Most vacationers follow a standard routine when planning their trips. They choose a destination, select a time, and book their stay. Once done, they rarely revisit their booking, only reminiscing through photographs after their vacation has concluded.
However, what they might not know is that they could be missing out on an opportunity to gain hundreds of additional Marriott Vacation Club Points by simply rechecking availability closer to their travel date.
Marriott Vacation Club Last-Minute Booking Windows
In order to take advantage of this booking trick, we first need to know that discounts are offered to certain Marriott Vacation Club Abound owners when booking last minute reservations using Abound Club Points. Please note, these discounts are not available to Owner and Select level members. We’ve added a chart below to help you determine what discounts are available to you:
| Benefit Level | Annual Vacation Club Points | 60 Days Prior to Check-In | 30 Days Prior to Check-In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | 7,000 to 9,999 | Discount not available | 25% discount off the number of Vacation Club Points required |
| Presidential,
Chairman’s Club |
10,000 and higher | 30% discount off the number of Vacation Club Points required | |
Let’s Talk Technique
While it’s always a good idea to book your vacations as far in advance as possible to ensure you get the reservations you want, it also pays to continue checking Marriott’s inventory closer to your check-in date.
This strategy doesn’t involve booking a last-minute getaway. Instead, it’s about revisiting a reservation made months in advance. For every vacation an owner books, they can check the availability again 60+ or 30+ days before check-in, aiming to secure a 30% discount and get points refunded into their account. These refunded points can then be used for an extra small getaway, or saved up to book a larger vacation.
Here’s how you can execute this booking trick:
- Upon making any reservation using your Abound Club Points, mark your calendar with two dates: around 62 days (or 32 days) before check-in and exactly 60 days or 30 days before check-in (depending on your membership level). The first date serves as a reminder to confirm whether you’re still going as planned, providing enough time to cancel and retrieve your Club Points without penalty. The second date is for checking availability to reclaim Club Points from your reservation.
- On the exact 60-day (or 30-day) mark, you can contact Owner Services, cancel the original booking and rebooked the same villa for 30% fewer points.
- The difference in points will be refunded back to your account, saving you up to 30% of the Club Points you booked the original reservation for.
Limitations & Gotcha’s
Since this trick requires the owner to cancel the original reservation, this action is still subject to Marriott’s normal cancellation policy.
| Cancellation / Modification Date (prior to check-in) |
Penalty | Holding Account |
|---|---|---|
| 61+ Days | No penalty | No – points used for a cancelled reservation are returned to your account and any points not used for a reservation modification are returned to your account |
| 60 – 1 Days | No penalty | Yes – points used for a cancelled reservation will be put into a holding account and any points not used for a reservation modification will be put into a holding account |
| On Check-In Day | Forfeiture of all points |
All points used for the reservation are forfeited and are not returned |
If you’d like to understand Marriott Vacation Club’s full reservation cancellation policy, check out our article here: Abound Club Point Usage Chart: How To Use Expiring Points, Holding & More.
There are a few things to keep in mind if you are wanting to utilize this trick to save points:
- These refunded Club Points will be placed in a holding account, and are now considered holding account points. They can only be used for travel within 60 days. If you’d like to see a chart that shows how these points can be used you can check out our Abound Club Points Usage Chart. If you’d like to learn everything there is to know about holding accounts, you can check out our article here: Marriott Vacation Club Holding Accounts: Everything You Need To Know.
- Bear in mind that you can’t cancel and rebook the same reservation without availability for the same dates. Therefore, ensure availability exists before cancelling the first booking.
- This trick may not be available to use if you’re traveling during peak season or to a popular resort, based on the limited availability at 60 days prior to check-in.
Even though these refunded Club Points are returned as holding account points, they are essentially free vacation time, so any extra vacation booked using these points is an extra bonus.
Let’s Wrap This Up
This booking trick has its pros and cons. On the upside, you use fewer points for the same vacation, leaving room for potential “free” trips. On the downside, it might not work if you’re traveling during peak season or to a popular resort. However, there’s always a chance of finding last-minute vacancies due to cancellations by other owners, so it’s often worth checking to see if you can rebook your trip.
Learn More About Marriott Vacation Club
If you have any remaining questions about how Marriott points work, we have a vast back catalog of Marriott articles that cover a wide range of educational topics like advanced usage guides, the latest Marriott news, and expert buying or selling tips.
If you would like to learn more about the process of selling your Marriott timeshare or buying a Marriott resale, please contact us today. Our licensed agents are standing by to answer any questions you have, and offer guidance based on their many years of specializing in Marriott resales.
