Ok folks, I am reporting back. When I called, the person I spoke to went off and spoke to a manager, who said they could not do it, and he had never heard of the negative billing option. I then requested to speak to the manager, and told him about this thread (which he had never heard of either). He then said that perhaps he could email Aeroplan to have the points transferred . So, after a wait on hold (of course!) he came back and said that he could do it! -- in a way. So here is my understanding of how it will work: he sends an email to Aeroplan saying the points are coming and a note is put on my file. Then if I call in to book (he thinks it would have to be a call in, not over the net), they will see the note and allow the booking, showing a negative balance of points, until they actually come through. So, he guesses this is where the term negative billing option comes from, even though he had not heard it. Also, it will till take 3 to 5 days for this option to be in effect.
Well, it is better than the alternative. I still won't be able to see the points in the account until the next billing cycle, but hopefully they will be available if those coveted business seats pop up.
Thanks again to Geoflying.
If we keep pushing, maybe they will clean up their act.