Pooling Points & HK credits???

[vckempson]

Now that my overlapping use years are gone, I'm thinking of pooling some remaining points. The Wyndham Directory says that you get 1 HK credit for each thousand pooled. What if you don't have that many HK credits left? The manual says nothing about getting them ONLY if you have them. It just states, 1 HK per thousand will be pooled with your points.

If that's true, this would also be a cheaper way to get needed HK credits than buying them, if you're short. In my case I have 83,000 points left to pool with only 25 HK credits available. So, I pay $39 to pool those points and maybe get 83 HK credits with it. If that's true then I get an extra 58 HK credit for $0.50 each as apposed to the $2.25 each if you buy them when booking a week.

Anyone have any experience with this before?

 

[scootr5]

You'll get 1 pooled for each 1,000 points up to the amount of HK credits you have left, no extras.

 

[vckempson]

Interesting. The directory definitely does not say "up to the amount you have available" or any such thing. I was hoping it might be a little loop hole.

I'll have 154 HK credits given back after a 3 part reservation is used in May. It's too late, though, to get those HK credits back into the credit pool by then. I guess I could call in May and request it but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Cheryl20772]

I think you have to credit pool before your use year begins; so usually no problem having the HK credits with the points at that time.

After the use year starts, RCI is the option to save points from expiring. The exception would be if you are VIP gold or platinum. You will need one housekeeping credit for each 2,000 points deposited with RCI.

 

[vckempson]

I think you have to credit pool before your use year begins; so usually no problem having the HK credits with the points at that time.

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That's probably true. But, for those of us who plan far in advance that's not necessarily true. Most of our reservations are close to the 10 month mark, which takes us right now all the way out thru Sept 2013.

Of 356,000 points next year, I only have 85,000 left. It's that pesky 3 part reservation for 7 nights that ate up 231 HK credits that's causing the problem for me. I know I'll get them back, but then they are useless cause I will have already pooled the remainder of my points for 2013.

 

[scootr5]

Yes, it's not usually something you're going to see, except in a case like this where the OP apparently has 2 room changes during one reservation and ate up a lot of HK credits.

I recently pooled 68K points and 60 HK credits for 2013 - no additional HK credits for the extra 8K points were pooled.

 

[bnoble]

That's very odd. I have always been under the impression that if you were short HK credits, you had to rent the remainder. I wonder if the VC just goofed up when you pooled, Scott.

 

[scootr5]

That's very odd. I have always been under the impression that if you were short HK credits, you had to rent the remainder. I wonder if the VC just goofed up when you pooled, Scott.

Well, I'm certainly not going to question it if it's in my favor!

 

[Cheryl20772]

It's that pesky 3 part reservation for 7 nights that ate up 231 HK credits that's causing the problem for me. I know I'll get them back, but then they are useless cause I will have already pooled the remainder of my points for 2013.

Yes, I saw that part of your situation. I'm sorry you're getting squashed like that. It's not very fair at all.

 

[CO skier]

I have always been under the impression that if you were short HK credits, you had to rent the remainder.

... that's only the case when the reservation is made, not when the points and HK credits are deposited to the credit pool.

Prior to the Use Year, the OP can credit pool the remaining 85k points without any HK credits, or with whatever HK credits remain (up to 85, in this case).

 

[CO skier]

That's probably true. But, for those of us who plan far in advance that's not necessarily true. Most of our reservations are close to the 10 month mark, which takes us right now all the way out thru Sept 2013.

Of 356,000 points next year, I only have 85,000 left. It's that pesky 3 part reservation for 7 nights that ate up 231 HK credits that's causing the problem for me. I know I'll get them back, but then they are useless cause I will have already pooled the remainder of my points for 2013.

About the only option to use any of the reclaimed HK credits would be to make an Express Reservation in the 2013 Use Year and borrow the points from the 2014 Use Year and/or use credit pooled points.

Do you regularly use all your HK credits each year? If not, losing those 2013 HK credits may not cause any difficulties. (Most years we have 100+ HK credits leftover, because we vacation in larger units for a full week).

 

[lcml11]

Learned something new yesterday, I have not been a big user of the credit pool, however, when I pooled a whole bunch of points, they told me it was 39 dollars per use year. My use year contracts had been consolodated so it did not matter.

 

[vckempson]

Do you regularly use all your HK credits each year? If not, losing those 2013 HK credits may not cause any difficulties. (Most years we have 100+ HK credits leftover, because we vacation in larger units for a full week).

No, we usually have plenty left over. In the end it probably won't matter, but plans have a way of changing. I got dinged in the past in just such a situation. It was painful to pay for additional needed HK credits when I had extra coming back to me later. Felt like flushing money down the toilet.

