WooHoo! Unexpected Bonus

[Blues]

As you may recall, I bought an HGVC Flamingo 7000 point platinum week for $1.40 per point. I purchased it on eBay in June, closed in late August, and got the account set up with HGVC in October. The purchase agreement stated that my usage and maintenance fees would start in 2009.

I was a little taken aback that this account couldn't be combined with my account for my Scotland affiliate, but TUGgers assured me that it was easy to transfer points between accounts.

So today I called HGVC to transfer points from my Scotland account to my Flamingo account. I have 5000 rescued points there that I wanted to use first for a reservation I want that costs 8400 points.

When I talked to the agent, she said "but you should use your 7000 points for 2008 from the Flamingo first." I was taken aback, but she assured me that indeed, the Flamingo I purchased had 7000 points intact for 2008 that I could use. I checked online, and indeed they're there! I had to pay $69 to rescue them to 2009 in order to make my reservation, but that's a small cost!

Apparently, the previous owner didn't tell the sales agent who listed it on eBay that there were an additional 7000 2008 points involved. And the Estoppel letter from HGVC didn't show them either.

WooHoo! I now have the overwhelming problem of trying to figure out how to use 24,000 points in 2009 -- Scotland had 5000 rescued points plus I'll get 5000 points for 2009 when I pay the dues, and Flamingo had 7000 rescued points plus 7000 2009 points.

What to do, what to do :whoopie:

-Bob

 

[linsj]

Wow! What a great surprise! I'm so jealous.

 

[Talent312]

An embarrassment of riches, I'd say.

 

[Sandy VDH]

I have a similiar problem. Too many rescues and canceled plans, so too many points and little or no vacation opportunities.

Trying to decide what I should do?

 

[pianodinosaur]

Blues:

You might consider a cruise. With 24000 points in 2009 you could take a very nice Alaskan, Caribbean, or Mexican Riviera Cruise. I have had good luck with Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America so far. I have yet to try Celebrity but my friends rave about it. Remember to take Hurricane season into consideration.

Congratulations again.

 

[PigsDad]

Excellent!

If you are looking to give away a week...

Kurt

 

[sml2181]

That is indeed a great surprise !

We had that happen to us with some Starwood resales - bought with 08 use but received 07 use - great. Then we bought 2 weeks in 08 with 09 use, and received 08 use PLUS a fixed Presidents week in Colorado instead of the floating week we thought we were buying.

I am sure you'll find a way to spend the points.
In case you were considering going to Europe:
http://hiltonhhonors.goldenmoments.com/
You can use points for wine classes, dinner in a castle, Moulin Rouge including dinner tickets and much more.
In China you can take tours using you HH points.

Not necessarily the best value maybe, but some of the options can be a great treat without having to break the bank.

Never really looked at the cruise options because DH doesn't like cruises - but maybe we should reconsider.

Enjoy your travels!

 

[ricoba]

Lucky you! What a pleasant surprise!

 

[jerseygirl]

I'd convert a bunch to hhonors points and go somewhere where timeshares are impossible to get or not so nice ......... rome, paris, vienna .... the possibilities are endless!!

What a nice problem to have -- good for you!

 

[Blues]

I'd convert a bunch to hhonors points and go somewhere where timeshares are impossible to get or not so nice ......... rome, paris, vienna .... the possibilities are endless!!

I was thinking the same thing. And now that the $ is back up against the Euro, it sounds better.

But can someone please help me understand the options on converting HGVC points to hhonors? Does the 25:1 only apply if you convert your points before the use year? I.e., only if I convert 2009 points now, before 12/31/08? Or can I convert any points at any time? If I wait until 2009 to convert 2009 HGVC points to hhonors, do I still get 25:1 or some other rate? And finally, if I use HGVC points directly for hhonors stays (I understand that's possible), what's the rate at that point?

I get so confused with the hhonors options for HGVC. I'd love to see a clear synopsis of the options. If someone can state it succintly, it should go into the FAQ. Thanks.

-Bob

 

[AlmTravel]

Blues,

I would call HGVC directly and confirm the options with HHonors points. In fact, it may be good to call 2-3 separate times to make sure you get a consistent response. I called some time ago about converting 2008 HGVC points and the agent said I could make the request, but I would have to wait to the end of the year for the points to convert.

In the latest club guide, it shows direct clubpoint to hotel category reservation rates. So, it appears the points do not have to be converted to HHonors. The VIP rewards show six nights at a Cat 6 hotel for 8750 club points. This does not seem to be a good conversion because you can convert 7000 club points to 175000 HHonors points and get the same thing through HHonors.

I've also used the AXON Amex reward code a few times. This gives you 4 nights in a Cat 6 hotel for 125000 HHonors points. Good in case you don't want to stay in one location for the full 6 nights.

I agree a FAQ on the point conversion process would be nice.

 

[alwysonvac]

Regarding Hilton Hotel Stays.

