Lost DVC points

[breezy52]

It is what I did, I have 3 UYs and deal with 3 memberships because I originally bought June UY since I traveled in summer. When I began to want to go for Memorial Day, I knew that would be the worst for my June UY so I added on some Dec UY points for that trip.

That was good thinking. Wish I thought of that before I added on at RIV for the easier access during Flower and Garden. LOL.

Thought I read to avoid different use years whenever possible but I’m now thinking it would have been the way to go for winter and Flower and Garden trips.

I’ve been fortunate and never had to cancel a trip during the final four months so this is an eye opener. Good to know for any future add ons.

 

[momtwoboys]

If you don't mind sharing -- I'm just curious why you're opposed to RCI? I have an AUG UY and the quandary I'm in is if I Disney hasn't shared any firm plan to reopen, my deadline for RCI is June 16th. June UYs would have to decide by April 16th (some date next week).

the only vacation we take is to WDW resorts, anything else is local and we don't use timeshares in our area. If I am spending money to go away we fly to Disney.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

Conventional wisdom to keep all your UYs the same is primarily aimed at being able to easily combine multiple contracts when booking, not having to juggle multiple banking deadlines, etc.

Every UY has those four "risky" months past the banking deadline. Overlapping two different UYs allows you to have points that are less at risk available during those "risky" months of the other contract, but it does come with some drawbacks as many have pointed out.

However, there's definitely some benefit to taking on the extra "hassle" of multiple UYs if you want to travel at all different times of the year and spread the UYs to provide coverage across the entire calendar.

For example, we have a SEP UY, which is great for all our possible travel dates except summer (which is past our banking deadline). We don't like to go in summer any more if we can help it, but there may be times when our kids/grandkids can only go then, so having that option without the banking risk could be attractive.

If/when we add on, we're now considering a different UY so the summer would be inside the banking window for that contract. The biggest downside, as I understand it, would be that, if we wanted to use points from both contracts for larger accommodations, we would have to book it as two separate reservations and put in a request to not move rooms (basically a split stay at the same resort?).

But that limitation can possibly be circumvented by transferring points from one contract to the other, right? If points are transferred, I know they retain their same home resort advantage (moot point if our contracts are both at the same resort). Do they also retain their UY/banking deadline? Thanks!

 

[Frogman88]

got another email from DVC just now telling me to put my points into RCI " If I can't use them by May31st" Nope I am not using RCI. Completely disgusted with DVC and their lack of a plan by now. They know the parks will be closed for a while, with the possibility of a June 1 reopening they need to make a decision for April/June UY soon.

Disney won’t open the parks jun1 lol!! More like jun1 2021

 

[momtwoboys]

Disney won’t open the parks jun1 lol!! More like jun1 2021

that could be true also! I just want them to offer another plan other than dump into RCI.

 

[cmrdgrs]

the only vacation we take is to WDW resorts, anything else is local and we don't use timeshares in our area. If I am spending money to go away we fly to Disney.

Thanks for sharing. I can see that perspective.

For me, I have too many points on the line to not try and salvage them in some way. I have 279 points tied up for HHI reservations. I'll have to decide to either let them go or move to RCI by June 16th. Hoping Disney has some type of announcement by mid-June.

My converted DVC points into "reservation" points (332) are not eligible to be moved into RCI. I let the "rule of 4" deadline pass to use them in the Concierge Collection (instead of the Disney Collection). That leaves me with the Disney Collection for using those points.

I have a question: I always thought all the WDW Disney Collection resorts were governed by the "rule of 4" and only the DLR weren't part of that rule. Do I understand the correctly?

 

[dsnymnkyuncle]

We have not a disney vacation (multiple a year) where using different use years was not involved.
The request to stay in the same room (same meaning 2 bdrm lock out is not the same as 2 bdrm) has always happened. That makes sense because it is cheaper for disney that way.

The problem with different use years for us is that the number of people going now exceeds original expectation and so the most popular trip (Jan for IL residents) requires big and expensive rooms. So booking the weekends with 11 month window on the high volume days then a couple of months later
booking the rest of the trip

Conventional wisdom to keep all your UYs the same is primarily aimed at being able to easily combine multiple contracts when booking, not having to juggle multiple banking deadlines, etc.

Every UY has those four "risky" months past the banking deadline. Overlapping two different UYs allows you to have points that are less at risk available during those "risky" months of the other contract, but it does come with some drawbacks as many have pointed out.

