Why can't I bank...

[bub]

more than one time per year?

I have a December use year. I want to make a reservation for Jan. 05 (in my '04 use year) using my 2003 points (using '03 points in the '04 use year). MS will only let me do this if I bank all the remaining '03 points in my account into '04. I may want to use some of those points this year for another trip, so I don't want to do that. Otherwise, they said I must make the reservation using '04 points.

Why can't I bank just the 110 points that I need for the reservation, and leave the rest of my '03 points where they are (to be used or banked later this year)? Are you only allowed to bank one time per year? I can't find anything on this in the member book.

Thanks for reading this confusing question!

 

[RCM]

I'm new so it does sound confusing but could you bank all 03 pts then borrow 04 pts if needed?

 

[DisneyBB]

Why can't you book with 04 points. When you decide to bank your points ask MS to resuffle your points using your banked points. They have done this for me, ask and make sure they will do this.

 

[PamOKW]

Let's walk through it.

Want to reserve for January 2005.

December 2003 points are good from December 1, 2003-November 30, 2004.

December 2004 points are good from December 1, 2004-November 30, 2005.

For a January trip using December 2003 points you do have to bank them.

However, I would call back MS. There is no reason that you have to bank all of your December 2003 points. You only need to bank the ones that you will use for this reservation. (Also make sure they use these banked points for the reservation.)

After you bank these 110 points, you'll have to keep your banking deadlines in mind. If this is more than 50% of your total points, you'll only have until May 31 to bank any additional points for the year. If you'll have a few more points remaining to bring you to the 50% mark, then you can wait until August 31 to add those points to the banking but will have to use the other 50% of the points before 11/30/04.

RCM -- You are right that if you have banked points and then discover you'd like to take another trip, you can "borrow" from the upcoming year.

 

[bub]

PamOKW - That's what I thought, that I should be able to just bank what I need - I will call back and see if a different MS CM can do this for me.

Otherwise, I will try DisneyBB's suggestion and see if they could reshuffle later - I will ask first, though and get a name so that the rules don't change when I need to reshuffle.

I didn't know that you could borrow points once they are banked (per RCM) - have never tried that, but I could ask about that as well.

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by bub


I didn't know that you could borrow points once they are banked (per RCM) - have never tried that, but I could ask about that as well.

Thanks for your suggestions!

You can NOT borrow points once they have been banked... but you can borrow points (if you have them) from the UY that you have banked points into...

example... you bank your Dec 03 points into 04... then you want to take a trip... you cant use the 03 points that were banked.... but you can borrow 04 points for the trip. And the 03 points (now 04banked points) must be used by Nov 30th 2005 where as regular 04 points, can either be used by Nov 05 OR you can bank them into 05... or have until Nov 06 to use them

Gee... does that make sense?

 

[SimbaCub]

I use the "next year" points to make the actual ressie then make a HUGE banking call where I ask them to apply the banked points to any existing ressies I have. This happens to me every year because I have a Dec use year and travel to one of my home resorts in early Dec. I do recall making 2 banking calls one time before I understood how to do this and it was no problem leaving points around just in case a trip came up. I think you may have had a CM who didn't understand. . . Good Luck!!

SimbaCub
BCV May 04

 

[bobbiwoz]

Don't they have to cancel the original ressie in order to change the points that are being used for the ressie.

Bobbi

 

[RCM]

Laurabearz.....that is exactly what I was saying. It scares me that I may actually be catching on to somethings!

 

[PamOKW]

Originally posted by bobbiwoz
Don't they have to cancel the original ressie in order to change the points that are being used for the ressie.

Bobbi

No, they don't. But sometimes you'll get a confused CM who will want to do that. You have to walk them through it.

This allocation of points works when you are just substituting banked for current points that have the same home resort. If you want to make a switch, say at 7 months, to use non-home resort points in place of the home resort points used to the make the reservation, then you do have to "cancel" and rebook.

 

[bobbiwoz]

PamOKW, I'll have to mention that if I ever have to do it again. We have a BCV short stay coming up in May, and instead of using BWV points, I wanted it to use our VWL points, I actually got a new ressie, number at all. At the original time that I made the BCV ressie, I didn't realize our Grand Gathering at BWV in December would be eating up sooo many points.

It all worked out, but I'll keep what you said on a note in my book.

Bobbi

 

[PamOKW]

I'll try to give two examples so you can see the difference.

A December Use Year at OKW and BWV. Points are good from December 2003-November 2004.

I want to book a stay at OKW for January 2005. I call today and make the reserveration using my December 2004 OKW points.

Next month I decide I won't be going to WDW this year and I bank my December 2003 points into December 2005.

I ask Member Services to use (reallocate) my banked OKW points to be used for the January 2005 trip. This can be done without cancelling the reservation.

Example 2:

I book a reservation for January 2005 at BWV. I bank all my December 2003 BWV points into December 2004 and also use all my December 2004 BWV points for this trip. I book at the 11 month window.

In May, I decide to also bank my December 2003 OKW points into December 2004. I have not reached the 7 month mark for using these points for my January trip to BWV. I just leave them for future use.

In August, I decide I better use all my banked points before the end of the year. I tell Member Services I want to use my banked OKW points for the January trip to BWV instead of using any December 2004 BWV points. They can't just reallocate this. This is when they would have to cancel the current reservation and re-book it (if available) with the banked OKW points.

This prevents members from being able to use, in essence, non-home resort points for an 11-month advantage.

 

[ILuvDVC]

Originally posted by PamOKW
No, they don't. But sometimes you'll get a confused CM who will want to do that. You have to walk them through it.