From http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=474263&postcount=7

As HGVC Members, we are automatically given Silver VIP HHonor status. This qualifies us for the exclusive VIP–Only hotel rewards - http://hhonors.hilton.com/en/hhonors...rr/index.jhtml which allows stays of 6 to 14 nights at reduced hotel reward levels. The HHonors VIP-Only hotel award and the 4-night “AXON” hotel reward for American Express Hilton card members provide the best hotel exchange value.

For HGVC members, as of January 1, 2008, the conversion rate for any or all HGVC points to HHonors points is 1 to 25 if converted a year in advance (before Dec 31). All converted HGVC points are deposited into your HHonors account on Jan 1. You cannot convert HGVC points to HHonor points in the current year. However you can make an HHonors Hotel Reservation using HGVC points at a conversion rate of 1 to 20.

Here’s an old thread discussing the HGVC to HHonors Conversion - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31613

From http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=584012&postcount=25

Once you use your HGVC points for a hotel reward they become HHonor points. So if you cancel your hilton hotel reservations your refund will be in HHonor points and deposited into your HHonors account.

From http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=519383&postcount=4

You don't need to login to see the HHonor points requirement.

Here's the link to the Standard Hotel Rewards - http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/...s/freenight.do
Here's the link to the VIP Hotel Rewards - http://hhonors.hilton.com/en/hhonors...rr/index.jhtml
Here's the link to hotels by reward category - http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/.../categories.do

You can also go to hilton.com to find your hotel and look for the hotel category listed on the hotel's main page. For example, here's the Hilton Athen main page - http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hote...thens/index.do

From http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=474394&postcount=10

All airline frequent flyer, credit card reward and hotel reward programs go through point devaluation and some are more frequent than others.

A great hotel exchange deal today may not be a great deal tomorrow due to the following
(1) Maintenance Fees will increase over time decreasing the exchange value
(2) HHONOR reward point requirement will increase over time which will eventually impact the number of hotel reward nights
(3) Per the HGVC Member Guide, the HGVC to HHonors conversion rate is subject to change without notice and the benefits available through these programs are subject to change, suspension or discontinuation at any time without prior notice.

So it's better to take advantage of the hotel reward stays using HGVC convert points now rather than later.

 

[Blues]

I would call HGVC directly and confirm the options with HHonors points.

First, thanks to all who replied. The pointers to other threads on hhonors conversion were most helpful.

Just to confirm, I did call HGVC about this. The rep confirmed that I could convert any or all of my 2009 HGVC points to hhonors at the ratio of 25:1, if done by 12/31/08. The fee is $69. She said I could convert HGVC points from both my accounts at the same time for a single fee.

She confirmed that I can't convert points from a current year. E.g., if I wait until after 1/1/09, I can't convert the 2009 points. I didn't ask about elites being able to do so, since I'm not an elite. However, I could use the HGVC points directly for an hhonors stay, at a conversion rate of 20:1.

I asked about the VIP award of 175K points for 6 nights. She said I'd have to talk to an hhonors rep about award stays -- apparently she didn't know.

This seems to confirm the basics of what the other threads state. Again, thanks. I think I'll probably convert some 2009 points to hhonors. My DW & I will have to strategize about what our future travel plans are.

-Bob

 

[Blues]

In the latest club guide, it shows direct clubpoint to hotel category reservation rates. So, it appears the points do not have to be converted to HHonors. The VIP rewards show six nights at a Cat 6 hotel for 8750 club points. This does not seem to be a good conversion because you can convert 7000 club points to 175000 HHonors points and get the same thing through HHonors.

8750 HGVC pts @ 20:1 = 175,000
7000 HGVC pts @ 25:1 = 175,000

This appears to confirm what the HGVC rep told me. It's 25:1 to convert next year's points. Using current years points, you get 20:1.

I've also used the AXON Amex reward code a few times. This gives you 4 nights in a Cat 6 hotel for 125000 HHonors points. Good in case you don't want to stay in one location for the full 6 nights.

This is the first I've heard of this. Who do you call for this? AmEx? Hhonors? It sounds like a good award if you want to stay in more than one place. I can conceive of a European vacation with three 4-night stays. Hmmm, that sounds like 15000 HGVC points for 12 nights in 3 different cities. Could be the start of a plan.

 

[alwysonvac]

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60170&highlight=AXON

 

[PigsDad]

This is the first I've heard of this. Who do you call for this? AmEx? Hhonors? It sounds like a good award if you want to stay in more than one place. I can conceive of a European vacation with three 4-night stays. Hmmm, that sounds like 15000 HGVC points for 12 nights in 3 different cities. Could be the start of a plan.

AFAIK, this is only for people who have the Hilton HHonors Amex (but I could certainly be wrong). If you have that card, you can log into your account and search for card benefits and you will find the details on the AXON code. We recently used it to book a stay in Venice for our trip to Italy next year.

Kurt

 

[jehb2]

As you may recall, I bought an WooHoo! I now have the overwhelming problem of trying to figure out how to use 24,000 points in 2009...

Now Dr. Phil would say "What you have is a high class problem."

Definitely a problem I would love to have.