Questions/observations after speaking to MS

[JFox]

I had a very productive call with MS today. I had been putting it off and finally set some time aside. 157 calls and 2 hr 26 minutes later I still have a few questions. Please DVC veterans, let me know if I am off base about any of my questions/observations.

I have 2 contracts Poly and Copper Creek both with a December UY.

1. I maintain a spreadsheet to keep track of my points. Points awarded, banking, balances after borrowing, reservation costs, etc. I keep my points separate in my reconciliation but when I was taking to MS the agent kept referring to my total points. How do you keep track of your points? I would think that it would only matter when making reservations at my home resort within my 11 month window. Once I'm within the 7 month booking window can points from each contract be used for the reservation? Is that right?

2. I had points that I banked July 2019 from my December 2018 UY to my December 2019 UY that would expire November 30, 2020. 14 Poly/62 CC. I had every intention of using these points for trips but with everything going on I have had to cancel these trips. I had accepted the fact that these points would be lost. The MS agent explained to me that I could transfer them to RCI in increments of 10. So I agreed to transfer the 14, 62 and 4 additional points to RCI for use before December 2022. RCI is new to me. What tips, tricks, warnings can you offer me?

I thought that the 14 Poly banked points were applied to a trip completed January 2020. First in first out, but the agent explained to me that since the reservation was made February 2019 and I didn't bank until July 2019 I would have had to ask for a re-allocation to have those 14 applied to the existing reservation. Is that a request that is usually approved? I could see this happening again.

3. I had a trip booked for November (this is where I had planned to use the 62 CC points but after speaking to the agent realized my thinking was wrong since I was not aware of the re-allocation process) and had borrowed 78 points from my December 2020 UY. Since that reservation was canceled my borrowed points minus the 4 transferred to RCI were restored to my December 2020 UY.

4. The MS agent completed my banking transactions today since we have no intention of traveling the rest of this year. She banked 66 Poly/125 CC to my December 2020 UY. She then re-allocated 174 of those banked points to an existing Poly reservation for January 2021. This leads back to my #1. It appears that points from both contracts are now being applied to a single reservation. There are 17 banked points remaining (191-174). If I make a new reservation online will I have the option to select those points first and then make up the difference from my 2 contracts?

 

[drusba]

1. Best to continue to keep track of your point transactions, particularly what is actually in a reservation -- which resort points, which were banked, and which were borrowed. You can determine your actual point status online -- My DVC>MY Dashboared>Manage Vacation Points> and then two items "View Transactions" in Full Statement of Vacation Point Activity, ands for each contract each year see View Complete Activity Statement. The system makes it easy to determine total unused points but it is a real chore to determine actual points in a reservation, including whether they are banked or borrowed.

2. I will let someone else answer your RCI question. As to replacing the Poly points in a reservation with Poly banked points, that can be done either by calling MS or doing a reservation modification online. You cannot, however, do it 30 days or fewer before arrival date because any points taken out of the reservation will be put in holding.

3. That return of borrowed points to their original use year is something that is still being done as part of the coronavirus special procedures -- it could end at any time.

4. Rule is that you cannot replace home resort points in an 11-month reservation with other resort points at any time, including at 7 months out, unless the same reservation (resort, room category, and dates) is itself still separately available from the one you have when you attempt the switch points at 7 months out. Thus, you were likely allowed to put CCV points in a Poly reservation because of that exception. As to making a new reservation, you can use both Poly and CCV contracts if reserving 7 months out. The online system allows you to choose both contracts for such a reservation and then uses any available banked points from either contract before using any current use year points, i.e., other than choosing the contract with banked points to be part of the reservation, you do not have to do anything to assure banked points are used first. You can also call and do the reservation and standard practice time is for MS to use banked points first, although you should always verify that is done.

 

[dismedvc]

4. Rule is that you cannot replace home resort points in an 11-month reservation with other resort points at any time, including at 7 months out, unless the same reservation (resort, room category, and dates) is itself still separately available from the one you have when you attempt the switch points at 7 months out.

If the same reservation is available at 7 months can you do it online by modifying your existing reservation and choose to use the points from your other resort?
With the new park reservation requirement I am worried a cancel and rebook would cause the park reservation to be lost.

