Taking 2 Years Off--How to Use Points?

[DisneyStarWisher]

Has anyone ever tried to use their points in this way? Go to WDW two years in a row (using an AP for both trips) and then taken two years off. With the prices at WDW skyrocketing, we are looking at going less. Plus we have other places we want to go now that we are retired. Has anyone done this? If so, do you just try to use up four year's worth of points on the two trips (bank and use current points for Trip 1, use current points and borrow for Trip 2)? I'm sure there's danger in losing points this way? Do you just use less than four year's worth of points and rent out your extra points? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around this.

 

[Marionnette]

Has anyone ever tried to use their points in this way? Go to WDW two years in a row (using an AP for both trips) and then taken two years off. With the prices at WDW skyrocketing, we are looking at going less. Plus we have other places we want to go now that we are retired. Has anyone done this? If so, do you just try to use up four year's worth of points on the two trips (bank and use current points for Trip 1, use current points and borrow for Trip 2)? I'm sure there's danger in losing points this way? Do you just use less than four year's worth of points and rent out your extra points? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around this.

We're also considering the same strategy but the 50% limit on borrowing could end up being a problem. My points are so messed up from canceling, banking, and borrowing to reschedule trips this year that it's going to take me a couple of years to straighten things out.

The problem with a twice in 4 years plan is that you run the risk of having orphaned points. I really hate to see points go to waste. You really have to plan things out for several years at a time in order for it to work out. And then curveballs like a realignment of the points chart or restrictions on the number of points you can borrow throw your plans for a loop.

We're skipping next year. At least that's where we stand today.. We're putting all banked points up for rent. We're going to bank all current points forward to the next UY. And then we'll see what we want to do. We may end up renting those points out and taking another year off. We were just there and while we enjoyed the trip, we decided that we don't want to spend our vacation dollars at Disney again until much of what we missed returns.

 

[Stargazer65]

Plus we have other places we want to go now that we are retired.

There's other places to go?

JK...anyway, I can't see why that wouldn't work, although it might be harder right now because of the borrowing limitation.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I banked all of my 2020 points into 2021. We have plenty to use next year, and then we will use all of our 2022 points for that year. I'm also planning a Hawaii trip in either 2023 or 2024, which will use up those points. There will be no need to borrow for awhile. I'm just thinking long-term.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

We have definitely used our annual passes the way you describe. The years we buy AP we tend to go 11 months apart....usually in November the first year then October the next year (and usually a quick 3 day trip somewhere in between).

As others have said, the issue with banking/borrowing to spread out the trips is there is more risk if you have to cancel. I think if you go this route I'd make sure my reservations were early in my use year so in case you have to cancel you'll have maximum time to use the points that will expire. I'd also have a backup plan....ie maybe Vero Beach or Aulani or even rent/transfer them out.

We also banked all of our Sept 2020 points into Sept 2021 just in case DVC decides to limit banking as well. I'd rather have too many points in my Sept 2021 use year than have to be "forced" to use them during the pandemic.

 

[jbreen2010]

You can always try to rent out your points on years you do not want them if you have already banked/borrowed all you need. Could also help fund your trips to other places.

 

[Sandisw]

I won’t ever be planning this because part of my retirement travel plans is WDW monthly from. Dec to March for 3 to 4 nights each time.

But, I think anything can work with careful planning. It is possible that you could lose a stray point here or there, but other than that it could and should work once the 50% borrowing isn’t in place!

 

[Skywalker3]

Since buying in 2011, except for 1 year when the Gold pass renewal was crazy low, this is kind of how we did our trip planning. One full year with APs, going 2-3 times, at least a week or longer each if 2 trips. Then we'd take a year-18 months off of Disney, go to Universal or whatever. Generally it worked out to where we were almost always borrowing and using current year points for the year we planned to be there. We have never had any unused/stray points...yet....I'm not quite sure with the current situations what the coming years will bring. we'll be banking more of this year's points than ever before, and we have NO plans to go back for at least 2 years, maybe longer, so we may end up renting, or finally trying Hilton Head, or I just don't know. But for our prior years, no issues with planning and having a 'year of Disney,' then waiting at least a year, 18 months (not quite 2 years) to go back.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I won’t ever be planning this because part of my retirement travel plans is WDW monthly from. Dec to March for 3 to 4 nights each time.

But, I think anything can work with careful planning. It is possible that you could lose a stray point here or there, but other than that it could and should work once the 50% borrowing isn’t in place!

We had four nights in Oct and have four nights in Nov, four in Dec, three in Jan and three in May. Then we start over in Oct 2021.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I won’t ever be planning this because part of my retirement travel plans is WDW monthly from. Dec to March for 3 to 4 nights each time.

But, I think anything can work with careful planning. It is possible that you could lose a stray point here or there, but other than that it could and should work once the 50% borrowing isn’t in place!

We had four nights in Oct and have four nights in Nov, four in Dec, three in Jan and three in May. Then we start over in Oct 2021.

We are totally opposite. We would never want to travel to WDW that much, but that's mainly because we are 11 1/2 hours away. I prefer longer trips less often.

 

[Sandisw]

We are totally opposite. We would never want to travel to WDW that much, but that's mainly because we are 11 1/2 hours away. I prefer longer trips less often.

