point swap question

[sandyh67]

We own at three different resorts- 175 pts at beach club, 125 at SSR and 100 at AKV. We are looking to take our family down for a week next Feb. break and would like to stay at AKV in a grand villa as my 6yo niece has never been, this will probably be her only trip and she has cystic fibrosis, so I really want to make it special for her. She is a huge animal lover-
so here is my question-
I want to find out the easiest way to get more AKV points to use to book in the 11 mo window. I know those BCV points are a hot commodity- can you trade points with another member? I thought I remember hearing that you can only transfer points in/out once a year per person- is that true? I do have a close friend who owns at AKV and I bet she would be willing to trade with me just wondering how to go about it.

Thanks!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

There are several approaches to this problem. One is to trade ressies with another person, but it might be difficult for as many points as you would need for an AKV GV. You could always rent out as many of your other points as possible and use the proceeds to pay another member who owns AKV to book for you at the 11 month mark. Then you could add nights with your banked and borrowed AKV points as well. It would just be a matter of planning out how many points or what portion of the reservation you would need to rent points for. You also could have some other AKV owners points transfered into your account as well. My guess is that you might want to do a combination of all of those things.

 

[Daddio]

dianeschlicht offers some good advice. One other mechanism that you could look at is transferring 2010 points from your friend to you and then transfering your 2011 points to your friend. This would constitute your single tranfer per use year. Remember, you can also bank any transferred in points if you need to roll them ahead one year.

I am sure with all of these combinations, you'll be able to secure a reservation. Good luck!

David

 

[DeeCee735]

You can also book using your other home resorts as split stays for the entire week, and then at the 7 month mark, call and book the AKV grand villa (of course, this is a chance you'll take in getting it at 7 months, but Kidani is HUGE and you may just get it easily), using all your own points, without having to trade with anyone.

 

[BeachClub1292]

another option is to book what you can using your points and the rest with cash and then at 7months you can switch the cash to points from your other DVC resorts.

 

[Sandisw]

another option is to book what you can using your points and the rest with cash and then at 7months you can switch the cash to points from your other DVC resorts.

But only if the GV is still available to book on points. Securing something in cash is a great back up plan, but that room can not just be turned into points later. Cash rooms come from a different inventory than rooms that get booked on points.

 

[BeachClub1292]

But only if the GV is still available to book on points. Securing something in cash is a great back up plan, but that room can not just be turned into points later. Cash rooms come from a different inventory than rooms that get booked on points.

Actually you can change a cash reservation into a points reservation that was an option we were given when we booked the GV at the Boardwalk. We were trying to figure out the best way to book it using my points(BWC DVC), my parents points(BWV DVC) and my SIS/BIL's points(Saratoga DVC) that was an option. You can add nights on your reservation with cash if you run out of points and they will let you change it to points. We wound up doing a split stay in GV's Saratoga 5 night/Boardwalk 7 nights but they did tell us we could book it all at the BWV as a points/cash reservation then swith and use my SIS/BIL's points at 7 months for the cash part of the reservation.

 

[Sandisw]

Actually you can change a cash reservation into a points reservation that was an option we were given when we booked the GV at the Boardwalk. We were trying to figure out the best way to book it using my points(BWC DVC), my parents points(BWV DVC) and my SIS/BIL's points(Saratoga DVC) that was an option. You can add nights on your reservation with cash if you run out of points and they will let you change it to points. We wound up doing a split stay in GV's Saratoga 5 night/Boardwalk 7 nights but they did tell us we could book it all at the BWV as a points/cash reservation then swith and use my SIS/BIL's points at 7 months for the cash part of the reservation.

Wow, that is interesting as this essentially would have allowed you to bypass the 11/7 rule, by swapping something you got to book during the home resort period with non-resort points.

Not the way it was explained to me, but will have to keep that in mind.

 

[Dean]

We own at three different resorts- 175 pts at beach club, 125 at SSR and 100 at AKV. We are looking to take our family down for a week next Feb. break and would like to stay at AKV in a grand villa as my 6yo niece has never been, this will probably be her only trip and she has cystic fibrosis, so I really want to make it special for her. She is a huge animal lover-
so here is my question-
I want to find out the easiest way to get more AKV points to use to book in the 11 mo window. I know those BCV points are a hot commodity- can you trade points with another member? I thought I remember hearing that you can only transfer points in/out once a year per person- is that true? I do have a close friend who owns at AKV and I bet she would be willing to trade with me just wondering how to go about it.

Thanks!!

