# I'm a new Hyatt owner!



## DeniseM (Apr 21, 2022)

A generous owner gifted us his High Sierra Lodge timeshare.  We have 1,400 LCUP points to use this year.  Owner services told me that we have a 60 day reservation window to use the points, before Sept. 16th.  We have a fixed week 11, which I don't think we will use most of the time. So going forward, is there a better strategy for converting the fixed week to points and getting more time to use them, and a longer reservation window? If not, that's OK because we are flexible - just trying to figure out the best strategy.


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## echino (Apr 21, 2022)

You can combine points across several years. For example, if you see something good available within 60 days, say for 2,200 points, you can use your 1,400 LCUP from 2022 and 800 HRPP from 2023 (converting HRPP to CUP in the process), to make that reservation. It's online and automatic - you don't need to call, just start making a reservation online and it will lead you through the process.

It's best to avoid getting into LCUP or RCUP by using all your current year points before the deadlines, and/or borrowing from future years, if needed.


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## mjm1 (Apr 21, 2022)

DeniseM said:


> A generous owner gifted us his High Sierra Lodge timeshare.  We have 1,400 LCUP points to use this year.  Owner services told me that we have a 60 day reservation window to use the points, before Sept. 16th.  We have a fixed week 11, which I don't think we will use most of the time. So going forward, is there a better strategy for converting the fixed week to points and getting more time to use them, and a longer reservation window? If not, that's OK because we are flexible - just trying to figure out the best strategy.



Congratulations on your new ownership! We bought a resale at Pinon Pointe last year and have enjoyed the experience to date. Looking forward to many more stays at Hyatt resorts. Perhaps we will see you at Pinon Pointe some day! Enjoy!

Best regards.

Mike


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## dsmrp (Apr 21, 2022)

Once you hit your check-in day for week 11, your points for the next use year becomes available to use as far in the future (usually 1 year) as you can see available units. So as Echino mentioned you can use 2023 pts now. However I've found if you are not making a reservation at home resort, then the website may require you to pre-pay your next year's MFs.

Your club use reservation period is from 12 months in advance of your owner week check-in day to the checkin day-1 day.  (I may be 1 day off).  After your week check-in day any remaining pts become limited (LCUP) with a 60 day reservation window. And the use year's points expire 6 months after your week's check-in.

Usually Pinon Pt (Sedona) and Wild Oak (San Antonio) have a good amount of units for CUP reservations.


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## dsmrp (Apr 21, 2022)

Another way to use your points CUP or Restricted CUP (RCUP) is to make an exchange in II.  Limited LCUP pts cannot be used for II exchanges.

You can also deposit CUP points into an EEE pool (Extended Exchange ???) for II exchanges up to 4 months prior to your week's check-in date.  EEE pts are good for 2 years for II exchanges.  

The dates for all these periods & EEE for the use year are listed in your Account summary on the HRC website.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 21, 2022)

I second II. If you aren't getting anywhere, and the deadline window is closing, toss them all into II -- that gives you another two years to decide.

As for Hyatt exchanges -- mid-week stays and dropping down in unit size are your two best friends for leveraging what you have. I started with 1300 points and used that for more than 10 years -- without a hiccough. 

This year will be strange because you're starting with LCUP. Use them the best you can, and then as soon as your points come good, start booking.

Do you see using your 1400 mostly for Hyatt exchanges or II? Or a mix?


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## MICROZE (Apr 21, 2022)

echino said:


> It's best to avoid getting into LCUP or RCUP by using all your current year points before the deadlines, and/or borrowing from future years, if needed.


What's the difference between LCUP & RCUP?


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## echino (Apr 21, 2022)

MICROZE said:


> What's the difference between LCUP & RCUP?



When you cancel a reservation within 60 days of check in, you get RCUP points back.


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## DeniseM (Apr 21, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> Do you see using your 1400 mostly for Hyatt exchanges or II? Or a mix?



Hyatt - I have plenty of II and RCI traders.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 21, 2022)

DeniseM said:


> Hyatt - I have plenty of II and RCI traders.



Makes it easier.

A four night mid-week stay in Carmel will run you in the 750 point range. My wife and I use these midweeks to bulk out vacations which are supplemented by hotel stays and AirBnB (and other timeshare stays) nearby.

