Newbie needing some help/answers/suggestions

[mbassom]

We have recently purchased 233k Wyndham points deeded at La Cascada in San Antonio (plus bonus points to get VIP temporarily). I found TUG after the fact so these were purchased from the developer (and it's way past the recind window).

I have been reading on these boards as much as I can since then, but still have some questions , and could use some suggestions, as the sales people at my owner update claimed some things that I want to check on.

We generally plan 1 week long vacation a year, 3 4-5 day vacations and 8 weekend trips (2 or 3 days). I was thinking I will need to get VIP status to get the free housekeeping credits due to the weekend and trips?

If I reach VIP status would any resale points I purchase get the VIP benefits such as discount on express window stays, free upgrades, free housekeeping etc? The salesman at our owner update said no. That I would have to specify which contract the points came from and only if it was the VIP contract would it work.

My use year is Oct - Sept. I was told that cancelling reservations go to the year on the day you cancel, so if I cancelled today it would go cancelled this year and expire in 2 months , is that correct?

To use cancelled points can I make a reservation for 10 months out (NEXT use year)?

When I cancel a reservation do I lose my reservation transaction I used to make it? (salesman said I get it back , but I read somewhere that I don't)

Sorry for the questions, I just want to make sure I can maximize what I have and know the best way to proceed to continue enjoying our timeshare.

Thank You,

M

 

[scootr5]

We have recently purchased 233k Wyndham points deeded at La Cascada in San Antonio (plus bonus points to get VIP temporarily). I found TUG after the fact so these were purchased from the developer (and it's way past the recind window).

I have been reading on these boards as much as I can since then, but still have some questions , and could use some suggestions, as the sales people at my owner update claimed some things that I want to check on.

We generally plan 1 week long vacation a year, 3 4-5 day vacations and 8 weekend trips (2 or 3 days). I was thinking I will need to get VIP status to get the free housekeeping credits due to the weekend and trips?

If I reach VIP status would any resale points I purchase get the VIP benefits such as discount on express window stays, free upgrades, free housekeeping etc? The salesman at our owner update said no. That I would have to specify which contract the points came from and only if it was the VIP contract would it work.

My use year is Oct - Sept. I was told that cancelling reservations go to the year on the day you cancel, so if I cancelled today it would go cancelled this year and expire in 2 months , is that correct?

To use cancelled points can I make a reservation for 10 months out (NEXT use year)?

When I cancel a reservation do I lose my reservation transaction I used to make it? (salesman said I get it back , but I read somewhere that I don't)

Sorry for the questions, I just want to make sure I can maximize what I have and know the best way to proceed to continue enjoying our timeshare.

Thank You,

M

What size units are you looking to reserve? 233,000 points isn't going to get you anywhere near the number of trips you listed, particularly in larger units.

There has been talk that at some point in the future Wyndham would currently be able to keep resale points from using the VIP perks, but at this point they all work the same. However, it's unlikely that the cost for you to get VIP status would equal the cost of just buying more resale points and purchasing any needed housekeeping credits.

You can use cancelled points in the use year they are in, so if you have cancelled points expiring in October you can not use them to book a reservation with a November check in. A reservation transaction is only good for the one business day, for as many reservations as you wish to make that day (so 3 reservations made on the same day only use 1 transaction). They are not restored if you cancel a reservation.

 

[Ty1on]

We have recently purchased 233k Wyndham points deeded at La Cascada in San Antonio (plus bonus points to get VIP temporarily). I found TUG after the fact so these were purchased from the developer (and it's way past the recind window).

I have been reading on these boards as much as I can since then, but still have some questions , and could use some suggestions, as the sales people at my owner update claimed some things that I want to check on.

We generally plan 1 week long vacation a year, 3 4-5 day vacations and 8 weekend trips (2 or 3 days). I was thinking I will need to get VIP status to get the free housekeeping credits due to the weekend and trips?

If I reach VIP status would any resale points I purchase get the VIP benefits such as discount on express window stays, free upgrades, free housekeeping etc? The salesman at our owner update said no. That I would have to specify which contract the points came from and only if it was the VIP contract would it work.

My use year is Oct - Sept. I was told that cancelling reservations go to the year on the day you cancel, so if I cancelled today it would go cancelled this year and expire in 2 months , is that correct?

To use cancelled points can I make a reservation for 10 months out (NEXT use year)?

When I cancel a reservation do I lose my reservation transaction I used to make it? (salesman said I get it back , but I read somewhere that I don't)

Sorry for the questions, I just want to make sure I can maximize what I have and know the best way to proceed to continue enjoying our timeshare.

