RCI Last Minute Upgrades, Does it Work?

[WorldT]

I had a reservation at a resort and put in an upgrade request ($49 if a match is made).
The resort I requested the upgrade to showed up with a manual search but my upgrade didn't fill. Cancelled it the next morning and later in the evening the same date popped up again but my upgrade is still pending.
Has anyone ever used this option for last minute upgrades to a bigger size or another resort. I am trying to get another resort.

 

[moonstone]

I have tried it twice, both times for a booking at Vacation Village at Parkway for a 1 bedroom, once with a full kitchen, once with a partial. Both times I did not get the upgrade with/from RCI but when I was at the check-in desk I asked about an upgrade and both times I got it. We were given a 2 bedroom instead of a 1 bedroom full kitchen and the last time was given a 1 bedroom full kitchen instead of our booked partial kitchen. Our DD really appreciated having her own half of the unit with the 2 bedroom instead of spending 3 nights on our pullout couch!
I have also asked about upgrades at a few other resorts at check-in and was often given our request but we always travel in off or shoulder season. I didnt even need to ask last spring in Virginia. I had recently had knee surgery and at check-in the clerk noticed my scar and my limp. She said the unit they had assigned us was on the 2nd floor (walk up) so she was moving us to a main floor unit that happened to be larger then what we booked. I really appreciated that even though I was doing stairs quite well at that point.

~Diane

 

[tschwa2]

I have had them work. The system only checks once a day, leaving it available to be booked until that time. The available upgrade unit also has to be available in weeks inventory, I believe. What resort and what date?

 

[AwayWeGo]

When we still had RCI Platinum status, we got free unit upgrades twice -- i.e., reserved 1BR units, got 2BR units.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[VanX]

I’ve had them offered as an RCI platinum member. Has been a nice upgrade a few times.

 

[WorldT]

I have had them work. The system only checks once a day, leaving it available to be booked until that time. The available upgrade unit also has to be available in weeks inventory, I believe. What resort and what date?

Original resort was Holiday Inn in Galveston. I requested a swap to any resort between San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Unfortunately, there are not that many options. I used my RCI points account.

 

[tschwa2]

Original resort was Holiday Inn in Galveston. I requested a swap to any resort between San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Unfortunately, there are not that many options. I used my RCI points account.

and you were within the 14 day window, same size or larger unit. I am not sure what time they run their once a day but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't around 11pm Eastern so that anything that is released into the system around midnight the night before has 23 full hours for someone to book before it would match as an upgrade. It can be from your points account but it usually only takes the upgrades from weeks deposited inventory.