[ 2021 ] Major Change to Wyndham VIP Program in Email 7/19/2021 [MERGED]

[bweltsch]

From what was stated in the "seminar" yesterday, if you use ONE point from resale or third party it invalidates VIP status for that reservation. I think that would answer the extra night question.

 

[Ty1on]

From what was stated in the "seminar" yesterday, if you use ONE point from resale or third party it invalidates VIP status for that reservation. I think that would answer the extra night question.

The extra night is a twist, though. You have already booked a four night stay using 100% VIP points. And let's say you did it at a VIP 50% points discount within 60 days. Now you go back in and add an additional night using resale points with no discount. So you have four nights on VIP privileges and one night on persona non grata privileges.....

 

[troy12n]

Already looking for ways to game the system

 

[HitchHiker71]

The extra night is a twist, though. You have already booked a four night stay using 100% VIP points. And let's say you did it at a VIP 50% points discount within 60 days. Now you go back in and add an additional night using resale points with no discount. So you have four nights on VIP privileges and one night on persona non grata privileges.....

Based upon the seminar yesterday - I'm going to speculate that since the points bucket selection is "once and done" on the initial reservation - the Add Nights function will only allow use of the points bucket originally used. We'll have to wait and see to be sure.

 

[Ty1on]

Based upon the seminar yesterday - I'm going to speculate that since the points bucket selection is "once and done" on the initial reservation - the Add Nights function will only allow use of the points bucket originally used. We'll have to wait and see to be sure.

If that is the case, then perhaps a split reservation then ask the resort to sew them together. Some have said in these threads that it's a matter of learning the new rules and finding workarounds, and a couple were shot down for that, I think, but I believe that will be the case. I believe there are owners here that are smarter than the smartest individual working for Wyndham, and when you smart ones get your heads together you become like an intellectual Megatron.

 

[chapjim]

The extra night is a twist, though. You have already booked a four night stay using 100% VIP points. And let's say you did it at a VIP 50% points discount within 60 days. Now you go back in and add an additional night using resale points with no discount. So you have four nights on VIP privileges and one night on persona non grata privileges.....

Let's say the new system allows that. The next question would be will the resort combine the reservations like they do now. If the resort considers this to be two separate transactions, then you shot yourself in the foot. You'll have to check out before 10 AM and check in again at 4 PM or whenever the unit is ready.

Logically, you can't have it both ways -- two separate transactions points-wise and a single seamless reservation at the resort. The Lord only knows how it will turn out when the new "features" are rolled out.

 

[paxsarah]

perhaps a split reservation

I mean, there is no such thing as a split reservation anymore, not since 2017. It’s two reservations. Maybe the resort can keep you in the same unit, maybe they can’t. You’re at the whim of the resort’s room assigner and probably won’t know your fate until check-in.

 

[paxsarah]

And maybe I’m not a creative thinker (I’m really not), but I can’t figure out what the big gotcha is even if you could add nights with resale points to a VIP reservation. It seems a bit Underpants Gnomes-y to me.

 

[Ty1on]

And maybe I’m not a creative thinker (I’m really not), but I can’t figure out what the big gotcha is even if you could add nights with resale points to a VIP reservation. It seems a bit Underpants Gnomes-y to me.

If you want five nights, all five nights are at full points cost if this can't be done.

 

[paxsarah]

If you want five nights, all five nights are at full points cost if this can't be done.

If the original scenario was that you've booked using a VIP discount and now want to add nights, then all five nights are not at full cost if this can't be done. You already have four nights at a VIP discount. If this can't be done, then you already have the 4 discounted nights, and the system will let you add one night using VIP points at a discount. If you don't have those points in the current year you can either borrow VIP points from next year or I guess rent (though I've never added a night, am not VIP so I've never used VIP discounts, and very rarely rented, so I really don't know what happens when renting to add a night during the VIP discount window). If the system is working as they've said it would, it will not even give you the option to use non-VIP points. The only way you get 5 nights at full points is if you cancel the 4 discounted nights and book 5 nights with non-VIP points.

 

[Cyrus24]

If the system is working as they've said it would, it will not even give you the option to use non-VIP points. The only way you get 5 nights at full points is if you cancel the 4 discounted nights and book 5 nights with non-VIP points.

I anticipate it happening just as you suggest. Which is fine by me. But, I'm a 85% VIPP, 15% Resale owner who is not really looking for any loopholes.

 

[Mr. Phil]

My big question would be if you are short points on a VIP reservation could you choose to borrow points from the next Use Year if you have resale points available in same use year.

Can not borrow resale for short developer and the opposite holds within the same year. I was told anyone with developer points and less than 100,000 resale points will have a difficult time using unless for short stays, they do not qualify for discounts.

