Trading questions...

[Jenn]

I have read tons of posts on trading and I want to make sure I understand this plus I have a couple of questions:

1. You requesst a trade through II up to 2 years in advance.

2. The points don't need to be available now - they need to be available for the dates of the trip. I am looking for a trade for August of 2003 - I might need to borrow from my 2004 points to do it but would MS consider that "available"?

3. Do I have to specifiy what I'm trading? Or do I just tell them what I want and they get back to me with the points required?

4. Airfare dilema.... if a trade becomes available that we are interested in, and we accept it, and then are unable to schedule airfare - what do we do? Cancel the trade and look for another?

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Jenn
I have read tons of posts on trading and I want to make sure I understand this plus I have a couple of questions:

1. You requesst a trade through II up to 2 years in advance.

2. The points don't need to be available now - they need to be available for the dates of the trip. I am looking for a trade for August of 2003 - I might need to borrow from my 2004 points to do it but would MS consider that "available"?

3. Do I have to specifiy what I'm trading? Or do I just tell them what I want and they get back to me with the points required?

4. Airfare dilema.... if a trade becomes available that we are interested in, and we accept it, and then are unable to schedule airfare - what do we do? Cancel the trade and look for another?

1. Yes you can do request first up to 2 years out.
2. Not exactly. You need the points available to give to II at the time the trip is confirmed. Basically, you need to be able to make a reservation just like you would be using it. You must follow all the banking, borrowing and 11/7 month rules in doing so.
3. No, once DVC and II have found a match for you, DVC will look at the situation and find what is the least points cost to you.
4. Is a big problem. You may only match 2-6 months out making it tough to get good air fare and almost impossible to use FF miles. The one advantage the the search first is that when DVC calls, you can ask them to hold the unit for a day or 2 and you can check air fare then make a final decision.
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[dianeschlicht]

Dean is right on with all the responses.

THe only thing I would add is that it is not necessarily right when you make the ressie that the points are taken out. We confirmed our II trade in March, but the points were not taken out until November. This all depends on what they exchanged for.

ie,
We started our search in March. Confirmed our exchange 5 days later. At that time, MS told us how many points would be taken out of our account and when (in this case, November). It was a little different than I had expected, since I too had expected the points to come out when we took our trip, but it was just fine. It was even better that it was far fewer points than I was expecting!

 

[Doctor P]

I think part of the confusion is the different ways you can do an II exchange. The two year search, as I understand it, is for when you actually deposit a specific week and then do a search. You would need to have your points available and actually "purchase" the week under these circumstances (if I understand correctly).

 

[dianeschlicht]

No, Doctor P, we did and open search 2 years out. We were pleasantly surprised to have it only cost us 160 points.

 

[Dean]

You can do request first up to 2 years out now. It was 18 months and was changed I think in Spring of 2000. The only thing it helps being that far out is that some resort allow deposit that early and that it gets you on the list hopefully ahead of others. That's not to say it's first come first serve, it's not. But there will be many people with requests all at about the same trade power and being ahead of just a few may be the difference.