# How to cancel a reservation and not loose points



## terces (May 21, 2019)

Could I get some help understanding the cancellation and reservation changing rules? 
I understand I can take out insurance and save some of the points.  If I need to cancel a reservation is there a way that I can simply move it to a different reservation day further ahead and not loose the points? I seem to remember some comments about this in another thread but can't seem to find it.


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## Seagila (May 21, 2019)

This thread might help - 

*Avoiding Cancellation Penalty*


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## GT75 (May 21, 2019)

There are two types of HGVC reservations:

non-changeable such as
home week reservations
reservations booked with bonus points
reservation booked at Fiesta Americana (FA)
Open Season reservation

changeable reservation
most reservations booked during club season are a changeable reservation.   There may be others but I know that a reservation at FA is not longer a changeable reservation.


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## dayooper (May 21, 2019)

Move the entire reservation ahead to 32 days or greater and cancel. Moving your reservation is free and once your reservation is greater than 31 days, all you lose is the booking fee.


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## Talent312 (May 21, 2019)

If moving the reservation more than 30 days out is a problem becuz the resort is booked up for the next 9 months or thru 12/31, you can also change the resort at which you are booked
.


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## PigsDad (May 21, 2019)

The key in moving your reservation out is that the new reservation must use the same or more points than the original, otherwise the cancellation penalties listed in the table above kick in.  I just pick a LV resort, as they always have plenty of availability and you can easily find a new reservation there.  Then cancel and you are just out the reservation fee (if you paid one originally).

Kurt


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## terces (May 21, 2019)

GT75 said:


> There are two types of HGVC reservations:
> 
> non-changeable such as
> home week reservations
> ...



In order to comply with the "changeable within the 30 day prior to check in category", do I still need to pay the Cancellation Fee which I think is $62?  It seems redundant or unnecessary if a person is willing the thread their way through the process of moving the reservation forward and then changing or cancelling as the case may be.  Am I correct?


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## SmithOp (May 21, 2019)

terces said:


> In order to comply with the "changeable within the 30 day prior to check in category", do I still need to pay the Cancellation Fee which I think is $62?  It seems redundant or unnecessary if a person is willing the thread their way through the process of moving the reservation forward and then changing or cancelling as the case may be.  Am I correct?



There isn’t a cancellation fee, what they are referring to is the reservation fee you already paid.  Its not refundable if you cancel, only the points.

Its better just to park the reservation further out then re-use it if you intend to travel this year at all, no sense paying another reservation fee.


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## terces (May 21, 2019)

SmithOp said:


> There isn’t a cancellation fee, what they are referring to is the reservation fee you already paid.  Its not refundable if you cancel, only the points.
> 
> Its better just to park the reservation further out then re-use it if you intend to travel this year at all, no sense paying another reservation fee.
> 
> ...


There is a Cancellation Protection fee that is offered at the time of the reservation.  I'm just trying to understand if you can slide the reservation ahead in the same size or greater point expenditure, why I would take the Cancellation Protection?  Does this also mean than NO reservation can be cancelled unless you have paid this fee?

*Cancellation Protection*
At the time of reservation, cancellation protection is offered for Home Week, Home Resort Priority, by Hilton Club Priority, or Club reservations for a fee. Cancellation protection, if offered, allows a Member to cancel a reservation using ClubPoints within thirty-one (31) days of scheduled arrival with no loss of ClubPoints. Any transaction fees remain subject to applicable cancellation policies. Cancellation protection is offered for RCI Exchange Reservations. Cancellation protection is not available for reservations using Bonus Points or for any ClubPartner Perk reservation or transaction. Up to thirty-one (31) days prior to scheduled arrival, Members who own a fixed or event week may add cancellation protection to their automatic reservation for a fee by calling the Club.


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## brp (May 21, 2019)

terces said:


> There is a Cancellation Protection fee that is offered at the time of the reservation.  I'm just trying to understand if you can slide the reservation ahead in the same size or greater point expenditure, why I would take the Cancellation Protection?  Does this also mean than NO reservation can be cancelled unless you have paid this fee?



The reason that that offer this is that they don't expect the vast majority of people to think of applying the shift trick. And they're probably right.

Most folks are much more "loose" with their points 

Cheers.


