Can you book a ressie using current use year points and then change to banked points

[invalid_char]

Our use year is in April and we will be booking a ressie for May '04 at the 11 month window in June. Our banking deadline for this year's points is September 30, so we have time to decide whether or not to bank this year's points (we may go in October, we may not). Correct me if I'm wrong, but once you bank points you cannot put them back in the current use year SO we would like to make the ressie for next May using NEXT year's points ('04)and then switch to THIS year's points by banking them into the '04 use year. Can we do this and keep the same reservation? I wouldn't want to lose our spot in the queue or risk not getting a room and yet I also do not want to use next year's points if we will be banking this year's points.

Does this make sense? Thanks for your help!

 

[Nanajo1]

I recently did something similar. My trip was overlapping use years. I have a Dec UY. I booked 11/23 to 12/6 at 11 months. I banked left over 2001 points and the CM reallocated them to the 2002 part of my trip. So I if I want to I can bank the 2002 uy points. Having a trip over lap Uy is confusing but MS really helped.

 

[Dean]

You are correct in that once the points are banked, they cannot be returned to the original use year.

As for making a reservation then reallocating points Later to free up the "better and more flexible" points, MS is hit and miss. They are not supposed to do this if there is a wait list but sometimes they will and other times not.

 

[Nanajo1]

Dean,
I don't understand what a wait list has to do with it. The reservation is already confirmed and if you are using your home resort points isn't it just a bookkeeping matter unlike trying to substitute non home resort points at 7 months for an 11 month reservation.

 

[Richyams]

While it is unlike using non-hime resort points, its also similar. In some way it kind of opens a door to an argument for reserving at 11 months with home resort points and switching to non-home points at seven months.

I do agree that its not the same....pretty much.

 

[RobDoc]

While this type of reallocation is usually not a problem, I'd suggest banking the points and using them for the 2004 reservation at this time. If you later decide to go during the 03/04 Use Year, you can still borrow from the 04/05 Use Year for that reservation without problem.

Enjoy!

 

[invalid_char]

Doc, I am confused by your response. Won't I run into the same issue with my October ressie if I try to switch it to using banked points?

I must be missing something. You should have to pass a test before becoming a DVC member.

 

[RobDoc]

Won't I run into the same issue with my October ressie if I try to switch it to using banked points?

No, you'd be using borrowed points for that reservation and will have no reason to switch the reservation to banked points, but would have to use those points by March 31 once they are borrowed, should you cancel that reservation.

 

[invalid_char]

Hi Doc. I already made this October reservation in '02 using '03 points. I did not make that clear in my initial post and it is probably why I am confused by your response. Still confused.

 

[RobDoc]

Originally posted by invalid_char
Hi Doc. I already made this October reservation in '02 using '03 points. I did not make that clear in my initial post and it is probably why I am confused by your response. Still confused.

If you won't be keeping the Oct 03 reservation (made using 03 Use Year points), you will have to cancel 31 or more days ahead or those points will become Holding Account points (and you won't likely be able to reallocate them).

If you cancel the October reservation 31 days (or more) ahead, then you will still be able to bank the points to use for a reservation during the '04 UY. In that case, the advice you have already received will still be valid. You would probably be able to reallocate the points freed up by cancelling the Oct reservation, but would be safer making that decision and simply banking those points prior to making the 04 reservation.

Good Luck!

 

[invalid_char]

Thanks everyone. It sounds like it will be safest to make a decision about October before I make the ressie in June, although I'd prefer to leave my options open. I'll call MS tomorrow and see what they say .... maybe they'd be willing to put something in writing for me... you never know!

 

[Dean]

Go ahead and make the reservations using 2004 use year points at the 11 month window then you can see what your options are when Oct comes. If you don't have enough points, make what you can avoiding weekends first. Worst case scenario is you don't go Oct and can't substitute the banked points for your May, 04 reservation. You would then have decisions to make but all would not be lost. It's unlikely to be on a wait list and then you would be able to substitute without a problem. You would still have a good chance of success in the long run. You can always wait list using the banked points for any of the days under worst case scenario. Or they might just let you substitute regardless. Good luck.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

You should not have a problem switching these home resort points out as long as they are from the same resort, just different use years. We have done this. The wait list should not be a consideration as you are swapping home resort points for the same.