 

[vckempson]

One other question, since I've never pooled points before. Has anyone had trouble using pooled points? I see the availability is dependent on others having pooled their points where you're looking to go.

 

[bnoble]

I think it's been several years since the last time the pool "ran dry", and it only lasted a few days. With the new VIP pooling deadlines---allowing more people to pool later into the use year, and salvaging more otherwise-unused points---the problem seems to have gone away. It is a risk, but IMO a small one.

 

[CO skier]

No, we usually have plenty left over. In the end it probably won't matter, but plans have a way of changing. I got dinged in the past in just such a situation. It was painful to pay for additional needed HK credits when I had extra coming back to me later. Felt like flushing money down the toilet.

It seems that you would benefit from credit pooling any points that you do not need for ARP when you run out of HK credits. This will give the HK credits associated with the points a three-year life span from the month of credit pooling, and you can then draw on them (and the points) as needed. The $39 charge would likely be much cheaper than renting HK credits in the future. Based on your HK credit usage history, you would probably have to credit pool only every two, three, or more years, not every year, so the additional cost would be minimal.

 

[Cheryl20772]

Since the changes Wyndham has made to RCI, more and more owners will be pooling; so I doubt there will be a shortage. I've been pooling for the past 3 years now and didn't find any problem using. We usually book only a month or two from travel date.

 

[vckempson]

Good News. Another week came along where I was able to cancel the 3 part reservation and make it a one part reservation. So I got the HK credits back in time to pool them with the points.

Next. Anyone know if you can Pool 2014 (or even 2015) points at this time? If yes, is there any reason not to include them with the 2013 points that I'm pooling? That would give me a 3 year window to use all those points. Then I wouldn't have to worry about this again until the end of 2015. Maybe you lose ARP which I don't care about.

 

[lcml11]

Good News. Another week came along where I was able to cancel the 3 part reservation and make it a one part reservation. So I got the HK credits back in time to pool them with the points.

Next. Anyone know if you can Pool 2014 (or even 2015) points at this time? If yes, is there any reason not to include them with the 2013 points that I'm pooling? That would give me a 3 year window to use all those points. Then I wouldn't have to worry about this again until the end of 2015. Maybe you lose ARP which I don't care about.

2014 points can be pooled now. According to one of Ron's earlier posts, 2015 come into play in January. The downside is apparently they will charge you $39 dollars for each year pooled.

 

[ronparise]

Good News. Another week came along where I was able to cancel the 3 part reservation and make it a one part reservation. So I got the HK credits back in time to pool them with the points.

Next. Anyone know if you can Pool 2014 (or even 2015) points at this time? If yes, is there any reason not to include them with the 2013 points that I'm pooling? That would give me a 3 year window to use all those points. Then I wouldn't have to worry about this again until the end of 2015. Maybe you lose ARP which I don't care about.

Yes you can pool 2014 points and after the first of the year, 2015 points

I typically pool as soon as I can,(everything except what I want to use for ARP reservations) and work everything out of the pool. its been a big help in managing what I own and minimizing the end of the year "use it or lose it" scramble. Where I still have to be careful is with cancellations. They dont go back to the pool, they expire at the end of the year of the reservation

 

[vckempson]

2014 points can be pooled now. According to one of Ron's earlier posts, 2015 come into play in January. The downside is apparently they will charge you $39 dollars for each year pooled.

Oh? I thought it would be one fee to pool 2013 and 2014 all at one time. That's the only reason I was considering pooling the 2014 points at this time. So, there's really no advantage to doing the 2014 points now rather than waiting, right?

 

[lcml11]

Oh? I thought it would be one fee to pool 2013 and 2014 all at one time. That's the only reason I was considering pooling the 2014 points at this time. So, there's really no advantage to doing the 2014 points now rather than waiting, right?

Absolutly none that I can see unless you want to use the 2014 and 2015 points this year. This is the first year that I pooled a massive amount of points for the purpose of holding them to 2014 or later. I did this because I think with Wyndham flooding of the system with points in January that would not have otherwise come into play until October is going to have a significant negative impact on availability until at least October 2013. I have so many that if lack of availability became a problem, I would lose a group.

 

[CO skier]

Oh? I thought it would be one fee to pool 2013 and 2014 all at one time.

This was my understanding also, as long as it was the same Use Year End dates, but it seems to vary according to the Vacation Counselor you get. (The rule is not explicit; it just states, "There is a $39 charge to use this feature.") I suggest trying to do both years for $39; if it does not work the first try, call back one or two more times to see if you get a different result. (It would be interesting to learn how it turns out).

If it costs only $39 to credit pool 5 million or 10 million points from one year, why would it cost $78 to credit pool only 420k points, for example, from two years, as long as they were credit pooled all at once and from the same Use Year End date?