Interval International Frequently Asked Questions and Information

Link to the full advice article is here: Interval International FAQ and info


The following is a TUG generated FAQ for Interval International - II

(Much of the information is from TUG members and also from II's website.)

This email is monitored by official II employees and was created specifically for TUG members who have questions and need direct assistance!

tugmembers@intervalintl.com


Exchange Fees (As of 2016):

Made over the Phone: $189

Made Online: $174

Guest Certificates - $59 (free for platinum members)

Eplus fee: $54

Fee increases - 2016:

Basic Renewal:

5 years $356
3 years $227
2 years $178
1 year $89

Gold upgrade:

5 Year - $256
3 Year - $163
2 Year - $128
1 Year - $64


Platinum upgrade:

5 Year - $556
3 Year - $354
2 Year - $278
1 Year - $139


What is Interval International (II)?
A.
• II is one of the two largest exchange companies (along with RCI). Your resort must have an affiliation agreement with II for you to use II. If your resort doesn’t have an agreement with II you can’t use II for exchanging.
• www.Intervalworld.com is the website of Interval International. They can be reached by phone at 800-828-8200
• Note: Some resorts have several different groups of owners. If the sub-group of owners which you are a part of is not affiliated with II, then you can’t use II.

any additional II fees?
A.
• II fees to extend the period during which a deposited week can be used for an exchange: for three months - $59, for six months - $89, for 12 months - $169 (additional restrictions apply)
• II fees for some TS systems may be less than those quoted here. Marriott to marriott exchanges can be less ( BUT additional restrictions may apply)


How do I “search” for an Exchange?
A.
• You can search for an exchange three ways:
1. “Instant” online exchange.
2. “Ongoing Search" / "Pending Request"
a. “Deposit First” exchange request
b. “Request First” exchange request.
(See following for how to do each kind of exchange request)

Important Info:
If an immediate confirmation of an instant exchange isn’t available, placing an on-going search for an exchange request allows II to automatically keep searching for a match.

Click to expand...

What size unit can I get with an Exchange?
A.
• With an “Instant” online exchange, you can search for any size unit that your week will match with. So if your studio can find an instant exchange at a resort which show a 2 bd available, you can trade for that 2 bedroom.

• With an ““Ongoing Search" / "Pending Request" exchange, you can only search for a size unit which is the same as your unit size ( or less). EXECPT: If you are using a 1 bd unit and want a 2 bd unit, you can get a 2 bd unit by requesting an exchange into a resort which have only 2 bd units.


How do I “search” for an instant online exchange?
A. ( this will find resort weeks which are sitting in the II inventory)
• On the vacation exchange page, just select where and when you’d like to travel and click continue. Some people have said that using the "map" search will give better results due to a glitch in the II software.
• Select the previously deposited week or available week (not yet deposited) you’d like to use for your exchange.
• If you are using a week still available to you (not yet deposited), you may be asked to provide the check-in date and/or reservation numbers before you continue.
• Then you’ll be shown a list of units available for instant exchange for your specified date and destination.
• You can cancel the transaction any time prior to selecting “Submit” on the payment information page.
• You’ll receive a confirmation number after submitting your payment details.


Why do I use “Request first” or “Deposit First” exchange? What is the difference between them?
• The best weeks & resorts for exchanges are generally not sitting in II inventory, so if you want a great week at a great resort, you’ll have to do an ongoing search for your exchange request. Also called a “pending request”.

The difference between the two methods are :
• with “Deposit First”, you give II your week before they fill your exchange request.
o Once you deposit your week, you’ll have a period of 1 year before, till 2 years after check in to find an acceptable exchange.
o Your deposit’s trading power is locked-in as of the date you deposit the week.
• with “Request First”, you keep your week until II finds an acceptable exchange for your week.
o You must find an acceptable exchange before 60 days before your weeks check in date. If you don’t find an acceptable exchange, you can stop the search and use your week for your own vacation.
o As you get closer to your check in date, your week’s trading power will lessen, and if not deposited by 60 days before check-in (or withdrawn for your own use), any deposit will be a Flex Deposit (see below) with many restriction on its use.

How do I “Request first” or “Deposit First” exchange?
A.
1. Log in to your II account.
2. Select “Exchange”.
3. Select “View your Units”.
4. Select “Exchange” for any eligible week.
5. Enter your Reservation # , your actual (or a hypothetical) “Check-in Date”. Then click “Continue”.
6. On the vacation exchange page, just select where and when you’d like to travel & click “Continue”
7. If you’re lucky you’ll get an instant exchange confirmation, but most likely you’ll get a page which says
At the moment there are no matches for the destinations and dates you selected.
8. Then further down the page it will ask if you want to “deposit first” or “request first”. Follow the prompts for whichever search method you wish to use.

