Can I transfer points to myself?

[keishashadow]

Probably my dumbest question yet, but we have 2 seperate Oct. UY contracts; 1 resale @ VWL & 1 add-on @ BWV with different contract numbers.

1. Can I transfer "left over" points from one contract to another within the normal banking constraints (i.e. 05' BWV to 05' VWL)?

2. Could I assume the points would become whatever contract I'd transfer them to (BWV would become VWL) unless it's specified/performed manually by MS?

3. Said '05 points would still be bankable (into new resort)?

Not trying to get over, just trying to use all my points before they expire.

 

[CarolMN]

My understanding is that MS will transfer points between a member's contracts when you have to do so to make a reservation. For example, you don't have enough points on one contract to make a night's reservation. Can't think of any other legitimate reason to transfer between your own contracts, but you said you weren't trying to get around any rules anyway.

Best wishes -

 

[AJKMOM]

At the 7 month window, you can use points from both resorts to make reservations anywhere you want, depending on availibility.

 

[CarolA]

I don't understand why MS didn't combine your contracts anyway. They have combined my resale and Disney purchase that were the same year. I would call and see if they can do it. Now they do track by resort. So in one contract I have OKW, HH and BCV points. When I call to make reservations I have to specify which set of points to use, but it's all one member number.

I have a second "member number" for my other use year.

 

[jnrrt]

I'm confused. I thought when you transferred points they retained the resort they came from? So, if I wanted to make a reservation before the 11 month window, I'd have to find points from that resort? So, I guess I don't even understand the question. How's that for helpful?

 

[keishashadow]

I'm confused. I thought when you transferred points they retained the resort they came from? So, if I wanted to make a reservation before the 11 month window, I'd have to find points from that resort? So, I guess I don't even understand the question. How's that for helpful?

I have dibs on being confused...it's my understanding that unless you specify it/instruct DVC to do a manual transfer, that the points become whatever resort/UY they're transferred into...unless, the CM is actually paying attention/DVC computers finally are able to sort points out.

My guide said we "had" to have two different contract numbers since they were at different resorts. He even asked whether I wanted my DH on the new contract (should have said no! Mine, all mine!LOL).

What I'm attempting to do is transfer the "left over" BWV Oct '05 UY points into my VWL Oct '05 UY, and then bank them for '06.

The reason I thought about this in the first place was because my guide indicated that I needed to use, 'transfer' or bank the '04's ASAP or I'd lose them. So I began to wonder - why couldn't I tranfer points into a different contract in the future (and still have the 11 month advantage)?

 

[jnrrt]

Pretty sure I understand your question now, but now I'm sure I don't know the answer. Sorry about that.

Can anyone confirm whether or not points retain their resort when transferred? Now I want to know.

 

[keishashadow]

Pretty sure I understand your question now, but now I'm sure I don't know the answer. Sorry about that.

Can anyone confirm whether or not points retain their resort when transferred? Now I want to know.

Oh, at long last somebody understands me - what a scary thought I hope one of the DVC Sages will step in here and set me straight.

 

[Caskbill]

All purchases have different contract numbers (the extension is different), but are your two resorts under different Membership numbers? That's the key.

If you have two separate blue membership cards with a different 12 digit membership number for each, then they are totally different contracts and the only way to move points from one to the other is via a transfer. Also if that's the case, then your BWV purchase is not an "add-on" but rather a totally separate purchase. In this case, your 'contract numbers would be something like this:

12345.000 & 54321.000

If they're under the same membership number, then you have a VWL purchase with a BWV "add-on". In this case your contract numberw would be something like this:

12345.000 & 12345.001

If you have your January dues statement, you can check there to see the actual contract numbers.

Do you actually have two separate Membership Numbers? If so then it probably had something to do with the original contract being a Resale purchase.

To answer your other question, transferred points are supposed to retain their original use year, use year month, and resort. However when DVC first started, there was only one resort (originally called Disney Vacation Club, but since renamed to Old Key West), so there was no need of any type for transfers since there was only one resort. Thus the computer system they developed did not have a way to store points that did not belong to a user's basic contract. Therefore when transfers are done today, they are changed into the use year month and resort of the other contract new owner's contract.

They have been working on this problem for years. No guess if it'll ever be fully fixed.

 

[keishashadow]

Caskbill - your info was right on the mark, as usual.

I called MS directly. The CM indicated that both contracts are on 1 Membership, with 2 different, consecutive contract numbers.

I'm told I cannot transfer points between the 2 contracts due to being on the same Member Number.

