to its own 11/7-month-out beginning date. Moreover, if you believe you may need to modify the dates of either reservation, or if you intend to change one of the reservations made in the 11-month window to switch to a different room category or resort at 7-months out, you should not link the reservations before attempting any such changes, because once the two reservations are linked modifications to either of the reservations cannot be made without first contacting MS to have it unlink the reservations. Moreover, both reservations need the same lead name on them to link them.

5. Note that having two use years gives you the ability to use two different One-Time-Use-Points additions, e.g., in the example above, where you link two reservations for one trip, you can purchase up to 24 points in relation to each use year used to reserve your trip, giving you the potential to get up to 48 OTUPs total for the trip.

6. Keep an accurate record of the points used in any existing reservation. The DVC system will easily show reservations used for each use year separately, but makes it difficult in allowing you to be able to easily see the status of particular points in the reservation, e.g. how many points are already banked or borrowed points in the reservation, or which resort they come from if more than one. One should always create a separate record of the actual points used in the reservation (particularly total from each resort and total that are regular use year, banked, borrowed, transferred, or OTUPs).

7. Also, be aware that having two use years means that when DVC puts out total member numbers, such as total number of members that own a particular resort (generally included in the POS given to new purchasers) that you are being counted twice and thus the totals given do not actually add up to the overall total number of DVC members.

 

[TCRAIG]

I’ve got 4 UYs - the way I keep them separate is to use my April UY for our May trips, June for Fall and Oct for Dec trips…I also have HH points as the 4th UY which I use for HH only.

 

[kandlsutton]

We jumped into DVC in 2021 with a direct membership at Riviera, which includes our adult kids. Then addonitis hit when we realized we started planning our trips. Waiting for the 7-mo window makes me nervous, so we added on resale smaller point contracts at our favorite resorts with just DH and I on the deed. So, we have 3 memberships and 2 UYs: direct RIV Aug UY, resale VGF and CCV Aug UY, resale PVB and AKL Dec UY.

I do have a spreadsheet for the 5 contracts - mainly because I play around a lot with planning future trips. Since I book around the 11-mo mark, I typically use 5 contracts separately using Aug UY for fall/winter trips and Dec UY for winter/spring trips. We are open to split stays, which is important for our smaller contracts (<120 points). Ideally, I’d like to get to more of a banking situation so that I can book longer at each home resort in alternate years, I‘m also not opposed to borrowing to get home resort advantage.

I haven’t transferred points yet, but anticipate needing to use this to avoid losing any orphaned points. For example, I modified our May trip to save 16 points at Poly - these were current UY points, so I banked those. Next year I need to use those 16 points or lose them. Because I had also borrowed points for a 2nd room in May, I don‘t have our full allotment for Dec 22 UY. This makes our May 23 trip a little more complicated because I only have 65 points at Poly and I’m reserving my AKL points for a December 2023 family trip. We prefer the 1BR at resorts that don't have the queen murphy bed, but 65 points won’t go far if we decide to switch, so will probably have to drop a night or pay for OTU points even though technically I have points….

But, I love the challenge and multiple UYs provides flexibility if you travel at different times of the year, especially if those times are outside your banking window. I don’t think I would like having one home resort with different UYs, but the principal issues are the same.

 

[Marionnette]

Another advantage to having multiple UYs: You can have 2 waitlists going for each membership. While the bulk of my contracts are under one membership, there are 2 other memberships which also have BWV points in them. That means that I can set up 6 waitlists if I want as long as each waitlist doesn't require more than the number of points under each membership that I have available to use.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Is it just me, or does this thread make you appreciate having just one simple, easy to manage UY?

 

[kandlsutton]

Is it just me, or does this thread make you appreciate having just one simple, easy to manage UY?

I’d rather juggle multiple UYs than worry about cancelling a reservation after my banking window. I don’t want points in holding and get stuck with whatever is available 60 days out and I never intentionally go to FL during the summer. I also would prefer to use my points myself vs. renting out my reservation.

Plus the benefits of additional OTU points and waitlists is worth the extra planning involved.

 

[Sandisw]

We have three and what has been easy for us is to treat each one as it’s our only one and book different trips on each.

Since we split stay every time, it does make it much easier. We have borrowed when we had points in a different membership but I don’t like to transfer so things stay simple.

