Housekeeping Credits

[DaveNV]

Trying to fully understand how these work.

So, a Housekeeping Credit (HKC) needs to be used "for every stay." I made a test reservation for two nights, and it took one of my available HKCs. Ok, I see that...

The WM site also says you can split reservations between multiple resorts to meet a Red time 7-day stay requirement if 10 months out or more. If I do that, and have consecutive reservations in, say, three resorts to cover a 7-day period, does it require three HKCs for that seven day period, or does one HKC cover all three, since it's a consecutive stay?

And if I don't have any HKCs in my account, do they add a cash cost onto the reservation to cover it? What is the current HKC cost?

Dave

 

[ecwinch]

Yes. That is called a grouped reservation, and a HK token is required for each part of the reservation. Generally speaking a HK token is required each time a room needs to be cleaned unless the booking is a cash booking (Bonus Time, FAX, Inventory Special and Wyndham's seasonal specials - Winterflurry, etc).

And yes, if you lack a HK token, they will bill you for one based on the size of unit booked. When booking a WM resort that screen will be the last screen in the transaction.

Which can cause a problem if you book an exchange (RCI/II) and dont have a token. They will bill for one by mail. And if you overlook the mailed bill and dont pay it they will lock your acct.

 

[DaveNV]

Yes. That is called a grouped reservation, and a HK token is required for each part of the reservation. Generally speaking a HK token is required each time a room needs to be cleaned unless the booking is a cash booking (Bonus Time, FAX, Inventory Special and Wyndham's seasonal specials - Winterflurry, etc).

And yes, if you lack a HK token, they will bill you for one based on the size of unit booked. When booking a WM resort that screen will be the last screen in the transaction.

Which can cause a problem if you book an exchange (RCI/II) and dont have a token. They will bill for one by mail. And if you overlook the mailed bill and dont pay it they will lock your acct.

Thanks, Eric. I understand somebody has to be paid to clean the unit. I don't have a problem with that. I'm trying to lay out a "best practices" thematic for using WM. So logically, when planning a trip that uses any amount of resort time at any WM resort, I should just plan to pay a HKC for each resort, as long as it's not one of the special bookings you named. Fair enough?

Dave

 

[ecwinch]

I'm trying to lay out a "best practices" thematic for using WM. So logically, when planning a trip that uses any amount of resort time at any WM resort, I should just plan to pay a HKC for each resort, as long as it's not one of the special bookings you named. Fair enough?

Dave, you got it. In terms of best practices, it is always best to save your HK tokens for credit reservations of the largest unit size. And to always try (when possible) to use a cash booking method for short stays.

For instance, if I am making a credits booking for a 1BR unit for some reason and have HK tokens, I will tie them up in a reservation and then pay cash for the HK token.

 

[geist1223]

Or you can acquire a Grandfathered No HKC Account or a Modern No HKC account.

 

[DaveNV]

Or you can acquire a Grandfathered No HKC Account or a Modern No HKC account.

Ha ha. Great idea, but no thanks. I literally JUST got this WM purchase to finally close, and I'm trying to make good sense out of what I have in hand. Waaaay too soon to be adding something, or trying to switch things up, even if it makes better financial sense. Depending on how WM works out for me, I may try and do that later one, but not yet.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Dave, you got it. In terms of best practices, it is always best to save your HK tokens for credit reservations of the largest unit size. And to always try (when possible) to use a cash booking method for short stays.

For instance, if I am making a credits booking for a 1BR unit for some reason and have HK tokens, I will tie them up in a reservation and then pay cash for the HK token.

I can see why saving the tokens for the largest sized unit would maximize the HK value. That makes good financial sense.

Sorry if I seem dense, but I want to get this right. Your second comment intrigues me. I'm reading that if I have HK tokens available, I should make a bogus reservation beforehand, to obligate those tokens, so when I make the real reservation I want to keep, I'd have no HK tokens available, and I can pay cash for it. I presume then the bogus reservations can be cancelled, and the HKs would be returned to my account for future use. And THAT tells me there is no way to pay cash for a HK if there is one available in my account? They were so quick to snatch the one from my account when I made a test reservation, they didn't even offer me a cash option - the HK token was just taken.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

I can see why saving the tokens for the largest sized unit would maximize the HK value. That makes good financial sense.

