E-Plus questions

[vlapinta]

I have an exchange for Tahoe with my Marriott Ocean Watch for August. I called Interval again today, and the agent told me I can add E-plus on the reservation and exchange up to 3 times. I have never used the Eplus option. How does that work with exchanges? Do I have to call Interval to see what they have at the moment when I want to move something, or can I do an ongoing search w Eplus? Is there any disadvanatge to adding Eplus? I also have the option to cancel and I would be able to have the week put back on my account to use for 1 year and pay the exchange fees again when I want to use it. I'm not sure which option to choose?

 

[tschwa2]

You can only add eplus within 5 days of making an exchange. You can look for manual exchanges online, you don't have to call. If you are within 59 days from check in the eplus will only allow you to move the reservation a max of 60 days forward (from the day of the currently reserved check in) when you use the eplus. If you cancel the reservation completely (and are inside of 60 days) you would get a flexchange (good only within 59 days of current date) that you can use over the next year. Travel completed by one year from the day you get the replacement week).

 

[sandcfort]

Points owner, what is E-Plus?

 

[tschwa2]

Points owner, what is E-Plus?

eplus is a program when you make an interval international exchange and can retrade without an additional fee up to 3 times. For a points exchanger, you won't pay the exchange fee again but if the new exchange requires more points you have to pay those. If the new exchange requires fewer points you don't get any points returned.

 

[JT]

Can you cancel E plus within 24 hours of buying? I made a reservation July 18 but not 100% I will use it but bought Eplus but did not know post #2 above.

 

[vlapinta]

You can only add eplus within 5 days of making an exchange. You can look for manual exchanges online, you don't have to call. If you are within 59 days from check in the eplus will only allow you to move the reservation a max of 60 days forward (from the day of the currently reserved check in) when you use the eplus. If you cancel the reservation completely (and are inside of 60 days) you would get a flexchange (good only within 59 days of current date) that you can use over the next year. Travel completed by one year from the day you get the replacement week).

Interval told me they are making exceptions and I can add E-plus to my reservation for August. My question really is, Can I do an ongoing search without having to manually look myself. I didn't have luck looking myself for Tahoe. I can add Eplus or cancel and re-search for next year with another fee

 

[nycjimster]

There is no ongoing search feature with E-plus, but you can check yourself. I really like the feature. It gives you a lot of flexibility. For example, you can change the reservation if your plans change (granted there are restrictions on how far you can push out the trade and if you make a change with 60 days). I also like the last minute opportunity to uptier resort. For example, if you are booked for so-so resort and a nicer one comes up, you can re-trade. I consider the cost of E-plus a part of the cost of trading. I highly recommend everybody adds the the option. Maybe you can skip if your dates are set and you got a great trade. Still for $59, an option to change is worth it.

 

[tschwa2]

Interval told me they are making exceptions and I can add E-plus to my reservation for August. My question really is, Can I do an ongoing search without having to manually look myself. I didn't have luck looking myself for Tahoe. I can add Eplus or cancel and re-search for next year with another fee

No ongoing search and if you add eplus today and your exchange is before August 27 then you would be limited to a maximum of 180 days total from your exchange date using your 3 exchanges. If you reservation is before August 27 even if you cancel and get a replacement week you will be limited to manual searches and only during flex.

 

[vlapinta]

No ongoing search and if you add eplus today and your exchange is before August 27 then you would be limited to a maximum of 180 days total from your exchange date using your 3 exchanges. If you reservation is before August 27 even if you cancel and get a replacement week you will be limited to manual searches and only during flex.

The interval agent today told me they are being more flexible because of Covid, and I would have a year to use it, not the normal flex period exchange rules. All he had available today in Tahoe was an April week, so he suggested I take the April week pay for E-plus, then look for something else and then exchange again. This is not what I was told last month, so I hope the agent I got today was telling me the correct info. I am just trying to not lose my week and if this gives me more flexibility then I would do it.

 

[tschwa2]

The interval agent today told me they are being more flexible because of Covid, and I would have a year to use it, not the normal flex period exchange rules. All he had available today in Tahoe was an April week, so he suggested I take the April week pay for E-plus, then look for something else and then exchange again. This is not what I was told last month, so I hope the agent I got today was telling me the correct info. I am just trying to not lose my week and if this gives me more flexibility then I would do it.