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## GT75 (May 21, 2019)

brp said:


> The reason that that offer this is that they don't expect the vast majority of people to think of applying the shift trick.



And I sure that they don’t change the rules to remove that option either.


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## PigsDad (May 21, 2019)

brp said:


> The reason that that offer this is that they don't expect the vast majority of people to think of applying the shift trick. And they're probably right.


I agree.  However, you can only change a reservation to a date in the same calendar year.  So if, for example, you have a Christmas week reservation and you think there might be a chance you will need to cancel it with short notice, you might consider the cancellation protection as otherwise you would not be able to change it to something greater than 30 days out.

Kurt


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## 4Sunsets (May 21, 2019)

Interesting


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## terces (May 21, 2019)

PigsDad said:


> I agree.  However, you can only change a reservation to a date in the same calendar year.  So if, for example, you have a Christmas week reservation and you think there might be a chance you will need to cancel it with short notice, you might consider the cancellation protection as otherwise you would not be able to change it to something greater than 30 days out.
> 
> Kurt


I was wondering about that wrinkle.  I think for the $62 I will just keep paying for the protection until I figure this out.  I could not see how they could run a business and let people cancel the day before, so I am ok with some of these restrictions.


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## brp (May 21, 2019)

terces said:


> I was wondering about that wrinkle.  I think for the $62 I will just keep paying for the protection until I figure this out.  I could not see how they could run a business and let people cancel the day before, so I am ok with some of these restrictions.



To each their own. I don't pay any fees I don't have to. But that's me.

Cheers.


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## Talent312 (May 21, 2019)

terces said:


> I was wondering about that wrinkle.  I think for the $62 I will just keep paying for the protection until I figure this out...



Moving your points gets you eggsactly the same thing.
It seems pretty lame to "throw money down a rat hole."
This isn't rocket-science.
.


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## SmithOp (May 22, 2019)

terces said:


> There is a Cancellation Protection fee that is offered at the time of the reservation.  I'm just trying to understand if you can slide the reservation ahead in the same size or greater point expenditure, why I would take the Cancellation Protection?  Does this also mean than NO reservation can be cancelled unless you have paid this fee?



I suppose its worth paying for December reservations.  All others can be changed easily inside 30 days.  It used to be that only online reservations were changeable but they got rid of that a few years ago.  No need to take the cancellation protection (fee).

From the Club Rules guide:
Changes to Reservations. All Home Resort Priority, by Hilton Club Priority, and Club reservations using ClubPoints at Hilton
Grand Vacations Club affiliated resorts may be changed without incurring additional transaction fees provided travel is completed during the same calendar year (not applicable to reservations using Bonus Points) .





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## terces (May 22, 2019)

SmithOp said:


> I suppose its worth paying for December reservations.  All others can be changed easily inside 30 days.  It used to be that only online reservations were changeable but they got rid of that a few years ago.  No need to take the cancellan protection (fee).
> 
> From the Club Rules guide:
> Changes to Reservations. All Home Resort Priority, by Hilton Club Priority, and Club reservations using ClubPoints at Hilton
> ...


That's good information SmithOp.  In regards to an affiliate - specifically Fiesta Americana in Cabo - I was lead to believe that reservations cannot be cancelled period.     Is it correct that within the same calendar year a reservation at FA could be moved forward?  Can it also be reduced in duration in order to manage a possible cancellation? (I am paticularily sensitive to this issue having had to cancel two x two week RCI reservations in 2018 and loosing my entire booking fee and cancellation insurance in one instance and all the points in the other)


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## SmithOp (May 22, 2019)

terces said:


> That's good information SmithOp.  In regards to an affiliate - specifically Fiesta Americana in Cabo - I was lead to believe that reservations cannot be cancelled period.     Is it correct that within the same calendar year a reservation at FA could be moved forward?  Can it also be reduced in duration in order to manage a possible cancellation? (I am paticularily sensitive to this issue having had to cancel two x two week RCI reservations in 2018 and loosing my entire booking fee and cancellation insurance in one instance and all the points in the other)



Well now you have picked out a specific affiliate with special rules.  Changeable reservations are not allowed there, so that is another case for cancellation protection if its offered and you may cancel within 30 days.

