Current points question??

[amystevekai&bump]

Hi - sorry this has probably been answered a hundred times, but I can't see it anywhere!!

I get that if I bank or borrow points, they have to stay where they are (ie I know I can't trf them back to their original UY), but what happens if I use current years points to book a vacation, and then cancel or change the booking to another resort with fewer points?

Because I have 'used' them to book once, does that mean I have to therefore use them up this year, or am I still able to bank them??

Sorry, I just thought of this scenario, and as someone who likes to change her mind on which place she wants to stay in , this might well happen to me (unless obviously the changes are using the same number of points)

thanks for any info!!

 

[Sandisw]

When you book a vacation with current year points and then change that reservation (either on your own or through the wait list process), you can still bank the points if you are still in your banking window (first 8 months of your UY) and the change comes at least 31 days in advance.

Any changes to a reservation that occur 30 to 1 day prior to vacation will cause the points to go into "holding". Those points can then only be used during that UY, and only for vacations booked 60 days or less in advance of the stay.

This is one of the reasons why UY is important. When you are traveling in those first 8 months, there is a lot more flexibility with what you can do with points.


Good Luck!

 

[amystevekai&bump]

thanks Sandi!! Another addition to get my head around in terms of this UY business!! (Just as I think I have grasped it another twist arrives!!)

I guess as long as I don't try to cancel/reduce a booking in the last four months of my Dec UY (Aug/Sep/Oct/Nov), and as long as I do any banking before the end of July, then I should be ok - is that right???

(To be honest I wonder whether UY is more relevant to those of you in the US, as if I cancelled a holiday from the UK with such short notice then I would lose flight costs etc, so unless it was an emergency, I can't see it happening - and if there was an emergency I guess the last thing on my mind would be losing a years points??)

I hope I have finally got the hang of this!!

 

[drusba]

I guess as long as I don't try to cancel/reduce a booking in the last four months of my Dec UY (Aug/Sep/Oct/Nov), and as long as I do any banking before the end of July, then I should be ok - is that right???

(To be honest I wonder whether UY is more relevant to those of you in the US, as if I cancelled a holiday from the UK with such short notice then I would lose flight costs etc, so unless it was an emergency, I can't see it happening - and if there was an emergency I guess the last thing on my mind would be losing a years points??)

I hope I have finally got the hang of this!!

You are precisely correct as to cancelling or reducing trip by end of July to be able to bank points.

In the US whether you can cancel and get your flight money back depends on type of ticket you have. Often, you can cancel and not get money back but can use ticket later (for an additional fee on many airlines). More expensive tickets allow full refund and you can cancel up to the day of the flight. In any event, the use year has some importance because of the potential to have to cancel in an emergency.

 

[Sandisw]

thanks Sandi!! Another addition to get my head around in terms of this UY business!! (Just as I think I have grasped it another twist arrives!!)

I guess as long as I don't try to cancel/reduce a booking in the last four months of my Dec UY (Aug/Sep/Oct/Nov), and as long as I do any banking before the end of July, then I should be ok - is that right???

(To be honest I wonder whether UY is more relevant to those of you in the US, as if I cancelled a holiday from the UK with such short notice then I would lose flight costs etc, so unless it was an emergency, I can't see it happening - and if there was an emergency I guess the last thing on my mind would be losing a years points??)

I hope I have finally got the hang of this!!

HI Amy,
Yes, you are getting the hang of things!! Any fall trips that you plan would be the ones that could put you in a position of having to figure out what to do with points in case of a cancellation.

But, that just means that those October trips you are considering down the road need to be planned out just a little more specifically from the beginning. Not that big of a deal and remember, you could still make changes up until your banking window closes on July 31st.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Thank you both for your replies!!

(Sandi - I bet you are relieved that I am finally getting the hang of this UY thing!, you've been so patient with me - so thanks again!!)