Disney Vacation Club is a points-based vacation ownership program. Each year, members receive an allotment of points that can be redeemed for nights at any DVC resort. Understanding the rules of the points system is the difference between getting 5 nights from your points and getting 8.
Every DVC contract is tied to a "use year" — the month each year when your annual points deposit lands. Common use years are February, March, June, August, September, October, and December. Your use year drives the deadlines for banking and borrowing.
Banking moves unused points into the next use year. Borrowing pulls points from next year into the current year. Together they create a 3-year window of flexibility — you can effectively pool up to three years of points into one massive trip, or stretch a lean travel year across multiple smaller trips.
You can book at your home resort 11 months before check-in. You can book at any other DVC resort 7 months before check-in. For high-demand resorts (Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian Bungalows, Beach Club studios), the 11-month home-resort advantage is essential.
DVC publishes a points chart for each resort that varies by season, room type, view category, and day of week. A Deluxe Studio at Saratoga Springs costs 10 points/night in Adventure Season and 21 points/night in Premier Season — the same room with the same key. Booking around seasonality is the single largest lever for stretching points.