II-If booked, when do points get taken?

[debbie in Seattle]

If and when someone books through II, let's say 2 years or a year in advance, when are the points that are needed for that ressie taken from
your point 'bank'

 

[RobDoc]

I think the points are deducted once you have accepted the match thru II. The points will be deducted based on the points available at the time of the reservation.

Points are also deducted from your account when a reservation is made at a DVC resort. Subsequent changes, cancellation, etc can replace the points in the account, subject to normal rules.

 

[jel0511]

I think the points are deducted once you have accepted the match thru II. The points will be deducted based on the points available at the time of the reservation.

Points are also deducted from your account when a reservation is made at a DVC resort. Subsequent changes, cancellation, etc can replace the points in the account, subject to normal rules.

Doc is right. The points are deducted as soon as the trade is accepted, even if the trade is 2 years out. So, if you request a trade on Monday, and an immediate match is available for 2007, the points would be deducted on Monday, whichever use year that puts you in.

 

[Dean]

I haven't checked this out under the new system but under the old system, the points had to be available just like you were using them to make a reservation. A year or two ago someone mentioned that MS didn't take their points right away. I'm sure if you're close they can work with you, especially given the functioning of the new system. But you'll actually need the points available within a reasonable period of time.

 

[kjkelley]

Does this mean under the above scenario, you could be using '05 points for a '07 vacation? Why can't the '07 vacation come from '07 points?

 

[RobDoc]

Does this mean under the above scenario, you could be using '05 points for a '07 vacation? Why can't the '07 vacation come from '07 points?

Yes, if you accept the exchange in 2005, those are the only points available to use (2006 points could also be borrowed- but not 2007).

THis can be used to your advantage in some cases- if you have points that will expire at the end of your Use Year that you will otherwise be unable to use, you can get an additional 2 years to use them by commiting them for an II exchange. Once "deposited" thru MS, you have 2 years to accept the exchange.

 

[Dean]

Does this mean under the above scenario, you could be using '05 points for a '07 vacation? Why can't the '07 vacation come from '07 points?

Or even 2003 or 2004 points depending on use year and banking situation. But it would be possible to use 2007 points as long as you were in the window of using 2006 points for a reservation and borrowing 2007 points. The only use year that fits into that cat right now is Feb but as the year marches along, more and more people would have access to the 2007 points.

What I am not certain is what happens if you don't quite have the points available right now. I know I've seen a couple of posts where they didn't take the points right away but I've never seen anyone post (that I recall) that they found a match and didn't have the points. And I don't recall anyone posting that DVC let them wait to get access to the points. At least not for a match they wanted to go through with. With the new set up it makes sense that they could have some flexibility since they are pooling the points anyway.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

THis can be used to your advantage in some cases- if you have points that will expire at the end of your Use Year that you will otherwise be unable to use, you can get an additional 2 years to use them by commiting them for an II exchange. Once "deposited" thru MS, you have 2 years to accept the exchange.

This method works really well if you buy a resale contract that has banked or soon to expire points (I did it many years ago on Dean's advice). But I also see members on the rent trade board that feel they need to sell their soon to expire points at bargain basment prices becuase they can't use them. This method that Doc suggests is an outstanding way to lengthen the avaialbility of your points.

HBC

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

What happens to those points if a trade is never found? Do they just stay in limbo or is there some way to use them at a DVC resort?

 

[RobDoc]

What happens to those points if a trade is never found? Do they just stay in limbo or is there some way to use them at a DVC resort?

You'll have 2 years to use them thru II. Otherwise they will expire after that time. Once "deposited" into the II system, they are already spent- so the 2 years is the only option to use them. Once "deposited" they are used to allow an II member to exchange into a DVC resort- so they have already been used once committed to the World Passport option.

As I mentioned in the prior post, this can be a great way to use points about to expire with no other options, but is not a means to extend the use of points for a DVC reservation.

 

[jel0511]

What I am not certain is what happens if you don't quite have the points available right now. I know I've seen a couple of posts where they didn't take the points right away but I've never seen anyone post (that I recall) that they found a match and didn't have the points. And I don't recall anyone posting that DVC let them wait to get access to the points. At least not for a match they wanted to go through with. With the new set up it makes sense that they could have some flexibility since they are pooling the points anyway.

I did want to note that using the new system, DVC does make sure you have the points available in your account BEFORE you are even allowed to begin a search. So, if you are looking for a vacation for 2007, and have already used up your current and next use year points, you would be unable to initiate a search until you could borrow those 2007 points.

 

[Dean]

What happens to those points if a trade is never found? Do they just stay in limbo or is there some way to use them at a DVC resort?

Assuming you're doing a search first, you have no risk unless you accept a match. If you get in a situation where you deposit first such as when you cancel an exchange or to use points that will expire, you will lose all if you don't match. I'd encourage anyone thinking about a deposit first to really get a handle on it. Here's the reason. Say you deposit a 144 points for a 1 BR MID season. That is the MOST you could search for. You could not search for a high season 2 BR. OTOH, if you wanted to use the points to go to the Caribbean in the summer, a 1 BR MID season is perfect.

So anyone looking to do a deposit first should figure out what resorts and time of the year you'd like to use the deposit for. Then find out from DVC the points costs and season as well as researching the predominant unit type for the area in question. That way you don't over or under deposit for what you need. Under the old system the deposit first had more benefits because you could make sure for low season trades that you were using HH adventure and also lock in the cost of any high season trade by using OKW. It also gave you the chance to deposit a HH studio and get a larger unit during the 60 days window. I know some said this was never an option but I know it did happen for a time.

 

[Dean]

I did want to note that using the new system, DVC does make sure you have the points available in your account BEFORE you are even allowed to begin a search. So, if you are looking for a vacation for 2007, and have already used up your current and next use year points, you would be unable to initiate a search until you could borrow those 2007 points.

I'm not surprised but there's available and then there's available. I suspect they will let you count the points of any pending reservation as part of your "available" points thus allowing you to float the costs for a while. The problem with having them immediately available is that if you search 2 years out and don't match until 6 months prior to the trip, the points currently available will likely have expired. I also expect they don't monitor ongoing so you might use the points that were available at the time of the request. The moral of the story is not to count on using banked or borrowed points for an exchange unless you get an instant confirmation.