Need quick primer on how to use eplus!

[meetseti]

Hi all! I have to abandon a trip at the last minute due to a family member's hospitalization. I had exchanged through Interval into two back-to-back weeks at the same resort, the first starting this Saturday, 11/12, and the second starting the following Saturday, 11/19.

I purchased eplus when I booked these weeks in October 2021. However, I have never used eplus — I don't know if it even applies to a last-minute change like this.

What should I know? What should I do?

Thanks for your help!

 

[HudsHut]

History > Exchanges > find the first confirmation.
Because it is so close to the check-in date, you are restricted to "flexchange", so you can only e-plus retrade up to 59 days out from the current check-in date, up to three times. If you maximize each retrade, the latest date you can trade into would be May 8, 2023.
11/12/22 + 59 = 1/10/23 (Tuesday)
1/10/23 + 59 = 3/10/23 (Friday)
3/10/23 + 59 = 5/8/23 (Monday)

Unless, you have something in mind, the first retrade will be a "dummy" just to be able to see farther out into the future. Select the same size unit, or smaller.
For exact check-in dates, (when latest date does not fall on Fri/Sat/Sun), I usually use the Las Vegas resorts which have every day check-in dates:
CLL, TVV, TII, TJC .
However, I just looked and none currently have 1/10/23 available. TVV has Jan 9 or 11. You have until Nov 11 to make the retrade. Check TVV tomorrow to see if 1/10/23 is there. Otherwise, take the 1/9/23.

 

[HudsHut]

History > Exchanges > find the second confirmation.
Because it is so close to the check-in date, you are restricted to "flexchange", so you can only e-plus retrade up to 59 days out from the current check-in date, up to three times. If you maximize each retrade, the latest date you can trade into would be May 15, 2023.
11/19/22 + 59 = 1/17/23 (Tuesday)
1/17/23 + 59 = 3/17/23 (Friday)
3/17/23 + 59 = 5/15/23 (Monday)

You have until 11/18/22 to make the first retrade.

 

[meetseti]

@HudsHut Thank you! This is extremely helpful!

 

[jules54]

You can do the etrade online. If you see an exchange that is further out then 59 days you want call II in the past I’ve been told the agents can override the 59 days. Make certain you know what you want before you make the call. After you have made the Etrade double check your account to make certain it happened.

In July I did an etrade 2 days before check it. Everything looked good and I thought I pushed the confirm button. I was busy and went about my day. I was doing some searching in my account a couple of days later and noticed the retrade resort was not in my history. Only the original resort which was past day of check in. I called Interval immediately and they did absolutely nothing to help me. Treated me like I was making the entire thing up. That little etrade non retrade cost me more than 500.00. Another hard lesson learned.

 

[HudsHut]

I agree that it is worth a call if, at any point, there is a unit just a few days past the current 59 day deadline. See if II can help you get to that date.

 

[JoeWilly]

History > Exchanges > find the second confirmation.
Because it is so close to the check-in date, you are restricted to "flexchange", so you can only e-plus retrade up to 59 days out from the current check-in date, up to three times. If you maximize each retrade, the latest date you can trade into would be May 15, 2023.
11/19/22 + 59 = 1/17/23 (Tuesday)
1/17/23 + 59 = 3/17/23 (Friday)
3/17/23 + 59 = 5/15/23 (Monday)

You have until 11/18/22 to make the first retrade.

Hudshut,
Wow, your explanation is so helpful. I recently went through this. I wish I would have known about the flex change restrictions with etrades. And, you explanation would have been so helpful. I was able to extend out until April by just grabbing units/ dates to push us out to April when we can travel again.

 

[HudsHut]

@JoeWilly
Thank you.
As soon as you confirm a date and choose to add e-plus, one should calculate the date 60 days in advance of the check-in date. That is the latest date to make the first e-plus retrade to stay out of "flexchange". Once inside of 59 days, the flexchange restrictions apply. (Now, I realize, as in the case of @meetseti , if an illness comes up, you can't avoid being in flexchange.) But if you are undecided about the exchange, then definitely make the decision to switch it out by the 60 day mark.

Where do you plan to go in April?