 

[troy12n]

Can not borrow resale for short developer and the opposite holds within the same year. I was told anyone with developer points and less than 100,000 resale points will have a difficult time using unless for short stays, they do not qualify for discounts.

I think we were told you can combine retail and resale points to make a booking, but you lose any VIP privilages when you do so. Is this not accurate?

Also what's preventing you from borrowing from a future UY to complete the transaction?

 

[HitchHiker71]

TUGGERs, I wanted to share what I feel is some really good news coming soon to a theatre near us. The inability for hybrid VIP owners to combine resale/retail points for SRP/ARP reservations has finally been acknowledged and reproduced by Wyndham. It has been intermittent which was been a major part of the challenge. Some hybrid VIP owners have been able to book using combined resale/retail points in the SRP/ARP, others have not been able to do so. I fall in the latter bucket myself. The Wyndham DT team was able to reproduce the reported issue(s) and identify the required code fixes. This fix is currently slated for the mid-January code release sprint - though there's an outside chance we may see this fix in mid-December - but I'd estimate January to be on the safe side.

Overall - point being - the problem of hybrid VIP owners not being able to combine resale/retail points in the SRP/ARP reservation windows, unlike non-VIP hybrid owners who can do so without any issue - is going to be resolved! This has been a long time coming for those of us who are hybrid VIP owners.

 

[bnoble]

Great news. Thanks for your work on this!

 

[Ty1on]

Can not borrow resale for short developer and the opposite holds within the same year. I was told anyone with developer points and less than 100,000 resale points will have a difficult time using unless for short stays, they do not qualify for discounts.

I would guess a salesperson told you that. The truth is that once they fix the code HitchHiker described, you can use the 100K resale points for whatever you want within its use year, you just borrow developer points within the use year to fill out the points you need (and yes, lose points discount on them). It's true that borrowing will probably be restricted to the appropriate retail/resale lane, but "difficult time using unless for short stays" seems a bit exaggerated.

 

[markb53]

TUGGERs, I wanted to share what I feel is some really good news coming soon to a theatre near us. The inability for hybrid VIP owners to combine resale/retail points for SRP/ARP reservations has finally been acknowledged and reproduced by Wyndham. It has been intermittent which was been a major part of the challenge. Some hybrid VIP owners have been able to book using combined resale/retail points in the SRP/ARP, others have not been able to do so. I fall in the latter bucket myself. The Wyndham DT team was able to reproduce the reported issue(s) and identify the required code fixes. This fix is currently slated for the mid-January code release sprint - though there's an outside chance we may see this fix in mid-December - but I'd estimate January to be on the safe side.

Overall - point being - the problem of hybrid VIP owners not being able to combine resale/retail points in the SRP/ARP reservation windows, unlike non-VIP hybrid owners who can do so without any issue - is going to be resolved! This has been a long time coming for those of us who are hybrid VIP owners.

Any word on the issue that, for Non-VIP owners that that don’t have a Jan-Dec use year, they can only deposit into the next year online. They cannot deposit into the following use year without calling in. They also can also only see one future year in the point summary and benefit summary until Jan 1st when the 2nd future use year will show up online. Too late, unfortunately, to deposit into.

 

[HitchHiker71]

TUGGERs, I wanted to share what I feel is some really good news coming soon to a theatre near us. The inability for hybrid VIP owners to combine resale/retail points for SRP/ARP reservations has finally been acknowledged and reproduced by Wyndham. It has been intermittent which was been a major part of the challenge. Some hybrid VIP owners have been able to book using combined resale/retail points in the SRP/ARP, others have not been able to do so. I fall in the latter bucket myself. The Wyndham DT team was able to reproduce the reported issue(s) and identify the required code fixes. This fix is currently slated for the mid-January code release sprint - though there's an outside chance we may see this fix in mid-December - but I'd estimate January to be on the safe side.

Overall - point being - the problem of hybrid VIP owners not being able to combine resale/retail points in the SRP/ARP reservation windows, unlike non-VIP hybrid owners who can do so without any issue - is going to be resolved! This has been a long time coming for those of us who are hybrid VIP owners.

Some really good news to share resulting from the two outage windows this week - it does appear that the fixes were implemented for hybrid VIP owners to borrow developer points when performing a resale booking transaction in the SRP. I cannot test via ARP since I don't have like contracts in the ARP window - but SRP has been tested per the screenshots below and is working now at least for me.

 

[Xcalibur]

i'm curious how owners have found availability and VIP upgrades since this change has been implemented? Are you able to get more frequent VIP upgrades now? (size and discount window)

 

[Mr. Phil]

An important upcoming system update.