If they are being more flexible, then you will probably need to call each time to have them look beyond the 59 days. They system isn't set up to allow you to look beyond the 59 days if you enter into the normal flex period.

 

[Hobee]

Is eplus relevant if an owner uses an enrolled Marriott week for II exchange to another Marriott or to Vistana/Westin or are there unlimited retrades w/o purchasing eplus?

 

[Ann in CA]

Is eplus relevant if an owner uses an enrolled Marriott week for II exchange to another Marriott or to Vistana/Westin or are there unlimited retrades w/o purchasing eplus?

I was just told by a long time II rep that there were unlimited retrades for Marriott weeks to Marriott weeks at no charge. I had just automatically added ePlus when booking, because we used to have one Shell week in Interval, (now unfortunately in RCI) and it required ePlus to keep retrading. I am on my last retrade with the ePlus for a Marriott week I had booked in Spain at Marbella for May, and had to trade for June at Timber Lodge and now it looks like my current trade is still too soon on July 19 at Timber Lodge. So the Interval agent said once I use the last ePlus I can just keep retrading until we finally find ourselves a week we can actually use. I had totally forgotten that I did not have to buy ePlus in the first place, as most of our trades are Marriott to Marriott, and we just used to use the Shell week to go to Four Seasons, as we had to pay to trade anyway Marriott or not, with Shell.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Is eplus relevant if an owner uses an enrolled Marriott week for II exchange to another Marriott or to Vistana/Westin or are there unlimited retrades w/o purchasing eplus?

If you stick to those brands with no exchange fee then there is no need to purchase eplus unless you need it to extend your expiration date.
Eplus expires on year from the check in date of the exchange you purchase it for. If you are in flexchange it only extends 6 months from that date.

 

[vlapinta]

I just spoke with Interval again. If I cancelled my trade with II tor August, my week would be returned to me for 1 year, but would be considered a late cancellation and I would only be trading during flex time. I could put Eplus on the reservation and I would be able to use the Eplus feature for 1 year. My Eplus would expire in August 2021. I figured at this point another $59 to buy me some time, and be able to cancel again was worth it in these uncertain times. Interval is making exceptions because of Covid.

 

[dioxide45]

I just spoke with Interval again. If I cancelled my trade with II tor August, my week would be returned to me for 1 year, but would be considered a late cancellation and I would only be trading during flex time. I could put Eplus on the reservation and I would be able to use the Eplus feature for 1 year. My Eplus would expire in August 2021. I figured at this point another $59 to buy me some time, and be able to cancel again was worth it in these uncertain times. Interval is making exceptions because of Covid.

The problem is that with a 59 day restricted deposit, EPlus isn't going to give you another year. You can only retrade for up to 59 days past checkin. With only three retrades, you can effectively only retrade out as far as six months. So if you cancel now and make a new trade for say December and add ePlus, you can really only get a new reservation for as far out as June 2021, not December 2021.

 

[csalter2]

The problem is that with a 59 day restricted deposit, EPlus isn't going to give you another year. You can only retrade for up to 59 days past checkin. With only three retrades, you can effectively only retrade out as far as six months. So if you cancel now and make a new trade for say December and add ePlus, you can really only get a new reservation for as far out as June 2021, not December 2021.

I don’t know what the rules are anymore with II. I called II to cancel an August 2nd reservation to the Grande Luxxe in Puerto Vallarta. I had until December 8th to go somewhere and I thought because I was within the 59 day window I had limited time to make the reservation. The II rep told me that because I had E-plus, they could make a reservation into next year as long as what I wanted was available. I just have to make the reservation before my August 2nd check in. However, the rep said I had to call in to do this.

 

[dioxide45]

I don’t know what the rules are anymore with II. I called II to cancel an August 2nd reservation to the Grande Luxxe in Puerto Vallarta. I had until December 8th to go somewhere and I thought because I was within the 59 day window I had limited time to make the reservation. The II rep told me that because I had E-plus, they could make a reservation into next year as long as what I wanted was available. I just have to make the reservation before my August 2nd check in. However, the rep said I had to call in to do this.

That is true. This was part of their COVID policy. They may still be doing this. It doesn't hurt to call and ask.

 

[vlapinta]

The problem is that with a 59 day restricted deposit, EPlus isn't going to give you another year. You can only retrade for up to 59 days past checkin. With only three retrades, you can effectively only retrade out as far as six months. So if you cancel now and make a new trade for say December and add ePlus, you can really only get a new reservation for as far out as June 2021, not December 2021.