 

[Arb]

I have a question and I'm getting confused. I have a deposit expiring May 16, 2023. Rather than extending, I think it may be best to make a trade for a checkin one year from my expiration date and pay for the etrade option. (We have both had covid, surgery, and other issues that have prevented our traveling for a while.) My idea is that doing a trade a year out with the addition of the etrade option would give me good flexibility.
Is my thinking on point or am I mixed up? One thing that is odd to me is that the latest date I can find online for my trade is May 9. Is that the way it should be?
Thanks for any helpful input! I'm tired.
I've read the rules on eplus, but the talk about 60-day retrades is evading my ability to "get it."
Carole

 

[dioxide45]

I have a question and I'm getting confused. I have a deposit expiring May 16, 2023. Rather than extending, I think it may be best to make a trade for a checkin one year from my expiration date and pay for the etrade option. (We have both had covid, surgery, and other issues that have prevented our traveling for a while.) My idea is that doing a trade a year out with the addition of the etrade option would give me good flexibility.
Is my thinking on point or am I mixed up? One thing that is odd to me is that the latest date I can find online for my trade is May 9. Is that the way it should be?
Thanks for any helpful input! I'm tired.
I've read the rules on eplus, but the talk about 60-day retrades is evading my ability to "get it."
Carole

You need to make sure you make your first trade at least 60 days prior to May 16th. Then add eplus and do an immediate retrade as far out as possible. Then you will have two retrades left.

Watch checkin and checkout dates so you don't get stuck inside 60 days. May 16th will be your last travel date, so that means you must checkin by May 9th. However, May 9th is a Tuesday and very few if any resorts will have a Tuesday checkin. So you would want to book something that checks in on May 4th through 8th for your first trade. (not a lot of resorts with Monday checkins either). You probably want to execute your first trade before May 10th. I would pad those dates a little. You also don't want to be in a situation where you find little availability. Usually pick a resort in places like Orlando for that first trade so you have lots of options. Whatever you do, don't make your first trade for less than 60 days from the day you confirm it.

 

[b2bailey]

I'm looking at a week starting 5/28/23.
If I add eplus, how are future dates determined if I can't use original week?
Seems like I did this once before, and was surprised that my future date window was greatly reduced -- even though the original trading date went out much longer.

 

[dioxide45]

I'm looking at a week starting 5/28/23.
If I add eplus, how are future dates determined if I can't use original week?
Seems like I did this once before, and was surprised that my future date window was greatly reduced -- even though the original trading date went out much longer.

If you confirm an exchange for May 2023, then the expiration date on Eplus will be May 2024. You MUST retrade outside the 59 day Flexchange window. If you get into that window before retrading, you are stuck with only being able to search 59 days out from the checkin date of your exchange.

 

[HudsHut]

I have a question and I'm getting confused. I have a deposit expiring May 16, 2023. Rather than extending, I think it may be best to make a trade for a checkin one year from my expiration date and pay for the etrade option. (We have both had covid, surgery, and other issues that have prevented our traveling for a while.) My idea is that doing a trade a year out with the addition of the etrade option would give me good flexibility.
Is my thinking on point or am I mixed up? One thing that is odd to me is that the latest date I can find online for my trade is May 9. Is that the way it should be?
Thanks for any helpful input! I'm tired.
I've read the rules on eplus, but the talk about 60-day retrades is evading my ability to "get it."
Carole

Go to Exchange > My Units and show us the photo of your deposit, it should look something like this. The latest reservation I can book with this deposit is Dec 02, 2024.
In your case, was the week you deposited, May 9, 2021- May 16, 2021?

If so, by 3/11/2023 (60 days before May 9, 2023), you must make your exchange to the latest date possible online. Immediately buy e-plus, and then immediately make the first retrade to the latest day the system allows for May 2024.

 

[HudsHut]

@Arb
What size is your deposit? You want to exchange into same size or smaller. (You don't want to pay an upsize fee just to extend.)
Tahiti Village TVV has a 1br on May 9, 2023.
Club de Soleil CLL has a 2br on May 9, 2023.

Use either of those to trade into the latest date possible.
Immediately purchase e-plus.
Then look for a placeholder resort/week for May 9, 2024 (or closest to it). That is a Thursday. I see a lot of May 10. If you call, II might help you select a May 10, 2024 week. Otherwise you may have to drop back to Fri May 3, or Sat May 4.

 

[Arb]

Go to Exchange > My Units and show us the photo of your deposit, it should look something like this. The latest reservation I can book with this deposit is Dec 02, 2024.
In your case, was the week you deposited, May 9, 2021- May 16, 2021?
View attachment 72919
If so, by 3/11/2023 (60 days before May 9, 2023), you must make your exchange to the latest date possible online. Immediately buy e-plus, and then immediately make the first retrade to the latest day the system allows for May 2024.