That's a great gesture, I hope things work out as CF is a bad disease. Unfortunately I don't see your desired outcome workign out well and i don't know your points accounting. Assuming you're not going to add on, here's what I'd do. Try to get as many points together for AKV and book the SV 2 BR for your desired dates. If you don't have enough points to get a 2 BR for the entire time, book the days of your desired time first leaving the last day or 2 unbooked. If you have enough points with any left over, book a studio in the same building either Savannah or standard or even value if you go for Jambo though I'd steer you to Kidani. Go ahead and book something somewhere else to make sure you're covered time wise then at 7 months out exactly call and get the rest of the time at AKV.

This assumes the young lady with CF would be in the 2 BR, if you decide to go with 2 rooms but she'd be in the studio, just reverse the process. It doesn't seem you'll be able to feasibly get a GV at AKV. The alternative would be to rent points for transfer that you could use for the trip you mention. I think trying to do a private trade is just too complicated for the situation noted.

Good luck, I'm sure things will work out and you'll have a great time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

..You can add nights on your reservation with cash if you run out of points and they will let you change it to points. ....

Only if those nights are still available for points. If you got the weekend nights for cash, that may have been the reason you were able to do it. But like Sandisw said, just letting you swap it out would bypass the 11/7 month rule.

 

[Dean]

Wow, that is interesting as this essentially would have allowed you to bypass the 11/7 rule, by swapping something you got to book during the home resort period with non-resort points.

Not the way it was explained to me, but will have to keep that in mind.

DVC is inconsistent overall but in general they will not let you swap points for cash nights or points at 7 months for reservations made during the home resort priority. However, as pointed out, one can get a new reservation and cancel any existing days (cash or points) and effectively do the same thing but ONLY if those nights are still available for points reservations at the time of the change. This effectively swaps points for cash or 7 month points for 11 month points. In the past weekends were great to do that with but with the recent changes, I suspect weekdays will be easier to get than weekends.

 

[Sandisw]

DVC is inconsistent overall but in general they will not let you swap points for cash nights or points at 7 months for reservations made during the home resort priority. However, as pointed out, one can get a new reservation and cancel any existing days (cash or points) and effectively do the same thing but ONLY if those nights are still available for points reservations at the time of the change. This effectively swaps points for cash or 7 month points for 11 month points. In the past weekends were great to do that with but with the recent changes, I suspect weekdays will be easier to get than weekends.

Thanks Dean. This is what I thought too and was told by MS as to how it would work. That in order to change from cash nights to points nights, there must be points availability at 7 months.

It sounded like the PP was saying that MS told him that he would automatically get the switch by simply calling at 7 and using the SSR points, regardless of availability.

 

[BeachClub1292]

Thanks Dean. This is what I thought too and was told by MS as to how it would work. That in order to change from cash nights to points nights, there must be points availability at 7 months.

It sounded like the PP was saying that MS told him that he would automatically get the switch by simply calling at 7 and using the SSR points, regardless of availability.

The availability is not an issue I would have already had it booked at 11 months with cash. I can add nights with cash at 11 months since its my home resort. So basically they would unbook the cash reservation and book it with the points right then when we called at 7 months.

 

[Sandisw]

The availability is not an issue I would have already had it booked at 11 months with cash. I can add nights with cash at 11 months since its my home resort. So basically they would unbook the cash reservation and book it with the points right then when we called at 7 months.

Well, I guess we will just have to agree to disagree as I contacted MS yesterday and was told again that you can not reserve a room with cash during a home resort period and then at 7 months, call and just change it to points using non-resort points UNLESS that same room is available at 7 months to book on points. If availability is gone, then your only option is to keep it as cash.

So, if I booked my 1 bedroom SV room at BLT in August on cash (didn't have enough points) at 11 months, I can't then call in January and simply swap out the cash room for points from SSR if those rooms are gone. That would, in fact, negate the home resort advantage, as someone could simply buy a small contract at a resort, book one night on points at 11 months, the rest with cash, and then at 7 months, simply call and ask them to change all those cash rooms over to points from a different resort.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The availability is not an issue I would have already had it booked at 11 months with cash. I can add nights with cash at 11 months since its my home resort. So basically they would unbook the cash reservation and book it with the points right then when we called at 7 months.

No, that is an error. You cannot just convert cash to points and vice versa. If you were able to do that at 7 months out, the villa must have still been available on points for the nights you needed.

 

[Inkmahm]

No, that is an error. You cannot just convert cash to points and vice versa. If you were able to do that at 7 months out, the villa must have still been available on points for the nights you needed.

I agree with this. I believe you can only switch a cash reservation to points IF the room is still available on points.

I can't imagine what a cash reservation would cost for a grand villa! Doesn't seem practical to me in this case for the OP anyway.

