Hypothetical: Would this use banked or current points?

[Chrisizzle]

I thought I had a good handle on DVC points, expiration, and use-years. However, I have banked points for the first time and a hypothetical I am not sure about.

For easy math, let's say I have 100-point contracts at both BLT and AKV. These contracts share a use-year for easy points sharing. In this scenario, I have 100 current use-year points at BLT but 100 banked points from a previous year at AKV.

Now let's say I use my BLT contract to book 11-months in advance and need an even 100-points for my stay. What points will be used when I ultimately check in?

Options:
1) The BLT points must be used because I needed home resort privileges for the 11-month window.

2) The expiring AKV points will be used automatically.
In my mind this should happen because I could call member services within 7-months of my stay. I could cancel the BLT reservation currently using BLT points, and immediately rebook using the banked AKV points.
I understand the risk of losing the reservation entirely should someone else take it during this transition. However, it is possible and would then use the 100 banked points from the non-home resort. Automatically using banked points (regardless of home resort) would just save everyone trouble.

3) Is there something else I haven't considered?

Apologies if this is a repeat question. I did search and saw a general 'banked points are always used first' theme. However, it didn't quite address the home resort crossover.

 

[npatellye]

1 for the exact reasons you stated: 11 month home resort window uses home resort points

 

[Sandisw]

Points never change use for home resort so only your BLT points can be used at BLT during home resort booking period, regardless of the status of your AKV points.

At 7 months, you can modify your BLT reservation and use the banked AKV points as long as there are still nights available there for the trip.

If there are not, then you won’t be able to use those banked points. But, you can certainly put in a waitlist or stalk once at 7 months to slowly get them used. I have done this.

I waitlist and stalk the first or last night. If it shows up, I book with it will the banked or non home resort points. I then modify my original trip to drop the night I just got. I continue to do that one night at a time connecting to what I have so that I can drop as I go along.

Once I get close…if I haven’t been able to use them all… just have Ms merge it all into one trip.

 

[Marionnette]

I thought I had a good handle on DVC points, expiration, and use-years. However, I have banked points for the first time and a hypothetical I am not sure about.

For easy math, let's say I have 100-point contracts at both BLT and AKV. These contracts share a use-year for easy points sharing. In this scenario, I have 100 current use-year points at BLT but 100 banked points from a previous year at AKV.

Now let's say I use my BLT contract to book 11-months in advance and need an even 100-points for my stay. What points will be used when I ultimately check in?

Options:
1) The BLT points must be used because I needed home resort privileges for the 11-month window.

2) The expiring AKV points will be used automatically.
In my mind this should happen because I could call member services within 7-months of my stay. I could cancel the BLT reservation currently using BLT points, and immediately rebook using the banked AKV points.
I understand the risk of losing the reservation entirely should someone else take it during this transition. However, it is possible and would then use the 100 banked points from the non-home resort. Automatically using banked points (regardless of home resort) would just save everyone trouble.

3) Is there something else I haven't considered?

Apologies if this is a repeat question. I did search and saw a general 'banked points are always used first' theme. However, it didn't quite address the home resort crossover.

Only home resort points can be used during the 11-7 month home booking period. It doesn't matter that the AKV points were banked if you're booking BLT during that time frame.

At 7 months or less, the AKV banked points are not automatically substituted for the BLT points from your current allotment of points. That would undermine the whole home resort advantage. People would buy "cheap" points at another resort and then have them automatically used in an existing reservation at a more "expensive" resort.

If there are any nights available at BLT at 7 months, assuming that they are for the same view as your existing reservation, you can modify the reservation without changing the dates. You then click on your AKV contract in the page where you choose your contracts (the BLT contract will be locked in the #1 spot). When you complete the modification, the AKV banked points will be taken for any of the available nights. It might not use all 100 banked points, depending on how many points the available nights use.

 

[Her Dotness]

That modification could be done technically but could be very risky if you're wanting a studio, particularly September-early January. It'd really hinge on BLT availability.

You ask: "What points will be used when I ultimately check in?"

As Marionnette stated, your AKV points won't be applied "automatically" anywhere, anytime. You have to designate where you want them to be used, which is why I suggest booking AKV at 11 months and modifying at 7 to BLT if you can get availability. See last paragraph.

It's not what points are used when you check in but which, banked or current year, are applied to the reservation when you book. The system will automatically use banked points first on a stay requiring more points than the number banked, then will switch to current year points from that same contract. That's the only "automatic" for banked points being applied that I'm aware of.

Your scenario would apply all 100 BLT points to the reservation. Once you switched and plugged in the AKV points if able to do that fully, you'd have used your banked points but would have 100 BLT points to go somewhere.

If your 7 months before arrival date is after your banking deadline for those BLT points, you could be in a real pickle with the BLT points when you go to switch out and apply the AKV ones.

