Can you change your use year?

[Chewmonkey]

We're looking at a resale, but the use year is September and that doesn't work really well for us. Can you pay a fee to change the month?

Another dumb question - I'm looking for a July use year, and don't see any. Is July not available?

Thanks for you help.

 

[dizzney]

Once you've purchased it you are loked into that use year, it cannot be changed.

No idea with regard to July....sorry

 

[sublimesting]

You have to vacation the same month every year in the DVC?

 

[DisneyPhD]

For Bay Lake Tower (and I presume all of DVC), Feb, Mar, Apr, Jun, Aug, Sept, Oct, Dec are the use years available. No Jan, May, July or Nov. I hope that helps.

sublimesting, no your use year is when your next allotment of points is made available. In my case, every September I get another 270 points to use for the next 12 months. Those points can be used within that 12 month period, banked into the next use year or prior to that year borrowed into the previous year.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

The points in a use year are spread out, so there is only x number of points for that home resorts use year. So those points have to retain their use year until they expire at the end of the contract. So there is no way to change the use year on them because they are determined before those points are even sold.

 

[disneyeater]

Please explain what about the use year does not work well?

Are you afraid you won't have enough time to bank points? Do you and will you always vacation in August?

I am just curious because I think use year is only a minor consideration of a major purchase.

 

[jim1051]

The only concern I would have for use year would be if I owned a different use year at a different resort. That would be a hassle to me because you end up with 2 different memberships.

If this is your first/only membership, I don't think it makes any difference.

I have been DVC for 12 years now and my June use year has never been an issue. You just need to understand all the rules for booking/banking and borrowing.

 

[worldfanatic]

I think use year is only a minor consideration of a major purchase.

I agree. Use year should have a miminal impact on the purchase decision.

My 2 contracts have different use years and it's posed zero problem for me.

 

[slappy magoo]

You have to vacation the same month every year in the DVC?

No. "Use year" only applies to the month, out of the year, when you're allotted your next set of points.

I have 175 points at Saratoga Springs. My use year is September. Every September, I get 175 points to use whenever I want, as long as it's available. I can bank up to a year's worth of points at any time, and I can borrow up to a year's worth of points at any time (if I haven't borrowed them and used them already). And I don't have to wait until September before I can book. Right now, I have no points, but I can book a vacation at Saratoga Springs any time for the next 11 months (and up to 7 months ahead at any other DVC resort). If that vacation occurs before September, I'll have "borrowed" my September 2011 points. If it happens after September 2011, it falls under my regular "use year." If I wait until, say, November and book a vacation for October 2012, I'll have to "bank" my September 2011 points and use them during my 2012 "use year."

In short, your "use year" refers to the month in the year you get a new batch of points to use.

 

[DVCOwner]

We're looking at a resale, but the use year is September and that doesn't work really well for us. Can you pay a fee to change the month?

I also would like to know why a September use year would not work for you. I don't see the use year being any problem to anyone. I got the same use year on two pruchases I made at the same resort (one DVC and one resell) and DVC made them into one account. I do not know if they will do this now because of restrictions on resells.

 

[slappy magoo]

I also would like to know why a September use year would not work for you. I don't see the use year being any problem to anyone. I got the same use year on two pruchases I made at the same resort (one DVC and one resell) and DVC made them into one account. I do not know if they will do this now because of restrictions on resells.

Even if they do this, wouldn't this also mean that, if you wanted to sell some of those points but keep the rest, you couldn't?

I'm not saying you'd ever want to do that. But if you had, say, a 200 point contract and added on a 150 point contract, and they made it a single 350 point contract, and then you decided it was too many points for your travel, you couldn't then sell the added-on 150 points. Kerekt mee if im rong.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Even if they do this, wouldn't this also mean that, if you wanted to sell some of those points but keep the rest, you couldn't?

I'm not saying you'd ever want to do that. But if you had, say, a 200 point contract and added on a 150 point contract, and they made it a single 350 point contract, and then you decided it was too many points for your travel, you couldn't then sell the added-on 150 points. Kerekt mee if im rong.