 

[Dean]

The availability is not an issue I would have already had it booked at 11 months with cash. I can add nights with cash at 11 months since its my home resort. So basically they would unbook the cash reservation and book it with the points right then when we called at 7 months.

My understanding is that the inventory for cash and points is completely different. IF the day or days are still available for booking, you can cancel one and reserve the other effectively changing from cash to points but if the days are sold you, you cannot do so.

This can be a very effective tool for the right situaion. Say you had a trip you had to have for a given resort and had both 7 & 11 month points to use. You reserve at 11 months what you can then reserve the rest on cash. At 7 months you call back and change over to points IF available, if not, you keep the applicable days on cash then waitlist the days so you know you've got your reservation, you just don't know what the cost or points usage is. There are ways to get fancy with the 7 months reservations if you want to put extra work/effort into it.

 

[BeachClub1292]

My understanding is that the inventory for cash and points is completely different. IF the day or days are still available for booking, you can cancel one and reserve the other effectively changing from cash to points but if the days are sold you, you cannot do so.

This can be a very effective tool for the right situaion. Say you had a trip you had to have for a given resort and had both 7 & 11 month points to use. You reserve at 11 months what you can then reserve the rest on cash. At 7 months you call back and change over to points IF available, if not, you keep the applicable days on cash then waitlist the days so you know you've got your reservation, you just don't know what the cost or points usage is. There are ways to get fancy with the 7 months reservations if you want to put extra work/effort into it.

I'm not following you how would it not be available if I already have it booked its a Villa room so I can book it with points or cash at 11 months since its my home resort. I don't switch rooms when part is points and part is cash? You are right this is a way around the 7month window. If the room is available which it is since I would already have it booked and I have points I have a right to the room they don't have a right to hold Villa rooms for cash reservations that is the DVC side of the resort so we have first rights to the rooms with our points.

 

[BeachClub1292]

Ok none of you are following they can't stop me from canceling a cash reservation at 7 months and rebooking with points. Plain and simple there is nothing anywhere that says I can't cancel a cash reservation and then book it under points. I was told to do that by DVC Member Services if I wanted to get the room my entire trip. Believe don't believe it. It doesn't matter to me.

 

[Dean]

I'm not following you how would it not be available if I already have it booked its a Villa room so I can book it with points or cash at 11 months since its my home resort. I don't switch rooms when part is points and part is cash? You are right this is a way around the 7month window. If the room is available which it is since I would already have it booked and I have points I have a right to the room they don't have a right to hold Villa rooms for cash reservations that is the DVC side of the resort so we have first rights to the rooms with our points.

Ok none of you are following they can't stop me from canceling a cash reservation at 7 months and rebooking with points. Plain and simple there is nothing anywhere that says I can't cancel a cash reservation and then book it under points. I was told to do that by DVC Member Services if I wanted to get the room my entire trip. Believe don't believe it. It doesn't matter to me.

You're making an invalid assumption. You're assuming that the same villa could have been booked initially with either cash or points and that once canceled, it reverts to the same status. That is simply not true. If you think of it as some rooms for a given day are available for cash and others for points with NO cross over, you'll be pretty close. There are actually several groups of rooms and the ONLY one where it's possible to book points or cash is for breakage inventory and even then there are no guarantees. Those different groups include

Points rooms
rooms reserved with points given up for cash type exchages
Rooms exchanged out to RCI
Breakage inventory (normally under 60 days but they do have the ability and option to anticipate and grab those rooms as early as 11 months out)
Rooms not yet declared and normally rented for cash by DVD
Rooms reserved with points from declared inventory but still owned by DVD

There may be a group I missed. Cash rentals can be through CRO or through MS though not all groups tend to be available through MS as cash availability.

The bottom line is that you can't simply cancel a room for cash and book with points though IF there is availability on points for the nights in question, you can effectively do the same thing. The rub comes when there is no points availability, canceling a cash reservation does not change the points availability equation. The same line of thinking applies to cash type exchanges for DCL or DC. It may be a way around the 11 month window to book your entire stay if you're prepared to use cash for part of the days but it is not a way around the 11 month window using points. However one can sometimes wiggle around the 11 month window if using a combo of different home resorts. Say your stay costs 200 points and you own 200 points at that resort and 100 at another resort. At 7 months out you can call and book any days still available and cancel any days applicable from your original 11 month reservation. You have in essence used non home resort points but had a guarantee of a home resort reservation. The risk is the days may not be available at all and you're stuck using the home resort points only.

On a side note, one cannot necessarily create availability for a studio or 1 BR by canceling a 2 BR lockoff.