Cancel and rebook reservation

[auntiepen]

Is there a trick or procedure to rebook to get the same reservation back after you have canceled it?
To get discount for my stay I try to rebook my new reservation at 60 days prior to check in date. So I’ll cancel my original reservation and rebook it with in 15 mins but I can never get the same reservation back. Where was my cancellation inventory gone ? Any suggestions

 

[paxsarah]

This is basically the question people have been asking since 2017 when that website update ended the days of canceled reservations coming back nearly immediately. There is no trick. It can't be relied on.

 

[rpeacock]

Auntie, unfortunately the immediate re-population of a canceled reservation is long gone. If you have enough points: make your new discounted reservation at 12am sharp and if you get it then cancel your original, full point, reservation.

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[rpeacock]

Also, if you don't have enough points to have the original reservation and make an additional discounted reservation you can borrow points from the next use year for no cost. Borrow your points prior to 12am of your new reservation upto 90 days prior to your reservation.

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[auntiepen]

Ok then. Just wondering where was my reservation gone. Now I shouldn’t cancel until I get new reservation.
Thanks

 

[Jethro37]

Is this an issue primarily for VIP points holders or do discounts arise to the resale population on occasion as well?

 

[55plus]

Is this an issue primarily for VIP points holders or do discounts arise to the resale population on occasion as well?

VIP issue...

 

[paxsarah]

Is this an issue primarily for VIP points holders or do discounts arise to the resale population on occasion as well?

There are limited general last-minute discounts available to non-VIP owners, but I'd guess in 10+ years of owning I've only canceled and rebooked once or twice to get one.

 

[55plus]

Since the fix to eliminate cancel and rebook, I changed my strategy to book, book, cancel. I'm finding it is now possible to do this during high demand time-frames since Wyndham's rental restrictions were put in place.

 

[auntiepen]

Since the fix to eliminate cancel and rebook, I changed my strategy to book, book, cancel. I'm finding it is now possible to do this during high demand time-frames since Wyndham's rental restrictions were put in place.

Next time I’ll try your strategy, book, book and cancel. Will I be in trouble if I did it often ?

 

[Jethro37]

if you have to borrow on the book book cancel, does that mean you may lose points from the following year?

 

[55plus]

Next time I’ll try your strategy, book, book and cancel. Will I be in trouble if I did it often ?

No. I do it all the time if I book something more than 60 days out. I've been doing cancel and rebook and now; book, book, cancel since the old Fairfield website was replaced many years ago by Wyndham.

 

[paxsarah]

if you have to borrow on the book book cancel, does that mean you may lose points from the following year?

If you have to borrow, presumably on the second booking, you may lose points on the current year if you're doing it late in the year. It would be a perfect strategy for a Platinum or above member who can use points deposit on any remaining points up to the last day of the year. But for anyone past their points deposit deadline, if you originally booked with this year's points, book a second time at a discount with borrowed points from next year, then cancel the original reservation, you're left with current year points to either use in the current year or deposit to RCI.

 

[Jethro37]

If you have to borrow, presumably on the second booking, you may lose points on the current year if you're doing it late in the year. It would be a perfect strategy for a Platinum or above member who can use points deposit on any remaining points up to the last day of the year. But for anyone past their points deposit deadline, if you originally booked with this year's points, book a second time at a discount with borrowed points from next year, then cancel the original reservation, you're left with current year points to either use in the current year or deposit to RCI.

I thought that was the case.

So I guess the optimal strategy is: book book cancel book cancel. Everyone clear?

 

[paxsarah]

I thought that was the case.

So I guess the optimal strategy is: book book cancel book cancel. Everyone clear?

Another option, less safe than book book cancel but safer than the original cancel rebook, is to ascertain that the inventory you want is really available prior to cancelling, cancel, and then book anew with those freed-up points. You aren't relying on your original cancellation to come back, and you are taking a small risk that someone is also actively searching to book the same dates during the few minutes you're doing this, but it's a fairly low-risk option.

 

[chapjim]

Another option, less safe than book book cancel but safer than the original cancel rebook, is to ascertain that the inventory you want is really available prior to cancelling, cancel, and then book anew with those freed-up points. You aren't relying on your original cancellation to come back, and you are taking a small risk that someone is also actively searching to book the same dates during the few minutes you're doing this, but it's a fairly low-risk option.

I've been "points-challenged" since July so that's what I've done on several reservations.

I've had three or four where a unit larger than my original reservation has popped up so I've canceled the smaller one and booked the larger one (taking a 60% discount), The result is a larger unit for fewer points. I have 89,000 points left for 2021. Last July, I was at zero. Every morning, I just run down my list of reservations and see if I can find anything better or cheaper. It just takes time but since I retired, I have all the time in the world.

