Be careful with banked points and canceling reservations

[PaulW08]

I am planning for a big family vacation in February 2022 with a contract that has a December use year. A type of vacation that would require me to bank all my Dec 2020 points.

Had a vacation booked for June 2021 which was using 24 banked points + some other amount of points on this contract. Then booked another trip in December which used exactly 24 points with this same contract. With the June 2021 trip up in the air I reached out to member services to double check how banked points are used and in what order. They basically told me, "Banked points will always be used first." Okay, well perfect. This is exactly how I always knew it to work and talking to them gave me reassurance.

Last month I canceled the June 2021 trip but am still planning on going on a trip next week using 24 points from this contract in December. This works out perfectly since I still have those 24 banked points to use. Today for the first time in a while I go to the page where you can bank points and noticed something off. It said that I had 100 points available on my contract, but could only bank 76/100.

Well turns out if you book a reservation with banked points, then turn around and book another reservation with the same contract, then cancel the first reservation, the system doesn't just default to using those banked points on that second reservation. I reached out to member services and they said the only way to switch the points to use the banked points were to modify the trip via changing the dates or changing type of room, or canceling the trip all together and rebooking it.

I guess the first time when I reached out, I should have been more specific in my question for my situation. I looked at modifying the reservation before I called and I think I could have just rebooked the same room and dates using the modify option and that probably would have alleviated the issue as well, though member services said you had to change the dates or room type.

Long story short, always check your my vacation points page and the bank my points page every now and again. I know we all probably obsessively login at least once a day (at least I do), but usually it's just to look at availability.

With the in place borrowing limit, my Feb 2022 trip could have been a disaster booking wise if I hadn't checked the bank my points page. Just wanted to post my experience just in case it might help someone else out.

 

[skeeter31]

Could it be as simple as you’re now trying to use points in the UY that you banked the points from, making them ineligible to be used for that trip? It seems like you banked the December 2020 UY points into 2021, but now are looking to use those 24 points in December 2020, which would be within the UY you booked from. So they would look to use other points first.

 

[starry_solo]

It’s because those banked points weren’t available for you to use Based on your scenario. Those banked points were already used in an existing reservation when you made the second reservation. You had to have canceled the first reservation first, thus freeing up the banked points to use in the new reservation.

MS doesn’t reallocate points from a canceled reservation into an existing reservation.

 

[PaulW08]

Could it be as simple as you’re now trying to use points in the UY that you banked the points from, making them ineligible to be used for that trip? It seems like you banked the December 2020 UY points into 2021, but now are looking to use those 24 points in December 2020, which would be within the UY you booked from. So they would look to use other points first.

So the 24 points were already banked from 2019. This situation I just had to get them to reallocate points due to the older reservation that I had canceled were using them.

 

[PaulW08]

It’s because those banked points weren’t available for you to use Based on your scenario. Those banked points were already used in an existing reservation when you made the second reservation. You had to have canceled the first reservation first, thus freeing up the banked points to use in the new reservation.

MS doesn’t reallocate points from a canceled reservation into an existing reservation.

Correct! Would be nice if the system had the capacity to just do that on its own, but I do know now and will be more careful moving forward.

 

[chrispgross]

This happened to me too. I gave points to friends that then cancelled a trip and I couldn't use the banked points in time. I only lost 8, so live and learn.

 

[sethschroeder]

Anytime you make updates and use less points go through and modify all your dates starting with most expensive days do it 2-3 times and you will be set.

They system will automatically take the points expiring or already banked first. The system will not go in to booked reservations to update which points are used unless you modify.

 

[Sandisw]

It has always been this way. The banked points are and were used first.

When you cancel, if you want to now use them for another vacation that is booked, you have to get them reallocated but it doesn’t happen unless you initiate,

You can do it online by simply just modifying the one you are keeping, don’t change a thing and in the end, it pulls banked points.

So, what the CM told you was accurate but didn’t go farther to say that if you cancel, you must initiate that the points get shifted,

Glad you caught before the trip happened as once it did, it would have been too late.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Correct! Would be nice if the system had the capacity to just do that on its own, but I do know now and will be more careful moving forward.

A member might have other plans for the points. Much better that DVC doesn't suddenly start deciding they know how an owner wants to handle their points. I'm sorry you did not know you needed to initiate the reallocation but I believe that is the proper way for it to be handled.

 

[Lorana]

Well turns out if you book a reservation with banked points, then turn around and book another reservation with the same contract, then cancel the first reservation, the system doesn't just default to using those banked points on that second reservation. I reached out to member services and they said the only way to switch the points to use the banked points were to modify the trip via changing the dates or changing type of room, or canceling the trip all together and rebooking it.

