Credit pool

[rebel]

We just bought (resale) more Wyndham points so now I need to manage them. If I put my points into a credit pool how had will it be to use them in the future? Are credit pool points harder to use vs regular points? We are looking to go back to HI in 2013 so are there problems using credit vs. regualar points? Thanks

 

[bnoble]

For starters, if you had a January use year, it is too late to pool this year's points. You must pool before the start of the use year, unless you are a VIP (and as a resale buyer, you aren't).

The pool is pretty easy to use---you can access pool credits when making online reservations, for example. It is possible for the pool to "run dry" (more withdrawals than deposits in a given use year) but that's happened only once or twice in the past five or so years, and it only has lasted for a few days.

 

[learnalot]

It is generally no problem to use credit pooled points. As Brian said, there is the remote-but-rarely-occurring possibility of the pool running dry. Chances of that are minimal. The other thing to keep in mind is that pooled points can't be used during the ARP window. They must be used for reservations 10 months out or less.

 

[SusanU]

Can I add next yrs points to my already credit pooled points from last yr? Is there a limit how far in advance I can credit pool pts? Do I have to do all my points or can I do just a portion to the credit pool (need 20,000 more now to do next yr reservation.) Also can I just rent the 20,000 since I have enough to complete all but the last night? Thanks for all your help.

Susan

 

[learnalot]

Can I add next yrs points to my already credit pooled points from last yr? Is there a limit how far in advance I can credit pool pts? Do I have to do all my points or can I do just a portion to the credit pool (need 20,000 more now to do next yr reservation.) Also can I just rent the 20,000 since I have enough to complete all but the last night? Thanks for all your help.

Susan

1. You can pool points when you already have pooled points. They will have different expiration dates but could be used together as long as none of them have expired.

2. If you can see them in your acccount, you can pool them. As soon as you pool them, their expiration date will be 3 years from the date you place them in the pool.

3. You can pool some of your points without pooling others if you wish.

4. Depends on your plans for your points. Yes, you can rent points if you want. I usually wouldn't because it isn't exactly cheap ($8/1000 online or $10/1000 by telephone) but occasionally might make sense for a very small number. For almost everyone, that rate is considerably more than your maintenance fees.

 

[rebel]

Thanks Now my follow-on question. If I out points in a future credit pool, make a reservation and then cancel what happens. I know if you make a reservation with regular points they return them as canceled points you must use that year. If you use furture credit points from two years in the future where are they canceled points put? Are they put in this year or two years in the future where they were booked form?

 

[scootr5]

They become cancelled points expiring at the end of your current use year.

 

[ronparise]

You have a good explanation of the credit pool if you read these posts, so I wont repeat whats already been said...what hasnt been asked is why should anyone pool their points One reason is to combine points from several years to make that one really big deal reservation. another is to avoid the inevitable "use it or lose it" problem at the end of a use year. With everything in the pool that dosent happen

 

[bnoble]

They become cancelled points expiring at the end of your current use year.

Correction: they become cancelled points expiring at the end of the latest use year that covers the check-in day of the reservation.

For example, suppose you have a July use year, and make a reservation for November '12 with pool credits today. If you cancel tomorrow, they become cancel points good for the period of July 1 '12 to June 30 '13, rather than flowing to the current use year (July 1 '11 to June 30 '12). It gets a little more interesting if you have more than one use year, but most people won't run into that.

 

[learnalot]

Correction: they become cancelled points expiring at the end of the latest use year that covers the check-in day of the reservation.

For example, suppose you have a July use year, and make a reservation for November '12 with pool credits today. If you cancel tomorrow, they become cancel points good for the period of July 1 '12 to June 30 '13, rather than flowing to the current use year (July 1 '11 to June 30 '12). It gets a little more interesting if you have more than one use year, but most people won't run into that.

Yes. This is how I have seen it happen as well.

 

[scootr5]

Correction: they become cancelled points expiring at the end of the latest use year that covers the check-in day of the reservation.

For example, suppose you have a July use year, and make a reservation for November '12 with pool credits today. If you cancel tomorrow, they become cancel points good for the period of July 1 '12 to June 30 '13, rather than flowing to the current use year (July 1 '11 to June 30 '12). It gets a little more interesting if you have more than one use year, but most people won't run into that.

Hmm, OK. I cancelled a June 2012 reservation that had used some pooled points, they went to a 12/31/2012 expiration (which is the end of my current UY). What would have happened if I had cancelled it after April 1st, since I have overlapping UYs?

 

[learnalot]

Hmm, OK. I cancelled a June 2012 reservation that had used some pooled points, they went to a 12/31/2012 expiration (which is the end of my current UY). What would have happened if I had cancelled it after April 1st, since I have overlapping UYs?

Okay, I think the non-standard use year in Brian's example may have made this a little more confusing. Here is the piece I was trying to clarify. For the sake of clarity, let's assume a use year ending Dec 31:

2013 points could be placed in the credit pool today and would then have an expiration of Jan 16, 2016. If I used them to make a reservation for 2012 and then later cancelled that reservation, they would be cancelled points for 2012. On the other hand, if I used them in March of 2012 to make a reservation for January 2013 and cancelled that reservation sometime later this year, they would become cancelled points with an expiration date of Dec 31, 2013 because the reservation that was cancelled was for the use year of 2013. Follow?

If multiple use years were involved, it sounds like cancelling into the start of the latest one that coincides with the date of the reservation would have extended the life of your points. This may be intentional design or may be a programming glitch. If it works for you, good for you but I wouldn't shout it from the rooftops.

 

[bnoble]

When dealing with multiple UYs, things have always been a little odd. I only have one, so I don't have first-hand experience. My understanding is that cancel points always roll to the latest one that covers the check-in date---when you *cancel* it has on impact. That's gleaned from other folks who have multiple UYs, and I also don't know if it is policy or glitch. If the latter, it may have been "fixed" by now.

 

[scootr5]

When dealing with multiple UYs, things have always been a little odd. I only have one, so I don't have first-hand experience. My understanding is that cancel points always roll to the latest one that covers the check-in date---when you *cancel* it has on impact. That's gleaned from other folks who have multiple UYs, and I also don't know if it is policy or glitch. If the latter, it may have been "fixed" by now.

OK, that makes sense (as much as anything with Wyn does). I actually have three different UY, due to a mistake on my part (I only wanted two).

 

[bnoble]

when you *cancel* it has on impact.

That should read "when you *cancel* it has no impact."