Banking Point and Waitlists

[seanyred]

At the end of July I will have to bank any unused points that are left over from my trip coming up in September. However, if my waitlist for this trip comes up than I will owe a couple of points to split the difference. My question is if my waitlist comes up after I bank my points will the remaining points come out of my next use year? Or will I have to option of just paying for those couple of points?

[TinkerbellT421]

You can use the points you banked and then if those points are not enough you can "borrow" you next use year points. You should not have to purchase points unless you want do it that way. But yes, you can use your bank points to cover the difference if your wait list comes through.

[VWL Mom]

Once your points are banked into your next use year you cannot use them for a trip in this use year. Your options would be to borrow from next years points or buy some points from MS.

From DVC Member site

You cannot return banked Vacation Points to their original Use Year. You cannot borrow or transfer banked Vacation Points.

[TinkerbellT421]

Hm, I'm going to havetoextarct check with dbf what we do then. He handles all the banking borrowing reservation thing. I thought you always had to use banked points first before using new or next year points? I obviously had something wrong there. Sorry to have given the wrong info. I was pretty sure we always use banked points first.

[seanyred]

Once your points are banked into your next use year you cannot use them for a trip in this use year. Your options would be to borrow from next years points or buy some points from MS.

From DVC Member site

That's what i was thinking but couldn't remember the rule. For me that would still be fine since we will use the points I banked in the next use year. Thanks for the input.

[VWL Mom]

I thought you always had to use banked points first before using new or next year points? I obviously had something wrong there. Sorry to have given the wrong info. I was pretty sure we always use banked points first.

If your trip was in the next use year you would definitely want to use your banked points first. For this use year though, you would not be able to get them back once they are banked.

Believe me, this year I messed my points up so much I think I managed to confuse member services :D

[TinkerbellT421]

If your trip was in the next use year you would definitely want to use your banked points first. For this use year though, you would not be able to get them back once they are banked.

Believe me, this year I messed my points up so much I think I managed to confuse member services :D

Lol! ah okay that was probably what the difference is, the use year versus next use year! thanks for the info! this is exactly why I let DBF handle the reservations/DVC points. I am not good at math, and he knows it lol.

[FiggyFan]

Needing to bank by the end of July sounds like a December use year to me. That is why if you bank the points into the December 2012 use year, they will not be available this September, since that is during the December 2011 use year. You would have to borrow a few December 2012 points if the September wait list comes through.

For trips after December 1st, you are correct that the banked points should be used first.

[Aurora]

Just an FYI regarding banked points. When you have a use year in which you have banked points from the previous use year AND points from the current use year, you don't have to specify that you want to use your banked points first. That happens automatically. You cannot use this year's points first, and then banked points (although I don't know why anyone would want to).

In other words, you don't have to worry about whether your banked points will be used first. They always will be, because the system is set up that way.

[VWL Mom]

Just an FYI regarding banked points. When you have a use year in which you have banked points from the previous use year AND points from the current use year, you don't have to specify that you want to use your banked points first. That happens automatically. You cannot use this year's points first, and then banked points (although I don't know why anyone would want to).

In other words, you don't have to worry about whether your banked points will be used first. They always will be, because the system is set up that way.

Actually 2 trips ago I did have to call MS to have them reapply points because the agent had not booked using the banked points. It sounds like maybe the system has changed since then.

[Aurora]

Actually 2 trips ago I did have to call MS to have them reapply points because the agent had not booked using the banked points. It sounds like maybe the system has changed since then.

Yeah, that's weird. We almost always have banked points and I never have to even tell them that, they'll just say something like, "OK, your total is 130 points, we're using your 40 banked points and you have blah, blah remaining."

Wonder what happened in your case.