You do this by modifying the reservation, but you don’t actually need to change anything at all. Click on modify then go through the flow, keeping the same date, resort and room type. Go through the entire process. It will pull and allocate the banked points to your reservation when it confirms.

 

[PaulW08]

You do this by modifying the reservation, but you don’t actually need to change anything at all. Click on modify then go through the flow, keeping the same date, resort and room type. Go through the entire process. It will pull and allocate the banked points to your reservation when it confirms.

Say I kept that second reservation, would there be anyway of doing it then without reaching out to Member Services?

 

[Lorana]

Say I kept that second reservation, would there be anyway of doing it then without reaching out to Member Services?

You meaning having banked points in one reservation and wanting to move to another?

not that I’m aware of, sadly, unless you could modify the first to use a different contract (half the time my reservations “lock” the contracts even within 7 months, so I often need to call when doing this), and then modify the second to use the contract with banked points. And if you really wanted to use the same contract for the first reservation, you could go back to the first and then reselect that contract. (I may have done just this a couple of times to move points around existing contracts).

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Say I kept that second reservation, would there be anyway of doing it then without reaching out to Member Services?

Usually no, points can't be reallocated between existing reservations.

If you had even more points to potentially work out some sort of reallocation that might be possible but depends on the full scenario. Even with more points it can sometimes be impossible unless you have multiple contacts. And even then might still be impossible without canceling one.

 

[houseofduck]

I have had similar problems with banked points. My problem is forgetting which reservation has the banked points.

We don’t have banked points often, so it’s not something I deal with often. I haven’t found a place on the web site where you can easily see which points are being used for a reservation after it’s been booked. I know you can see it at the time of booking, but afterward, I usually go into the points activity to figure out which reservation has banked points!

Is there an easier way?

 

[Sandisw]

I have had similar problems with banked points. My problem is forgetting which reservation has the banked points.

We don’t have banked points often, so it’s not something I deal with often. I haven’t found a place on the web site where you can easily see which points are being used for a reservation after it’s been booked. I know you can see it at the time of booking, but afterward, I usually go into the points activity to figure out which reservation has banked points!

Is there an easier way?

One thing you can do is simply go in and modify the trip and follow through to the end without changing anything,

There is a points summary at the end which will tell you...it’s before you go to the dashboard,

I always screenshot it. Not sure if this is any easier, but it does help me keep track of it.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I have had similar problems with banked points. My problem is forgetting which reservation has the banked points.

We don’t have banked points often, so it’s not something I deal with often. I haven’t found a place on the web site where you can easily see which points are being used for a reservation after it’s been booked. I know you can see it at the time of booking, but afterward, I usually go into the points activity to figure out which reservation has banked points!

Is there an easier way?

You can go in and modify as was mentioned and then you'd see if it had banked points. Or you can also do a very manual method of via your contract history. Since the system uses banked before current then you can review your history and when you get to a point that you see the banking was done then the next reservation made would have used the banked points as long it was a reservation within the UY you had banked them into. That's the rather tedious old way though and modifying is easier. MS also identifies it pretty quickly so you could call them and ask for assistance in locating where they were used.

 

[Skyborndancer]

One thing you can do is simply go in and modify the trip and follow through to the end without changing anything

This was an AMAZING tip thank you! A month back, I cancelled a earlier reservation I made with prior years banked points. I was assuming they were now lost into the current expiration, and I couldn't spend them without canceling and rebooking a reservation I liked. But! I read your tip, and simple clicked modify and then didn't actually change anything. The system then spend the banked points first and kept the entire reservation the same. Magical! <3

 

[eMoneyBug]

Borrow Bank Current in that order is usage. Always call and ask dvc to move bank points to the earlier resys.

and since they allow return of borrow back to use year, if you want that to happen, must call as well vs waiting for the once per week.

 

[Sandisw]

Borrow Bank Current in that order is usage. Always call and ask dvc to move bank points to the earlier resys.

and since they allow return of borrow back to use year, if you want that to happen, must call as well vs waiting for the once per week.

I think it is banked, then borrowed, and then current UY. And there is no way to free up borrowed points and use current UY i order for them to be returned unless the trip is canceled, and the borrowed points are returned before booking again.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Borrow Bank Current in that order is usage. Always call and ask dvc to move bank points to the earlier resys.

and since they allow return of borrow back to use year, if you want that to happen, must call as well vs waiting for the once per week.

I too swear it used to be that order at some point but it's banked, borrowed, current now.

I think it is banked, then borrowed, and then current UY. And there is no way to free up borrowed points and use current UY i order for them to be returned unless the trip is canceled, and the borrowed points are returned before booking again.

DVC can do it. What you never know is if you can find the CM who can do it or is willing to get it done.