We had a recent discussion about changes at this resort, this notice is still posted about the changes on the club web site.  Note the last bullet point.

——————-
Important Information
After a recent evaluation, Hilton Grand Vacations has adjusted the ClubPoints value for 2020 reservations at Fiesta Americana Villas Los Cabos All Inclusive Golf and Spa Resort. The Points adjustment better reflects Club Member demand for the destination and the quality of the offerings at the resort. The adjustment does not impact existing reservations or new reservations for stays in 2019. The change is effective as of May 8, 2019.
All-inclusive amenities are NOT mandatory. Members and guests who elect to participate in the all-inclusive option at the resort will pay any related fees directly to the front desk.
2019 Pricing: $95 per adult, per day and $35 per child, ages 5-11, per day. Children under age 5 will not be charged a fee. Please note: the all-inclusive price per day is the same regardless of occupancy (1 or 2 guests).
2020 Pricing: $100 per adult, per day and $37 per child, ages 5-11, per day. Children under age 5 will not be charged a fee. Please note: the all-inclusive price per day is the same regardless of occupancy (1 or 2 guests).

************
Reservations require a standard, non-changeable reservation fee. The normal Club cancellation policy applies.
************


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## Talent312 (May 22, 2019)

Okay, for non-changeable F/A & Home-Week it may be worth it.
Also, for December bookings (but once I changed 12/7 to 12/20).

None of this matters if you cancel 31+ days. All points are returned.
It's just that you lose your booking fee, and pay it again to rebook.
.


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## terces (May 22, 2019)

I called HGVC and if I understand them correctly, the term Non-Changeable simply means the reservation cannot be changed, period.  However it can be cancelled and rebooked.  So we have a 5 day reservation and would like 7 or 10 days, but if more days come available we cannot change our reservation to include the extra days.  Instead we must cancel, loose our reservation fee, and rebook the longer time period.

The Cancellation Policy is the same as other resorts - free cancellation until 31 days, 50% loss of points from 31 to 15 days, and full loss of points 15 to 0 days.  You can however buy the $64 Protection fee that permits cancellation right up to the date of the reservation.

That is my interpretation.  If anyone has a different experience I would love to hear it.


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## brp (May 22, 2019)

terces said:


> The Cancellation Policy is the same as other resorts - free cancellation until 31 days, 50% loss of points from 31 to 15 days, and full loss of points 15 to 0 days.  You can however buy the $64 Protection fee that permits cancellation right up to the date of the reservation.
> 
> That is my interpretation.  If anyone has a different experience I would love to hear it.



The difference we're talking about is that the regular HGVC and bHC resorts (and maybe some of the affiliates, but I don't know about that) *are* Changeable. As a result, they can be changed to a date outside of 31 days and simply cancelled with no loss of points, and no protection fee. One would just "loose" (or lose, even) the reservation fee here.

(I don't know if the Protection scam/fee also loses the reservation fee. if not, it's less of a scam).

Cheers.


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## hurnik (May 22, 2019)

terces said:


> There is a Cancellation Protection fee that is offered at the time of the reservation.  I'm just trying to understand if you can slide the reservation ahead in the same size or greater point expenditure, why I would take the Cancellation Protection?  Does this also mean than NO reservation can be cancelled unless you have paid this fee?
> 
> *Cancellation Protection*
> At the time of reservation, cancellation protection is offered for Home Week, Home Resort Priority, by Hilton Club Priority, or Club reservations for a fee. Cancellation protection, if offered, allows a Member to cancel a reservation using ClubPoints within thirty-one (31) days of scheduled arrival with no loss of ClubPoints. Any transaction fees remain subject to applicable cancellation policies. Cancellation protection is offered for RCI Exchange Reservations. Cancellation protection is not available for reservations using Bonus Points or for any ClubPartner Perk reservation or transaction. Up to thirty-one (31) days prior to scheduled arrival, Members who own a fixed or event week may add cancellation protection to their automatic reservation for a fee by calling the Club.



Realistically the only times one should probably consider buying the cancellation protection is:

1) the person is booking for 'later' in the year (ie, you book something now for say, Late Nov and Dec - IMO) and that if something happens you cannot/will not be able to use the points for the rest of the year.  Like if you know that if you have to cancel you won't be able to take a vacation/use anything until the next calendar year.