That is not what the rep explained to me today. My check in is Aug 1 and I was told I have up until August 2021 to use it.

 

[dioxide45]

That is not what the rep explained to me today. My check in is Aug 1 and I was told I have up until August 2021 to use it.

That is because they don't understand the 59 day restriction and how it works.

 

[vlapinta]

Forgot to mention I have to call before my check in of Aug 1 to move it to something else to start

 

[vlapinta]

That is because they don't understand the 59 day restriction and how it works.

So the rep giving me an experation on the Eplus of Aug 2021 isn't true? I am so confused. Can you please explain what you mean about only being able to use it till June. Was I given wrong info by the representative?

 

[TXTortoise]

I had used my last ePlus trade, all inside 60 days, but had found a week just past its expiration. The rep had no problem booking it. I expect if you are at the end of the string, but have a week that matches, they will make it work. Probably within that one year window. I don't know if it made any difference, but I was talking to a Customer Relations rep, not a frontline rep.

Call a few times and take the best result. ;-)

 

[ljmiii]

Not exactly your situation (since my week is enrolled) but I can testify that II CSRs have different 'approaches' at the moment.

We decided three days before check-in that we just weren't willing to travel. This was the last gasp on the ill-fated Waiohai II deposit I've mentioned earlier on TUG - it expired a week after our intended check out. So I called into II to abandon it and let someone else have a chance at the week.

The CSR I got wasn't having any of it and bent over backwards to figure out how he could get me something, anything, in return. After being put on hold for a while he said that he found out he could get me a COVID unredeemed deposit extension but that eight days before check-in is II's current limit. So he then found me a MVC Sunday week elsewhere - the very last day I could exchange into. And while he didn't feel comfortable giving me the extension in the same call he told me what I should get when I called in the next day.

So I called the next day and got a less cooperative CSR. She noticed that I've rebooked the deposit a lot and I had to explain that I've been dodging COVID since late March. She said she didn't think there was anything she could do and I asked her to see if she could give me the (almost) year long COVID extension that the 1st rep had mentioned (though I didn't say that). She put me on hold for a while and when she came back said 'Yes...but that it comes with a number of restrictions'. Which I knew and was happy about...something is better than nothing.

Long story short - the II CSR you get matters.

 

[Pamplemousse]

So the rep giving me an experation on the Eplus of Aug 2021 isn't true? I am so confused. Can you please explain what you mean about only being able to use it till June. Was I given wrong info by the representative?

eplus expires 1 year from your original check in date.
If you never get into flexchange you will be able to book all the way to that expiration date.

If you get into flexchange at any point during that year you will be limited to booking only 60 days forward from your current check in date.
So if you start out in flexchange you will only get 3 x 60 days ( 6 months) to take your trip.
This doesn’t technically change your expiration date, it’s just that you are limited by flexchange.

The rep you are speaking MAY be doing something ”special” for you and so keeping your eplus out of flexchange. I have read on the II boards that occasionally a rep has done this to help with the covid situation.
Or it may just be that the rep neglected to explain eplus/ flexchange fully when you spoke.

 

[amyhwang]

I was just told by a long time II rep that there were unlimited retrades for Marriott weeks to Marriott weeks at no charge. I had just automatically added ePlus when booking, because we used to have one Shell week in Interval, (now unfortunately in RCI) and it required ePlus to keep retrading. I am on my last retrade with the ePlus for a Marriott week I had booked in Spain at Marbella for May, and had to trade for June at Timber Lodge and now it looks like my current trade is still too soon on July 19 at Timber Lodge. So the Interval agent said once I use the last ePlus I can just keep retrading until we finally find ourselves a week we can actually use. I had totally forgotten that I did not have to buy ePlus in the first place, as most of our trades are Marriott to Marriott, and we just used to use the Shell week to go to Four Seasons, as we had to pay to trade anyway Marriott or not, with Shell.

This is something I didn’t know! I have a Ko Olina week deposited in II (studio), and bought e-plus. I have one trade left, but almost always book Marriott (only once did a trade into the Four Seasons Scottsdale). So if I do a retrade, it looks like I have to use the e-plus again. I’m actually thinking of paying to extend it another year, as the deposit expires next May (I don’t want to travel until probably late summer and fall next year). I’d love any advice!