They don't actually combine them into one contract. If you buy two contracts with the same use year (under the exact same names) then they can combine them under the same account number. If you have a different use year then you will actually get a new member number for that contract and a different card. The contracts themselves still act as completely different deeded properties and aren't combined for sale.

 

[DVCOwner]

They don't actually combine them into one contract. If you buy two contracts with the same use year (under the exact same names) then they can combine them under the same account number. If you have a different use year then you will actually get a new member number for that contract and a different card. The contracts themselves still act as completely different deeded properties and aren't combined for sale.

This is correct, I still have two deads, so I can sell one and not the other. I just have one account for all my points.

 

[slappy magoo]

This is correct, I still have two deads, so I can sell one and not the other. I just have one account for all my points.

Got it. Should've realized. Thanks.

 

[dreamfinder]

The downside to a use year surfaces when you need to bank points. A September use year would require you to bank or book your points by the end of April (if my knowledge of the 4 months prior is still accurate). If you are planning on traveling in May - August, you would need to either take whatever you can get, or lose the points. Also, if you do get reservations during that time period, but need to cancel, you cannot bank the points. So if you have a booking for July 4th, but find out June 1st you cannot go, you can still cancel, but would need to rebook before August 30th or lose the points.

 

[slappy magoo]

The downside to a use year surfaces when you need to bank points. A September use year would require you to bank or book your points by the end of April (if my knowledge of the 4 months prior is still accurate). If you are planning on traveling in May - August, you would need to either take whatever you can get, or lose the points. Also, if you do get reservations during that time period, but need to cancel, you cannot bank the points. So if you have a booking for July 4th, but find out June 1st you cannot go, you can still cancel, but would need to rebook before August 30th or lose the points.

If that's all true, it's potentially true regardless of the month of your use year. You have a December use year and planned a September vacation you have to nix, same problem.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

If that's all true, it's potentially true regardless of the month of your use year. You have a December use year and planned a September vacation you have to nix, same problem.

Exactly...that's why some people like a use year that correlates to when they travel the most so if they have to cancel they can still bank. So those who like to travel in the summer want to try and avoid Fall use years. To me it doesn't really matter, when I book a trip I don't usually plan on canceling. If something was to come up that was severe enough for me to have to cancel, it's likely that the lost points won't matter as much as whatever it is.

 

[dreamfinder]

If that's all true, it's potentially true regardless of the month of your use year. You have a December use year and planned a September vacation you have to nix, same problem.

AYup. It happens for any use year, when we were looking to buy we were advised to pick one that didn't cause this issue with the dates you were looking to travel. If you go anytime during the year, then its a moot point. But some people tend to want to go the same time each year, so they would benefit from making sure that that wasn't in their use it or lose it window.

 

[disneyeater]

The downside to a use year surfaces when you need to bank points. A September use year would require you to bank or book your points by the end of April (if my knowledge of the 4 months prior is still accurate). If you are planning on traveling in May - August, you would need to either take whatever you can get, or lose the points. Also, if you do get reservations during that time period, but need to cancel, you cannot bank the points. So if you have a booking for July 4th, but find out June 1st you cannot go, you can still cancel, but would need to rebook before August 30th or lose the points.

I am not sure I follow your "take whatever you can get, or lose the points" logic since you can book 7-11 months in advance and can bank the points then.

You are correct on the cancelation part, but my guess is that if you own DVC for the life of the contract, the way you vacation is likely to change over the years so while you may go in December now, you may end up going in May later.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I am not sure I follow your "take whatever you can get, or lose the points" logic since you can book 7-11 months in advance and can bank the points then.

You are correct on the cancelation part, but my guess is that if you own DVC for the life of the contract, the way you vacation is likely to change over the years so while you may go in December now, you may end up going in May later.

Which is why I didn't worry about use year when I made my purchase. It works out for me now since I don't really tend to go in the summer for overnight stays due to the crowds. However, once I have one of those family things that could very well change. Unless you are the kind of person who really doesn't plan with certainty then use year shouldn't matter all that much.