Dear XXXXX Family, We hope your VIP by Wyndham benefits have helped you maximize your Club Wyndham experience. As a valued Club Wyndham Plus member with Gold VIP by Wyndham benefits, it is important that you are aware of an upcoming system update that will provide a more comprehensive view of your membership and support existing VIP by Wyndham program guidelines. This system update will not impact your VIP tier status. An overview of the system changes is outlined below: Update to Your Online Experience In mid-August, we will introduce a new online Benefits Summary, which will enable you to distinguish between points you have purchased directly from Club Wyndham (“VIP Eligible Points”) and points that have been acquired through the third-party resale market (“Non-VIP Eligible Points”). This distinction will help you better understand the points and VIP benefits associated with your membership. Once this system update takes place, your VIP Eligible Points will continue to unlock the VIP benefits associated with your VIP tier. The system will award VIP benefits only to VIP Eligible Points. As a reminder, in accordance with the VIP by Wyndham program guidelines, VIP benefits are not applicable to Non-VIP Eligible Points. The VIP benefits that will be available to VIP Eligible Points will include: • VIP Suite Upgrade Opt-In • Points Discounts • Reciprocal Advance Reservation Priority • Points Deposit - More Time To Extend Points • More Time To Convert To Maintenance Dollars • Additional Housekeeping Credits, based on VIP tier • Complimentary Reservation Transactions, based on VIP tier • Option To Request Specific Suites • Early Access To Margaritaville Vacation Club Resorts With this system enhancement, we will balance your account for the current Use Year and adjust benefits according to whether your reservation was made with VIP Eligible Points or Non-VIP Eligible Points. This reconciliation will only apply to reservations in the current Use Year. As you adjust to this system update we are pleased to offer some options to help you maximize your vacation opportunities. Complimentary points will be deposited into your next Use Year when the system update takes place mid-August. Additionally, from the August system update through Dec. 31, 2021, you will have the option to convert your Non-VIP Eligible Points to maintenance fees or utilize the Points Deposit Feature to move your Non-VIP Eligible Points into a future Use Year. Understanding the Benefits Summary The new online Benefits Summary will streamline your view of your individual points and benefits and give you more control over how you use your membership. Upon booking a resort reservation or making another type of transaction on your Club Wyndham website, you will be able to choose whether you would like to use your VIP Eligible Points or Non-VIP Eligible Points ─ you can apply VIP benefits for the reservation(s) where they can have the greatest impact. The Benefits Summary will update automatically to reflect your current points and benefits for each points type. This new tool will put you in the driver’s seat as you check destinations off your bucket list. This system update will help enforce a longstanding rule, as well as provide greater transparency into your points and associated benefits, while giving you the control to prioritize your vacations. By better preserving the exclusivity and value of the VIP by Wyndham program, we continue to ensure your VIP tier helps you unlock fantastic benefits and elevate your vacations. For more information on the Benefits Summary and this system update, please visit your Club Wyndham website, and sign up for an upcoming education session. You may also reach a dedicated support team by calling 844-991-0921. Sincerely, Your Club Wyndham Management Team

It is no big deal, not worth getting into panic mode. I have both and used the both. Only issue is the reservations. However, when you check-in and show them your VIP Card, they give you the benefits.

 

[Eric B]

It is no big deal, not worth getting into panic mode. I have both and used the both. Only issue is the reservations. However, when you check-in and show them your VIP Card, they give you the benefits.

Thanks; I’m pretty much over it from last July when I shared this with all.

 

[paxsarah]

It is no big deal, not worth getting into panic mode. I have both and used the both. Only issue is the reservations. However, when you check-in and show them your VIP Card, they give you the benefits.

Just to point out that 7 months and 24 pages of discussion has ensued since the post you quoted. I'm pretty sure most hybrid VIPs have moved past panic mode and through at least several (if not all) of the stages of grief since then.

 

[paxsarah]

However, when you check-in and show them your VIP Card, they give you the benefits.

Although, this does raise the question, what VIP onsite benefits remain anyway? Early/dedicated check-in. Anything else? The big issue was always the reservation-based benefits - discounts, upgrades, housekeeping, reservation transactions.

 

[Eric B]

Just to point out that 7 months and 24 pages of discussion has ensued since the post you quoted. I'm pretty sure most hybrid VIPs have moved past panic mode and through at least several (if not all) of the stages of grief since then.

Was it the stages of grief or the 12 steps we were supposed to go through? I had gotten as far as the apologizing one and don’t want to have to start over….

 

[Cyrus24]

I got over it pretty quickly and now that I’m no longer a Hybrid owner, life is excellent. I don’t see much improvement in regard to getting discounts. I think people are finally traveling and using excess points.