Using holding points question...

[nzdisneymom]

We have 42 points in holding. We want to make a trip Oct. 20 - 22 using those points, but I wanted to find out what the cancellation policy is regarding using holding points... my folks are supposed to keep our kids for us so DH and I can have a quick get-away (Food and Wine Festival, doncha know?), but if something comes up and they aren't able to do it, we just wouldn't go (kids' tickets have expired and I don't want the expense right now of getting new ones for them - if they had tickets already then we'd just go ahead and go anyway).

My question is this -- is there anything different about cancelling a ressie that has been made with holding points vs. regular points? Would the points just go back into holding or will they be gone forever? I know this is probably in all my info but I can't find my member packet and of course it's Sunday and MS is closed. I did check the dvcmembers.com site and this is what I found about Holding Points:

What are Vacation Points in holding?
A Holding Account is a "parking space" for Vacation Points from a Disney Vacation Club Resort reservation that has been changed or cancelled 30 days to 1 day before your scheduled check-in date. Here are some guidelines regarding usage of Holding Account Vacation Points:

These Vacation Points can be used for a new Disney Vacation Club Resort reservation during your current Use Year as long as the reservation is booked 60 or less days before the new check-in date.

These Vacation Points can be used for an exchange through The Disney Collection, World Passport Collection, Concierge Collection, or Adventurer Collection if you're making the reservation 60 or less days before the new arrival date, and more than 60 days before the end of your current Use Year.

These Vacation Points cannot be banked or borrowed.

These Vacation Points will expire at the end of their Use Year if they aren't used.

So I'm thinking that if we cancel as long as it's more than one-day before, they will go right back into holding (FWIW, we have an October Use Year).

Thanks.

 

[tjkraz]

They'll go right back into holding.

Did you have to cancel an early-October trip on less than 30 days notice? With an October UY, these could only be 2006 points if you had something scheduled 10/1/06 or after and had to cancel.

 

[Dean]

Curious. I wonder what would happen if one used holding account points to reserve 60 days out and then cancelled prior to 30 days. I know in theory they should go back to holding status but wonder if they truly would.

 

[dianeschlicht]

If those points were from your 2005 use year, they were gone as of yesterday. If they were points borrowed from your 2006 use year, you should have the ability to use them most of the next 12 months, as long as you make the ressie within 60 days of travel. It would seem they should be able to go back into holding, but I would check with MS today.

 

[nzdisneymom]

They'll go right back into holding.

Did you have to cancel an early-October trip on less than 30 days notice? With an October UY, these could only be 2006 points if you had something scheduled 10/1/06 or after and had to cancel.

Yes - we were supposed to go this coming up weekend so we had booked on 2006 UY points, but ended up having to cancel in mid-September so we were in the 30-day window where the points went into holding. Now it looks like we can go later this month so I wanted to use the points but not if I'll end up losing them. Thanks for the help / info.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yes - we were supposed to go this coming up weekend so we had booked on 2006 UY points, but ended up having to cancel in mid-September so we were in the 30-day window where the points went into holding. Now it looks like we can go later this month so I wanted to use the points but not if I'll end up losing them. Thanks for the help / info.

I think one of us is confused. If you used 2006 use year points for this ressie, then those holding account points should be good through September of 2007. You will not lose them unless they can't go back into holding.

 

[Caskbill]

You will not lose the points unless you make a new reservation, then cancel that reservation on the day of arrival (or check out early).

Regular rules will still apply, and the points would return to the holding account. Since they are regular 2006 UY points, you will have until the end of September 2007 to use them.

They cannot be banked into next year. (UY 2007)

The regular rules for using holding points still apply.

 

[Caskbill]

Curious. I wonder what would happen if one used holding account points to reserve 60 days out and then cancelled prior to 30 days. I know in theory they should go back to holding status but wonder if they truly would.

When one cancels more than 30 days out, points are returned to their original status, that is, the status they were when the reservation was first made.

This would be one of the following:
Regular UY points
Banked UY points
Borrowed UY points
Reservation Points
Holding Points.

Since the DVC computers are capable of cataloging points as regular, banked, holding etc., I see no reason why they wouldn't go back as holding points, ie, their original status.

 

[Dean]

When one cancels more than 30 days out, points are returned to their original status, that is, the status they were when the reservation was first made.

This would be one of the following:
Regular UY points
Banked UY points
Borrowed UY points
Reservation Points
Holding Points.

Since the DVC computers are capable of cataloging points as regular, banked, holding etc., I see no reason why they wouldn't go back as holding points, ie, their original status.

I know what's supposed to happen but I know that holding account points that are transferred usually revert to regular points and that DVC has trouble tracking other issues. And even if they can easily track them in the situation I mentioned, does it happen passively or must the CM make an active selection. I am curious as to whether anyone has been in this situation where they were cancelling a ressie made with holding account points outside 30 day window then knows what happened to the points. Given the system, I doubt it's a given they'll consistently go back to holding account points.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I think one of us is confused. If you used 2006 use year points for this ressie, then those holding account points should be good through September of 2007. You will not lose them unless they can't go back into holding.

Right - I can use those holding point through the end of my Use Year -- my concern was if there were any restrictions on using holding points for a ressie and then cancelling (besides day of)... such as if they couldn't go back into holding. But it sounds like they could.

The 42 points in holding are all we have left for UY2006-07 that we haven't scheduled already, so we were considering using them now.

 

[RobDoc]

...
The 42 points in holding are all we have left for UY2006-07 that we haven't scheduled already, so we were considering using them now.

If you have other reservations, there is a chance that you could use the Holding Account points for portions of one of those reservations (60 days ahead) if there is availability which would free up current/non-holding account points which could then even be banked into your 2007 Use Year.

Good luck!

 

[nzdisneymom]

Doc - Thanks for that wonderful idea! I'll have to look ahead at what we have scheduled to see about doing that... I would've never thought about doing that -- see, this is why the DIS Boards are so valuable!!!!!

 

[CarolMN]

Doc - Thanks for that wonderful idea! I'll have to look ahead at what we have scheduled to see about doing that... I would've never thought about doing that -- see, this is why the DIS Boards are so valuable!!!!!

If there isn't any availability for your October dates, this is a good option - especially if you are going during a less popular time. (More likely to find availability). To have the best chance of using those holding account points, it's best to call as soon as the 60 day window opens.

Good luck!

 

[Kath816]

Quick question. I have 130 points in holding. I also have a reservation at SSR this weekend. Do you think I can transfer those points for this weekend's resservation to get much more flexibility with the remaining points? I never thought of this until reading this thread. When I had to cancel this reservation, I was on for quite a while with the CM bemoaning the fact I had to cancel. Are they not allowed to suggest the best way to use points?

 

[CarolA]

Quick question. I have 130 points in holding. I also have a reservation at SSR this weekend. Do you think I can transfer those points for this weekend's resservation to get much more flexibility with the remaining points? I never thought of this until reading this thread. When I had to cancel this reservation, I was on for quite a while with the CM bemoaning the fact I had to cancel. Are they not allowed to suggest the best way to use points?

No, I don't think so. You have to cancel within 30 days so these points would go right into holding.... you would just be swapping holding for holding....

CMs probably don't even think about this, they are just trying to get thru the process.

 

[nzdisneymom]

If there isn't any availability for your October dates, this is a good option - especially if you are going during a less popular time. (More likely to find availability). To have the best chance of using those holding account points, it's best to call as soon as the 60 day window opens.

There's not availability for a studio - at least there wasn't when we checked today. We opted to not try to Wait List. Oh well.