Can I Exchange back into my home resort?
A.
• When trying to exchange back into your home resort, you have priority over other owners, but only as a tiebreaker

How do I verify that my online exchange confirmation has been completed?
A.
• You’ll receive a confirmation number at the “Transaction Complete” page after you’ve selected a resort and the dates you want to travel, reviewed the resort information, and provided your payment details.
• Your home resort will then verify the week you relinquished, and we’ll send your confirmation certificate to you via your choice of e-mail, fax or regular mail.

How do I find out about a pending request / on going search?
A.
• After match your request, II will either mail or email you. If it’s very close to the date of travel, they will also call. They also might call to offer you something that (they think) is close to your original request. If you express interest, they will confirm it, and if you decide you don’t want it, you have 24 hours to cancel. This might put your original deposit back in line behind other requests.

If I get a trade, can I cancel it?
A.
• Yes, but only within 24 hours, and only by telephone. The 24 hour cancellation period starts from the time of confirmation and you must call during II’s business hours to cancel a confirmed exchange. If you have selected regular mail as your choice of notification for confirmations, you must change that to email in order for the cancellation period to apply. (Note: all trades made within 7 days of check-in basically can not be cancelled)

If I have a confirmed exchange and have to cancel it, what happens?
A.
• When you cancel a week before 60 days of check-in, you get a replacement week. That week is good for 1 year from the date you canceled. ( not the check in date of the deposited week you started with.) If you cancel 59 - 14 days of check-in, your replacement week can only use the "Flexchange" service to make an exchange.

You also lose your exchange fee.

If I have a confirmed exchange, and then find a better one while searching II, can I upgrade?
A.
• Yes, by telephoning II and paying a second exchange fee. (Note that if you do this, be very careful to check your online “history,” as II has been known to mess up these second exchanges!) Upgrading a confirmed exchange can be done but the original week used for confirmation must have sufficient trade power to secure the upgrade. For example, you confirm a studio using resort “A”. Then see a two bedroom available using resort “B”. You want to upgrade your resort “A” exchange to the two bedroom. Resort “A” must have sufficient trade power to get the two bedroom unit. This generally won’t apply inside Flexchange, 59 days to check-in or closer, as trade power restrictions are mostly lifted.

What day will my exchange start?
A.
• II exchange requests default to the Thursday check in date. You can be confirmed to either a Thurs, Fri, Sat or Sunday check in. If you need a specific check in day you can request this by phone only.

When can I deposit my week? When does Interval list the home weeks I own under my “Resort Units”?
A.
• All resort units are listed at least one year prior to your check-in date.
• You can deposit your week as early as one year in advance of the check-in date of your home unit.
• In some instances — if your resort participates in the Early Deposit program — weeks may be deposited from 18 months to two years in advance.

What is Flexchange & Flex Deposit?
A.
• Flexchange is for those members who want to request a vacation exchange on short notice — from 59 days to 24 hours before check-in. You can check Flexchange availabilities at IntervalWorld.com or by calling II.
• Additionally, you can make a Flex Deposit if you need to deposit your week 59 to 14 days prior to the check-in date, you then can only use the Flexchange service to make an exchange.
• If the deposit is made between 13 and 7 days before check-in, the replacement week can be used for an exchange only within 30 days of the desired travel date.

What are Regional Restrictions and how do they work?
A.
• II enforces a policy which allows some TS in a region (like the greater Orlando area) to restrict trading to other resorts within the same region. This limits the number of TSs you can trade to when trading back into the same area which your TS is located.
• The restriction generally doesn’t restrict trading to a different resort within the same family of resorts. So Marriott owners in Orlando, can trade to the other Marriott resorts in Orlando.
• The Orlando and Palm Springs areas have this restriction and I’m sure there are others.
• This restriction does not go away during the “flexchange” period when most restrictions on trading seem to go away.

How do I add a new resort / week to my II account?
A.
• The weeks you see under “Your Resort Units” reflect the resorts / units which II believes are currently eligible for you to exchange.
• After your deed is recorded at the local county auditor and the resort has recognized you as a new owner. Simply contact member services to add an additional week to your account.
• II will verify your unit’s number and size with your home resort and update your records.
• There is an administrative fee to add a week(s) to an existing membership. The administrative fee is waived, however, if you renew your membership for at least one year at the time you add your week(s).