Lol. Only 3 to 4 hours by plane for me so definitely easy to make small trips work!

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Lol. Only 3 to 4 hours by plane for me so definitely easy to make small trips work!

Well, it's only 2 hours by plane for us, but that's way too long for me! I love to travel. I just hate getting there and getting home.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are totally opposite. We would never want to travel to WDW that much, but that's mainly because we are 11 1/2 hours away. I prefer longer trips less often.

I understand that. When we were 14 hours away, it was two trips per year a week or more each time. Now we are three hours away by car, so we can do the shorter trips and not feel bad about it.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I understand that. When we were 14 hours away, it was two trips per year a week or more each time. Now we are three hours away by car, so we can do the shorter trips and not feel bad about it.

Yes if I was three hours away, I’d probably be there all the time!

 

[sethschroeder]

Just use all your points. Not to difficult really.

Either go for longer or go in bigger rooms. Also make sure your trips over lap so you can get 1 annual pass.

 

[kevtlas]

We've done this a few times, trying to maximize the AP by using 3 times. We always tried to use current and borrow instead of current and banked. At the time, we only had February UY, and had used all of our past points (so full 2014 UY points still).

We visited once in December 2013 using the last of our 2013 UY points, and activated our APs during that trip. We visited again in July 2014, and a last time in December 2014, using our 2014 and borrowed 2015 points, banking the few 2015 points we didn't use. Then we started the whole cycle again in December 2015. We did three "cycles" like that until we moved overseas and decided to wait until we move back before visiting again. Not sure we'll go back to that type of schedule with ticket prices where they are now, but it did work well for us in the past.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

We've done this a few times, trying to maximize the AP by using 3 times. We always tried to use current and borrow instead of current and banked. At the time, we only had February UY, and had used all of our past points (so full 2014 UY points still).

We visited once in December 2013 using the last of our 2013 UY points, and activated our APs during that trip. We visited again in July 2014, and a last time in December 2014, using our 2014 and borrowed 2015 points, banking the few 2015 points we didn't use. Then we started the whole cycle again in December 2015. We did three "cycles" like that until we moved overseas and decided to wait until we move back before visiting again. Not sure we'll go back to that type of schedule with ticket prices where they are now, but it did work well for us in the past.

I do plan on getting at least two trips out of our APs. But I'm wanting to take two years off after that. So for example, we may go in November 2021 and then again in October 2022, using our APs. But then we probably won't go back in 2023 or 2024. If I understand your example correctly, it looks like you didn't take any years off. That's what we are doing right now, and I understand how to use the points. My question is about how to use the points if we decide to take two years off.

 

[Marionnette]

I do plan on getting at least two trips out of our APs. But I'm wanting to take two years off after that. So for example, we may go in November 2021 and then again in October 2022, using our APs. But then we probably won't go back in 2023 or 2024. If I understand your example correctly, it looks like you didn't take any years off. That's what we are doing right now, and I understand how to use the points. My question is about how to use the points if we decide to take two years off.

In your case, the best way to work it would be to borrow the 2023 points into your 2022 UY for that trip. You end up with zero points in 2023.

You then bank your 2024 points into 2025. In 2025, you use the current points plus the banked points for your trip.

In 2026, you borrow your 2027 points for a trip that year. If timed right, your AP from the 2025 trip will still be good.

You then take 2027 and 2028 off from visiting Disney. You bank the 2028 points into 2029 and begin the cycle again.

Of course, this assumes that you have exactly the number of points that you need. TBH, this rarely happens. I always end up with a few extra points, or come up a few points short. If you’re inside the 7-month booking window, you can purchase OTUPs to make up the shortfall. If you have a surplus of points, you can offer them up for rent or transfer. In a worst case scenario, you end up forfeiting points because they expire. That’s why it’s important to plan out your point usage for several years and hope that there’s no changes such as an adjustment to the points charts or a restriction on banking/borrowing.

 

[Travel60]

Borrow half 2023 for your 2022 trip. Rent out or use other half through REI for other travel. Bank 2024.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It really got me thinking about how to make this work. I think I've come up with a solution to save some $ and be able to travel other places, but I came up with 5-7 points leftover every year or two. During a 5-year cycle, it looks like I will lose 17 points total. I'm sure this will change due to point charts reallocations though. If not, I can use those extra points by booking an extra night in a studio at the beginning of a trip or by possibly reallocating points to an existing HHI reservation. Here's what I came up with:
Year 1: Go to WDW using banked and current points--buy and use AP
Year 2: Go to WDW using current and some borrowed points--use AP
Year 3: Skip WDW and travel elsewhere--bank remaining points
Year 4: Instead of skipping this year, go to WDW for a resorts-only stay using banked and current points--save $ by not buying park tickets but splurging on a 1-BR to have extra room and a full kitchen for meals (We actually would look forward to this type of trip! We love our HHI trips because we can just relax. I would love to be able to do that at WDW! If we didn't want to go to WDW, we could possibly use the points to take an extra trip to HHI which we do every year, traveling during off-season since we would be using AKV points,)
Year 5: Skip WDW and travel elsewhere--bank points
Begin the cycle all over again.

Anyone do something similar?