II: deposit vs. trade

[mom25]

We have a gold week timeshare at the end of June that we will not be using (it is 2 bedrooms plus a den, sleeps 8) due to our kids school schedule. We have an II membership and plan to use it to book a different trip in likely May to Florida. We got an email from II that if we deposit our week now, we will get a bonus week (recognizing that it has limitations). What I can't figure out is whether we should deposit our week (getting the bonus week) or do a trade? when is it better to do a trade, and when is it better to deposit? Any advice would be most appreciated!

thanks

 

[VacationForever]

In this case when you deposit, you get both a bonus week (that you get to book available inventory for an AC fee) and trade (for an exchange fee). Essentially you get 2 trades out of it. Bonus week/Accomodation Certificate is more restrictive in what you can book for and it is also more expensive than an exchange fee. The deposited week gets whatever trading power of the week that comes with and you pay an exchange fee to do so.

 

[mom25]

Thanks so much for your help, that is great. So, I am assuming I am always best to use the AC week if it is possible first, then use my trade week (as it would have more flexibility, right)? What happens if you deposit but don't book a trade week within the year? This is our first year of the TS, it was essentially gifted to us, and is time limited (was a 40 year lease back in the day) so has about 7 years left I think.

 

[VacationForever]

Yes, AC generally can see less inventory and a shorter timeframe that you can use before it expires. When you deposit, your week for that year's use is gone/taken. What you can trade for has an expiration date as well, usually 2 years out. You do want to deposit early for better trading power. If you let it expire, then it is gone. II also lets you extend the deposit for another year for a fee and it also becomes more restrictive (like you can only see inventory within 60 days of travel date).

 

[dioxide45]

If you won't be using the week, I would go ahead and deposit it and get the AC. The AC does have limitation and they usually have pretty high redemption fees. ACs for deposit usually have tiered redemption fees and a 2BR redemption can still be pretty high. YOu should be able to use it to Florida in May except for at the more premier properties. Keep in mind though that a getaway may be the same cost as using the AC. Then save the actual deposited week for somewhere else that is a little harder to trade than May in Florida.

 

[Almond123]

I also received the offer for a bonus A c week if I deposited my week. The stipulations for my deposit was I had to deposit before February 24th and I had to use the week for an exchange between the dates of June 1st and Audust 29 before I would get the bonus AC week. Maybe they do different stipulations for different members but I do not get the bonus week if I don't comply with the stipulations. I am not sure it is the same way for everyone.

 

[dioxide45]

I also received the offer for a bonus A c week if I deposited my week. The stipulations for my deposit was I had to deposit before February 24th and I had to use the week for an exchange between the dates of June 1st and Audust 29 before I would get the bonus AC week. Maybe they do different stipulations for different members but I do not get the bonus week if I don't comply with the stipulations. I am not sure it is the same way for everyone.

Are you sure it wasn't that you had to deposit a week before 2/24 that had a checkin date between 6/1 and 8/29? I have never seen an AC offer that stipulated you had to actually do an exchange by a certain date.

 

[Almond123]

You may be correct and I printed the terms and conditions but didn't keep the printout. I go in to see if I can find them in my account but now that the week is deposited the terms don't appear any longer. I do remember it saying what you said and I think I misunderstood what it was telling me. I read checkin date and thought that was when I had to check in for what I was exchanging to. I learned something new again and I always appreciate everyone's information I find here. The best thing I ever did was to join TUG and I get useful information daily. Thank you and Happy New Year.

 

[sue1947]

Thanks so much for your help, that is great. So, I am assuming I am always best to use the AC week if it is possible first, then use my trade week (as it would have more flexibility, right)? What happens if you deposit but don't book a trade week within the year? This is our first year of the TS, it was essentially gifted to us, and is time limited (was a 40 year lease back in the day) so has about 7 years left I think.

Correct. However, there's more to it. The AC will see much less, but they have been seeing more than in the past with the most current one. Take a look at this thread http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/part-4-more-random-good-stuff-seen-with-ii-ac.248534/ to get an idea. Note: this is in the sightings section and you need to be a member of tug to see this. Also note that lots of the really good stuff shows up with less than a week notice. What's available on the AC will change over time with more locations added within 2 months or so so keep checking.
Florida, especially Orlando, is more likely to be available via the AC. So put an ongoing search in for the harder to get locations now and then work the AC for something in an area with lots of timeshares.

Sue