• Please note that you must have the same names on the deeds for all weeks to add a week to an existing membership. You can't add a week to your II account if the owner names are different.

The time limit for requesting an exchange is about to expire, what can I do?
A.
• You can extend your expiration date for three, six, or 12 months by purchasing a deposit extension or by contacting member services.
• You can extend your Request Window only once and your week will be treated as a Flex Deposit.
• Weeks initially relinquished as Flex Deposits or late-notice deposits maintain their original redemption method.

How do I purchase a Guest Certificate online?
A.
• You can purchase a Guest Certificate online at the time you make an exchange confirmation or place a request. Or You can also purchase a Guest Certificate online when you buy a Getaway.

• If your transaction was already completed, simply go to your Member Corner and click on “My Transactions” to view your exchange and Getaway history. You have the option to add, modify or delete a Guest Certificate for any current exchange or Getaway transaction by clicking the “ADD/MODIFY/DELETE” button.

I know I can’t rent an exchange - but then why is there a “guest certificate?”
A.
You can give it to someone - what a great wedding or anniversary present


What is an AC?

A. “Accommodation Certificate”Interval International (II) offers an incentive bonus to owners of high-demand weeks who deposit them with II. That bonus is an Accommodation Certificate (“AC”), which can be exchanged for a week through II. Your exchange choices will be limited and generally won’t be prime season weeks. Thus, there are effectively blackout dates and blackout resorts. The restrictions for your AC will differ from the restrictions on some other ACs.

In addition, you can use your deposited week to exchange for another week.

During the last 59 days (“Flexchange”) before a week for which you would like to redeem your AC, you can see almost any week available in the II exchange system, other than those weeks restricted for various resort system (such as Marriott) internal trading preferences.

The cost to redeem an AC ranges from $199 to $299: $199 for a studio, $249 for a 1BR and $299 for a 2BR.
Please note the prices have gone up: The cost to redeem an AC ranges from $229 to $329: $229 for a studio, $279 for a 1BR and $329 for a 2BR.


The AC is valid for one year from the date it is issued, which is usually soon after you make your deposit. Thus, to use your AC, you must reserve and take your additional vacation during that one-year period. That suggests some strategy, since the longer you wait before depositing, the longer you will have to use that AC once it is issued. The challenge is to balance that additional time against possible reduced trading power for your week due to delaying your deposit.

There is no guarantee that you’ll receive an AC every year you deposit your week. The demand for your week could change, possibly leading II to stop offering an AC for your week. Also, you won’t get an AC if you use the request-first method for requesting an exchange, under which you hold onto your week until you get an exchange that’s acceptable to you.

Because most available weeks that can be confirmed with an AC are off-season (except during Flexchange), ACs don’t work well for everyone. Many, many ACs go unused. However, if you don’t mind traveling in the off-season or scheduling your trip on short notice (during Flexchange), you might well be thrilled with the results.

To determine if your week currently qualifies for an AC, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your II account.

2. Select “Exchange”.

3. Select “Deposit/Extend a Week”.

4. Select “Deposit” for an eligible (1BR or larger) 2008 week.

5. Enter (or make up) your Reservation # (for Marriott owners a 8-digit Marriott “Reservation No.” starting with “8”). Also select your actual or a hypothetical “Check-in Date”. Then click on “Continue”.

6. If you are lucky, the next screen (“Deposit Details”) will have two paragraphs. The first paragraph will explain how long you will have to complete an exchange if you deposit the week. The second paragraph, the one you hope to see, will read something like the following:

Deposit this unit and you’ll earn a Bonus Week Certificate that’s good for an additional one-week accommodations at an Interval member resort (certain fees and restrictions may apply). Once your unit is verified for deposit, the certificate will be issued so come back to IntervalWorld.com soon to check on the status of - and to start planning - your bonus vacation.

Click to expand...

7. At that “Deposit Details” screen, do not click on “Deposit” unless you really want to deposit it!

Can I undo a deposit?
A.
• Generally no. Possibly, if it was their mistake, and if your deposit hasn’t yet been assigned to someone else.


Can I cancel an on-going search / pending request?
A.
• Yes, but only by calling II on the phone. This can’t be done online.

Why do the destination units available change when using different potential deposits?
A.
• Because each of your deposits may have different “Trading Power,” that is, the resorts and weeks that have more demand, and those you deposited earlier, can pull better exchanges. Note that sometimes you’ll see LESS with a better unit than with a less desirable one. This may be because Interval sometimes won’t show you units that are of lessor quality or smaller than the one you are depositing.


