Use Year

[Hei_Hei]

Appreciate your patience here as I’m sure this question has been asked about as many times as when the 3 o’clock parade is...

What is the best use year for my family to get? We travel October thru February primarily to WDW. The salesperson is saying it really doesn’t matter as long as you don’t cancel before your use year. So I wanted to come and ask the experts directly. What say you, DVC experts???

 

[skippytx]

August or September would probably work best for you.

It really only matters if you need to cancel the trip and want to bank the points instead.

 

[PsycProfPlum]

August or September would probably work best for you.

It really only matters if you need to cancel the trip and want to bank the points instead.

+1. The goal is to have as long as possible between your usual travel time and when the next Use Year starts. That way, if you have your cancel your typical trip, you'll have time to bank your points.

 

[FFMickey]

August or September would probably work best for you.

It really only matters if you need to cancel the trip and want to bank the points instead.

this. We have an August UY and travel during the same time frame. We can book trips and if we cancel before 31 days prior, we can bank all the points by the banking deadline of March 31st.

 

[hcortesis]

We travel from October through April, so a little similar. Our guide suggested October use year and she was right

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If you might travel in September sometime then I’d recommend that. If you don’t believe it would ever be any earlier than October then an October UY would be good. August would work if you don’t foresee you’d ever travel April-July. A “good” UY gives you a little free insurance against late cancellations by either giving you time to bank points or as much time as possible to rebook and use them in that UY.

 

[CarolMN]

Check out this thread:

Understanding Use Year

 

[chicagoshannon]

I'd do October unless you'd sometimes need the last few days of September.

 

[HallDisney2019]

We have a use year of December, which seems to work out really well.

 

[chalee94]

We have a use year of December, which seems to work out really well.

A December UY would be a poor choice for the OP when traveling in October and November.

Any UY can work for booking any stay. But if unexpected issues come up that force a cancellation, a good UY can keep you from losing points for zero value. It works like free insurance.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We have a use year of December, which seems to work out really well.

That would be a terribly UY for the OP to have the benefit of what you can get with a good UY for your travel habits.

 

[scot@dvcstore]

I wouldn't focus much on the use year but rather finding a listing that has the points needed for your vacation plans. IMO, use year only matters if you need to cancel your reservation and want to bank your points.

 

[BillPA]

Do you have school aged kids? Will you ever need to go mostly in the summer months? If so look at a June UY

 

[jarestel]

If you feel better to have one use year over another, it certainly doesn't hurt to choose the one that "feels" best.

Most use year strategies are built around the premise that unforeseen events will have the grace and courtesy to crop up months in advance of our scheduled trips, but unfortunately that's not the way things usually work.

Make sure you understand the consequences of cancelling trips within 30 days of arrival (points are now ineligible for banking) and DVC's "points in holding" policy (points can only be used to book reservations within 60 days of arrival).

IMO, understanding this is way more important than stressing about use years. Good luck!

 

[jerseyduke]

Keep it simple.
IF you tend to travel about the same time of year, then get a UY such that you are traveling close to the start of it.

Ideally you do not want to travel at the end of your UY. IDEALLY

If your travel times are all over the place UY really does not matter too much.

I disagree with the UY does not matter (if you typically travel around the same time of year)

DVC contracts can go as far as as 50 years, and you may very well have to cancel at some point in time. You can not predict emergencies. A good UY CAN give you some insurance against losing points in such a situation.

If you are "I AM GOING TO STAY AT THE POLYNESIAN EVERY DECEMBER FOR CHRISTMAS STUFF" then you would be foolish to buy a Feb UY contract.

 

[princessbride6205]

I do think UY matters, but it's hard to predict what the best one for you is now, in 5 years, in 10 years, in 20 years, etc. When we bought, we typically traveled in October. Fast forward a decade...and now we go every year in January and a shorter trip in April. Go with the best use year that matches how you travel today and, if you have a good crystal ball, how you may travel in the future.