Thank You,

M

Yes, resale points would reap the benefits of VIP status, so long as the VIP status was attained with developer purchased points.

You should bear in mind that this could change. Wyndham could change its system so that only developer purchased points are eligible for use with VIP advantages.

 

[mbassom]

What size units are you looking to reserve? 233,000 points isn't going to get you anywhere near the number of trips you listed, particularly in larger units.

There has been talk that at some point in the future Wyndham would currently be able to keep resale points from using the VIP perks, but at this point they all work the same. However, it's unlikely that the cost for you to get VIP status would equal the cost of just buying more resale points and purchasing any needed housekeeping credits.

You can use cancelled points in the use year they are in, so if you have cancelled points expiring in October you can not use them to book a reservation with a November check in. A reservation transaction is only good for the one business day, for as many reservations as you wish to make that day (so 3 reservations made on the same day only use 1 transaction). They are not restored if you cancel a reservation.

Sorry I should have specified, We usually just do 1 bedroom unit (just 2 people and 1 service dog), and I plan to add more points eventually for all the trips.

Thank You for the info on the cancelled points and Transaction credits.

 

[scootr5]

Sorry I should have specified, We usually just do 1 bedroom unit (just 2 people and 1 service dog), and I plan to add more points eventually for all the trips.

Thank You for the info on the cancelled points and Transaction credits.

With 233,000 points you have enough housekeeping credits for 3 stays of up to 7 nights in a 1 bedroom and 1 stay in a studio.

 

[Bigrob]

You've gotten good information so far. I thought I would respond to each question in your original message.

We have recently purchased 233k Wyndham points deeded at La Cascada in San Antonio (plus bonus points to get VIP temporarily). I found TUG after the fact so these were purchased from the developer (and it's way past the recind window).

I have been reading on these boards as much as I can since then, but still have some questions , and could use some suggestions, as the sales people at my owner update claimed some things that I want to check on.

We generally plan 1 week long vacation a year, 3 4-5 day vacations and 8 weekend trips (2 or 3 days). I was thinking I will need to get VIP status to get the free housekeeping credits due to the weekend and trips?

I agree with others who have said it does not make sense financially based on the current difference between developer and resale pricing to chase VIP.

If I reach VIP status would any resale points I purchase get the VIP benefits such as discount on express window stays, free upgrades, free housekeeping etc? The salesman at our owner update said no. That I would have to specify which contract the points came from and only if it was the VIP contract would it work.

M

This is a case of the salesman stretching a bit of truth. At this time, all points within a VIP account are treated the same way. When making an ARP reservation (only), you specify which contract the points are coming from. You can also call in to make sure points are pulled from a certain contract if it's important for some reason (for example, you have two contracts and want to maintain the points in one for an ARP reservation in the future). But as a VIP, when looking at points cost for a resort stay, the discounted price is shown in the discount window, regardless of which contract the points are pulled from.

So where is the truth in the salesman's statement? Certain aspects ARE dependent and only developer-purchased points are eligible. Chief among these is the "Club Wyndham Pass" which allows you to make reservations at Worldmark resorts with certain restrictions and with a $99 exchange fee.

My use year is Oct - Sept. I was told that cancelling reservations go to the year on the day you cancel, so if I cancelled today it would go cancelled this year and expire in 2 months , is that correct?

M

Yes and no. It is true if you only have one contract in your account. If you have multiple contracts in your account with different use years, the cancelled points will go to the LATEST contract that the reservation fits in to. Let's say, for example, you add a Jan use year contract to your current October use year contract/account. If you make a reservation for Sept 15-18, when you cancel that reservation, the points should come back as cancelled points with an expiration of DEC 31, 2015, rather than SEPT 30, 2015. If you then use those points to make a reservation Nov 15-18 2015, and cancel that reservation, those points would then have an expiration of SEPT 30 2016.

Wyndham has been working on "alignment of use years" to eliminate this, and it does not always work if, for example, all the points have been credit pooled. I was actually surprised to hear you got an October use year, as I had been hearing they are only selling Jan use years now. How long ago did you purchase?

To use cancelled points can I make a reservation for 10 months out (NEXT use year)?

M

Cancelled points follow the same rules as regular use points. They can only be used to make reservations for the use year they belong to. Like regular use year points, there is an exception if you are making a reservation in the express reservation window (90 days prior to check-in). For those near-term reservations, you may borrow points from the next use year. The chief difference between cancelled and regular use year points is that only regular use year points can be used for ARP reservations and credit pooled.