So for this example, 750 points in Carmel. Grab a few nights in Paso Robles. Grab a week in SF or Napa -- two weeks for an II exchange and a split Hyatt week -- easy drive-tos. Points left over for something else later.

You'll find similar synergy where ever you want to go -- Sedona, Keys, Colorado, etc. There's always something nearby.


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## echino (Apr 21, 2022)

Tip: there no split week fee at Carmel.


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## Tucsonadventurer (Apr 21, 2022)

DeniseM said:


> Hyatt - I have plenty of II and RCI traders.


Hyatt is the best Interval trader. For 860 you can get a week prime time in a 1 bedroom, 430 for a studio  and maybe 1450 for a 2 bedroom prime week. I never have used my Vistana week in interval because of this


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## ScoopKona (Apr 21, 2022)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> Hyatt is the best Interval trader. For 860 you can get a week prime time in a 1 bedroom, 430 for a studio  and maybe 1450 for a 2 bedroom prime week. I never have used my Vistana week in interval because of this



1300, 870, 430

So, with a Bronze 1300 point week:

1) a 2bd, high season
2) a 1bd and studio, high season
3) 3 studios, high season

And going to shoulder/low season makes it (slightly) more attractive. This and "buy a bronze, ski in a studio" was the entirety of my sales pitch when I worked there.


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## GTLINZ (Apr 22, 2022)

Congrats, DeniseM !

As for the II discussion, I am confused. I do not think LCUP points could be used for II. I think Hyatt reservations are the only option, and those within 2 months out.

I believe RCUP points can be used for II.  RCUP is a different bucket from LCUP when points are restricted due to a cancellation but have not reached the use week (and gone to LCUP).  RCUP points are restricted to Hyatt within 60 days but can be used for II.  RCUP points will go to LCUP one they reach the use week. The option of Interval use is the big difference between RCUP and LCUP.

And yes, if the OP gives up the use week next year they have 1400 CUP points available from next year that can be combined with the LCUP points for Hyatt reservations within 60 days. Or those CUP points can be used now for anything- but the point is spending the LCUP points first - and oldest points get used first if eligible.


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## Tucsonadventurer (Apr 22, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> 1300, 870, 430
> 
> So, with a Bronze 1300 point week:
> 
> ...


Thanks for this. I didn't look them up but 1300 pts for a 2 bedroom is darn good! We were able during early COVID to stay at Westin Ka'anapali  in 1 bedrooms and studios for over a month using Hyatt points.


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## GTLINZ (Apr 22, 2022)

DeniseM - since you are asking about best strategy - i will assume this is your first Hyatt and you are trying to figure out the rules. And rule #1 - try not to let points go into LCUP and get restricted.

You just happen to get points that are restricted because the unit was not used week 11 of 2022 - and the points not spent on something else before week 11 of 2022. So you are restricted with THESE points but you already have access to points for week 11 of 2023. So there are 2 buckets of points - 2022 week 11 points and 2023 week 11 points - and it sounds like each bucket is 1400 points from what you have said .

The buckets CUP, RCUP, EEE and LCUP are used so that you understand what the points are eligible to be used for, and their life expiration in that bucket.

First (your 2023 week 11 points) - you have exclusive access to your exact unit in your exact week from 12 to 6 months out. If you use any of those points, you lose your "home reservation" and it become available to others. If you do not exercise your home reservation before 6 months out, you lose that advantage and it becomes available to others.  For this reason, a lot of inventory shows up at 6 months out.

Your points for week 11 of 2023 are available to spend now and are unrestricted. The CUP period for these points is a year and started week 11 of this year and lasts until week 11 of next year.  You likely will have to prepay next years MF to use them.  You also can put SOME OR ALL of them in Interval as "extended external exchange" points (EEE) as long as it is 4 months prior to week 11 of 2023. The ADVANTAGE to this is that the week 11  2023 points are now good in Interval until 2025 (three years from the beginnning of CUP, two years from the end of CUP/use week). If you like interval and you are getting near 4 months out and don't have a use for them, this extends their life significantly. Once they go into the EEE bucket, they can only be used for interval. But this is the only way that i know of where points will not get restricted at the end of CUP.

CUP points not spent go to LCUP once you reach the use year (only can use for Hyatt reservations 2 months out).

