Pre Existing Reservation changed to higher points
#61
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,042
When I make a reservation online, I have not noticed an option to choose whether points are deducted immediately. Where is that feature located?
#62
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,466
If you don't have near enough points you'll get an orange banner explaining how the Point Advance reservation works.
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,004
What are the criteria for making this option appear?
EDIT: Trial and error tells me it needs to be 1 month out, at least for what I tried. 1/21-22 didn't give me the option, 1/22-1/23 did.
#64
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,466
You need to have the points by 14 days out, so I assume they limit to a month because the "advance" period would be very short otherwise. I've personally never done a point advance booking for anything other than far out bookings so I never noticed.
#65
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 53
Points Reservation Changed Overnight to Higher Category and Points Deducted
When I woke up this morning, I saw that I had a few reservations I had for an upcoming vacation send a confirmation email to me. While I did not think much of it and when I went to check my account to see if my credit card points had posted. To my surprise, my account balance was down about 100,000 points from the day previous when I was expecting it to be up.
When I went to check the details, apparently a reservation I had received an e-mail for had been changed and now charged at a higher tier. I booked a hotel that was going from a category 7 to a category 8 at the category 7 rate. Because of the change I now have been charged 25000 points a night extra for the stay I made no changes to and these points have already been deducted from my account.
I went to check my other reservations and noticed that another one changed from a category 3 to a category 4 and was no longer a confirmed reservation. The system wanted me to reconfirm the reservation at a higher rate and deduct an additional 75000 points from my account. I have more than enough points for this stay and booking now and paying later has never even been an option for me when booking a hotel on points. I happen to find this when looking at all of my points reservation and never received an email confirmation this morning for this stay.
I do not know what happened in these two specific instances, but the rest of my points reservations look to be correct. I have 2 reservations for 2 rooms at the place that went from a category 3 to a category 4 and one reservation is fully confirmed at the category 3 rate. (For those wanting to know specific properties, this is at the W Hong Kong and the Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden.) I also received confirmation emails for other properties that I am staying at on vacation but those reservations were unchanged.
Word to the wise, double check your points reservations as something seems to have happened last night in the glorious Bonvoy IT world. Hopefully, my ambassador is able to fix the mess.
When I went to check the details, apparently a reservation I had received an e-mail for had been changed and now charged at a higher tier. I booked a hotel that was going from a category 7 to a category 8 at the category 7 rate. Because of the change I now have been charged 25000 points a night extra for the stay I made no changes to and these points have already been deducted from my account.
I went to check my other reservations and noticed that another one changed from a category 3 to a category 4 and was no longer a confirmed reservation. The system wanted me to reconfirm the reservation at a higher rate and deduct an additional 75000 points from my account. I have more than enough points for this stay and booking now and paying later has never even been an option for me when booking a hotel on points. I happen to find this when looking at all of my points reservation and never received an email confirmation this morning for this stay.
I do not know what happened in these two specific instances, but the rest of my points reservations look to be correct. I have 2 reservations for 2 rooms at the place that went from a category 3 to a category 4 and one reservation is fully confirmed at the category 3 rate. (For those wanting to know specific properties, this is at the W Hong Kong and the Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden.) I also received confirmation emails for other properties that I am staying at on vacation but those reservations were unchanged.
Word to the wise, double check your points reservations as something seems to have happened last night in the glorious Bonvoy IT world. Hopefully, my ambassador is able to fix the mess.
#66
I just got hit with this. A 5 night at 17.5k point res for 70k total turned into 125k. Hotel moved up to 25k/night and now I’m being hit for the 5th night. In total, 100k was deducted, and they also took my 75night free night award. Will call tomorrow and hope I get a competent agent.. ugh.
#67
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
I just got hit with this. A 5 night at 17.5k point res for 70k total turned into 125k. Hotel moved up to 25k/night and now I’m being hit for the 5th night. In total, 100k was deducted, and they also took my 75night free night award. Will call tomorrow and hope I get a competent agent.. ugh.
#68
Unless they have hit your account for more points, chances are nothing will happen. Many times when a rate changes, a property only updates the rate code that automatically gets reflected in previous reservations. This is way it is important to keep the original email confirmation so you have something to show what should be charged. Once you book a room, that's the rate unless told subject to change at a later date. Also, the fifth-night free must be part of the same reservation, so you can't mix/match reservations to make 5 nights.
All one reservation as well. 5th night free shows on my original email.
#69
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Posts: 4,914
Issue #1. You can’t combine a free night certificate into a 5th night free reservation, at least I haven’t been able to. So all an agent has to do is find out where which reservation number that certificate is attached to.
Issue #2. 100k total appears to be the right amount for the reservation based on the new category. If it wasn’t a Points Advance reservation, then you already paid 70k. Did Marriott reverse the 70k and charge you 100k or just charged you an additional 30k? Your math as you listed doesn’t work. Marriott is screwed up but need some accounting on your side as well.
hope you get sorted out soon.
#71
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Posts: 4,914
so the certificate issue appears not to be related to this which was what was confusing.
#72
*edit* 40 mins later (1h5m in total..) - there is no resolution. A case has been created and it appears that the hotel needs to fix it on their end. Hotel told me via the agent that they will call me when resolved. I arrive at the hotel in about 23 hours and the agent strongly suggested that I don’t complete check in until the situation is resolved, and to start with a manager. She was “upset” (her words) that the hotel pulled the extra points as well as the choice benefit cert.
Last edited by GoSh4rks; Apr 22, 2019 at 8:45 am
#73
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Posts: 4,914
One would think.. I’m on the phone with an US agent now. She’s saying that it should be 70k, and that the free night cert is attached to the reservation in addition to the 100k points - there is no 5th night free on my reservation as it stands. The agent’s supervisor agrees but my agent also needs to talk to the hotel to figure out what’s going on. 25 mins on the phone and counting...
*edit* 40 mins later (1h5m in total..) - there is no resolution. A case has been created and it appears that the hotel needs to fix it on their end. Hotel told me via the agent that they will call me when resolved. I arrive at the hotel in about 23 hours and the agent strongly suggested that I don’t complete check in until the situation is resolved, and to start with a manager. She was “upset” (her words) that the hotel pulled the extra points as well as the choice benefit cert.
#74
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,656
Beware! Award booking deducted at new points values instead of values when booked
I just had MR deduct 340,000 points for a 5 night award reservation from my account that was a huge mistake since the reservation was made under the old points requirement for the hotel. Luckily I had my confirmation email that showed the points cost for the 5 night reservation was 180,000 under the old category instead of the 340,000 it is under the new hotel category. Hotel in question was the Domes of Elounda and when I called the Elite Line they tried to at first tell me that this was correct but then after putting me on hold she tried to charge me 60,000 per night (or 240,000) for the reservation until I told her that my paperwork confirmed the cost of 45,000 per night. Buyer beware and check the number of points they deduct for reservations made at the old points level.
CS offered no apology or anything! I don't understand how stuff like this can still be going on almost a year after the merger. CS could give a crap about it and she made it sound like I should be responsible for checking everything and that it is ok for them to just deduct whatever they feel like deducting.
CS offered no apology or anything! I don't understand how stuff like this can still be going on almost a year after the merger. CS could give a crap about it and she made it sound like I should be responsible for checking everything and that it is ok for them to just deduct whatever they feel like deducting.