 

[drusba]

If the same reservation is available at 7 months can you do it online by modifying your existing reservation and choose to use the points from your other resort?
With the new park reservation requirement I am worried a cancel and rebook would cause the park reservation to be lost.

You can do it online via a modification. You can attempt to modify to the same room, resort, and time period and choose contracts from the other resort as ones to be used. The system will then do the modification if the same reservation is separately available, or will not do the medication if it is not, meaning you do not lose your existing reservation. (Note, I have actually done that modification in the past -- the system assumes that you are attempting a modication to an entirely new reservation if you change to other resort points at 7 months out even if you try to modify to the same room, resort, and time. that you already have.)

 

[JFox]

I am SLOWLY piecing together a reservation for Spring Break in March. I have a split stay at Poly & CC. When I made the CC reservation I selected my CC contract. There wasn't an option like "WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE YOUR REMAINING 17 BANKED DEC 2019 UY POINTS BEFORE DIPPING INTO YOUR DEC 2020 UY POINTS". Are the banked points automatically pulled first?

 

[drusba]

I am SLOWLY piecing together a reservation for Spring Break in March. I have a split stay at Poly & CC. When I made the CC reservation I selected my CC contract. There wasn't an option like "WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE YOUR REMAINING 17 BANKED DEC 2019 UY POINTS BEFORE DIPPING INTO YOUR DEC 2020 UY POINTS". Are the banked points automatically pulled first?

When using the online reservation system, you come to a page where you "Select Your Contracts" for your desired reservation. The only thing you need to do to have banked points used first is to designate the applicable contract with banked points as one to be used for the reservation.

 

[JFox]

When using the online reservation system, you come to a page where you "Select Your Contracts" for your desired reservation. The only thing you need to do to have banked points used first is to designate the applicable contract with banked points as one to be used for the reservation.

Thank you. I feel much better now. Everytime I feel like I know what I am doing with DVC something else comes up.

 

[dismedvc]

When using the online reservation system, you come to a page where you "Select Your Contracts" for your desired reservation. The only thing you need to do to have banked points used first is to designate the applicable contract with banked points as one to be used for the reservation.

If I have two contracts with banked points, and both have enough total points to cover the reservation, is there a way to use banked points from both contracts?

 

[Sandisw]

If I have two contracts with banked points, and both have enough total points to cover the reservation, is there a way to use banked points from both contracts?

Just click both and book. At one of the screens it looks like it won’t take them, but once booked it does.

I am not sure why it does that, but all may banked points always end up in the reservation.

 

[Travel60]

We've used RCI a few times but never with points previously transferred to RCI. We just went to the RCI site (from DVC site), figured out where we wanted to stay and then called MS to make the reservation and take our points. If the points are already transferred to RCI, you may have to call them directly. Their quality (amenities, etc.) are more variable than DVC but always acceptable.

 

[sschepers]

Please be careful with merging points from 2 contracts. I found out that Member Services can't transfer borrowed points from one contract to another. With both contracts, I have enough of I borrow fromboth, but not if I have to do split reservations. Good luck!

 

[dismedvc]

Please be careful with merging points from 2 contracts. I found out that Member Services can't transfer borrowed points from one contract to another. With both contracts, I have enough of I borrow fromboth, but not if I have to do split reservations. Good luck!

I think it is important to distinguish between having two, or more, contracts under the same membership (they have to all have the same UY) as opposed to having two, or more, contracts with different UYs, which means two, or more, different memberships. I believe all points from contracts under the same membership can be combined, although only at the seven month mark if the contracts are at different resorts. That holds true even for banked or borrowed points.

If someone has a different understanding, please correct me.

 

[Sandisw]

I think it is important to distinguish between having two, or more, contracts under the same membership (they have to all have the same UY) having two, or more, contracts with different UYs, which means two different memberships. I believe all points from contracts under the same membership can be combined, although only at the seven month mark if the contracts are at different resorts. That holds true even for borrowed points.

If someone has a different understanding, please correct me.

Contracts never combine or merge. However, if they are part of the same membership, and the same resort, they act as though they see one as you can use all points at 11 months. Different resorts function together at 7 months.

However, if you have two memberships...different UYs...the. The points can not be used for a single reservation unless one transfers points and points banked or borrowed can not be transferred.

So, one needs to be careful if you have two memberships, to understand the limitations of them and of transferring since those points can not be used to book or modify online.