When does my membership expire?
A.
• Click on the “My Account” link to view the expiration date of your Interval membership.

If we sell the ownership of one of our weeks to a buyer, and we've already deposited our week for next year with II, what options do we and they have?
A.
• After the new owner has the new deed and has been recognized by the resort, they can join II ( or if already a II member). At that time, II can cancel the seller’s deposited week and give the new owner a "supplemental week" instead. It has the same fees and trading rules as a regular week, but is not guaranteed to be the same trade power and quality level as the week that was canceled.


If we sell the ownership of one of our weeks to a buyer but it has been used to confirm a nice exchange, can the confirmed exchange be transferred to the new owner?
A.
• The easiest way to use the exchange by the new owner would be via a guest certificate.

have recently updated the ancient FAQ article for II

it is located here: http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/interval-international-timeshare-exchange-faq.html

ive also reopened this thread for comments/feedback from owners on items that are outdated or in need of "rewording" in both the article and here on the forum!

please let me know and I will make the appropriate changes! Thank you!


(note you are welcome to PM me updates if you wish)

If you cancel an ongoing search is the fee refunded?

mmthomas said:

If you cancel an ongoing search is the fee refunded?

Click to expand...

Yes

Yes but you have to call to cancel the ongoing search and mention that you want the fee refunded to the original form of payment.

Bill4728 said:

Why do the destination units available change when using different potential deposits?
A.
• Because each of your deposits may have different “Trading Power,” that is, the resorts and weeks that have more demand, and those you deposited earlier, can pull better exchanges. Note that sometimes you’ll see LESS with a better unit than with a less desirable one. This may be because Interval sometimes won’t show you units that are of lessor quality or smaller than the one you are depositing.

Click to expand...

I just talked to a few folks in the past hour -- one from Vistana and two from II -- all of whom insist that my 3 BR unit (which I want to deposit in II as a 3 BR, instead of splitting into a 2 BR and 1 BR) doesn't have any greater trading power than a 1 BR and 2 BR unit at the same property. The only difference is any potential size upgrade fee that may have to be paid if I trade with a smaller unit. Are they correct? That seems to conflict with everything I've ever read on TUG.

sb74 said:

I just talked to a few folks in the past hour -- one from Vistana and two from II -- all of whom insist that my 3 BR unit (which I want to deposit in II as a 3 BR, instead of splitting into a 2 BR and 1 BR) doesn't have any greater trading power than a 1 BR and 2 BR unit at the same property. The only difference is any potential size upgrade fee that may have to be paid if I trade with a smaller unit. Are they correct? That seems to conflict with everything I've ever read on TUG.

Click to expand...

If it is a blended week it may be slightly different than an actual week deposit. My experience has been that a 3 br trading into a 2br will have more trading power but not a whole lot more. Both the 3 br and 2 br will have more trading power than the 1 br. What are you trying to exchange into and what week/season do you own? Many exchanges won't need any extra umph beyond the 2 BR. I am not sure how Vistana would know the trading power in II. II would rather have 2 deposits. They would get 2 exchange fees and potentially upgrade fees from you and from those trading into 2 deposits from Vistana.

I own a 3 BR SBP Gold Plus and 2 BR SBP Platinum (both Palmetto). At this point in our lives, we don't have enough vacation weeks that splitting up deposits to get twice as many exchanges is of interest. Plus we're largely captive to school vacation schedules. Which is why my goal right now is to maximize trading power for two weeks rather than diluting it for four. I don't have any real "goal" for destination beyond getting a high quality property with preferably 2 BR or more, though 1 BR in Hawaii (which we recently got at WPORV) is fine.

I get that II has an incentive for me to split up my deposits, but would prefer that they not lie when answering my questions about relative trading power of larger vs. smaller units, which is what it sounds like they're doing.

The reason they are telling you the 3 bedroom is probably equivalent to the two bedroom, is because it likely is. IF they were both the same season, then the 3 bed should be superior, however, the 3 bed is gold plus, while the 2 bed is platinum. Regardless, they should both give you excellent trades and you will have a good chance of getting what you want.

alexadeparis said:

The reason they are telling you the 3 bedroom is probably equivalent to the two bedroom, is because it likely is. IF they were both the same season, then the 3 bed should be superior, however, the 3 bed is gold plus, while the 2 bed is platinum. Regardless, they should both give you excellent trades and you will have a good chance of getting what you want.

Click to expand...

