I want to acknowledge previous posters who made me aware about the possibility to purchase a new annual pass. It was processed this morning and, in contrast with other posters, the procedure could not have been easier for me.
I had renewed my Platinum annual pass in early January 2020. A couple of days before the August 11 deadline, I filled the request to get a partial reimbursement on my pass. The reimbursement appeared on my credit card on September 29.
Moreover, I also had a resort reservation for mid-October, which I decided to postpone. On Sunday, October 11, I called WDW to change my resort reservation and, following the information asked by the automated system, I was put in touch with an agent with no wait. Once the agent has processed the reservation change, I added that I had heard from this forum about the possibility to purchase a new annual pass, and I asked her whether she can help me. She knew what I was talking about, she asked me a couple of questions to validate my eligibility, and she filled a form for me. She told me that another agent would call me within 48 to 72 hours. From this forum, I suspected a longer delay. Indeed, I had the call this morning (16 days later). The person had all my information in front of her eyes. She confirmed the info, she gave me the price ($1195 + tax = $1272,68), she explained the annual pass would be activated once I enter the park for the first time, and she asked my credit card information. The new annual pass appeared immediately in My Disney Experience. As a consequence, I also had the opportunity to modify my resort reservation to get the annual passholder price.
Without the information posted in this forum, I would not have been aware of this opportunity, so thank you!