Will existing "Points Advance" reservations raise in price on March 5th???
Feb 17, 2019, 7:35 pm
#121
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,482
Feb 17, 2019, 8:25 pm
#122
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 153
You can get a confirmation email showing all the details of your reservation to be used as proof of the original details by selecting "View/Modify" on your reservation and then clicking "EMail" at the top.
Feb 18, 2019, 1:58 am
#123
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,110
Yes, as long as you book before March 5th, your rate will be locked in. You still just need to fulfill the points 14 days prior to check in to secure the reservation. However, if you're making a reservation at a hotel whose category is changing and you do not fulfill the points before March 5th, you may have to speak with a CEC agent (honestly not sure what that is but I'm sure the normal reps would) when you fulfill the points to ensure that the original rate is used.
The one exception to this rule is if you make any significant changes (not entirely sure where the line is drawn here but I would imagine date changes certainly cross it) the rate will be revised to the new rate.
The one exception to this rule is if you make any significant changes (not entirely sure where the line is drawn here but I would imagine date changes certainly cross it) the rate will be revised to the new rate.
Feb 18, 2019, 9:54 am
#124
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: toronto
Posts: 914
Yes, as long as you book before March 5th, your rate will be locked in. You still just need to fulfill the points 14 days prior to check in to secure the reservation. However, if you're making a reservation at a hotel whose category is changing and you do not fulfill the points before March 5th, you may have to speak with a CEC agent (honestly not sure what that is but I'm sure the normal reps would) when you fulfill the points to ensure that the original rate is used.
The one exception to this rule is if you make any significant changes (not entirely sure where the line is drawn here but I would imagine date changes certainly cross it) the rate will be revised to the new rate.
The one exception to this rule is if you make any significant changes (not entirely sure where the line is drawn here but I would imagine date changes certainly cross it) the rate will be revised to the new rate.
Hopefully my ambassador would be able to handle this request?
Feb 18, 2019, 3:06 pm
#125
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: MSP
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, UA Silver, Hertz 5*
Posts: 913
I have a question regarding reservations made before March 5 to lock in before the rate increase.
I have an OC9 TP Cert that I would like to use at a current NC6 (50K/night) which goes up to a NC7 (60K/night) after March 5th. This would be over the Christmas holidays - a very peak period. However, there is a small chance that I may not be able to make the trip and need to cancel. In this case I could detach the new NC6 TP Cert but it will now have an expiry date in Feb 2020. My current OC9, which I haven't converted yet, expires in Aug 2019 so my thought was to book the hotel now with points and lock in the rate and then call sometime in Aug closer to the expiry of the current cert to switch the reservation over to use the TP Cert and get my points back.
What do folks think? Will there be a problem applying a NC6 Cert to a hotel that has gone up to a NC7?
I have an OC9 TP Cert that I would like to use at a current NC6 (50K/night) which goes up to a NC7 (60K/night) after March 5th. This would be over the Christmas holidays - a very peak period. However, there is a small chance that I may not be able to make the trip and need to cancel. In this case I could detach the new NC6 TP Cert but it will now have an expiry date in Feb 2020. My current OC9, which I haven't converted yet, expires in Aug 2019 so my thought was to book the hotel now with points and lock in the rate and then call sometime in Aug closer to the expiry of the current cert to switch the reservation over to use the TP Cert and get my points back.
What do folks think? Will there be a problem applying a NC6 Cert to a hotel that has gone up to a NC7?
Feb 18, 2019, 6:38 pm
#127
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 153
I believe CEC is the customer engagement center. Seems like the normal CSRs won't be able to do this on their own and will have to bring in a higher level rep to get it done. I imagine ambassadors can either do it themselves or otherwise get it taken care of.
Mar 4, 2019, 11:55 am
#128
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX
Posts: 10,909
Mar 4, 2019, 1:43 pm
#129
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 153
As long as you don't make any significant changes once the award chart changes. Also, be careful to check the rate details as Marriott seems to be charging cash holds on some award stays now.
Mar 4, 2019, 2:18 pm
#130
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SNA
Posts: 18,240
This happens every year and it appears they will not be changing the way it is handled.
Regular customer service agents can do it, you just need to call when you are ready to confirm the withdrawal. I am NOT getting emails on reservations booked on points advance, so I am screen shotting each one.
And it is not "don't make significant changes to the res" it is "do not make ANY changes to the reservation" None. Zero. Just don't.
Regular customer service agents can do it, you just need to call when you are ready to confirm the withdrawal. I am NOT getting emails on reservations booked on points advance, so I am screen shotting each one.
And it is not "don't make significant changes to the res" it is "do not make ANY changes to the reservation" None. Zero. Just don't.
Last edited by VickiSoCal; Mar 4, 2019 at 4:29 pm
Mar 4, 2019, 4:17 pm
#131
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: OZ Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ti/LTP, Hilton Diamond, Sixt AC, Hertz PC
Posts: 122
Hrmz - right now my PA reservation says I can cancel 15 days before arrival - it seems if I want to deduct my points now, the cancellation policy changes to 90 days before arrival o.O
Mar 4, 2019, 4:41 pm
#132
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,762
I checked last night after reading a blog piece that someone reported his cancellation date changed to March 5 for a stay months ahead... the 7 days before arrival cancellation now changed to 1 day before.
Still it is scary that the term can change after booking to better or to worse. I now make screen shot of the Stay Details after booking, primarily for the capture of the cancellation policy AND the tiny note at the bottom about the e-Cert is issued.
Finally it seems now if you cancel a reservation used FN Cert, the eCert no longer goes back to your account automatically - because apparently after an "update" in Dec, the FN Cert is sent straight to the property. When the reservation is canceled, the FN Cert would NOT be automatically released - the hotel needs to MANUALLY release it. But hotels often forget! Therefore in the case of a FN cert is used but later one does not need the reservation, you need to call the CS to cancel it and remind the CS to call the hotel to manually release the cert. If cert does not come back within a day, you need to take action ASAP, either by calling the hotel DIRECTLY or to remind the CS to contact the hotel to release the cert. There are currently some sob stories that people have lost their FN certs because they have waited weeks or months to no avail and the accounting trails have lost during the interim.
Mar 4, 2019, 5:02 pm
#133
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: OZ Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ti/LTP, Hilton Diamond, Sixt AC, Hertz PC
Posts: 122
What I mean is that I already have a PA reservation for the St Regis Puerto Rico which says I can cancel it 15 days before arrival. When I go to “deduct the points now” it wants to change the policy to 90 days - with the same reservation number.
Mar 11, 2019, 8:21 pm
#135
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 153
First agent was confused at first and then confidently told me I would have to pay the new rate. I explained to her that I'd been told by Marriott directly that they would still honor the old rate and asked to speak with a CEC agent. She disappeared for about 30 minutes in total to conference with another agent of some sort (checked back in a couple times to update me) and then said that the other agent wasn't sure how to fix the problem so they just credited the difference in points (125k in this case) to my account. I was told that if I cancelled the reservations, the points would be retracted.
FYI, if you're in a similar situation and you don't yet have the number of points, be aware that if they credit you points the way they did to me and that credit pushes you over the threshold for one of your reservations the reservation might automatically deduct points and order the certificate, as happened to me. Something to keep in mind.