2) There's sick family members involved (either traveling with you or otherwise) where something unexpected can happen (remember that changes less than 30 days will mean you'll have to use the same # of points and depending on what you originally booked, this may not be possible).  Although I'd probably still caveat this one with a "later" (Q4) booking.  Odds are if you booked a Feb stay you can find something through Nov at any resort using 4800-7000 points quite easily.  Now, if this is in October/Nov. you might have a diff. problem.  

3) Non-changeable bookings such as the FA resorts.  I had to cancel twice (different years) and rebook, although it was far enough ahead that I was able to do so without penalty.  But had I run up to the 30 days, then I would've been hosed.

Hilton *used* to have a TravelGuard policy that you could buy that would actually cover your MF for timeshare bookings, so that if you got sick/etc and had to cancel you may lose your points, but you'd get reimbursed for your MF.  I *think* TravelGuard still has that plan but not available for Hilton any longer and no longer available in NY state (I love NY--augh).

In a way you can possibly think of this as travel insurance in that it can cover you in specific instances.  Whether or not it's worth it for you is a diff. story.

I know people that absolutely refuse to buy any travel insurance any time or anywhere.  I've almost always bought a policy and unfortunately have ended up using it 3 out of the last 12 trips.


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## brp (May 22, 2019)

hurnik said:


> I know people that absolutely refuse to buy any travel insurance any time or anywhere.  I've almost always bought a policy and unfortunately have ended up using it 3 out of the last 12 trips.



Definitely a personal decision. If I were to add up all we would have paid for the insurance and all we have paid by not having it, we've come out way ahead. One thing that helps is having status with airlines and hotels such that they do more for us when things go awry. One could certainly look at that as a different way of paying for "trip insurance," of course 

Cheers.


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## dsmrp (Jul 1, 2019)

SmithOp said:


> I suppose its worth paying for December reservations.  All others can be changed easily inside 30 days.  It used to be that only online reservations were changeable but they got rid of that a few years ago.  No need to take the cancellation protection (fee).
> 
> From the Club Rules guide:
> Changes to Reservations. All Home Resort Priority, by Hilton Club Priority, and Club reservations using ClubPoints at Hilton
> Grand Vacations Club affiliated resorts may be changed without incurring additional transaction fees provided travel is completed during the same calendar year (not applicable to reservations using Bonus Points) .



I want to make a reservation at Grand Pacific Palisades GPP. However during the reservation process I saw the following under the HGVC Cancellation and Change Policy section, which seems to conflict with statements in the 2019 Club Rules above.  So has anyone been able to change dates on a GPX affiliated resort reservation without additional fees?  Or did you have to do a cancel and rebook?  TIA

_*Please note that all reservations made with Bonus Points, including Home Resort and Club reservations, are non-changeable. *Reservations using Club Points or Bonus Points at affiliated resorts, and Fiesta Americana resorts are non-changeable.* Open Season Reservations may not be changed and the standard cancellation policy applies. Reservations booked with ClubPoints or Bonus Points and later canceled cannot be rebooked into the same resort for the same time period using Open Season rental rates. _


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## terces (Jul 1, 2019)

We currently have a reservation at Seapoint Carlsbad for August 2019 and did not come up against that policy as we "walked" the reservation.  We also have a Fiesta reservation at Cabo in Oct/November and knew when we made the reservation that the no-change policy DID apply to us.  I wonder if they have expanded or changed the policy to now include GPP and all affiliates since we made the reservation several months ago. We have found that phone support with HGVC is excellent.  I would suggest giving them a call.  When you find out would you be so kind as to post your findings here?


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## PigsDad (Jul 1, 2019)

terces said:


> We currently have a reservation at Seapoint Carlsbad for August 2019 and did not come up against that policy as we "walked" the reservation.  We also have a Fiesta reservation at Cabo in Oct/November and knew when we made the reservation that the no-change policy DID apply to us.  I wonder if they have expanded or changed the policy to now include GPP and all affiliates since we made the reservation several months ago. We have found that phone support with HGVC is excellent.  I would suggest giving them a call.  When you find out would you be so kind as to post your findings here?