Sorry if I seem dense, but I want to get this right. Your second comment intrigues me. I'm reading that if I have HK tokens available, I should make a bogus reservation beforehand, to obligate those tokens, so when I make the real reservation I want to keep, I'd have no HK tokens available, and I can pay cash for it. I presume then the bogus reservations can be cancelled, and the HKs would be returned to my account for future use. And THAT tells me there is no way to pay cash for a HK if there is one available in my account? They were so quick to snatch the one from my account when I made a test reservation, they didn't even offer me a cash option - the HK token was just taken.

Dave

Yes. Bogus reservations can be cancelled and HK tokens would be returned to your account immediately. If you have none for the current year and have one for the following year, I THINK the screen would ask you if you would like to borrow a token. I THINK you are able to decline borrowing, but not if you have something for the current or past use year.

 

[bizaro86]

You can't not use a HK token if you have one. I have also made a future reservation to use up my HK, then paid cash for a HK on a small unit to save the HK for big unit reservations.

It is worth noting I think that you can do this the other way as well. If you have a reservation where you have paid cash for the HK, and later get a HK back from a cancellation, you can call and they will use the HK and refund the cash.

 

[clifffaith]

Learned something today! We always have zero current points so I always get asked cash or HK, did not know I wouldn't have the choice if we kept the account more current.

 

[DaveNV]

Ok, I think I have this sorted out. Thank you!

One more question: Going with the bogus reservation scenario above, if I borrow a HK token from next year for a reservation I make today but later cancel, does the HK token returned to my account still expire at the same initial timeframe? Or does its available time get shortened because it was previously borrowed?

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

Ok, I think I have this sorted out. Thank you!

One more question: Going with the bogus reservation scenario above, if I borrow a HK token from next year for a reservation I make today but later cancel, does the HK token returned to my account still expire at the same initial timeframe? Or does its available time get shortened because it was previously borrowed?

Dave

Yes to first question. No to second.

 

[DaveNV]

Yes to first question. No to second.

Well, that was very interesting! I just went through the booking process, and I lived to tell about it.

First, I made a bogus reservation that took my 2017 HK token. Then I made a second bogus reservation, and it prompted me to Borrow the HK token from 2018. I agreed, and it took that one. Then I made the real reservation I wanted, and it said I owed money, but didn't say why. I figured it was to pay for a HK token, since I had none in my account. I agreed, but when I tried to pay for it, the website said I didn't have a credit card on file, and did I want to enter one. I agreed, went through the process, and said Book It. Aaaaanndd...

It failed. Then I tried it again, and it said I had to complete the first reservation before I could enter a second one. Hmm. So I tried a different credit card. Nope. Then I tried PayPal. Nope again. After several more tries, logging out and back in, all with the same failed results, I called WM. The pleasant lady on the phone politely explained that because I didn't have a credit card on file, the website needed one, but the process to register a new credit card online has been broken for over a year. She asked if I'd like her to complete the reservation for me, and I agreed. She took the card number, got it registered to my account, and completed my reservation, including charging me for the HK fee. It was all good, and Confirmation emails were received for all three reservations.

After I had the Confirmation email for the real reservation, I cancelled the two bogus reservations, one at a time. It immediately gave back my credits, and the HK tokens it had taken, then sent me a cancellation email. The borrowed token now shows as available to borrow again, my points are back, and we're all set. I have just one reservation in place, the real one I wanted, and the rest have been cancelled, so life is good.

Overall, it was pretty painless, and I feel a certain sense of accomplishment. Thanks for the help here! Tuggers rock!

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

@DaveNW I just sold my WM contract and I miss it already. WM is a great system.

 

[DaveNV]

@DaveNW I just sold my WM contract and I miss it already. WM is a great system.

I knew you did. Maybe you'll buy another? That eBay auction I fell over wasn't that painful, and I got a fair amount for not a lot of money.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

I knew you did. Maybe you'll buy another? That eBay auction I fell over wasn't that painful, and I got a fair amount for not a lot of money.

Dave

Haha. We own too many... so many timeshare, so little time and $$$.

 

[DaveNV]

Haha. We own too many... so many timeshare, so little time and $$$.

