Logic/Strategy Check: MMB OTUP Planning ahead

[TexasJedi]

Looking for a sanity check and validation on what I think is the best strategy for buying/using OTUP from Membership Magic Beyond.

I'm planning a Disney cruise with my family next March, and we'll want to stay the night before at WDW. Because my contract is an April UY, my strong preference is to use OTUP and banking my own points to the next UY.

We currently have one cruise booked but are considering another on a different ship that would shift the departure date by a day, and we'll make that final call a little before the 7 month mark.

Because I know that 7-month availability is never a guarantee, I'm thinking the smartest thing to do to make sure we have a place to stay is to go ahead and book a placeholder reservation at my own resort for both nights within the 11-month window over the next few days.

Then, when we get to that 7-month window and I know for sure which night we'll need the stay, the plan would be to call in and try to buy OTUP to book a stay and use as few as my own as needed to complete the reservation. Or in the worst-case scenario, I can modify the two-night reservation down to the night I need and keep checking for availability to come up for that one night between then and the banking window for my points.

Is there any risk I'm missing to my own points in this strategy? Would there be any issues with booking a stay with OTUP when I concurrently have a stay booked for the same night on my own points?

I've always heard people say to make sure to book at 11 months to ensure you have a place to stay, so just wanting to double check here and make sure there's not something I'm missing knowing that my ultimate goal is to bank as many of my own points as possible while staying one night in March.

 

[Sandisw]

That sounds like what I would do!

 

[eticketplease]

Sounds like a very valid plan to me. Ensure you have something guaranteed and then call and book at 7 months with OTUP.

Only thing is we don’t know if MMB will return next year and if it does will it continue to offer the OTUP at the 50% off rate.

Since your use year just started you may want to take a chance and buy before 12/31/25 with a fake reservation that you could then cancel. If nothing else you should be able to use the points at SSR for your cruise trip.

 

[TexasJedi]

Sounds like a very valid plan to me. Ensure you have something guaranteed and then call and book at 7 months with OTUP.

Only thing is we don’t know if MMB will return next year and if it does will it continue to offer the OTUP at the 50% off rate.

Since your use year just started you may want to take a chance and buy before 12/31/25 with a fake reservation that you could then cancel. If nothing else you should be able to use the points at SSR for your cruise trip.

When I called a couple of weeks ago and asked about the MMB OTUP, they said I couldn't buy them until I was in the 7-month window for a reservation I wanted to make.

Is there any harm in making a fake reservation as you suggest for sometime this fall for a night that would cost 24+ points so that I can get the full OTUP, then immediately canceling after I finish the transaction? Would the points go straight back to me as available after that?

This is my first time dabbling with OTUP, so just wanting to be sure.

 

[Sandisw]

When I called a couple of weeks ago and asked about the MMB OTUP, they said I couldn't buy them until I was in the 7-month window for a reservation I wanted to make.

Is there any harm in making a fake reservation as you suggest for sometime this fall for a night that would cost 24+ points so that I can get the full OTUP, then immediately canceling after I finish the transaction? Would the points go straight back to me as available after that?

This is my first time dabbling with OTUP, so just wanting to be sure.

You just want to be sure that the fake night is in the same UY of your trip and it’s more than 31 days from now.

Since your UY is April, and you want to actually use them in March…the fall works!

Once canceled, they will sit in your account in a temporary contract that you will only see when you go to book.

 

[eticketplease]

No problem at all. Currently there are a few dates available in November which are inside the 7 month window that are currently exactly 24 points for a RIV preferred room. Just call and make that with the OTUP from MMB and after the call cancel the reservation from your dashboard.

The points will not show in your dashboard but if you go to make a reservation inside 7 months you will see two additional contracts and you will need to select each of them first followed by any others that you wish to use.

A couple of things to remember when you make the fake reservation with MS make sure it is more than 31 days from check in date (long as possible is preferred in case something happens with Disney it). This way you can cancel the reservation and points won’t go into holding.

2 the OTUP can only be used at 7 months and have no home field advantage

3 you lose them at the end of your use year so for you 3/31/26.