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2021 changeable reservation policy changes

rjp123

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It is already free for Elite Premier owners to save points.

Kurt
I think they mean for points that would normally expire this year or no longer saveable into 2022.

Even as a non elite I would appreciate this as Canada probably won't be able to vaccinate everyone until September which means I'm only probably able to travel in Q4.

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alwysonvac

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I think they mean for points that would normally expire this year or no longer saveable into 2022.

Even as a non elite I would appreciate this as Canada probably won't be able to vaccinate everyone until September which means I'm only probably able to travel in Q4.

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Don’t forget owners have the option to deposit into RCI. Hopefully the RCI deposit option will remain available throughout 2021. ;)

From page 12 of the 2021 Club Reference Guide
RCI Deposit. Prior to December 31, 11:59 PM ET of the current year, Members may deposit current-year ClubPoints or Saved ClubPoints into the RCI Exchange program for future weekly and nightly RCI Exchange reservations (an “RCI Deposit”). RCI Deposits are valid from the date of deposit through an additional two (2) calendar years and travel must occur prior to Points expiration. Once ClubPoints are deposited into the RCI Exchange program, the transaction is final and ClubPoints may not be returned to a Member’s Club account. An RCI Deposit fee applies. In the event a Member is unable to use the RCI Deposit before the end of the second year, for an additional fee, Members have the opportunity to extend the RCI Deposit into a third year. An RCI Exchange fee will be charged at the time of confirmation or the initiation of an RCI search request.
 

DEROS

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I agree that most owners may not be impacted.

HGVC has multiple resorts at a single destination. The old changeable reservation option allowed members to take advantage of availability up until checkin so even though you had booked flights, you could move to a better location and/or room type.

NOTE: Some locations have a limited numbers of rooms in a specific view / unit types. Deros in post #27 provided a great example.

I tend to book mini family reunion vacations. Having the flexibility to make changes as my party size fluctuates and room/unit types become available can be very helpful especially at high demand resorts. This change will force me to rethink my strategy going forward.

This will diffidently impact my mental state when reserving. I like to do staycation, mainly during 4th of July, in HHV. There has been a few times when I had to reserve a much more expensive room at the Grand Waikikian to have something open up within 60 days in the Lagoon for much lesser points and a bigger room. Now, it will be a "oh man" a room open up at the Lagoon Tower. However, I will be to afraid to change reservation so I'll have to suck it up.
 

linsj

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This is not the year for HGVC to make this change. With COVID restrictions still changing frequently, it's difficult to plan ahead, at least through spring. I have a March Carlsbad reservation that I'll have to decide in the next week if I should change or chance it.
 

CalGalTraveler

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A downside is that this will reduce open season usage because some owners may be waiting for open season rates at 30 days but the original back-up reservation cannot be changed out or cancelled without penalty. One would need to back-up with a less ideal hotel reservation that can be cancelled within 30 days or stick with the club reservation if flights are booked.

This is another devaluation of Open Season. Are they scooping up open season for rental on Hilton.com? At what point are reservations not open to owners? Or is it first come, first served?
 
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seagila

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I have a March Carlsbad reservation that I'll have to decide in the next week if I should change or chance it.

Actually, you don't have to make that call until February 28th when the Cancellation Policy Waiver expires.

"...in light of COVID-19, Club is waiving the reservation cancellation policy, including the new Changeable Reservation Policy, through February 28, 2021...
 

brp

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Actually, you don't have to make that call until February 28th when the Cancellation Policy Waiver expires.

"...in light of COVID-19, Club is waiving the reservation cancellation policy, including the new Changeable Reservation Policy, through February 28, 2021...

This would be a less unreasonable policy if they waited like 6 more months to roll it out.

Cheers.
 

linsj

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Actually, you don't have to make that call until February 28th when the Cancellation Policy Waiver expires.

"...in light of COVID-19, Club is waiving the reservation cancellation policy, including the new Changeable Reservation Policy, through February 28, 2021...

Thanks. I forgot about this waiver.
 

GT75

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This would be a less unreasonable policy if they waited like 6 more months to roll it out.
I was thinking the same thing. I have a late March 11 day booking I will wait until late February to decide what I am going to do. I really expect the cancellation policy waiver to be extended.
 

dayooper

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I was thinking the same thing. I have a late March 11 day booking I will wait until late February to decide what I am going to do. I really expect the cancellation policy waiver to be extended.

I do to. It’s how they have have dealt with the pandemic. Keep making extensions. My 1st reservation isn't until June so I have some time. We moved our March reservation into late July.

I really don’t like the new policy. The flexibility is one of the reasons we bought HGVC. While its still more flexible than most systems, this pushes it closer to the others.
 

Talent312

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I have a HGVC spreadsheet in which I list booking dates and point used.
I've now added columns that calculate change-by and point-penalty dates.
I've added change-by deadlines to my calendar... like I do for oil changes.

.
 
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GT75

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Honestly, I have never cancelled within the 30-day mark (well move and then cancel), but the previous policy certainly gave me peace of mind.
 

brp

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Honestly, I have never cancelled within the 30-day mark (well move and then cancel), but the previous policy certainly gave me peace of mind.

We live in California and primarily go to New York and Hawaii (and oaccasionally Vegas, where we actually own :)). So it's all plane flights for us and changes within 30 days are not gonna happen. This will not impact us, but I also agree with the peace of mind aspect.

Cheers.
 

rjp123

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We live in California and primarily go to New York and Hawaii (and oaccasionally Vegas, where we actually own :)). So it's all plane flights for us and changes within 30 days are not gonna happen. This will not impact us, but I also agree with the peace of mind aspect.