A simple way to test is look at your reservation -- does it have an active "change" link?  That would indicate if it was changeable or not.

Kurt


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## GT75 (Jul 1, 2019)

PigsDad said:


> A simple way to test is look at your reservation -- does it have an active "change" link? That would indicate if it was changeable or not.



Yes, I have a reservation next March at FA-Cabo and the change feature is available.    I don't think that the policy has changed so may be HGVC software has an issue.

This is from the website for this resort:
_Reservations require a standard, non-changeable reservation fee. The normal Club cancellation policy applies._


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## hurnik (Jul 2, 2019)

GT75 said:


> Yes, I have a reservation next March at FA-Cabo and the change feature is available.    I don't think that the policy has changed so many be HGVC software has an issue.
> 
> This is from the website for this resort:
> _Reservations require a standard, non-changeable reservation fee. The normal Club cancellation policy applies._



I vaguely recall when I did this (or tried to do this), that the change link is there, but if you try to actually use it, then it gives you an error.

But my memory may not be correct as I'm old and senile.


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## dsmrp (Jul 5, 2019)

terces said:


> We currently have a reservation at Seapoint Carlsbad for August 2019 and did not come up against that policy as we "walked" the reservation.  We also have a Fiesta reservation at Cabo in Oct/November and knew when we made the reservation that the no-change policy DID apply to us.  I wonder if they have expanded or changed the policy to now include GPP and all affiliates since we made the reservation several months ago. We have found that phone support with HGVC is excellent.  I would suggest giving them a call.  When you find out would you be so kind as to post your findings here?





PigsDad said:


> A simple way to test is look at your reservation -- does it have an active "change" link?  That would indicate if it was changeable or not.
> 
> Kurt



I couldn't remember to call HGVC during their support hours.  I went ahead and made my Marbrisa reservation anyway a couple of days ago.  When I log in today, I see a change link, and clicking thru, the UI let me select a change of dates. However I didn't confirm and discarded my changes.


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## escanoe (Jul 6, 2019)

I currently have an early January reservation for a FL affiliate, Plantation Beach Club that is “changeable” but not cancelable under the rules. I am likely going to need to try to move the vacation or preferably move out and reuse the reservation somewhere else later in 2020. It has an active link to let me change the reservation, and it looks like I can change resorts. However, it is missing the typical link to cancel the reservation. Does anyone know if once you change resorts the “cancel” link will reappear. I am also hoping “changeable” means I can reduce the number of points when I move it out.


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## Talent312 (Jul 6, 2019)

escanoe said:


> I currently have an early January reservation for a FL affiliate, Plantation Beach Club that is “changeable” but not cancelable under the rules.



What you propose should work. They likely require a phone call and a conversation with a human at this point simply becuz you're within the penalty phase and would lose points.


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## escanoe (Jul 7, 2019)

Talent312 said:


> becuz you're within the penalty phase and would lose points.



Thanks for the reply. I am unsure when such period starts for a reservation that is changeable but not cancelable (greater than 30 days on losing points for a lesser reservation would be my guess). But I would think I am acting plenty early if the reservation does not start until next January.


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## Talent312 (Jul 7, 2019)

escanoe said:


> Thanks for the reply. I am unsure when such period starts for a reservation that is changeable but not cancelable (greater than 30 days on losing points for a lesser reservation would be my guess). But I would think I am acting plenty early if the reservation does not start until next January.



... or it may simply be that, as an affiliate, it's done manually, not by computer.


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## Tamaradarann (Jul 7, 2019)

Talent312 said:


> ... or it may simply be that, as an affiliate, it's done manually, not by computer.


Affiliates were just recently had the ability to make reservations on line.  Knowing how modifications in the HGVC reservation systems take a really long time to get totally operational, reservation changes may not yet be possible.


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## ski_sierra (Jul 11, 2019)

brp said:


> The reason that that offer this is that they don't expect the vast majority of people to think of applying the shift trick. And they're probably right.
> 
> Most folks are much more "loose" with their points
> 
> Cheers.


I'm a new owner. I made a reservation today and paid for the points protection. Wish I had read this before.


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## dayooper (Jul 11, 2019)

ski_sierra said:


> I'm a new owner. I made a reservation today and paid for the points protection. Wish I had read this before.



