How to navigate borrowing points for different trip plans

[DVCSunDevil]

So we are planning an Aulani trip for my DD's high school graduation. We will need to book at 7 months and will need to borrow roughly 95 points to make the reservation. As a backup plan, we were going to book a 2BR at BCV at 11 months and will need to borrow around 80 points to make that reservation. I have a few questions on how to do this:
1. Will the site prompt/ask you to borrow points if the reservation you are making is more than what you have available for that UY/stay? Or do you have to see if there is availability then transfer the points needed to make the reservation?
2. How would anyone on here navigate this process to make it easier?

My initial thought was to borrow the points needed for BCV and then book at the 11 month window (pending availability), then at 7 months cancel BCV if there is availability at Aulani...then borrow the remaining points and book Aulani. I wasn't sure if there was an easier way to do it. My worry is borrowing points only to find that the availability is gone between the time it took me to borrow the points and booking the reservation, which would mean I am stuck with those borrowed points. The other worry is cancelling BCV only to find that the Aulani has booked before I could complete the process, then I go to rebook BCV and that too has been taken. I know there is a lot of stalking that goes on out there and if someone sees that reservation come up it could be swiped pretty quickly. It would be REALLY nice if the site asked you if you wanted to borrow points for reservations in which you don't have enough points, thus holding that reservation throughout the borrowing process to complete the reservation.

I have obviously never had to borrow points, so I am a novice on the timing of things. Thanks in advance!

 

[JETSDAD]

Borrowing is only done during the process of making the reservation, not in advance. It will borrow the points at the same time as it pulls the non-borrowed points. You could just go on any time and start to make a reservation that would require you to borrow just to see the process (don't actually book anything, just go through the first steps).

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Borrowing is only done during the process of making the reservation, not in advance. It will borrow the points at the same time as it pulls the non-borrowed points. You could just go on any time and start to make a reservation that would require you to borrow just to see the process (don't actually book anything, just go through the first steps).

Aha...good to know! So when I book BCV it will borrow the 80 points automatically, or will it ask to confirm that you want to borrow the points? And then if there is availability at Aulani 4 months later (at the 7 month window), do I just cancel the BCV reservation and then make the Aulani reservation? I am guessing that is the only way to do it, because I wouldn't want to borrow all the points required to make the Aulani reservation before cancelling BCV (because those points would not be able to go back into their original UY).

 

[TCRAIG]

Rather than cancel BCV - you might want to consider using Modify instead - the system will use the original points (including the 80 borrowed) and ask if you want to borrow 15 more needed for Aul.

 

[JETSDAD]

Rather than cancel BCV - you might want to consider using Modify instead - the system will use the original points (including the 80 borrowed) and ask if you want to borrow 15 more needed for Aul.

The system doesn't allow reservations to be modified to Aulani or VGC reservations. Those require a cancel and new reservation or calling MS (who I assume cancel and rebook as well).

 

[JETSDAD]

Aha...good to know! So when I book BCV it will borrow the 80 points automatically, or will it ask to confirm that you want to borrow the points? And then if there is availability at Aulani 4 months later (at the 7 month window), do I just cancel the BCV reservation and then make the Aulani reservation? I am guessing that is the only way to do it, because I wouldn't want to borrow all the points required to make the Aulani reservation before cancelling BCV (because those points would not be able to go back into their original UY).

It will ask for permission to borrow points.

 

[TCRAIG]

The system doesn't allow reservations to be modified to Aulani or VGC reservations. Those require a cancel and new reservation or calling MS (who I assume cancel and rebook as well).

Good to know - thanks

 

[DVCSunDevil]

The system doesn't allow reservations to be modified to Aulani or VGC reservations. Those require a cancel and new reservation or calling MS (who I assume cancel and rebook as well).

Maybe that's what I will do, just to be safe. I will call MS to have them cancel BCV and book Aulani, that way I don't run the risk of losing one while the change is being made. Thanks!

 

[JETSDAD]

Maybe that's what I will do, just to be safe. I will call MS to have them cancel BCV and book Aulani, that way I don't run the risk of losing one while the change is being made. Thanks!

If it's a cancel/rebook then they run the same risk of that happening as you or I do....only then you're missing the first hour of booking.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

If it's a cancel/rebook then they run the same risk of that happening as you or I do....only then you're missing the first hour of booking.

True. Good point. But I was thinking that if they saw the availability and started the process for me then there would have to be something they could do to override things if they got blocked out on a reservation. I would think they could hold the availability on their end while they are making the change. Hopefully this is all moot, because we are going for 2BRs for each reservation. But still, it's good to know for the future. I guess the only "safe" way to do it is to own enough points so you don't have to cancel one until after you booked the other, but that would be a crazy reason to own that many points.

 

[Sandisw]

True. Good point. But I was thinking that if they saw the availability and started the process for me then there would have to be something they could do to override things if they got blocked out on a reservation. I would think they could hold the availability on their end while they are making the change. Hopefully this is all moot, because we are going for 2BRs for each reservation. But still, it's good to know for the future. I guess the only "safe" way to do it is to own enough points so you don't have to cancel one until after you booked the other, but that would be a crazy reason to own that many points.

Normally, they will tell you they can’t but they can also see how many rooms are still there. We can’t so many times they told me it wasn’t much of a gamble. One time they did, we tried, and I lost both. Ended up at SSR. Fortunately, got it back via waitlist a few days later.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Normally, they will tell you they can’t but they can also see how many rooms are still there. We can’t so many times they told me it wasn’t much of a gamble. One time they did, we tried, and I lost both. Ended up at SSR. Fortunately, got it back via waitlist a few days later.

This helps. Thank you for clarifying. So it sounds like there isn't a better way to do it than the way I laid out. I like your idea of calling MS to at least see how many rooms are still there. Then that way at least we know what odds we are facing. It might come down to just how fast we can cancel one trip and book the next. What is the record for doing that...30 seconds? LOL. Maybe if we opened one browser with the trip we want to book and another browser with the trip we have to cancel, then cancel the one and immediately book the other. Not sure if that would help. Thank you for the info, anyway!

 

[Sandisw]

This helps. Thank you for clarifying. So it sounds like there isn't a better way to do it than the way I laid out. I like your idea of calling MS to at least see how many rooms are still there. Then that way at least we know what odds we are facing. It might come down to just how fast we can cancel one trip and book the next. What is the record for doing that...30 seconds? LOL. Maybe if we opened one browser with the trip we want to book and another browser with the trip we have to cancel, then cancel the one and immediately book the other. Not sure if that would help. Thank you for the info, anyway!

MS doesn’t do the different browser trick. Here is another potential option.

Book BCV as two different reservations as in a split stay. Then, the morning of 7 months, you could try to cancel the first nights, quickly go in and get Aulani. Then drop the second part, modify Aulani, and add the rest of thr days.

It would give you a jump as you can try at 8 am. but you don’t loose all of BCV. May be more trouble than it’s worth but if it didn’t work, you could grab back BCV hopefully.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

MS doesn’t do the different browser trick. Here is another potential option.

Book BCV as two different reservations as in a split stay. Then, the morning of 7 months, you could try to cancel the first nights, quickly go in and get Aulani. Then drop the second part, modify Aulani, and add the rest of thr days.

It would give you a jump as you can try at 8 am. but you don’t loose all of BCV. May be more trouble than it’s worth but if it didn’t work, you could grab back BCV hopefully.

Brilliant! I may do exactly that. At least then I would only have to stalk half of my BCV nights if I ended up not being able to get Aulani. Thank you, Sandi!