Points from a cancelled reservation go to RCUP (Hyatt 2 months out or Interval) instead of CUP if before the use week. If after the use week, they go to LCUP (Hyatt only 2 months out).

So you can see this is about managing/trying to use all of your points BEFORE your use week - unless you are willing to accept restrictions and look for last minute inventory.  And unlike other timeshares I have owned - you have to pay a fee to cancel a reservation - on top of the restrictions. So planning is the key!

I know your 2022 points are restricted, but you should be able to find something.  And you can "borrow" some of the 2023 points. Happy Hunting!


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## mjm1 (Apr 22, 2022)

GTLINZ said:


> First (your 2023 week 11 points) - you have exclusive access to your exact unit in your exact week from 12 to 6 months out. If you use any of those points, you lose your "home reservation" and it become available to others. If you do not exercise your home reservation before 6 months out, you lose that advantage and it becomes available to others.  For this reason, a lot of inventory shows up at 6 months out.



I understand that you can also reserve a portion of your lock off unit, say your large 1BR side, and only the remainder converts to points. We did that with our Pinon Pointe unit (2,000 point total)- fixed 1BR (valued at 1,320 points) and have 680 points to use there or elsewhere. This is one feature that we really like with Hyatt and our other systems don’t allow.

This of course assumes that the unit owned is a lock off unit. If it’s a non-lock off, this feature wouldn’t be available.

Best regards.

Mike


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## GTLINZ (Apr 22, 2022)

Most Hyatt owners stress that you need to avoid letting points go into LCUP and be restricted - but when you think about it it is actually nice that they allow you to use points past your use week for 6 months. It kinda makes sense you can only use them for last minute inventory.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 22, 2022)

100% 

"Don't let your points go to LCUP." But since you're starting with LCUP points, this is how you see how the reservation website works. Check it out every day -- multiple times per day if you want to take a trip. Just keep hitting it and searching for inventory that fits the LCUP restrictions. If you find something, awesome.

If not, write the points off and start trading as soon as your points come good next time.


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## Mongoose (Apr 22, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> 100%
> 
> "Don't let your points go to LCUP." But since you're starting with LCUP points, this is how you see how the reservation website works. Check it out every day -- multiple times per day if you want to take a trip. Just keep hitting it and searching for inventory that fits the LCUP restrictions. If you find something, awesome.
> 
> If not, write the points off and start trading as soon as your points come good next time.


Alright ScoopLV, how about some great ideas on using 580 EEE that expire in July.  I have ongoing searches, but so far no luck.


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## ScoopKona (Apr 22, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> Alright ScoopLV, how about some great ideas on using 580 EEE that expire in July.  I have ongoing searches, but so far no luck.



You just have to hit the HRC website multiple times per day. There's no other way. I had LCUP points last year thanks to the pandemic. I managed to snag some mid-week Carmel days and burn most of the points. Perhaps 50 points burned for lack of use.

It's not easy. And it takes more than a fair bit of luck. LCUP is sub-optimal, after all.

My wife liked Carmel so much she asked me to snag more Carmel time for her birthday. That was considerably easier without the reservation restrictions. I added an Interval Napa week because we go there constantly.


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## Mongoose (Apr 22, 2022)

ScoopLV said:


> You just have to hit the HRC website multiple times per day. There's no other way. I had LCUP points last year thanks to the pandemic. I managed to snag some mid-week Carmel days and burn most of the points. Perhaps 50 points burned for lack of use.
> 
> It's not easy. And it takes more than a fair bit of luck. LCUP is sub-optimal, after all.
> 
> My wife liked Carmel so much she asked me to snag more Carmel time for her birthday. That was considerably easier without the reservation restrictions. I added an Interval Napa week because we go there constantly.


I didn’t know we can use EEE within HRC?


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## ScoopKona (Apr 22, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> I didn’t know we can use EEE within HRC?



You can't. 

I LCUP'ed some Carmel time. And then this year I CUP'ed Carmel and Napa.

You have to hammer the HRC site and hope you catch a break. Pay attention to time that shows up outside your reservation window -- expect that more time will show up INSIDE your reservation window at the same time of day. I was hitting HRC four and five times a day when I had LCUP to spend. Just how it is.

This is why I don't want people to be able to reserve and cancel weeks for free. It would ALWAYS be like LCUP.


