Combining points from 2 resorts ?

[wdwendyd]

We own at OKW and are thinking of buying a resale BWV as an add-on. Are these considered seperate contracts? Will we be able to combine our points from both resorts to "pay" for a cruise? In this year, we would not be able to do a transfer because some of the points are banked from last year.
Thanks!

 

[Galahad]

We own at two resorts and just have one contract number. You can combine the points from two resorts to do a cruise or stay at any resort. But, you can only use your 11 month window with the points you own at the resort you are booking. For example, we own at OKW and VB. If we want to book a vacation at VB that costs more points than we have left in our VB bucket, we can only book up to that number of points at 11 months out. Then we have to call back at 7 months out to use the OKW points to book the rest of the trip. MS is very good at helping you make decisions about which points to use first when booking various trips. Good Luck!

 

[PamOKW]

In this year, we would not be able to do a transfer because some of the points are banked from last year.

Hi Wendy. You've used the word "transfer" several times in different posts and I'm not sure what you are referring to. A transfer of points is fairly uncommon. It's a way of doing a trade among members (most often members who know each other).
I just want to help you understand how things work so you aren't worried about thing unnecessarily.

When you do an add-on through Disney it is just one contract. I'm not sure how a resale is handled. It is easiest if you can get a resale with the same Use Year but that's not essential.

 

[wdwendyd]

I thought maybe you have to transfer points from one of your resorts to the other so that you have one "lump" of points to work with. I guess I am thinking of this in the wrong way. I am getting a real crash course on DVC from these boards! Thanks for your help

 

[ronw]

I recently purchased an add-on at BWV via resale. Both contracts are at BWV but one has an August use year the other September. They are two separate contracts - each with its own membership number. MS will NOT pool the points to make reservations. This is generally not a problem until you get to the point where neither contract has enough points for a night's reservation but together they would. In that case a transfer would be necessary. I don't know how cruises would work - you might have to have points to pay for "whole" persons from each contract ie one adult from contract #1 and another adult plus child from contract #2.

 

[PamOKW]

That's okay Wendy! This all takes getting used to and then it'll be second nature for you.

When you have two home resorts it's sort of like having two bank accounts. The only time you have to keep them seperate is when you are using the Home Resort priority. At the 7 month mark you can combine the points with no problem.

Banked points are the same as other points in terms of how you can use them. The only thing you can't do with them is "bank them again".

Here's an example.

You have 200 OKW points for 2001. You also have 25 points that were banked from 2000. You have a total of 225 points.

You buy 300 BWV points and get your 2001 allotment.

The two combined gives you 525 points available.

The cruise requires 550 points. You use all of the currently available points and also "borrow" an additional 25 points from your OKW 2002 Use Year.

 

[drusba]

There is an issue when your add-on is a resale. We have two contract numbers (one through Disney, one through resale). When reserving a DVC room, you cannot simply combine the points from two different contract numbers when making a reservation. For example, assume 200 points in each and I need 300 points for a week's stay somewhere. I cannot simply take 200 from one and 100 from the other and combine them if, for example, the first five nights require 190 points and the next two are 55 a piece. I can reserve the first 5 with one contract but I cannot just take the 10 points left and combine them with points from the other contract to reserve one of those additional nights. Each night of the trip needs to have points from only one contract on it. Thus, I would need to reserve the remaining two nights with the second contract only or do a transfer of points from one contract to another and then reserve.

That is how it works for a DVC reservation. What I am not sure of is how they would work it for an exchange out to the Cruise (which simply charge a total for the cruise and not by night); it is something you should definitely check on before doing it. Also, note our contracts have different use years. If your resale will have the same use year as your original contract, you may not have a problem as Disney may assign your original contract number to the resale eliminating the above issue. I would also check on that before going ahead.

 

[Dean]

Actually MS can pool your points. The rules for transfers and the like are frequently more lax when looking at one owner with multiple contracts. It's simply a matter of how their system works. They can only use one contract for doing cruises and the like so they just have to transfer the points. Point out that this is one owner and that the problem is with their system and how it works. I have never had them say no when there was no other reasonable way to make it work, just ask for a supervisor if needed. The one transfer per contract and not being able to transfer borrowed or banked points are flexible in this arena.

 

[PamOKW]

Wendy....I'm learning along with you! I knew there were complications with resales but didn't realize how tricky it can get. Sounds like eventually all of the pieces of the puzzle can be made to fit.

 

[CRobin]

Dean is absolutely right. Just last week I needed 242 points for a ressie within the 7 month window of two seperate contracts; one with 130 points and one with 113. The orignal CM at MS was a bit confused, put me on hold for a couple of minutes and came back and said she didn't know how to do that but her supervisor did. Done deal.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I agree with Dean & CRobin. Happened with me too. Reserved 3 nights at Beach Club in September 2001 for 102 pts. Two separate contracts, one at OKW and one at BW, both resales, both Dec use years. MS used 94 pts from OKW contract and 8 from BW. Didn't even even have to ask them to do this. MS just did this automatically and confirmed with me. Didn't seem difficult to do.

 

[wdwendyd]

My husband talked to a CM and I called and talked to a different CM. They both gave the same answer: It doesn't matter where the points come from - for the cruise or other resorts. They can come from multiple contracts with no problem. Thank you everyone for all your help. Hopefully this thread will help people who have had problems with this in the past!

 

[wdwendyd]

A different MS person called back from a message I had left so I asked again. Well, you guessed it! She said I couldn't combine points. I explained my particular situation further without saying, "Well, so-and-so told me such-and-such" (Aren't you proud of me? Then she said No" is the pat answer but Disney works with everyone to make things work and that it would not be a problem. So I guess that answers that - sort of! We're back to the old debate of if Disney says it's okay to one person, can that person do it without feeling guilty?!!!

 

[Dean]

Since I have multiple contracts and have discussed this extensively with MS incluiding supervisors over time, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this portion. First, the official rules are the same. Second, with cruises and the like they can only use one contract to make the reservation. However the wording I've been given and have used successfully back at MS is "there is significantly more flexibility when dealing with multiple contracts of one owner". What that has meant over the past few years is that if there's no other way to make it work other than transfer the points, they will do so even if banked or borrowed. It's generally been simple common sense. Now I've sometimes had to remind them they had this option and the rep occasionally talks to a supervisor but it always gets done.