The problem with different use years is combing the two contracts for a single reservation. If they were the same use year and same resort, the points could be combined without any problems at 11 months out. If different resorts, but same UY, you could easily combine the points at seven months out. But if they were the same resort or different resort with a different UY, you would have to transfer from one to the other to combine the points. I have always been told I used my one transfer in or out each time I transferred from my Dec to my Sept or Sept to my Dec. Others have not been told that. You cannot borrow transferred points so you have to be careful which way to transfer to use the points for a single reservation. For example if I need to use my Dec points for a reservation in October, I would need to transfer my Sept points into my Dec UY so I am using current year Sept points and borrowed Dec points. But then if I need to cancel, I have to use those Dec points no later than Nov 30 because I borrowed them. If I transferred Dec into Sep for an October reservation, I would have to borrow the Dec points (unless they were from the previous year so they would be current UY points and not borrowed). You can make separate reservations with the two UYs and ask for them to be linked so you can stay in the same room. But sometimes they tell you they cannot link reservations made with two different contracts.
That's probably the best way to do it. Just remember that the UY will stay with the 25 points. So they expire on May 31. You'd have to bank them after you transfer them into the Aug contract if you need to use them after May 31 of each year.
Bill
Couldn't you STILL use both different UY for the same trip 11 months out by planning ahead and banking, borrowing etc?
Yes, you can. But you have to be careful how you do it. You can't borrow transferred points. You can bank them. Their UY stays with them if they are transferred. So BLT Feb UY points will remain BLT Feb UY points even if you transfer them to a BLT Jun UY contract.
Transferring them “up” is irrelevant. Transferring only moves them from one membership to another. It doesn’t change the use year or home resort.
Let’s say you have a February and a December use year and want to travel in June. You’d need to transfer December 2016 points and bank them, and transfer December 2017 points. Then you’d combine them with February 2017 banked points and February 2018 current points and borrow February 2019 points. With banking and the booking timeline, you’d need to start planning for that trip around December of 2015;for a June 2018 trip. That’s why it gets confusing.
I'd only do a new UY if you have a specific reason to do so like targeting a specific trip and time of year or addition transfer or wait list spots. Even then only if it were a full sized contract. The other reason would be if the contract itself is too good to pass up like a subsidized VB or Aulani or something difficult to get like VGC or VGF.
By transferring June to Aug, you won't have to worry about accidently trying to borrow the transferred points which you cannot do. But you have to worry about them expiring before your Aug points do (and being late in banking them if you need to bank them).
I would suggest getting the same use year unless absolutely necessary. It’s just easier. That said, having another UY isn’t the end of the world either.