No, during our calls I didn't even mention the existence of my 2 BR platinum unit. I was asking whether the 3 BR gold plus would have the same trading power if they were split into separate 2 BR gold plus and 1 BR gold plus units. The answer I got was that the 2 BR gold plus and 1 BR gold plus units would each pull the same results on II, except that I would potentially have to pay size upgrade fees in some cases. Again, I find it quite hard to believe that the 1 BR gold plus side would see the same properties and dates as the whole 3 BR gold plus unit -- and even searches I did yesterday bore this out -- but II insists that this is due to their constantly-changing inventory and not due to any disparity in trading power.

When looking at online inventory you probably won't notice much or any difference. I think that the difference would come with ongoing searches and if everything else was equal the 3 br is going to match before the 2 or 1 bedroom and would probably skip ahead of many of the 1 br units trying to pull the same hard to get units.

So fairly new to understanding the II exchanges. My father has 4 different Hyatt Timeshares which are in Hyatt Portfolio points. I am only interested in an “Ongoing Search" / "Pending Request". The language has changed since the Wiki was last updated. When I go to set this up, it doesnt tell me how many points it will cost, i guest it depends on what which property/room type becomes available. Also, I only want the Saturday check in, does this mean I have to call or can I set it up online and then call to get the request changed to saturday only? Also it appears that if availability is found for my criteria, I am automatically booked into it and my credit card is charged the exchange fee, and I should get an email confirmation, and I have 24 hrs to cancel if I dont want it?

@alaskantraveler
You pay the exchange fee when you set up the ongoing search. If you want to cancel for any reason (prior to confirmation), you may call II for a refund. You will have to call to limit the check-in date to a specific day. When a match occurs, you will receive an email; to be safe, you should log on to II each date and check Exchange > My Units to see whether your pending reqeuest is still there. If not, go to My History > exchanges to see if a confirmation is there.

Bill4728 said:

Exchange Fees (As of 2016):

Click to expand...

This is a wonderful resource! I wonder if someone with the knowledge could update the prices from 2016 to 2020?

So much have change when you factor in points.

I only have a 2-bedroom non-lock-off. If I exchange for a one-bedroom unit does Interval still give a certificate or something like that to use for a studio exchange or is that ling gone? I don't remember that name of the program.

Ray

rsackett said:

I only have a 2-bedroom non-lock-off. If I exchange for a one-bedroom unit does Interval still give a certificate or something like that to use for a studio exchange or is that ling gone? I don't remember that name of the program.

Ray

Click to expand...

Are you thinking about an Accommodations Certificate you might get for depositing a week? They still do that on a targeted basis. You would either receive a post card in the mail or see a small gift box icon beside the unit in My Units letting you know of the offer.

dioxide45 said:

Are you thinking about an Accommodations Certificate you might get for depositing a week? They still do that on a targeted basis. You would either receive a post card in the mail or see a small gift box icon beside the unit in My Units letting you know of the offer.

Click to expand...

No not a Accommodations Certificate. I think it was called a "Two-for-One Exchange Specials - XYZ" or something like that.

Ray

Long gone and it didn't work like you want. That program was essentially replaced with the AC.
In II, if you trade a 2 BR for a 1 br, there is no 'change' left over. It may be that the 1 BR location has a higher trade value and needs the 2 BR to get it. Whatever, if you trade down in size, it is up to you to decide if it is worth it.

Quick question; will you get Interval automatically with owning Marriott Vacation Club, or do you have to register yourself at Interval? Thanks

michielbm said:

Quick question; will you get Interval automatically with owning Marriott Vacation Club, or do you have to register yourself at Interval? Thanks

Click to expand...

Depends on what you bought.

If you have an enrolled ownership, weeks or points then the II account is a corporate one that should be set up for you.

If your week is unenrolled, you have to pay for an II account and then arrange for the weeks to be added to the II account so you can exchange.

Hindsite said:

Depends on what you bought.

If you have an enrolled ownership, weeks or points then the II account is a corporate one that should be set up for you.

If your week is unenrolled, you have to pay for an II account and then arrange for the weeks to be added to the II account so you can exchange.

Click to expand...

Thanks so much!

I have bought a floating premium week at Marriott Newport Villas through resale, would that count as enrolled?

Thanks!

michielbm said:

Thanks so much!

I have bought a floating premium week at Marriott Newport Villas through resale, would that count as enrolled?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Unless you took very specific steps, and paid a lot of money to Marriott, that won't be enrolled.

dioxide45 said:

Unless you took very specific steps, and paid a lot of money to Marriott, that won't be enrolled.

Click to expand...

People pay to enroll. I won't do it but out of curiosity, what is considered best value in term of MF per point. I believe DC points are around 0.9 cpp.