Here's my unit:

 

[Arb]

@Arb
What size is your deposit? You want to exchange into same size or smaller. (You don't want to pay an upsize fee just to extend.)
Tahiti Village TVV has a 1br on May 9, 2023.
Club de Soleil CLL has a 2br on May 9, 2023.

Use either of those to trade into the latest date possible.
Immediately purchase e-plus.
Then look for a placeholder resort/week closest to May 9, 2024 (or closest to it). That is a Thursday.

Mine is a 2-br. TY

 

[HudsHut]

Can you see the CLL 2br for May 9, 2023? The May 9 week expires on May 16, so that is correct.

You are certain you don't wish to travel before May 9? That's 3 months.

I always try to get people to use their deposit while they have the Ongoing Search working for them; once you e-plus, you have to do all the searching. Some people get discouraged when they don't find what they want online. It could take hundreds of searches before what you want actually appears.

What is your ultimate goal? Where do you wish to go with this deposit?

 

[courtneylanger]

I have used E-Plus... my suggestion is to call in to a rep. I have found them to be accommodating and they can override the system and do things that members can't do on the computer. For me, they by passed the time restrictions! Worth the call.

 

[Arb]

Can you see the CLL 2br for May 9, 2023? The May 9 week expires on May 16, so that is correct.

You are certain you don't wish to travel before May 9? That's 3 months.

I always try to get people to use their deposit while they have the Ongoing Search working for them; once you e-plus, you have to do all the searching. Some people get discouraged when they don't find what they want online. It could take hundreds of searches before what you want actually appears.

What is your ultimate goal? Where do you wish to go with this deposit?

I can see the CLL for May 9. Thanks. As for my goal, I should likely rethink and try really hard to use this deposit now. We have had so much happen that I'm in a real bind to schedule vacations to use up what we have expiring. I would have like to go to HHI and stay in Heritage Club, but that doesn't seem to come up for me until the fall. I have a TPI week expiring in April, RCI points expiring in August, and new Wyndham points to use as well as a week in RCI. What a mess. We had originally booked an exchange for the this particular problem week for a golf trip, but my husband's recovery from some very serious vascular surgery didn't progress well enough to go, so I rescheduled it and then our daughter's graduation from Vanderbilt turned out to conflict with the new reservation. and I got that cancellation replacement week. Meanwhile, I contracted Covid while in Nashville for the graduation. It's a long story, but in short, I got it twice in rapid succession and I'm just now feeling somewhat myself. I still have fatigue and coughing. BTW I was fully vaxxed and took Paxlovid.
I'm tired of feeling tired and I'm tired of being home all the time. I want to go and do, but it's hard to settle on anything. My husband still has pain walking, but he can play golf using a cart.
This is too much information, I know. Thing is -- I'm in a bind to use so much vacation time and I've done what I can to extend and etc, but I'm frustrated and indecisive these days! So sorry for all this chatter. AND thank you for your help.

 

[Arb]

Can you see the CLL 2br for May 9, 2023? The May 9 week expires on May 16, so that is correct.

I made the May 9 reservation for CLL 2br. I see an October Hilton Head reservation I want to make. Should I first make a reservation for May 24 before I make the October reservation? Does that give me more options in the even something happens we cannot use the Oct reservation? Please advise.
Thank you so much for all the help!

 

[HudsHut]

If you make the May 2024 as your first e-plus retrade, that sets the new expiration date of the deposit. Then your 2nd retrade would be for the Oct Hilton Head. If you need to change that, you will still be able to trade out as far as May 2024, as long as the retrade is made 60 days or more before the October check-in date.

 

[dioxide45]

If you make the May 2024 as your first e-plus retrade, that sets the new expiration date of the deposit. Then your 2nd retrade would be for the Oct Hilton Head. If you need to change that, you will still be able to trade out as far as May 2024, as long as the retrade is made 60 days or more before the October check-in date.

Need to clarify, the first isn't a retrade. It is just a trade into your first exchange. THat sets the expiration date of the EPlus. The first retrade would be Oct for Hilton head.

 

[Arb]

Need to clarify, the first isn't a retrade. It is just a trade into your first exchange. THat sets the expiration date of the EPlus. The first retrade would be Oct for Hilton head.

thanks! Done!