Change points used for existing reservation?

[wingkng]

I currently have a reservation at BLT that I booked at 11 months. Now the 7 months mark is coming up, and I was wondering if I can change to using my banked points from my other home resorts for that same reservation at BLT. Do I need to book a new reservation with my banked points, and then cancel my existing one?

 

[rlovew]

You can't use points other than BLT unless a room is available to change to- there has to be availability at the 7 month mark to keep a room at BLT but use non BLT points.

 

[RobDoc]

As long as there is still availability, you should be able to use those banked points for your existing reservation.

If there is a wait list you could lose the reservation once you cancel the one you already have. In this case, MS won't likely just allow you to subsitute the non-home points for the reservation made using the home resort priority unless there is no waitlist. Otherwise, I'd be very cautious about trying this since you may lose the reservation you already have if there is already a waitlist.

Good luck!

 

[katied]

I've done this at the 7 month window. I call MS and explain what I want to do. They check on availability. If there is availability, they have just "reallocated" my points, so that I did not need a new reservation, etc. I did this with our BLT reservation for last Dec - and then also reallocated for my sister's reservation (using my points) at VGC. In both cases, there was availability at the 7 month window, and they did the reallocation. My reservation number did not change.

I plan to call again for my Jan 2011 trip...

 

[drusba]

^Same experience here, as long as there is other availability for same type of room at 7 months, they will just switch the points in the reservation you already have.

 

[wingkng]

I just got off the phone with MS, and she was able to reallocate my points for my existing reservation at BLT and use up all my banked points! I actually called and initially asked for a new reservation, with the plan to cancel my existing one afterwards. However, she says one of the days (12/19) had no availability for a 1 BR Bay Lake View. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask to reallocate the points. To my surprise, she is it was ok, now that I am at the 7 months mark.

There is method to my madness. Now that I have freed up my 200 BLT points, I was able to modify my April 2011 trip to BLT from a 1 BR to a 2 BR Bay Lake View, using my home resort advantage. I love the flexibility of DVC system!

 

[wildernessDad]

I just got off the phone with MS, and she was able to reallocate my points for my existing reservation at BLT and use up all my banked points! I actually called and initially asked for a new reservation, with the plan to cancel my existing one afterwards. However, she says one of the days (12/19) had no availability for a 1 BR Bay Lake View. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask to reallocate the points. To my surprise, she is it was ok, now that I am at the 7 months mark.

There is method to my madness. Now that I have freed up my 200 BLT points, I was able to modify my April 2011 trip to BLT from a 1 BR to a 2 BR Bay Lake View, using my home resort advantage. I love the flexibility of DVC system!

It doesn't seem right that the MS rep could just reallocate given that one day had no availability.

 

[Orsino]

It doesn't seem right that the MS rep could just reallocate given that one day had no availability.

I would agree, but maybe the reallocation wasn't 100%. If the OP still used BLT points for the night that is no longer available and other points for the nights that are available, then that would seem okay. Maybe that is why they allowed the reservation change.