I know that feeling. I've always kept my timeshare dealings under close watch, but at one time I had four Weeks, and it was a hassle to try and manage the scheduling and fees for them all. I got it down to just one, and then I realized that it wasn't enough. A biennial Week just isn't enough for how we like to travel. With my (potential) retirement next year, buying into WM seemed a good fit. The biennial Week I own gets me into nice places every two years, and it looks like WM will be a good fill-in around the edges. We'll see how it plays out.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

I know that feeling. I've always kept my timeshare dealings under close watch, but at one time I had four Weeks, and it was a hassle to try and manage the scheduling and fees for them all. I got it down to just one, and then I realized that it wasn't enough. A biennial Week just isn't enough for how we like to travel. With my (potential) retirement next year, buying into WM seemed a good fit. The biennial Week I own gets me into nice places every two years, and it looks like WM will be a good fill-in around the edges. We'll see how it plays out.

Dave

We used WM to stay at Victoria and Vancouver at British Columbia and you cannot beat the locations. We love Depoe Bay and we were assigned a lovely corner unit upstairs. The location and view from that unit was to die for.

 

[DaveNV]

We used WM to stay at Victoria and Vancouver at British Columbia and you cannot beat the locations. We love Depoe Bay and we were assigned a lovely corner unit upstairs. The location and view from that unit was to die for.

All three locations are great. I like the Oregon Coast quite a bit, but Washington has some amazing stuff, too. This first real reservation I made was for San Francisco this Fall, before the rains start. I have family in the area, and we're tying it in to a visit with them. It's exactly what I wanted from WM - the ability to stay in a nice place for a few days at a time, when staying a week is too much.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

All three locations are great. I like the Oregon Coast quite a bit, but Washington has some amazing stuff, too. This first real reservation I made was for San Francisco this Fall, before the rains start. I have family in the area, and we're tying it in to a visit with them. It's exactly what I wanted from WM - the ability to stay in a nice place for a few days at a time, when staying a week is too much.

Dave

That was kind of what we did. We broke up the Victoria / Vancouver stay with a 4 /3. We also pieced together a 11 nights stay at Solvang, Marina and Pismo Beach in the summer of 2016. Last year we booked 10 nights at Oceanside and changed it 2 months before our stay to Big Bear because our friends spoke highly of that area. We did pop by Oceanside when we were in the Southern California area for a separate timeshare stay and decided that we actually do like Oceanside. We did not care for Big Bear after we stayed there, a little too sleepy for our liking.

 

[ecwinch]

Well, that was very interesting! I just went through the booking process, and I lived to tell about it.

First, I made a bogus reservation that took my 2017 HK token. Then I made a second bogus reservation, and it prompted me to Borrow the HK token from 2018.

Dave

One point that I probably have messed up with my phrasing.

You only need to tie up your current HK tokens, not the future/borrowed ones.

When you make a credit reservation and only have tokens to borrow, it will give you the option of paying cash OR to borrow one. So you only need to tie up your current HK tokens in bogus reservations, not borrowed one.

Hopefully that is not confusing.

 

[DaveNV]

One point that I probably have messed up with my phrasing.

You only need to tie up your current HK tokens, not the future/borrowed ones.

When you make a credit reservation and only have tokens to borrow, it will give you the option of paying cash OR to borrow one. So you only need to tie up your current HK tokens in bogus reservations, not borrowed one.

Hopefully that is not confusing.

Thanks, Eric. That will be good to know for future bookings, and will be one less step to go through. And the way I did it shows the system works as expected when future HK tokens are borrowed.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

Thanks, Eric. That will be good to know for future bookings, and will be one less step to go through. And the way I did it shows the system works as expected when future HK tokens are borrowed.

Dave

See my post #8 that indicates that you do not need to use future HK token, by declining...

 

[DaveNV]

See my post #8 that indicates that you do not need to use future HK token, by declining...

Yes, I saw that. It's good to know I don't have to tie up future tokens when making a reservation. So much to know about the tricks of things, isn't it?

Next step for me will be mastering the magic and mysterious 13-month booking window to snag a reservation in a prime area. But that's a topic for another thread.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

Yes, I saw that. It's good to know I don't have to tie up future tokens when making a reservation. So much to know about the tricks of things, isn't it?

Next step for me will be mastering the magic and mysterious 13-month booking window to snag a reservation in a prime area. But that's a topic for another thread.

Dave

The one thing that I did not learn all the while when we had WM ownership was the rules around FAX time, Bonus time, Monday Madness etc... Since we always had more points than we had time, we had only used the "extra" bookings once or twice.