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## GTLINZ (Apr 23, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> Alright xxxxxxx, how about some great ideas on using 580 EEE that expire in July.  I have ongoing searches, but so far no luck.



EEE points are only good for Interval. So you can basically park and extend 430 points by reserving a  studio anywhere and adding E-Plus (will bump the reservation fee up $89 i think).  You can change that reservation 3 times and buy time until you see something you want.  Once you make that reservation, the points are transferred FROM Hyatt TO Interval and those points now follow Interval rules. According to the link below, you can change reservations up to a year after the reservation date. I have used EPlus change before but did not try to extend dates so you may want to read up on this.

https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/please-explain-interval-international-e-plus.316319/

The combination of EEE and E-Plus can really extend the life of your points.

Another option would be to find a shortstay exchange in Interval - i think it is 45/90/135 points for a studio/1br/2br for Su-Th and much more for Fr-Sa.

Of both. Park the 430 points and then spend 135 for a 3 night studio shortstay. But the reservation fee for 3 nights is not that much less than a week. I have the same situation now with 135 points and debating if it is worth the almost $200 reservation fee.

Happy hunting !


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## alameda94501 (Apr 23, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> Alright ScoopLV, how about some great ideas on using 580 EEE that expire in July.  I have ongoing searches, but so far no luck.



I find EEE and II a lot less useful for our impulsive family plans, but this is the one case where 800-GOHYATT (rather than the website) had been useful in the past when we purchased resale and ended up with EEE points the previous owner couldn't use. Eventually they got wasted due to COVID but the Hyatt telephone team was very knowledgeable on strategies to use them.


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## Mongoose (Apr 23, 2022)

alameda94501 said:


> I find EEE and II a lot less useful for our impulsive family plans, but this is the one case where 800-GOHYATT (rather than the website) had been useful in the past when we purchased resale and ended up with EEE points the previous owner couldn't use. Eventually they got wasted due to COVID but the Hyatt telephone team was very knowledgeable on strategies to use them.


Thanks once again.  I assume this means the phone line has Hyatt priority access over what you get on the website?


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## ScoopKona (Apr 23, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> Thanks once again.  I assume this means the phone line has Hyatt priority access over what you get on the website?



They see stuff we don't. For instance, I have stayed at some older places in the UK which aren't listed because they're considered too "tired" for Hyatt people. Just looked one up -- Hever Hotel & Country Club, in 2007. There was another place in Wells (the smallest city in England). It still doesn't show up in Interval. Wells doesn't even show up in my history anymore. I don't know if these places are still in II or not. I would have to call. I thought these places were fine -- I used to live in Europe. I'm used to squeaky floors and buildings which are older than the city of Boston.

They also have reservation options we don't. "Anything in X general location during Y timeframe -- book it and charge me. Don't even ask. Email me when I have something." -- It's been several years since I've done one of those (also in the UK). Hopefully that is still possible.


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## alameda94501 (Apr 23, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> Thanks once again.  I assume this means the phone line has Hyatt priority access over what you get on the website?



While @ScoopLV probably has way more experience on access, I just meant they were smarter at finding things, explaining the ins and outs of EPlus, etc. I avoid the phone line because of additional costs for internal Hyatt reservations, but for Interval I need some handholding!


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## ScoopKona (Apr 23, 2022)

alameda94501 said:


> While @ScoopLV probably has way more experience on access, I just meant they were smarter at finding things, explaining the ins and outs of EPlus, etc. I avoid the phone line because of additional costs for internal Hyatt reservations, but for Interval I need some handholding!



I call them up as well. I've found that "Here's what I want, please set up the search and auto-reservation" works well. BUT -- I haven't had any need to do this for several years. So if things have changed over at II, I wouldn't know.

My current way to travel is to agree with my wife about when we want to travel. And then I run a search and ask her, "Do you want to go to Kuala Lumpur, Sardinia or Phuket?" She tells me and that's that. There are also a few specific places I want to stay because they look really, really cool. So I keep an eye out for those.


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## Sugarcubesea (Apr 27, 2022)

DeniseM said:


> A generous owner gifted us his High Sierra Lodge timeshare.  We have 1,400 LCUP points to use this year.  Owner services told me that we have a 60 day reservation window to use the points, before Sept. 16th.  We have a fixed week 11, which I don't think we will use most of the time. So going forward, is there a better strategy for converting the fixed week to points and getting more time to use them, and a longer reservation window? If not, that's OK because we are flexible - just trying to figure out the best strategy.