31 or More Days Before Check-In

If the new reservation uses fewer Vacation Points than the original reservation, the remaining Vacation Points will be returned to your account in the Use Year in which the reservation falls.

I'm not sure you could bank those BLT points after the banked AKV points were plugged in fully. Might have to use the BLT points before the UY ends. I dunno. Expert assistance needed here.

Consequently, I'd just book at AKV which will use those banked points for sure and then try for BLT availability at 7 months. You'd have a for-sure place to stay if using the banked points at BLT at 7 months wouldn't go or would leave leftovers. In this case, you'd not be using the BLT points unless able to add more nights to this modified reservation so would bank them before your banking deadline and have them to use the following year. Seems to me somewhat simpler, since it'd avoid a use-or-lose or messing with renting out those AKV points to prevent the loss.

 

[Sandisw]

That modification could be done technically but could be very risky if you're wanting a studio, particularly September-early January. It'd really hinge on BLT availability.

You ask: "What points will be used when I ultimately check in?"
It's not what points are used when you check in but are applied to the reservation when you book. If your 7 months before arrival date is after your banking deadline for those BLT points, you could be in a real pickle with the BLT points when you go to switch out and apply the AKV ones.

31 or More Days Before Check-In

If the new reservation uses fewer Vacation Points than the original reservation, the remaining Vacation Points will be returned to your account in the Use Year in which the reservation falls.

I'm not sure you could bank those BLT points if you had leftovers after the banked AKV points were plugged in fully. Might have to use the BLT points before the UY ends. I dunno. Expert assistance needed here.

Consequently, I'd just book at AKV which will use those banked points for sure and then try for BLT availability at 7 months. Seems to me somewhat simpler, since it'd avoid a use-or-lose or messing with renting out those AKV points to prevent the loss.

Any freed up points more than 31 days out would be eligible for banking as long as you are in the banking window.

So, as long as the modifications and changes happen then, it is not an issue,


The times I have done it have been winter months with my Aug and Dec UYs so I have right up until 31 days prior to keep trying with no issue of banking

 

[Her Dotness]

Any freed up points more than 31 days out would be eligible for banking as long as you are in the banking window.

So, as long as the modifications and changes happen then, it is not an issue,

Thanks, Sandisw. Thought maybe that was so but wasn't sure.

If you would, read over my many ETA's since you pulled the quote and see if I've misadvised the OP.

I'll let you come over to our VGF 1br to do laundry to return the favor when you and we are both there at the same time and you're in a resort studio.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks, Sandisw. Thought maybe that was so but wasn't sure.

If you would, read over my many ETA's since you pulled the quote and see if I've misadvised the OP.

I'll let you come over to our VGF 1br to do laundry to return the favor when you and we are both there at the same time and you're in a resort studio.

I think it looks good! Thanks a bunch! No worries I always head to my 1 bedroom at RIV after a stay at VGF!

 

[Her Dotness]

Gee whiz! If I'd known you were a VGF deserter for RIV...no laundry doing for you.

The reverse? THAT makes sense to me--Grandest for last.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Apologies if this is a repeat question. I did search and saw a general 'banked points are always used first' theme. However, it didn't quite address the home resort crossover.

There is no reassessment of what points should be used at check-in, regardless of the "home resort crossover."

For example, pretend you book BLT with current year 2023 points. THEN, you bank some 2022 BLT points. If you do nothing else, your reservation will still be booked using 2023 points, not the banked 2022 points. The system uses banked points first, if and only if there are banked points available at the time of booking.

The issue isn't that these are two different resorts, the issue is that the banked points are not available for use at the time of booking. Points are designated for use at booking, not check-in.

 

[Sandisw]

Gee whiz! If I'd known you were a VGF deserter for RIV...no laundry doing for you.

The reverse? THAT makes sense to me--Grandest for last.

RIV is tops for us and if I ever had to do just one, RIV still wins, Guess I better bring my new VGF luggage laundry bag with me to truck it over to the dark side!

 

[Her Dotness]

Guess I better bring my new VGF luggage laundry bag with me to truck it over to the dark side!

There ya go.

 

[DVCanadian]

Book your BLT reservation at 11 months.
At some point after 7 months you can call or use the chat to request to use the contract with the banked AKV points for the reservation.

You can also go in and edit the reservation yourself, make no changes except at the end choose the AKV contract as the first contract to use points from and the reservation will switch to the banked AKV points. You will then be able to bank the BLT points if you wish.

 

[Sandisw]

Book your BLT reservation at 11 months.
At some point after 7 months you can call or use the chat to request to use the contract with the banked AKV points for the reservation.

You can also go in and edit the reservation yourself, make no changes except at the end choose the AKV contract as the first contract to use points from and the reservation will switch to the banked AKV points. You will then be able to bank the BLT points if you wish.

It should only happen if it’s not fully booked.