Need a points expert!

[kingj]

I need some advice on how I should manage my points.

We currently have 213 points from 2003 and 270 points for 2004 coming available in October. We want to stay for a week at VWL in November and a week at HHI in June or July.

We already have our November reservation at VWL which will use 276 points and have banked 6 points for this reservation. We are also on the waitlist for HHI.

My delimma is this: The deadline to bank 100% of my points is March 31st. So should I go ahead and bank 100% of my points and use all of these points plus 57 points from 2004 for the VWL reservation. Then, stay on the waitlist for HHI and borrow the points if I get the reservation. (Can I actually be put on the waitlist before I borrow the points and only borrow the points if the reservation goes through?) This way I protect my points without losing any one them if the reservation does in fact go through. (I don't like my chances of getting a HHI reservation.)

Any help you guys (or gals) can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

John

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Well it's late, so no guarantees with my response...
Yes, if it were me I would bank my points, switch the VWL ressie to the banked points, then waitlist for HH and borrow if it comes through. That seems to be the safest bet.

I believe you can waitlist with 'instructions to borrow' if it comes through, but not positive. Last time I waitlisted, MS took about a half page of notes on how I wanted my points juggled if it came through. I would think they could do the same for you, but I would ask MS before you bank the other points.
Also, there is a possibility that the VWL ressie will be a 'cancel and re-book' when you switch over the points. I would also ask MS about that before you switch things around.

Good luck....

MG

 

[Caskbill]

Your idea is actually the safest.

Call MS and bank all your remaining 213 2003 year points into 2004. Then have them reallocate the VWL reservation to use all of those 213 newly banked points, plus the 6 points you already banked, plus 57 of your regular 2004 year points. I don't think this will involve a cancellation and rebooking. You are simply reallocating which points you're using for that reservation.

Then waitlist for the HH reservation. Since that will be in your 2003 use year, and you won't have any 2003 points, it will require use of borrowed 2004 points, so this will be automatic. The CM will inform you that it will require borrowed points, and get permission for this to happen when the wait list comes through, and warn you that should you cancel the HH reservation at a later date, those points would remain as 2003 year points and could not be 'banked' or put back into 2004. I think you already know this.

I'm assuming you're looking at getting a studio at HH since you won't have enough points (213 available) to get a 1-B/R for a week. (unless by a week you meant 5 or 6 nights (and not 7), in which case you could get a 1-B/R)