Help Center - How to put your Account on Hold/vacation

If you plan to be away from home or computer (or for any reason will be unable to send out DVDs/respond to emails) for a period of time, you should use the Vacation/Hold feature to put your DVD Tower on hold and prevent incoming requests.  You can set the start/end dates of the Hold in advance, and it will automatically end at 12:01 AM ET on the end date you choose.  There is no limit to the number of Holds you use, or their duration. You can end the Hold early, or adjust the dates you have chosen, at any time.

Why use the Vacation/Hold feature?

• To prevent receiving requests for your DVDs when you cannot respond
• To prevent receiving requests for your DVDs when you cannot send DVDs out for any reason
• Excessive cancellations of DVD requests submitted to you will jeopardize SwapaDVD membership.
• The Vacation/Hold feature also puts your Wish List on Hold
  • You can keep selected items (or all items) on your Wish List active by setting them to auto-request.

To use the Vacation/Hold feature:

• Go to the VacationHold page:

  • From My Account: click the link "Vacation Hold" in the yellow bar at the top of the My Account page.
    • or click the Settings tab and click the "Vacation Hold" link in the yellow bar at the top of the Settings page.
  • From My DVD Tower: click the link "Vacation Hold" in the yellow bar at the top of the DVD Tower page.
  • From the Account Settings: click the link "Vacation Hold" in the yellow bar at the top of the Settings page.
  • From anywhere on the site: place your cursor over My Account in the toolbar at the top of the site, and click Vacation Hold in the menu that drops down.
• On the Vacation/Hold page:
  • Choose the start date and end dates of your Hold from the options
    • If you choose a start date before the current date, your Hold will go into effect immediately
    • If you choose a start date after the current date, your Hold will go into effect at 12:01 AM ET on that date
    • Your end date means that your Hold will automatically end at 12:01 AM ET on that end date
  • Click
• When your account is scheduled to go on Hold, an alert message (outlined in red) will appear on the My Account page, containing the start and end dates you have chosen.
  • You can adjust the dates of your Hold by clicking in that alert message
  • You can cancel your Hold by clicking and then clicking the "cancel hold" link on the Vacation Hold page.
• When your account is on hold, an alert message (outlined in red) will appear on the My Account page
  • You can adjust the dates of your Hold by clicking in that alert message
  • You can remove the Hold by clicking in that alert message.

**If your account will be on Vacation Hold for longer than 21 days, you should NOT leave your Wishes on Auto-request, unless you have arranged to be notified when your DVDs arrive.**  If you leave your Wishes on Auto-request, they will be fulfilled when you are first in line and another member posts them. If you don't mark the DVD as 'Received' within 21 days, the DVD will be declared 'Lost in the Mail'. Then, the next available copy will be automatically ordered for you. To prevent this from happening and ending up with two copies, you should place your Wishes on 48 Hour Offer. You will not lose your place in the Wish List line, but you will not receive an offer for your DVDs until you return from Vacation Hold. If you will return within 21 days, leaving your Wishes on Auto-request is not a problem, because you can mark the DVD as 'Recieved' before the system declares the DVD as 'Lost in the Mail'.

Related Links:

How does the Vacation Hold affect My DVD Tower?
How does the Vacation Hold affect My Wish List?
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How does the Vacation Hold affect SwapaDVD emails?
I go out of town a lot; how can I manage my account?
I will be away from my account for a prolonged time; how should I handle this?
I missed a request, and it canceled. Can I get the request again so I can send the DVD?
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