One time points purchase question

[BuzzLiteyear]

Let's say I have a reservation for August 2012 that uses 250 points and I have 50 points remaining in the current UY. If I want to make a reservation for December 2012 and borrow from 2013 for it at 11 months out but run 10 points short, can I purchase 10 points for my August 2012 reservation now (at 7 months) in order to make the December reservation work?

 

[hollis]

I don't think so. I can't remember if I did this exactly same thing or something slightly different. But MS would not let me buy points until I am actually out of points. So I think they will only let you buy the 10 points when you make your December reservation. Right now, when you still have points in your account, they can't seem to be able to allow point purchase.

But call MS to find out. May be with all the system upgrades, the system will allow it now.

 

[ToddyLu]

During the same phone call I booked a Oct 2012 trip at my 11 Month date. With the points I had borrowed left over I needed 23 or 24 points for a May (7 months away trip). So she booked the May room, put me on with someone to take my CC# and finished the booking.

They will only let you purchase them for a reservation 7 months out and they are non refundable and I don't think they can be banked--so they must be used.

This is the second year I have done this to get two trips. I book the 11 month first then the 7 month while I am on the phone. Just works out that way.

 

[Sandisw]

As long as you have current UY points, they won't let you buy the one time use points, even if you are at the 7 month mark--at least they would not let me do that.

They will only let you buy them if you are in a borrowing situation and want to avoid doing that.

Since, at this point, you already have your August trip booked, you can't just ask to buy the points and have them put in to that trip to free up points for the December trip.

I think to make it work, what you would have to do is cancel a night from your August trip first, book the December trip, and then quickly re-book the August night again.

I did something similar when I was booking my December trip. I knew for sure my August trip is on but always a chance my December trip for DH and DD might not so, since I would need to borrow, I wanted the borrowed points set up with the August trip and not December.

I called, canceled one of the rooms for our August trip--SV at BLT--after finding out there were LV rooms available and enough of them that I would at least be able to book that---and it freed up enough points for the December trip.

I then re-booked BLT for August using borrowed points--I could have bought points if I had wanted to at that point but did not--luckily, in the 10 minutes that I cancelled and re-booked, the SV room I had just released was still there and I got it back!!!

Hope I didn't confuse you but I think that is the only way it will work.

Good luck!

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

As long as you have current UY points, they won't let you buy the one time use points, even if you are at the 7 month mark--at least they would not let me do that.

They will only let you buy them if you are in a borrowing situation and want to avoid doing that.

Since, at this point, you already have your August trip booked, you can't just ask to buy the points and have them put in to that trip to free up points for the December trip.

I think to make it work, what you would have to do is cancel a night from your August trip first, book the December trip, and then quickly re-book the August night again.

I did something similar when I was booking my December trip. I knew for sure my August trip is on but always a chance my December trip for DH and DD might not so, since I would need to borrow, I wanted the borrowed points set up with the August trip and not December.

I called, canceled one of the rooms for our August trip--SV at BLT--after finding out there were LV rooms available and enough of them that I would at least be able to book that---and it freed up enough points for the December trip.

I then re-booked BLT for August using borrowed points--I could have bought points if I had wanted to at that point but did not--luckily, in the 10 minutes that I cancelled and re-booked, the SV room I had just released was still there and I got it back!!!

Hope I didn't confuse you but I think that is the only way it will work.

Good luck!

Thank you! That makes sense. I'll give them a call and see what we can do.