 

[Eric B]

So I guess the optimal strategy is: book book cancel book cancel. Everyone clear?

IMHO that one is a bit suboptimal because it requires that inventory be available for 3 units for the dates you want and burns up an extra reservation transaction. Probably impractical because of that and could leave you holding the bag on the current year points anyway if someone else booked the third unit while you were in process.

Another option, less safe than book book cancel but safer than the original cancel rebook, is to ascertain that the inventory you want is really available prior to cancelling, cancel, and then book anew with those freed-up points. You aren't relying on your original cancellation to come back, and you are taking a small risk that someone is also actively searching to book the same dates during the few minutes you're doing this, but it's a fairly low-risk option.

This about sums up how I've approached it in the past. I wonder if you could have two sign ins on separate devices, search to ascertain the unit is available and commence the booking process on one device, cancel the current reservation on the second device while the unit is on hold on the first device, then book the reservation on the first device using the restored current year points. The booking process places something like a 10 or 15 minute hold on the unit to allow you to complete the reservation, but doesn't ask what points you want to use until it's already started. I haven't tried it, so that ask might be too early in the process to allow this to work.

 

[DeeDibble]

Since the fix to eliminate cancel and rebook, I changed my strategy to book, book, cancel. I'm finding it is now possible to do this during high demand time-frames since Wyndham's rental restrictions were put in place.

I am struggling to see how your book book cancel works…..I’m “old school” and am really having a hard time getting anything done with getting discounts/ upgrades in recent months (since they started separating my developer and resale points). Do you mind explaining this to me?

 

[CO skier]

Do you mind exposing this to me?

In this day and age, you may want to rephrase the request.

 

[Eric B]

I am struggling to see how your book book cancel works…..I’m “old school” and am really having a hard time getting anything done with getting discounts/ upgrades in recent months (since they started separating my developer and resale points). Do you mind explaining this to me?

I believe what he meant by book book cancel was 1. Book the reservation you want well in advance at full price, 2. When the discount window opens, verify that the reservation you want or something close enough is available and book that with other points for the discounted price, and 3. Cancel the original reservation and get the points returned.

As others have mentioned, that could pose a point management issue for the returned points or the need to borrow for reservation 2 depending on your VIP level and the relationship of the reservation to your use year. It does sound fairly simple to accomplish for snowbirding in Florida, though, for someone with flexibility.

 

[KimmieM]

I believe what he meant by book book cancel was 1. Book the reservation you want well in advance at full price, 2. When the discount window opens, verify that the reservation you want or something close enough is available and book that with other points for the discounted price, and 3. Cancel the original reservation and get the points returned.

As others have mentioned, that could pose a point management issue for the returned points or the need to borrow for reservation 2 depending on your VIP level and the relationship of the reservation to your use year. It does sound fairly simple to accomplish for snowbirding in Florida, though, for someone with flexibility.

Being flexible is the key to booking discounts. No need to book, book, cancel or spend hours a day searching for availability.

 

[jebloomquist]

Wow, the things some VIP Platinum owners used tell me about.

If they wanted to get a 3 bedroom unit at half the 1 bedroom points, they might try this with 2 or more accounts working together.

Have both a 1 and a 3 bedroom unit booked at full points. Within 60 days of check in, cancel and at half points rebook the 1 bedroom unit, or just book a 1 bedroom if available. Cancel the 3 bedroom unit, expecting it to return to availability as an upgrade within 15 or fewer minutes.

At some large resorts there may be several 2 bedroom units in the way of an upgrade to a 3 bedroom unit. Multiple accounts would then start booking and cancelling 2 bedroom units taking them out of the available pool for 15 minutes. Feverishly doing this, the goal was to get all of the 2 bedroom units removed in the 15 minutes before the first one popped back in to the availability pool.

If all 2 bedroom units were removed an upgrade to a 3 bedroom unit hopefully would appear. Sometimes they got it. Sometimes they didn't. It was a game that the old system allowed them to play.

 

[55plus]

That was then, this is now. Play it safe because a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

 

[r4rab]

Just remember that every time you make a reservation it will take a Reservation Transaction. If you have unlimited, or enough of them, it doesn't matter. Some folks may wonder why they suddenly get hit with a $19 fee though.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Cancelling a unit with ANY expectation that the same reservation will be available to you is just not likely going to happen. Possible yes, but Probable No.

For reservations I need I do follow the book (during SRP), book (ERP discount window), then cancel the original booking. I do not cancel unless I have replacement inventory booked. You just can't rely on that happening on any schedule if at all. So I don't chance it.