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DVC Use Year Explained: How to Choose the Right One
Your DVC use year is one of the most confusing — and most important — decisions you'll make when buying. Get it wrong and you could lose points every year without ever understanding why. Get it right and you'll maximize flexibility for decades.
What Is a DVC Use Year?
A use year is the 12-month period during which your annual point allocation is active. Think of it like a fiscal year for your DVC points. On the first day of your use year, Disney deposits your full annual point balance into your account.
Disney offers eight use year options:
February
Use Year
March
Use Year
April
Use Year
June
Use Year
August
Use Year
October
Use Year
November
Use Year
December
Use Year
If your use year is June, your points load on June 1 and expire on May 31 the following year. Every year, on June 1, a fresh batch of points arrives.
Banking and Borrowing: Why Use Year Matters
DVC gives you two tools to manage your points across years:
- Banking — Move unused current-year points into next year's account. You must bank before the 8-month mark of your use year. Banked points expire at the end of the following year.
- Borrowing — Pull next year's points into the current year for a big trip. You can borrow at any time, but borrowed points expire at year-end if unused — they cannot be banked again.
Example: June Use Year
- • June 1: 160 points load
- • Banking deadline: January 31 (8 months in)
- • Bank unused points by Jan 31 → they carry to next June
- • After Jan 31: any unused points are stranded until May 31 expiration
If you typically travel in spring or summer, a June use year means your points arrive right before peak booking season — ideal. A December use year for the same traveler means points arrive 6 months before peak travel, and the banking deadline hits in August.
How to Pick the Right Use Year
The goal is to choose a use year that aligns your point allocation with your travel patterns. Here's the framework:
Rule 1: Match Your Use Year to Your Trip Month
Your use year should start 1–2 months before your typical travel month. This way, points arrive fresh right as you need them, and you have maximum flexibility to bank or borrow if plans change.
| If you travel in… | Consider this use year |
|---|---|
| January / February | December or November |
| March / April / May | February or March |
| June / July / August | April or June |
| September / October | August |
| November / December | October or November |
Rule 2: Avoid Stranding Points Before Major Holidays
The worst position to be in: points expiring in December when you haven't taken your trip yet. A December use year means points expire December 31 — dangerously close to the holiday season when you're most likely to travel and least likely to have banked in time.
Rule 3: February Use Year Is the Most Popular — For Good Reason
February is the most common use year in the DVC system. Here's why it works well for many owners:
- Points load February 1 — right as spring break and Easter planning begins
- Banking deadline is September 30, well before holiday season trips
- Works for families who travel in summer (borrow from next year or use current year) and for fall travelers (bank leftovers)
- Most resale contracts available are February use year — easier to find contracts
Can You Change Your Use Year?
No. Once you close on a contract, the use year is permanent. It cannot be changed, transferred, or converted. This is why getting it right before you buy matters.
If you own two contracts with different use years, they cannot be combined into a single booking without workarounds. Many DVC members specifically buy add-on contracts with matching use years so their points pool together cleanly.
Use Year and the 11-Month Booking Window
DVC's booking windows are 11 months for your home resort and 7 months for all resorts. Your use year interacts with these windows in an important way.
If you want to book a stay during the first 1–2 months of your use year, you may need to borrow points from the new year to make the booking — your fresh allocation hasn't arrived yet when you book 11 months out.
Example: June use year, booking a July trip at 11 months means booking in August. Your June allocation already arrived — you're booking with current-year points. Works perfectly.
Counter-example: June use year, booking a March trip at 11 months means booking in April. Your June points haven't loaded yet in April — you'd need to borrow from the upcoming June allocation.
What If You Buy a Resale Contract With the Wrong Use Year?
Sometimes the perfect contract at the right resort and right price has a suboptimal use year. Here's how to evaluate whether it's worth it:
- One month off: Likely fine. You'll adapt quickly and the banking window is forgiving enough.
- Three months off: Workable, but you'll need to be more deliberate about banking deadlines.
- Six months off: Higher risk of point loss if your plans change. The price discount would need to be significant.
A contract with the wrong use year at a great price can still be a good deal — especially for disciplined planners who book well in advance. Use our DVC calculator to model the full cost with any contract before deciding.
Use Year Quick Reference
| Use Year | Points Load | Banking Deadline | Points Expire |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | Feb 1 | Sep 30 | Jan 31 |
| March | Mar 1 | Oct 31 | Feb 28 |
| April | Apr 1 | Nov 30 | Mar 31 |
| June | Jun 1 | Jan 31 | May 31 |
| August | Aug 1 | Mar 31 | Jul 31 |
| October | Oct 1 | May 31 | Sep 30 |
| November | Nov 1 | Jun 30 | Oct 31 |
| December | Dec 1 | Jul 31 | Nov 30 |
Banking deadline is 8 months after use year start. Points expire at end of month before the following year's use year begins.
Bottom Line
Use year is a permanent decision that affects every single year of your DVC ownership. Most buyers should match their use year to their primary travel season. February works well as a default because it has the widest resale inventory and a banking deadline that lands in a low-travel period for most families.
If you're weighing DVC overall — not just use year — read our resale vs. direct guide to understand where you should buy, and our DVC points guide to understand how banking and borrowing work in full detail. Then run the numbers in our calculator to see what a contract at your target resort actually costs.