How to Make Sure You Use Every Last DVC Point

Every DVC point is precious, and to make the most of your DVC membership, you want to use each and every point.  Here are some ways to ensure you don’t let any DVC points expire before you can use them!

Plan Your Point Use in Advance

In general, DVC works best when you plan in advance since that gives you the best availability.  Moreover, planning in advance allows you to plot out how many points you will use for the year.  Take some time to look at the next year’s points charts and figure out where you’ll use your points and if you may end up with any unused points by the end of the year.  

Be Mindful of Your Banking Deadline

If you know that you won’t use all your current Use Year points in a given year, you can bank them to use the next year.  However, you have to bank them before the deadline.  Your banking deadline is four months before the end of your Use Year.  For example, the banking deadline for a February Use Year is September 30.  If you do not bank your points by the banking deadline, they have to be used before the end of your Use Year.  It’s often helpful to set a calendar reminder that repeats annually for your banking deadline.

Track Your Points

Along with planning your point use, tracking your points is also a good way to see not only how many points you are using but which ones are banked or borrowed.  Any banked or borrowed points must be used before the end of the Use Year.  Otherwise, they expire.  While you can view a log of the points you used on the DVC website, it can be hard to follow.  Some DVC Members prefer to create their own spreadsheets instead.   

Add One-Time Use Points

If after planning out your trips for the year, you end up with a handful of leftover points, you could consider adding some one-time-use points, so you can book an extra night.  These are points that you can use at the 7-month mark or less.  You can purchase up to 24 of these points per Use Year by calling Member Services.  Currently, one-time-use points cost $20 per point.    

Rent Out Any Unneeded Points

If you can’t use your points yourself, that doesn’t mean that they have to go to waste!  Instead, you can rent them out for someone else to use.  This way, the points are used before they expire, and you can earn some income to help cover your annual dues.  If you’re interested in renting out your points, check out our friends at the DVC Rental Store, which offers the highest DVC Member payouts.  

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