Hiya, Dawn!
Welcome to planDisney and Welcome Home! If you ask me, there's nothing more exciting for a Disney Vacation Club Member than the first day of a new Use Year. With all your Vacation Points ready and waiting to create magical adventures, the possibilities are endless! And Members have even more to get excited about this year –– with the
expansion of the Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney Vacation Club's new partnership with
Interval International, there are more ways to use your Points than ever before. Since Use Years are different for each Member, let me share a little bit about how your Use Year works to help your make the most of your Vacation Points this year and beyond.
Most Disney Vacation Club Members aren't worried about ringing in the New Year on January 1 (at least not when it comes to Points). That's because when you receive your yearly allotment of Vacation Points isn't based on the calendar year –– it's determined by when your contract was purchased, also known as your
Use Year. In other words, if you have an October Use Year (because your contract was originally purchased in October), your new Points will be available each year beginning October 1st and can be used through September 30th of the following year.
If you're not sure when your Use Year begins, the easiest way to find that info is by visiting the
Disney Vacation Club website. After signing into your account, click on the
"My DVC" tab in the top menu. On the next page, you'll see a section on the left labeled "Vacation Points", where you can find the month of your Use Year, along with the number of Vacation Points you have available and in holding for the current and upcoming years. You can also find that information over the phone by calling Member Services at (800) 800-9800 to speak with a Cast Member.
Remember that your Use Year also determines
when you can bank your Vacation Points, so you'll want to be sure to keep those dates in your mind, too. This is a great option if you're saving up Points for a special stay (like a few nights in a
Bungalow at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows) or to keep Points from expiring that won't be used by the end of your Use Year. You have the option to bank up to 100% of your annual Points allotment in months 1-8 of your Use Year –– after that, your Points can no longer be banked. That means that for an October Use Year, your banking window is October 1st to May 31st each year.
Thanks for visiting planDisney, Dawn. If you have more questions about your Vacation Points (or any other part of planning your next Disney Vacation Club stay), please feel to stop back by –– we're always here to help!
Have a Magical Day,
Amy