Points Credit Pool, PIC

[Jeanne Sz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeanne Sz]

I'm trying to decide if using the Points Credit Pool is the best option for me. I own 322 EOY points, even year, VIP, and annual PIC of 154K. Would it be best for me to roll all my points for 2012? My original sales rep put a note on my papers to remind me to call in to do that at the end of this year. Do I lose any benefits if I roll them? When is the best time to do so? As I understand what I read, all points have to be rolled before the beginning of the use year. Is this correct?

Also, although I do have the option of using the PIC, I don't know that I would do that unless I have plans that would require the availability of the additional 154k points, because I feel I would get better options using my II membership first. I have RCI and TPI/PA through Wyndham, and II through my Sheraton ownership (resale). But if I don't roll the 322 points into the pool, would I want to put my odd year PIC into Wyndham? Thanks!

[glen4cindy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen4cindy]

I would never use the credit pool.

If you roll your points into the credit pool, and then other members use up all the points available in the credit pool at your home resort, you will be unable to use those points! This is even though you rolled the points into the pool. You are NOT guaranteed availability of those points!

You are much better off, IMHO, to roll them into II or RCI, whichever you have, even though you have to pay to use them once you do this, if you cannot use them during your regular use year, than trying to rely on being able to use them in the credit pool.

This is only MY understanding of the credit pool, from what I went thru today when I went thru a upgrade, trade-in presentation where I ended up trading up to a higher level of VIP. I asked about the credit pool and this is how it was explained to me.

Hope this was helpful. I know you asked this question awhile ago though.......

[Jeanne Sz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeanne Sz]

That's what I was afraid of, after reading the PCP info over several times. I'll deposit them for later exchanges. Thanks for the help.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

Contrary to the earlier post, there are many veteran Wyndham owners who do use the credit pool. It extends the use for 3 years from the date of deposit.

If you are trying to accumulate points for future Wyndham reservations, then the credit pool can be useful. While you cannot directly deposit pool credits directly into RCI or II, there are easy techniques that allow those credits to be converted to cancelled points which can be deposited into RCI or II.

Always read your directory for the most accurate information on how to use the credit pool.

[glen4cindy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen4cindy]

Contrary to the earlier post, there are many veteran Wyndham owners who do use the credit pool. It extends the use for 3 years from the date of deposit.

If you are trying to accumulate points for future Wyndham reservations, then the credit pool can be useful. While you cannot directly deposit pool credits directly into RCI or II, there are easy techniques that allow those credits to be converted to cancelled points which can be deposited into RCI or II.

Always read your directory for the most accurate information on how to use the credit pool.

I was not trying to "dis" the credit pool per se, I was just relating my understanding of it, per my "update" that I just went thru this week here at Royal Vista in Ft. Lauderdale.

I'm sure the pool can work for many members. I just seems like a real "gamble" to me, even though it extends the use of your points 3 years, the chance that those pooled points "may" not be available when you need them the most is a scary proposition.

It might be that I just don't know "when and how" the right time to use them is, but, maybe someone here could educate me on this matter. Can the pool credit points be used anywhere or just at your "home" resort?? I was under the impression that they were only available at your home resort.

I know that with RCI you have to pay to use the points, but, it also seems that this might be the best thing for me to do, and maybe making the assumption that it is the best thing for another to do is not the right thing to do. I'm sorry if I mislead anyone. I'm still learning too....

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

While it is true that the pool can run dry, it is a relatively rare and short-term situation. I think the last time I recall it happening was in '08, for a few days tops.

The risk is relatively small. My sense is that the extended pooling deadlines for VIPs has been a contributing factor in helping to keep the pool supplied---those VIPs who don't plan ahead but find themselves with extra points can use this feature rather late in their use year.

There are three different situations to use the pool. One: when you know you won't need to use all of your points in a given use year, and would prefer to use them internally later rather than on external exchanges. Two: when you have a "big" trip planned and don't have enough points in any one use year to make use of it. Three: some people routinely pool just for the added flexibility of using points across several use years.

I generally pool anything I don't have a firm plan for (either RCI or internal), and have found the feature to be quite valuable.

You can use pool credits for any internal points reservation---it doesn't have to be at your home resort.

Finally, you shouldn't look at the two options as mutually exclusive. There are times when pooling makes sense (collecting points to use for a prime-season internal booking) and times when depositing makes sense (when you plan to travel to an over-deposited location, during off/shoulder season, or in some cases to a less-demanded Wyndham resort in high time.)

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

It used to in-frequently happen before the Plantimun cut off day which is at middle of the year (June). Now they change the cut off to 9 month, I have not hear it happens. If the total points you have is less than 1/2M it probably is not something to worry. If you really afraid that could be the case, arrange the trip before it happens, so it moves out from credit pool. So say if you want to make points for Dec trip 2011, you can arrange a trip for Jan or Feb 2011 than cancel it, so you get cancel points in your account for 2011.

But make sure you check the cancel point policy with VC, seems like they are trying to improve their computer system, and try to move cancel point back to the use year where it originally from. At this moment, since they can not move cancel point back to credit pool, it still stay with the trip year.

Jya-Ning