Congrats Denise, I'm so happy for you, I really enjoy my Hyatt


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## echino (Apr 27, 2022)

Be aware of some Hyatt quirks when using points in II:

No 24-hour grace period as with non-Hyatt exchanges. If you get a match with Hyatt, you are stuck.

No free size upgrades during flexchange. If you ePlus into a bigger unit, you pay for size difference in points, even during flexchange. No option to pay cash.


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## Sugarcubesea (Apr 28, 2022)

echino said:


> Be aware of some Hyatt quirks when using points in II:
> 
> No 24-hour grace period as with non-Hyatt exchanges. If you get a match with Hyatt, you are stuck.
> 
> No free size upgrades during flexchange. If you ePlus into a bigger unit, you pay for size difference in points, even during flexchange. No option to pay cash.



@echino , Oh wow, I did not know this about using points in II, thanks so much...


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## Mongoose (Apr 28, 2022)

Sugarcubesea said:


> @echino , Oh wow, I did not know this about using points in II, thanks so much...


I assume you mean trading a non-Hyatt to a Hyatt in II.  I don't believe you can get Hyatt with Hyatt EEE points with the exception of the Welk/Hyatt mess.


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## Tucsonadventurer (Apr 28, 2022)

Sugarcubesea said:


> @echino , Oh wow, I did not know this about using points in II, thanks so much...


  We always get eplus, problem solved


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## echino (Apr 28, 2022)

Mongoose said:


> I assume you mean trading a non-Hyatt to a Hyatt in II.  I don't believe you can get Hyatt with Hyatt EEE points with the exception of the Welk/Hyatt mess.



No, the other way around. When you have a pending request with Hyatt points in II, and you get an exact match (to a non-Hyatt resort), you are stuck, you cannot decline the match within 24 hours.


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## echino (Apr 28, 2022)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> We always get eplus, problem solved



You cannot do a request with ePlus, only manual search. Also, any size upgrades using ePlus cost additional points, even within 60 days.

When you use non-Hyatt timeshares (like Marriott for example) to exchange via Interval, and you get a match to your request, you have 24 hours to decline a match and continue with the request. You don't have those 24 hours with Hyatt.


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## Tucsonadventurer (Apr 28, 2022)

echino said:


> You cannot do a request with ePlus, only manual search. Also, any size upgrades using ePlus cost additional points, even within 60 days.
> 
> When you use non-Hyatt timeshares (like Marriott for example) to exchange via Interval, and you get a match to your request, you have 24 hours to decline a match and continue with the request. You don't have those 24 hours with Hyatt.


I get it , we rarely do requests with Interval so I didn't realize that. With searches we use eplus. The one time we did do a search we ended up with a 2 bedroom after requesting a 1 bedroom. They corrected it when I called and apologized.


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## SteveinHNL (Jul 16, 2022)

dsmrp said:


> Another way to use your points CUP or Restricted CUP (RCUP) is to make an exchange in II.  Limited LCUP pts cannot be used for II exchanges.
> 
> You can also deposit CUP points into an EEE pool (Extended Exchange ???) for II exchanges up to 4 months prior to your week's check-in date.  EEE pts are good for 2 years for II exchanges.
> 
> The dates for all these periods & EEE for the use year are listed in your Account summary on the HRC website.


I am looking at Kal’s points chart, and it references HRPP, CUP, and LCUP.  But I don’t see a reference to RCUP, what does this refer to?

[Whoops, I see the answer now.  RCUP are points from canceled reservations.]


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## GTLINZ (Jul 17, 2022)

SteveinHNL said:


> I am looking at Kal’s points chart, and it references HRPP, CUP, and LCUP.  But I don’t see a reference to RCUP, what does this refer to?
> 
> [Whoops, I see the answer now.  RCUP are points from canceled reservations.]



You always have to think about the points age.

RCUP is restricted points due to cancelling a reservation within 60 days of checkin - but the returned points are still from before the original home use date. Like LCUP the points are restricted to a reservation within 60 days out. The only real use difference between RCUP and LCUP us RCUP points are still valid to use in II since not yet expired.

If you cancel a reservation more than 60 days out and the points are from before the original use date, they basically go back unrestricted to CUP.


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