Am I correct is assumming that:

1. Once the 7 month window comes into play, if desired I can "lump" all or partial contracts' points together for 1 res? and

2. Until the computer issue is corrected, I can transfer points (i.e., a purchase from another member) from any DVC resort into my VWL contract and the points "become" VWL points? and

3. Lastly, do transferred points retain their original UY or do they "become" my UY.

Sorry, I'm sure these questions have been answered, probably several, times before. However, my guide isn't the most reliable source of DVC technical info. In addition to originally telling me I'd have 2 different Memberships, I looked @ my account today and only a partial charge when thru for my purchase (approximately 80%). Guide sez they'll take the rest out in 10 days or so...trusting bunch they are...

 

[DVC-Don]

I was wondering this myself. I have a trip planned for August 2006 and two contracts (VWL & OKW, different use years, both with their own membership number) and the 11 month window opens up at OKW in mid Sept. Want to transfer the VWL points over to the OKW contract.

 

[Caskbill]

1. Once the 7 month window comes into play, if desired I can "lump" all or partial contracts' points together for 1 res?

Yes, you can then use the points in any combination you wish, and for any resort you wish. Just tell MS how many points you want to use from each resort's points.

2. Until the computer issue is corrected, I can transfer points (i.e., a purchase from another member) from any DVC resort into my VWL contract and the points "become" VWL points?

If you transfer someone else's VWL points, they will go into your VWL contract. If you transfer someone else's BWV points, they will go into your BWV contract. If you transfer points from someone else's other resort (such as HH, VB, OKW, BCV), then they will go into one or the other of your two contracts. Even though they're suppose to retain their original resort's ID. Keep in mind though that MS can do some things manually and may be able to mark the points. For example, if they came from someone's OKW contract and went into your BWV contract, they can still be marked that they are not good to use at BWV until the 7-month window, but they are still good to use at OKW at the 11-month window. The reason for doing this is to keep people from transferring points between contracts so as to circumvent the 11/7 month rules.

3. Lastly, do transferred points retain their original UY or do they "become" my UY.

This depends as there is some latitude here. For example, I have a June UY month, so I am currently in my 2005 UY. You however are still in your 2004 UY with your October UY month. If you transferred your 2004 points to me, MS would have to put them into my 2005 UY thus they would "become" my use year. But on the other hand, if I transferred any of my 2005 points to you, then you would want them to go into your 2005 UY since there's only 1.5 months left of your 2004 UY and you're past all your banking windows. Bottom line, the UY they become depends on a number of factors, as well as some requests you can make, all based on the two UY months involved and banking windows.

 

[jnrrt]

If you transfer someone else's VWL points, they will go into your VWL contract. If you transfer someone else's BWV points, they will go into your BWV contract. If you transfer points from someone else's other resort (such as HH, VB, OKW, BCV), then they will go into one or the other of your two contracts. Even though they're suppose to retain their original resort's ID. Keep in mind though that MS can do some things manually and may be able to mark the points. For example, if they came from someone's OKW contract and went into your BWV contract, they can still be marked that they are not good to use at BWV until the 7-month window, but they are still good to use at OKW at the 11-month window. The reason for doing this is to keep people from transferring points between contracts so as to circumvent the 11/7 month rules.

So you're saying that this is not supposed to happen, and you can't count on it. Am I understanding you correctly? So, I have points at BWV's and say I want to make a reservation at 11 months but don't have enough points, to be totally safe I would need to find someone with BWV points specifically to transfer? And if (like Keishashadow) I had two contracts, I could not move points from one to the other to get more points for use at the 11 month window at one resort. Do I have all that?

I'm just kicking all this around because we are considering adding on at another resort, but I don't know if I'd rather have the advantage of the 11 month window at 2 places, or the convenience of being able to use all my points at the 11 month window.

 

[Caskbill]

I was wondering this myself. I have a trip planned for August 2006 and two contracts (VWL & OKW, different use years, both with their own membership number) and the 11 month window opens up at OKW in mid Sept. Want to transfer the VWL points over to the OKW contract.

That may, or more likely, will not work. Originally this was a flaw in the system that would let people bypass the 7-month booking limit on points at a non home resort.

MS has gotten better at preventing this. While your transferred VWL points would be assigned to your OKW contract, MS is able to mark the points as transferred from VWL. I'm not sure if it's anything more than a manual notation entered into the computer and tied to those specific points. So when you call at 11-months, the MS person you talk to will see the points as marked and won't allow you to use them.

