How to Bank and Borrow DVC Points
I love the banking and borrowing features of the Disney Vacation Club. It allows flexibility and helps me utilize every DVC point that I have. Banking will enable members who will not use their vacation points to push them into the following year. Members can move every unused point into the following period. Borrowing is the process of getting points from next year and bringing them forward into this year. Together, banking and borrowing will allow you to utilize up to three years of vacation points in one year.
Banking
Banking is the DVC process of moving unused points from the current Use Year to the next Use Year. Members can book up to 100% of the current year's use points to the next year as long as they do it by the end of the eighth month of the contract's Use Year. After the eighth month, owners can't bank any more points, and the points must be used, or they will expire. There is no more banking after that time. Once the points are banked, then the points cannot be banked again into another Use Year. Also, the points cannot be returned to the original Use Year once banked.
Borrowing
Borrowing is a way to get the allotment of vacation points from the following year into the current year. Members can also borrow up to 100% (temporarily limited to 50%) of their vacation points to make a reservation this year. There are no deadlines for this, but once the points are borrowed into a Use Year, the points cannot return to the original Use Year. Owners can borrow points only if they are needed to make a reservation. Member Services will first use the current Use Year points, and then the succeeding borrowed points will be added if required.
Banking And Borrowing
Banking and borrowing simultaneously can provide the most flexibility for members. If you don't go to Disney every year, this option will allow you to buy only 1/3 of the points needed for your vacation. When I purchased my first DVC contract, this is what I had in mind. I purchased 1/3 of the points required to take my family vacation that we would take every third year. “Addonitis” got me in the end, and I added another contract so we could have that family trip every two years, but the plan worked well. For my vacation in the summer of 2015, I banked my initial 2014 points, used my current 2015 points, and borrowed my points from 2016 to give me the points needed for a Grand Villa, Savanna View at Animal Kingdom Villas.
My strategy for using banking and borrowing was to create one big vacation. But your use of points doesn't have to be so radical. You can bank and/or borrow on a smaller scale to get the flexibility you need.
Banking And Borrowing-Final Transactions
Just a further emphasis, Banking and Borrowing are final transactions. So once you move points into a year, they can never be moved out of that year. When making these kinds of reservations, you should take care as you need to use the points or lose them.
Banking deadlines are set based on your Use Year and eight months from when you get your points. For example, an April Use Year will have vacation points in your account on April 1st. If you don't plan to use the current year's points, bank them to next year. The decision to bank the points will need to be made by the banking deadline for the April Use Year, November 30th.