 

[supersnoop]

My method is pretty simple: never mix points. I have a small BWV in a different use year than my other points, and I use it exclusively for a Food & Wine weekend every year.

 

[Disneykate605]

I don't use a spreadsheet but I have the banking deadlines for each UY in my Google calendar so I get reminders to check for any points that need to be banked.
I use each one of our different UY memberships separately and very rarely do I transfer points between them. I just bank and borrow within each contract to use the points I need. I couple of times I have booked parts of a trip with 2 different memberships like mentioned earlier.
I have enjoyed having more than one UY.

 

[LadybugsMum]

I don't use a spreadsheet but I have the banking deadlines for each UY in my Google calendar so I get reminders to check for any points that need to be banked.
I use each one of our different UY memberships separately and very rarely do I transfer points between them. I just bank and borrow within each contract to use the points I need. I couple of times I have booked parts of a trip with 2 different memberships like mentioned earlier.
I have enjoyed having more than one UY.

This is exactly how I do it except I haven’t booked a trip a trip in parts with my different UY. I won’t do that unless absolutely necessary since my UY are Feb and Aug.

 

[PinkPixel]

Is there any advantage to buying multiple resale contracts with different use years at the same resort, but only a one or two months apart, like Sept/Oct or Oct/Dec, you would be able to still use the 11 month advantage but the points are more similar with deadlines? Or doesn't make a difference as combined use years like Apr/Oct at the same resort ?

 

[Marionnette]

Is there any advantage to buying multiple resale contracts with different use years at the same resort, but only a one or two months apart, like Sept/Oct or Oct/Dec, you would be able to still use the 11 month advantage but the points are more similar with deadlines? Or doesn't make a difference as combined use years like Apr/Oct at the same resort ?

Contracts with different UYs will have different memberships. You cannot combine the points at 11 months without transferring points from one membership to the other. And even then, you will not be able to make a reservation online using the transferred points until 7 months. You would have to call MS. So in that respect, there is no advantage to having two different contracts that have UYs only a month apart.

 

[PinkPixel]

Contracts with different UYs will have different memberships. You cannot combine the points at 11 months without transferring points from one membership to the other. And even then, you will not be able to make a reservation online using the transferred points until 7 months. You would have to call MS. So in that respect, there is no advantage to having two different contracts that have UYs only a month apart.

oh yikes I didn't realize that, so it really matters to buy additional contracts within the same use year/membership if you want to add on and complete single bookings in the priority window. Can you not complete a priority home resort booking with OTU? The website seemed to indicate no. Things I'm considering before determining how many points I need to buy.

 

[Paul Stupin]

oh yikes I didn't realize that, so it really matters to buy additional contracts within the same use year/membership if you want to add on and complete single bookings in the priority window. Can you not complete a priority home resort booking with OTU? The website seemed to indicate no. Things I'm considering before determining how many points I need to buy.

No. OTU points are only good for 7 month bookings.

 

[Marionnette]

oh yikes I didn't realize that, so it really matters to buy additional contracts within the same use year/membership if you want to add on and complete single bookings in the priority window. Can you not complete a priority home resort booking with OTU? The website seemed to indicate no. Things I'm considering before determining how many points I need to buy.

While you cannot combine points from different UYs to make an 11-month reservation, you  can make separate, consecutive reservations using each membership. Then, contact MS and ask them to note that you have continuing reservations. In most cases, you will not be moved to another room or need to go down to the front desk to check in again. However, this often confuses housekeeping because they expect to turn the room over at the end of the first reservation.

 

[Paul Stupin]

While you cannot combine points from different UYs to make an 11-month reservation, you  can make separate, consecutive reservations using each membership. Then, contact MS and ask them to note that you have continuing reservations. In most cases, you will not be moved to another room or need to go down to the front desk to check in again. However, this often confuses housekeeping because they expect to turn the room over at the end of the first reservation.

Good point! That said, the relative complexity of this process, for me, underscores the ease of just having the same UY for all of one’s contracts, unless one never combines the different UYs and utilizes them for completely separate bookings, at different resorts and/or different times of year. At least that’s less complicated. In my opinion, though, whatever short term savings accrue from getting “a good deal” on a different UY contract just aren’t worth the years of inconvenience.