However, there's definitely some benefit to taking on the extra "hassle" of multiple UYs if you want to travel at all different times of the year and spread the UYs to provide coverage across the entire calendar.

For example, we have a SEP UY, which is great for all our possible travel dates except summer (which is past our banking deadline). We don't like to go in summer any more if we can help it, but there may be times when our kids/grandkids can only go then, so having that option without the banking risk could be attractive.

If/when we add on, we're now considering a different UY so the summer would be inside the banking window for that contract. The biggest downside, as I understand it, would be that, if we wanted to use points from both contracts for larger accommodations, we would have to book it as two separate reservations and put in a request to not move rooms (basically a split stay at the same resort?).

But that limitation can possibly be circumvented by transferring points from one contract to the other, right? If points are transferred, I know they retain their same home resort advantage (moot point if our contracts are both at the same resort). Do they also retain their UY/banking deadline? Thanks!

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

got another email from DVC just now telling me to put my points into RCI " If I can't use them by May31st" Nope I am not using RCI. Completely disgusted with DVC and their lack of a plan by now. They know the parks will be closed for a while, with the possibility of a June 1 reopening they need to make a decision for April/June UY soon.

I totally understand your frustration. But considering this could very well go on longer than June 1st, they need to keep things constant. If they relax their current guidelines for April/June UY what happens then when they don't actually open until October 1st? Anyone with a August/September UY will then be in the same position as April/June UY people. At that point DVC has 6 months of closure which is a ton of inventory of points not being used. I think whatever DVC does or doesn't do to help affected members, it need to be consistent across ALL members. In my opinion, the only way to make an informed decision on what action to take while keeping the integrity of the whole system and entire membership is to wait and see how long the closures go.

I get that is not helpful to anyone with recently cancelled April/May ressies that are using expiring points. I do hope DVC is able to figure this out sooner than later and members are made as whole as possible.

 

[cmrdgrs]

For "ease of use" Grumpy by Birth, keeping the same UY is the cleanest. I've read many threads were people feel comfortable having multiple UYs and posts from those that have multiple UYs and wish they didn't. I think it all depends on how you use those points.

In my case I tend to only use my HHI points at HH. So, I think it would have been wise for me to have chosen a better UY for how I want to use those particular points. But, now that contract is Grandfathered to be used at all resorts (like Riviera and Reflections when it is built), so I don't see myself selling it to get a "better" UY for my needs. Pandemic aside, I've done pretty well since 2006. Until this dang Covid-19 I've never lost a point over the years. Yes, this is impacting June and August UYs the worst right now. But, next time it could be December and February UYs.

 

[dsnymnkyuncle]

IMO Disney is offering you other solutions other than losing the points. I think this says there is a real possibility they will be lost and that a partial salvage is better than none but I don't think it rules out them doing something down the road. But if people do use alternatives the scale of fixing the others is less for them and other members. To me that increases the chances they do something

I totally understand your frustration. But considering this could very well go on longer than June 1st, they need to keep things constant. If they relax their current guidelines for April/June UY what happens then when they don't actually open until October 1st? Anyone with a August/September UY will then be in the same position as April/June UY people. At that point DVC has 6 months of closure which is a ton of inventory of points not being used. I think whatever DVC does or doesn't do to help affected members, it need to be consistent across ALL members. In my opinion, the only way to make an informed decision on what action to take while keeping the integrity of the whole system and entire membership is to wait and see how long the closures go.

I get that is not helpful to anyone with recently cancelled April/May ressies that are using expiring points. I do hope DVC is able to figure this out sooner than later and members are made as whole as possible.

 

[cmrdgrs]

IMO Disney is offering you other solutions other than losing the points. I think this says there is a real possibility they will be lost and that a partial salvage is better than none but I don't think it rules out them doing something down the road. But if people do use alternatives the scale of fixing the others is less for them and other members. To me that increases the chances they do something

I'm squarely in the camp of accepting that DVC isn't going to "do" anything for members at risk of losing points. Believe me, at the beginning of all of this, I was super angry. However, the more this drags on, the more I see that DVC is sticking to the "rules" As an owner since 2006 the trend I have seen over the years is that more, and more, DVC is enforcing the rules. Pixie Dust is hard to find these days from DVC.

For me, I just have too many points on the line to hope DVC will lend me a hand. I also think DVC will stand firm because if DVC does something at the "end" (whenever that is) that no one is expecting, then they unfairly affect people who were forced to make decisions earlier when the rules were forcing people to move points into RCI.