When I cancel a reservation do I lose my reservation transaction I used to make it? (salesman said I get it back , but I read somewhere that I don't)

Reservation Transactions do NOT come back. In fact, after you cancel a reservation, you will almost certainly be using another reservation transaction when you make another reservation to use the cancelled points (if for nothing other than to deposit the credits into RCI). I am not sure if the housekeeping credits are returned on a cancelled reservation (I'm VIP so I don't know).

OTHER NOTES:

You didn't mention when you purchased, only that you were well outside of the rescission period. If you are still within 90 days and own any other timeshares, you may still have opportunity to take advantage of the PIC or PIC Express program, which may give you VIP benefits for 5 years rather than 2.5 years.

 

[scootr5]

I am not sure if the housekeeping credits are returned on a cancelled reservation (I'm VIP so I don't know).

They are returned, since no cleaning took place.

Also, you may sometimes book a reservation that has a suitcase icon next to it - that means it is a split reservation, and you will be charged twice the normal housekeeping fees because a room change is required. Usually the resort will do everything in it's power not to move you, and at the conclusion of your trip you can call in and have that second set of housekeeping credits returned to your account since no second cleaning was needed.

 

[mbassom]

Yes and no. It is true if you only have one contract in your account. If you have multiple contracts in your account with different use years, the cancelled points will go to the LATEST contract that the reservation fits in to. Let's say, for example, you add a Jan use year contract to your current October use year contract/account. If you make a reservation for Sept 15-18, when you cancel that reservation, the points should come back as cancelled points with an expiration of DEC 31, 2015, rather than SEPT 30, 2015. If you then use those points to make a reservation Nov 15-18 2015, and cancel that reservation, those points would then have an expiration of SEPT 30 2016.

Wyndham has been working on "alignment of use years" to eliminate this, and it does not always work if, for example, all the points have been credit pooled. I was actually surprised to hear you got an October use year, as I had been hearing they are only selling Jan use years now. How long ago did you purchase?

That is interesting. I currently just have the 1 contract but this definitely would lead me to possibly try and get a different use year on another contract. Not that I plan to cancel reservations often, but for example I have a reservation for November and those plans fell through so we wont be going and I will be cancelling.

You didn't mention when you purchased, only that you were well outside of the rescission period. If you are still within 90 days and own any other timeshares, you may still have opportunity to take advantage of the PIC or PIC Express program, which may give you VIP benefits for 5 years rather than 2.5 years.

Thank you for the info, but this is our first timeshare. Since we frequent San Antonio we thought it would nice instead of staying in hotels where we never know what we are going to get. And having the kitchen is a bonus for us since I enjoy cooking more then eating out.

 

[Ty1on]

That is interesting. I currently just have the 1 contract but this definitely would lead me to possibly try and get a different use year on another contract. Not that I plan to cancel reservations often, but for example I have a reservation for November and those plans fell through so we wont be going and I will be cancelling.

If you buy a second contract with a different use year, I believe Wyndham will sync up your use years.

 

[scootr5]

If you buy a second contract with a different use year, I believe Wyndham will sync up your use years.

Maybe, but they didn't on my most recent purchase.

 

[Ty1on]

Maybe, but they didn't on my most recent purchase.

How long ago was the contract added to your account? I don't know what difference that makes, I'm just curious if there is a lag time on the sync-up (if it even happens).

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Wyndham-Vacation-Resorts/internet/Wyndham-Vacation-Resorts-changed-its-use-year-policy-and-put-the-screw-to-its-members-Int-1041193

 

[scootr5]

How long ago was the contract added to your account? I don't know what difference that makes, I'm just curious if there is a lag time on the sync-up (if it even happens).

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Wyndham-Vacation-Resorts/internet/Wyndham-Vacation-Resorts-changed-its-use-year-policy-and-put-the-screw-to-its-members-Int-1041193

last month

 

[Bigrob]

If you buy a second contract with a different use year, I believe Wyndham will sync up your use years.

They may, but not always. And even if they do, it may take years.

Also, they are more likely to align use years on member numbers that start with 999 (resale) so if you should purchase another contract, make sure it moves directly into your existing account.

 

[55plus]

Sorry I should have specified, We usually just do 1 bedroom unit (just 2 people and 1 service dog), and I plan to add more points eventually for all the trips.

I am a disabled veteran and I too travel with a service dog. The people at the check-in desk will forget your name, but they will remember the dog's name. We travel throughout the year and when we show up at a location we been to before most of the time someone at the check-in desk will remember the my dog's name.