This allocation of points works when you are just substituting banked for current points that have the same home resort. If you want to make a switch, say at 7 months, to use non-home resort points in place of the home resort points used to the make the reservation, then you do have to "cancel" and rebook.

Actually, they cannot switch points around! You must first cancel than rebook. If someone is on the holding list, you lose. So...no you cannot do this. I will have to talk with Member Services again, if some DVC Reps are doing this...it's against the rules!

 

[ILuvDVC]

Originally posted by ILuvDVC
Actually, they cannot switch points around! You must first cancel than rebook. If someone is on the holding list, you lose. So...no you cannot do this. I will have to talk with Member Services again, if some DVC Reps are doing this...it's against the rules!

Oops! I'd made some typos.....I hope I don't come across as being mad at the post, I'm mad at Member Services. Anyhow, it's Wait list, not holding list. And it's Member Service Rep, not DVC Rep.

I really must learn to read before hitting the old send button.

 

[PamOKW]

If they can't reallocate banked and current points of the same Use Year and the same Home Resort without cancelling and rebooking, then that is a change from what has been done in the past. I can't see why it would require re-booking because it is not giving any advantage over a member. Doing this with points from a different Home Resort is not done because it does create an unfair advantage.

Bub, let us know how you make out.

 

[Richyams]

They have that rule in place to keep people from using BWV points at 11 months and then changing them to VB points at seven months.

In the case of switching non-home resort points for home resort points, this is a way to get around the home resort advantadge.

In the case of switching banked for borrowed for current or any combination of the same home resort/use year/contract points, you are not geting around anything. I am not sure if this would force cancel/rebook with their system, it may...should it?

I say no

Obviously, everyone, except those that were fooled into or tricked into buying VB primarily for WDW stays, would agree that the first example, switching non-home for home, should not be allowed.

 

[ILuvDVC]

Originally posted by PamOKW
If they can't reallocate banked and current points of the same Use Year and the same Home Resort without cancelling and rebooking, then that is a change from what has been done in the past. I can't see why it would require re-booking because it is not giving any advantage over a member. Doing this with points from a different Home Resort is not done because it does create an unfair advantage.

Bub, let us know how you make out.

I believe it gives the owner with current points the disadvantage. If I wanted a reservation and had to get placed on a wait list, another member should not be able to take that reservation from with points that weren't even available at the time I tried to make my reservation. It has to do with supply and demand. I swear, in our document, DVC mentions that they could suspend banking or borrowing. I'm assuming if everything one decided to borrow and there was no inventory to rent out, they could stop us from borrowing. Or, if everything decided to bank and there were not rooms left, they could stop banking. So, I believe it makes a difference on when you made the reservation and when your points were banked. I don't have a problem with points be swapped out if there is no one on the wait list. But, as far as I know, the rules are, if someone is on the wait list for that type room, you can't change the reservation. If you cancel it goes to the wait list. Fair is fair.

I've already sent a note to Member Services to make sure they inform all of Member Service reps on the rules! And, to inform me, if the rules have changed. If the rules have changed...I will probably fight it to be changed back.....I'm so mean...not really...I just believe those are the rules and always have been, and Member Services change things along the way.

Does anyone remember when we used to have to wait till we were in our current use year to borrow from our next use year? I like that change....

 

[LIFERBABE]

I believe it gives the owner with current points the disadvantage. If I wanted a reservation and had to get placed on a wait list, another member should not be able to take that reservation from with points that weren't even available at the time I tried to make my reservation.

I don't understand, as this is how the entire system is set up with the 11 month window.

From the Member Guidebook:

In order to maintain a proper balance of Vacation Points in the Central Reservation System, banking and/or borrowing may be suspended or limited from time to time.

This has nothing to do with switching around points from the same home resort.

 

[PamOKW]

Darla, I still don't see your concern. If I call today and book OKW 11 months from now using the points that will be current for the time of the reservation I have made that reservation following the home resort rules. If you call tomorrow and try to get that reservation it's still gone. When next year rolls around and I have banked points that will expire if they aren't used by the end of the year and I have reservations already made, how does that harm anyone? What's the difference if I "pay" for that reservation with my banked points or you penalize me for wanting to use up my banked points and take the reservation away from me on the wait list by using points you will "borrow" from the next year?

There is a provision that they can susped banking and borrowing if the system becomes unbalanced.

Also, I see where mixing resorts in the above scenario does create an imbalance and that is why MS does not allow that to happen.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by ILuvDVC
Actually, they cannot switch points around! You must first cancel than rebook. If someone is on the holding list, you lose. So...no you cannot do this. I will have to talk with Member Services again, if some DVC Reps are doing this...it's against the rules!

I'll first say that this area is one where the answer you get depends on who you talk to. As is the case with many issues at DVC including room occupancy, transfers, home resort of transfered points, etc. As I understand it, the actual rules MS goes by is to cancel any reservation then reschedule when "reallocating" points. This is a change over a few years ago and it mostly comes from the situation where one would reallocate from non home resort points thus essentially getting the 11 month priority for the non home resort points. There is however fairly large and IMO, unfair, advantage to the owner that uses points to reserve something this year and then later cancels, banks and reallocates thus freeing up next years points. It essentially allows them to use the same points for two years at one time. Plus it's not a single year benefit as one can do this on a rolling basis.

There's no doubt that one can get MS to do this at times and that they are more likely to do it for home resort points OR any reservation made within the 7 month window. They are not consistent by any means. Just another area where if you don't get the answr you like, call back or ask for a supervisor.

Plus one can do any of this legally within the rules for nights that are not wait listed and are still available including substituting non home resort points for home resort points.