I've complained, I've written my letters, I've talked to a supervisor, I feel like I've done my part to express my frustration, but here we are and DVC is holding firm on the rules.

 

[Frogman88]

that could be true also! I just want them to offer another plan other than dump into RCI.

Just my 2 cents if things get better right .....

Every other mortgage, student, personal, business loan company has made policies for their clients to pause everything due to the situation now if Disney waits and waits it looks like they are saving themselves and other shareholders before the dvc clients right? To me it looks like Disney will be in deep legal water when everything clears up.

Btw I predict 2yrs+ Of this Just use common sense schools are closed for the remainder of the year and we still haven’t completely gotten true numbers or factual data since things change everyday is facts and no word visible on an approved vaccine.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

For "ease of use" Grumpy by Birth, keeping the same UY is the cleanest. I've read many threads were people feel comfortable having multiple UYs and posts from those that have multiple UYs and wish they didn't. I think it all depends on how you use those points.

In my case I tend to only use my HHI points at HH. So, I think it would have been wise for me to have chosen a better UY for how I want to use those particular points. But, now that contract is Grandfathered to be used at all resorts (like Riviera and Reflections when it is built), so I don't see myself selling it to get a "better" UY for my needs. Pandemic aside, I've done pretty well since 2006. Until this dang Covid-19 I've never lost a point over the years. Yes, this is impacting June and August UYs the worst right now. But, next time it could be December and February UYs.

I like the simplicity of keeping the same UY, but given how the current situation has highlighted the importance of banking deadlines (and the risk of traveling beyond them), I could definitely see us considering a second UY for a contract that would be used almost exclusively for travel during May-August.

 

[Sandisw]

Just my 2 cents if things get better right .....

Every other mortgage, student, personal, business loan company has made policies for their clients to pause everything due to the situation now if Disney waits and waits it looks like they are saving themselves and other shareholders before the dvc clients right? To me it looks like Disney will be in deep legal water when everything clears up.

Btw I predict 2yrs+ Of this Just use common sense schools are closed for the remainder of the year and we still haven’t completely gotten true numbers or factual data since things change everyday is facts and no word visible on an approved vaccine.

This post assumes one thing...that it is up to Disney to fix it. It is not, only DVCM and by default, the owners.

Yes, we are all hopeful that Disney will see there is something in it for them to help...whether it be PR, good will, or impact of future sales...and take on the financial lost to parks and resorts that would make most DVC owners at risk of losing points happy.

At this point, it sounds like they are now giving owners some relief to save points...putting in to RCI. Not the chose some want, but a choice.

Could they come up with something else? Sure But anyone who has points at risk is faced with a choice...wait it out and hope for a different solution or lose them.

Right now, you also have Sept UY owners who have to decide to cancel and bank current UY to limit losses, or risk going beyond deadline and hope DVCM comes up with a better plan than RCI.

No idea what is to come, but, right now, an opening prior to June 1st is unlikely, and that puts banked points, and points beyond their banking window from 4 of the 8 UYs. That’s potentially a lot of points

 

[Sandisw]

That was good thinking. Wish I thought of that before I added on at RIV for the easier access during Flower and Garden. LOL.

Thought I read to avoid different use years whenever possible but I’m now thinking it would have been the way to go for winter and Flower and Garden trips.

I’ve been fortunate and never had to cancel a trip during the final four months so this is an eye opener. Good to know for any future add ons.

Yes, it is easier To have one. But, I use each one as if it is its own. Which means, I am sometimes borrowing points in one of my UY, even though I have current UY points that could be used as well.

I don’t combine or transfer points. I book whole nights on each and put in a request to link reservstions in hope we don’t have to move rooms.

It can be work for sure, but I decided having the ability to always travel in the beginning of the UY was worth it.

 

[cmrdgrs]

Yes, it is easier To have one. But, I use each one as if it is its own. Which means, I am sometimes borrowing points in one of my UY, even though I have current UY points that could be used as well.

I don’t combine or transfer points. I book whole nights on each and put in a request to link reservations in hope we don’t have to move rooms.

It can be work for sure, but I decided having the ability to always travel in the beginning of the UY was worth it.

If a person is going to have multiple UYs on various contracts the way you manage your membership is cleanest Sandisw. You give really good advice. I've read so many posts from people that transfer within their contracts with different UYs and it just seems like a really mess sometimes.

