RCI Points Protection questions

[Family_travel]

From the RCI portal
What are my options if I have to cancel or change the dates or location of a vacation I’ve already booked?
If you have a confirmed Exchange Vacation that has to be changed or canceled, you will forfeit your Exchange fee and possibly a portion of the CLUB WYNDHAM® Points you exchanged. However, as an RCI member, you have the option to protect your Exchange Vacation by adding Points Protection. This protection will allow you to have 100% of your CLUB WYNDHAM® Points returned to your RCI account for future use.

1) Does anyone know if cancelled exchange points keep their original expiration date? Does it change if points protections was purchased?
2) It does not say exchange fee is returned. Is it returned or held as a credit?

 

[tschwa2]

With rci cancellations, your points would keep their original expiration date. Points protection does not change that. If eligible you could pay to extend the points but that would be a separate transaction and if the points were already extended would usually not be an option.

Currently they are offering "enhanced points protection" (which is just about $30 more than normal) and with it, if you cancel you get 100% of your points back and if cancelled by March 31 (but that date could change but I wouldn't assume it would be extended), you would get a coupon for the exchange fee good to use until March 31 (but the exchange could be later) for the amount of the exchange toward the cost of another exchange.

So if you book for June 2021 (as an example) and cancel in May or June, you just get your points back with the original expiration date.
If you book for June 2021 and cancel in February or March, you would get the exchange fee coupon to use by March 31, with those points or any other points toward another exchange.

 

[Family_travel]

@tschwa2 Thanks for the information.
I was not offered "enhanced points protection", but my reservation is for March 2021. So this would have been an guaranteed return for me.

 

[tschwa2]

@tschwa2 Thnaks for the information.
I was not offered "enhanced points protection", but my reservation is for March 2021. So this would have been an guaranteed return for me.

enhanced protection is what they are offering now. It is just more expensive than the previous cost for protection. If you purchased protection back before the increase, my understanding is they are still providing the enhancement.

If your reservation is for March 2021, you would get a credit for the exchange fee but would have to use it almost right away toward another exchange. If you don't make another exchange using the credit by the end of March the credit would expire.

 

[paxsarah]

Prior to COVID, and probably at some point again in the future (which right now looks like after 12/31), even with points protection you did not get any of the exchange fee back even as a credit.

 

[joanncanary]

I just changed a reservation for January and February 2021 and got my exchange fee credit which I used for my new dates that I needed. So at this time if you purchased point protection you will be able to cancel and rebook at no additional fee.