Keep in mind that while all points in your account are under a specific membership number, contract number, resort, use year month, and use year, they still have other characteristics and therefore are not all grouped together, but rather are in 'collections' of points under that contract.

For example you may show you have a balance of 200 points in a specific resort for a 2005 Use Year, but the MS computers may show your 200 points as being in 4 different point collections, like this:

50 points regular 2005 allocated points
45 points banked in from 2004 allocation
70 points with 'holding' status due to a cancelled DVC reservation
35 points as 'reservation' points, due to a cancelled Disney Collection reservation.

Thus not all of the 200 points are 'equal' as some have restrictions on them. For example only 50 of the points may be banked into 2006, only 165 of the points may be used for a DVC reservation, but only 95 of these are unrestricted while the other 45 can only be used for specific booking windows.

It's in a manner similar to this that DVC can identify restricted usage of transferred points.

 

[Caskbill]

So you're saying that this is not supposed to happen, and you can't count on it. Am I understanding you correctly?......

Looks like you posted this as I was creating my answer to DVC-Don's question. I think I answered it there.

Bottom line, you are not suppose to be able to transfer points from one resort to another in order to use those points at the 11-month window. This is trying to circumvent the 11/7 month rule. And as stated, MS has gotten a lot better at controlling this.

 

[jnrrt]

Thanks, Caskbill.

 

[Dean]

Two different answers for transfers. The rules say transferred points retain the use year and home resort. However, experience and discussions suggest that they assume the home resort AND use year of the contract the are transferred to. Of course this could all change at some point so one should be sure with MS BEFORE they do a transfer. It's also important to make sure which contract and use year your transfer to if they are not the same. I have never heard that MS will insist you transfer points to the same home resort if you own it though it makes sense if one has more than one home resort under a single membership.

My experience and info suggests that one CAN transfer from one contract to another and take advantage of the current flaws in the system. I would prefer it not be so.

 

[DVC-Don]

Thanks Caskbill and Dean. Gives me something to work on for the next month.

 

[disneyberry]

I have never heard that MS will insist you transfer points to the same home resort if you own it though it makes sense if one has more than one home resort under a single membership.

[SIZE=+0]Hmm... actually, I've heard this from 2 or 3 different people at MS... and now that I think about, I should probably add it to my Points Transfer 101 thread... except that it's really only relevant for those who are trying to circumvent the rules.

If the recipient owns OKW and VWL, and is getting BCV points from another member, I believe the points would probably take on OKW-home-resort or VWL-home-resort status depending on which contract (just a reminder that contract and membership are different things) is specified at time of transfer. If the recipient really intended to use the points according to the rules, they could then insist that MS manually make the BCV points actually be BCV-home-resort status. There is also the possibility that the CM doing the points transfer will know enough to manually make them keep the BCV-home-resort status without you asking. In other words, you can't assume the loophole will always happen.

But if the recipient owns OKW and BCV, and is getting BCV points but trying to take advantage of the loophole in MS's systems to get the 11-mo booking at OKW w/ the transferred points, that won't work. MS will always put the BCV points into the BCV contract. I'm pretty certain there's no way around it.

Thanks for bearing w/ me while I sounded that out. [/SIZE]

 

[Dean]

[SIZE=+0]Hmm... actually, I've heard this from 2 or 3 different people at MS... and now that I think about, I should probably add it to my Points Transfer 101 thread... except that it's really only relevant for those who are trying to circumvent the rules.

If the recipient owns OKW and VWL, and is getting BCV points from another member, I believe the points would probably take on OKW-home-resort or VWL-home-resort status depending on which contract (just a reminder that contract and membership are different things) is specified at time of transfer. If the recipient really intended to use the points according to the rules, they could then insist that MS manually make the BCV points actually be BCV-home-resort status. There is also the possibility that the CM doing the points transfer will know enough to manually make them keep the BCV-home-resort status without you asking. In other words, you can't assume the loophole will always happen.

But if the recipient owns OKW and BCV, and is getting BCV points but trying to take advantage of the loophole in MS's systems to get the 11-mo booking at OKW w/ the transferred points, that won't work. MS will always put the BCV points into the BCV contract. I'm pretty certain there's no way around it.

Thanks for bearing w/ me while I sounded that out. [/SIZE]

As I said, I hadn't heard it but it makes sense. It would only apply IF you owned that home resort within the master contract you were transferring to regardless. It would not apply if you owned that home resort under a totally separate conract. I guess it's the same situation as trying to do a transfer between two resorts held under one master.