I didn't know when I bought my HHI contract that I would use it the way I do. I ended up using my HHI contract exclusively at HHI so a different UY would not have been a big issue at all, and really, it would have benefited me.

Takes some real analysis of a persons travel habits to make the right decision on UY, but sometimes you don't know what you don't know, until you start to use your membership at different resorts.

 

[Sandisw]

If a person is going to have multiple UYs on various contracts the way you manage your membership is cleanest Sandisw. You give really good advice. I've read so many posts from people that transfer within their contracts with different UYs and it just seems like a really mess sometimes.

I didn't know when I bought my HHI contract that I would use it the way I do. I ended up using my HHI contract exclusively at HHI so a different UY would not have been a big issue at all, and really, it would have benefited me.

Takes some real analysis of a persons travel habits to make the right decision on UY, but sometimes you don't know what you don't know, until you start to use your membership at different resorts.

I am also going to add that I have bought and sold contracts over the years to get to where I am. Some cases, it was at a loss.

I sold one BWV in October to buy RIV, and just sent another BWV for ROFR so that I can replace that one with BLT.

I agree..,sometimes you just don’t know. I am fortunate that I learned early one.

 

[gillep]

If a person is going to have multiple UYs on various contracts the way you manage your membership is cleanest Sandisw. You give really good advice. I've read so many posts from people that transfer within their contracts with different UYs and it just seems like a really mess sometimes.

I didn't know when I bought my HHI contract that I would use it the way I do. I ended up using my HHI contract exclusively at HHI so a different UY would not have been a big issue at all, and really, it would have benefited me.

Takes some real analysis of a persons travel habits to make the right decision on UY, but sometimes you don't know what you don't know, until you start to use your membership at different resorts.

I agree with this. We have two UYs at two different resorts. We owned our first contract for many years before purchasing our second, we wanted to get a feel for the system and how it worked before we added complexity. From my time on the boards here it was obvious that the best way to handle a new purchase was to use the two contracts completely separately if at all possible. My AKV contract is used solely for our yearly AKV trip, and my BCV contract is for all our other trips and to try new resorts. I don't transfer points or even use the contracts on the same trips, they are completely separate entities and I maintain them separately.

Now, whether my UYs are a good fit is a completely separate discussion but we sacrificed a good UY for a better contract price when we purchased our BCV contract, knowing full well that this could cause points loss down the road if we travel late in our UY, but we were willing to accept the risk.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

If I book a resort in the last 4 months of my use year, the risk is if I cancel due to some personal emergency, illness, weather related travel issue, etc…, I will lose those points.

If the resorts were OPEN for me to use and I could not get there. That is on me. I get that.

What I don’t get is when the resorts are unexpectedly CLOSED, I am penalized for taking the “risk” of booking a trip in the last 4 months of my use year.

I understand DVC is complying with government orders and is not at fault here but I’m hopeful there will be some creativity like the 60 day holding window idea that was previously mentioned

The reason you don't understand it is because you are missing the most important point. DVC didn't shut the resorts down. You and I did. We are the owners. DVCM works for us. The government ordered US to shut it down. As our hired management, DVCM just followed the orders to prevent us from getting criminally charged.

So travelling in the final 4 months of your use year in this situation is the same as any other situation. It's nobody's fault if something happens that forces you to cancel. Be it, illness, death in the family, hurricane, damage to the resort, or Covid 19. In all of these cases you are the one cancelling, not Disney. Even if DVC closes the resort, it's really you that is closing the resort. Disney is just the acting agent, representing the membership as a whole.

 

[Sandisw]

The reason you don't understand it is because you are missing the most important point. DVC didn't shut the resorts down. You and I did. We are the owners. DVCM works for us. The government ordered US to shut it down. As our hired management, DVCM just followed the orders to prevent us from getting criminally charged.

So travelling in the final 4 months of your use year in this situation is the same as any other situation. It's nobody's fault if something happens that forces you to cancel. Be it, illness, death in the family, hurricane, damage to the resort, or Covid 19. In all of these cases you are the one cancelling, not Disney. Even if DVC closes the resort, it's really you that is closing the resort. Disney is just the acting agent, representing the membership as a whole.

I will add that because this unprecedented DVCM has said they are evaluating policy to see if there is anything that can be done that doesn’t overwhelm the system,

If it wasn’t for resort closure, they wouldn’t even be considering trying to help.