Cheers.
I'm not so sure about flights not changing within 30 days.

At least here in Canada, currently 1 in 3 flights are cancelled or rescheduled at the last minute by the airline (with no refunds provided, only future travel credits or mile/points).

Until flight schedules become more certain I'm not confident that I could rely on airlines here to get me where I need on time.

I won't be travelling until vaccine anyway - so hopefully the air travel situation sorts itself out before then.

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brp

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I'm not so sure about flights not changing within 30 days.

At least here in Canada, currently 1 in 3 flights are cancelled or rescheduled at the last minute by the airline (with no refunds provided, only future travel credits or mile/points).

Oh, they change, but we don't change our plans. We just find flights we like and the airline changes them to what we want. And they do give us full refunds for big changes if we don't go. A definite benefit of status :)

But, yeah, a number of trips this year did go away. But I really believe that if things are still in the same doodoo that they are now, HGVC will delay implementation. I'm talking more about long-term impact, not the not times.

Cheers.
 

Cyberc

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I'm not so sure about flights not changing within 30 days.

At least here in Canada, currently 1 in 3 flights are cancelled or rescheduled at the last minute by the airline (with no refunds provided, only future travel credits or mile/points).

Until flight schedules become more certain I'm not confident that I could rely on airlines here to get me where I need on time.

I won't be travelling until vaccine anyway - so hopefully the air travel situation sorts itself out before then.

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Oh, they change, but we don't change our plans. We just find flights we like and the airline changes them to what we want. And they do give us full refunds for big changes if we don't go. A definite benefit of status :)

But, yeah, a number of trips this year did go away. But I really believe that if things are still in the same doodoo that they are now, HGVC will delay implementation. I'm talking more about long-term impact, not the not times.

Cheers.
I could wish that Canadians and Americans also got the same "benefit" as we do in europe. If an airline cancels or reschedules within 14 days of departure then they have to pony up + pay my new airfare for the same airline or just pay my airfare if I need to travel with a different airline. If my flight is delayed more than 3 hours then depending on the amount of miles to my destination the compensation varies, but you could get up to 500EUR per person per flight.
 

brp

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I could wish that Canadians and Americans also got the same "benefit" as we do in europe. If an airline cancels or reschedules within 14 days of departure then they have to pony up + pay my new airfare for the same airline or just pay my airfare if I need to travel with a different airline. If my flight is delayed more than 3 hours then depending on the amount of miles to my destination the compensation varies, but you could get up to 500EUR per person per flight.

Well, all our airlines did recently waive change fees permanently, so that's a step in the right direction. In fact, that's worth more to me than EU260. My BA flights are now less flexible than my AA flights for getting to Europe.

Cheers.
 
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Talent312

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We have a home-reno project that might run into a trip planned for May.
If the contractor doesn't finish by then, we won't go.

But now, I have to decide in March whether to chance it or change it.
This was one of those fee-free bookings with a 30% point discount, so...
If I do, poof goes the discount, and then, the contractor will finish on time.
<sigh>
.
 

Sandy VDH

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Given wrong information by Elite Rep today. Sort of surprised the Elite line had wrong info.

VC was trying to tell me that BOTH cancellation and change dates were at 61 days prior to check in. I argued that NO only changes to a reservation fell into that change, but she insisted that both changing and cancelling were 61 days.

Needless to say I did not believe her and double checked by looking it up. If the VC do not know the rules on the Elite line, is there any hope. LOL.

Here is the except from the New January Guide....
1617377452567.png
 

JohnPaul

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We have a home-reno project that might run into a trip planned for May.
If the contractor doesn't finish by then, we won't go.

But now, I have to decide in March whether to chance it or change it.
This was one of those fee-free bookings with a 30% point discount, so...
If I do, poof goes the discount, and then, the contractor will finish on time.
<sigh>
.

On the plus side - your project will be finished.
 

Talent312

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"We have a home-reno project that might run into a trip planned for May."

On the plus side - your project will be finished.

We moved the trip in May to October.
It gives us time to watch the contractor dawdle thru June.
.
 

giowop

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"We have a home-reno project that might run into a trip planned for May."



We moved the trip in May to October.
It gives us time to watch the contractor dawdle thru June.
.

Hahaha sad but true! My parents had several projects they worked on out in Colorado on their house and they just waited and waited and waited for things to get done...


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Talent312

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Someone told me that there's two kinds of time:
1. Real Time - what you and me would write on a calendar; and
2. Contractor Time - however long they say it will take, multiply by 4.

HGVC has made it almost too easy to accommodate their schedule.

.
 

Cyberc

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I have a reservation with a checkin of July 10th. If I go and try to change the reservation to ie. 6 days instead of the 7 I have booked already I can change it without problems.

The new policy states that I shouldn't be able to do so when its less than 60 days to checkin. The waiver of the cancellation policy is for cancellations only and not for changes and as I read it you can currently cancel any reservation regardless of checkin date up until 30th of June.

Anyone have any explanation why I can change my reservation? Is there anyone who can't change a reservation with 60days right now, trying to guess if the change policy might have been extended even though nothing is mentioned about it?
 

Talent312

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I have a reservation with a check-in of July 10th. If I go and try to change the reservation to 6 days instead of the 7 [that] I have booked already, I can change it without problems...

They did not charge you another booking fee... as if you had cancelled + rebooked?
If not, my guess is that they secretly waived the 60-day rule, or their IT peep screwed up.
.
 
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