This is a much better mistake to make than buying retail. Just sayin.


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## ski_sierra (Jul 12, 2019)

Let me confirm I understood this correctly. If I make a reservation at Sunrise lodge in January 2020 that costs 3500 points, I can change it to another location like Elara before a couple of days of the Sunrise reservation check-in as long as it's for 3500 points or more. I won't pay another reservation fee. I can also cancel this reservation and get the points back. I will only lose the reservation fee.

Now, if the reservation was for 25 Dec 2020, and I wait until Dec 23 2020 to move, I'm out of luck if the points are from 2020. Only thing that would save me is the points protection feature; I can cancel and save the points to 2021 for a fee. But if I was using borrowed points from 2021, I could move the reservation to 2021 and be safe.

In my case, I will try to use up 2022 points during Jan to Mar 2021 at Sunrise Lodge. If plans fall through then I have rest of the year to use the points at summer destinations.


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## PigsDad (Jul 12, 2019)

ski_sierra said:


> Let me confirm I understood this correctly. If I make a reservation at Sunrise lodge in January 2020 that costs 3500 points, I can change it to another location like Elara before a couple of days of the Sunrise reservation check-in as long as it's for 3500 points or more. I won't pay another reservation fee. I can also cancel this reservation and get the points back. I will only lose the reservation fee.


Bingo.



> Now, if the reservation was for 25 Dec 2020, and I wait until Dec 23 2020 to move, I'm out of luck if the points are from 2020. Only thing that would save me is the points protection feature; I can cancel and save the points to 2021 for a fee. But if I was using borrowed points from 2021, I could move the reservation to 2021 and be safe.


Partial Bingo.  Reservations can never be changed across a calendar year boundary.  So even if your Dec 2020 reservation used points borrowed from 2021, you still would not be able to change that reservation into 2021.  The only way you would be able to recover your points is if you had the Point Protection for that reservation (in your example).



> In my case, I will try to use up 2022 points during Jan to Mar 2021 at Sunrise Lodge. If plans fall through then I have rest of the year to use the points at summer destinations.


Sounds like a solid plan to me.  Good luck!

Kurt


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## ski_sierra (Jul 12, 2019)

PigsDad said:


> Partial Bingo.  Reservations can never be changed across a calendar year boundary.  So even if your Dec 2020 reservation used points borrowed from 2021, you still would not be able to change that reservation into 2021.  The only way you would be able to recover your points is if you had the Point Protection for that reservation (in your example).
> Kurt



Thanks. So if I use HGVC for Xmas bookings, then I should think of it as a potential extra $200 cost in points protection, reservation fee and save points fee.


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## brp (Jul 12, 2019)

ski_sierra said:


> Thanks. So if I use HGVC for Xmas bookings, then I should think of it as a potential extra $200 cost in points protection, reservation fee and save points fee.



Or just go and don't cancel 

Cheers.


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## ski_sierra (Jul 12, 2019)

brp said:


> Or just go and don't cancel
> 
> Cheers.



yes, of course. Certainly if one has spent the time to plan to trip and secure the reservation, cancellation option should be seldom used. But things do come up when you plan 9 months in advance.

One of the things about timeshares that was attractive to me over Airbnb is that you can change plans without losing the full cost of reservation. With Airbnb, you are usually screwed. The strict cancellation policy prevents you from planning trips until you are really sure and often by that time, the good accomodation options are gone.


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## Talent312 (Jul 12, 2019)

Once, I booked a week in mid-December, but my plans changed early enuff (11/20) that I could move it back a week to a different resort and then cancel, but I was sweating that one.

Now, I just won't book December, unless I'll be there come hell or high water.
IOW, I'll book Orlando since I'm within a 2.5-hour drive, even in December.
.


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## GT75 (Jul 12, 2019)

ski_sierra said:


> One of the things about timeshares that was attractive to me over Airbnb is that you can change plans without losing the full cost of reservation. With Airbnb, you are usually screwed. The strict cancellation policy prevents you from planning trips until you are really sure and often by that time, the good accomodation options are gone.



Agree with your statement plus the fact that I know the quality of the HGVC resorts vs. unknown Airbnb bookings.


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