# Club Interval Gold



## randombus (Jan 16, 2014)

So I understand that I.I. has a point system now similar to RCI points
can I just upgrade through II, or do I have to go through the sales thugs like outfield marketing?


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## tschwa2 (Jan 16, 2014)

Points programs offered by exchange companies like RCI and II are marketing tools for developers to resell to owners who have already purchases- get more money out of current owners.  While they may offer some added flexibility they are only available through the developers (and 3rd party marketers like Outfield who partner with the developers) at a fairly high cost.  Like RCI points they may eventually be available on the secondary market as already converted properties unless the developers wrote it in the contract that the unit reverts out of points when resold on the secondary market.


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## deannak (Jan 17, 2014)

tschwa2 said:


> Points programs offered by exchange companies like RCI and II are marketing tools for developers to resell to owners who have already purchases- get more money out of current owners.  While they may offer some added flexibility they are only available through the developers (and 3rd party marketers like Outfield who partner with the developers) at a fairly high cost.  Like RCI points they may eventually be available on the secondary market as already converted properties unless the developers wrote it in the contract that the unit reverts out of points when resold on the secondary market.



I asked II about this resale aspect, and was told that the Club Interval Gold points feature does not transfer on resale - you're just selling the underlying week without points.


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## tturla (May 30, 2014)

I just bought a timeshare at Grand Timber Lodge through the developer. I did spend twice as much as the published resale rate, but decided to do this because I can use points through II with a yearly membership fee and a exchange fee and travel to many different distinations offered through II.  I could not find any blogs/post/internet info on how it worked but I figured I would give it a try.  I was mostly driven by the fact that I have two young adult sons who will soon have families and I would once in a while want to provide a vacation for all of us.  I know that I would rarely, if at all, do this in the future due to the expense.  
Already I noticed that I SOOOOO MANY options at the intervalworld.com site.  And it does look like I can convert my two bedroom lockout winter unit in Breckenridge for at the most 6 weeks elsewhere.  I will keep you updated.


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## csxjohn (Jun 27, 2014)

Welcome to TUG.

One of the major things to consider when buying a timeshare is how to get rid of it when you don't want it.

I don't have time to analyze your whole situation right now but it appears you paid a premium for a program that you cannot pass on to a buyer when you're ready to sell.

There are ways to timeshare through points systems like Wyndham and Starwood without paying developer prices.

Since you haven't been able to find out anything about this program I'm not sure I would want to be one of the first to jump in.


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## pedro47 (Jun 27, 2014)

csxjohn said:


> Welcome to TUG.
> 
> One of the major things to consider when buying a timeshare is how to get rid of it when you don't want it.
> 
> ...



To the OP, Please read the above post again the advice is 100% very accurate / true and it was free? That is my opinion.


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## tturla (Jun 29, 2014)

to Cxsjohn and pedro47
I know I paid alot for my TS.  I do not plan to resell it but rather pass it unto my sons.  They state the deed and the points will transfer in a will.  So far I have put my name on a wait list for Key West.  And even if I get the requested2 bedroom for my week, I would still be able to use the remaining points for at least 2-4 more trips in the future.  

I am putting my experience in a blog. Check it out if you'd like. http://tthetouristoflife.blogspot.com/

I am going to be writing about real time use of the point system through Interval International--which I have not found any definitive information on any blogs, web site etc. 

But remember. I am absolutely NEW at this and I am sure you will see that I have mistakes and misguidance. If you want to comment here or at my blog, please be kind.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jun 29, 2014)

I know this isn't what you want to hear but you didn't have to buy from the developer in order to utilize the Interval International points system. It is available to anyone that owns at a points member resort no matter where they got their week.


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## tschwa2 (Jun 29, 2014)

No, I don't think it is (possible to buy already converted club interval points weeks).  The contract with Club Interval gold reverts back automatically to a deeded week on resale.

As to how it exchanges it should be the same as any other points portal reservation, Marriott, Wyndham, Worldmark, DRI etc.  It's based on the size and TDI.  You will know you have enough trading power and your place in line is determined by the date you got in line.  So you won't be kicked back by a stronger deposit.  It has its good points and bad.  You could have bought cheaper points in other systems that would have given you the same results but what's done is done and I hope you enjoy the vacations you will have.


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## tturla (Jun 29, 2014)

Saintsfanfl said:


> I know this isn't what you want to hear but you didn't have to buy from the developer in order to utilize the Interval International points system. It is available to anyone that owns at a points member resort no matter where they got their week.



Can you tell me how you did it or how it is done?


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## tturla (Jun 29, 2014)

tschwa2 said:


> No, I don't think it is (possible to buy already converted club interval points weeks).  The contract with Club Interval gold reverts back automatically to a deeded week on resale.
> 
> As to how it exchanges it should be the same as any other points portal reservation, Marriott, Wyndham, Worldmark, DRI etc.  It's based on the size and TDI.  You will know you have enough trading power and your place in line is determined by the date you got in line.  So you won't be kicked back by a stronger deposit.  It has its good points and bad.  You could have bought cheaper points in other systems that would have given you the same results but what's done is done and I hope you enjoy the vacations you will have.



Thank you for your words.  I never planned to resell and I was well aware that the resale value would not include CIG/points to the purchaser.  Forgive my ignorance, but unsure what TDI is.  When I go to the II online site, there is a huge amount of inventory for me to choose from even in top resorts in top weeks.  I would pay extra for the convenience of choosing easily and having a better place in line.  But I know I paid too much. 

Yeah, I do have some buyers remorse, and thanks for your support though ..."what's done is done and I hope you enjoy..."  I really appreciate it.


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## twinmommy19 (Jul 2, 2014)

> No, I don't think it is (possible to buy already converted club interval points weeks). The contract with Club Interval gold reverts back automatically to a deeded week on resale.



Is this true?  I've seen II points contracts for Kings Creek Plantation advertised on ebay.  I considered buying one last year but ultimately decided to buy a deeded July week in Williamsburg instead...  Do you think those points wouldn't end up transferring over and you end up instead with a regular floating week?


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## tschwa2 (Jul 2, 2014)

I do not think those points would transfer and I think it is in the contract when they bought.  I think the sellers just don't know.  Much like Starwood voluntary owners who advertise starpoints or Wyndham owners who advertise platinum status will transfer on resale.  

If you ever go for one make sure you have it in the contract with the buyer (if they insist that the points contract will transfer) that the points need to transfer or the seller will need to transfer the ownership back to their own name at their expense and immediately refund purchase price.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 2, 2014)

What I meant was that you can joing II points no matter where you got your week, provided the resort participates. It doesn't matter where you bought it. You definitely don't have to buy from a developer. I didn't mean that you can purchase the actually II points contract on the resale market.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 2, 2014)

t_bird1107 said:


> Can you tell me how you did it or how it is done?



You buy a week at a member resort and then sign up. I own several at one but I haven't signed up. Partly because I don't want to pay for 2 II accounts but also because I don't know what I could do with it and whether it makes sense.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 2, 2014)

How much are they charging to set you up in points and how many points would you get?

There is a chart in the disclosure guide about how much units cost based on size and tdi.  My understanding that for club interval gold, like other points based systems that exchange through II ,although they have different charts based on their "currency"; that your place in line would be based on when the request went in.  You don't have to worry about someone with more trading power bumping you back.  It makes sense to switch to points if it isn't expensive to do so (I doubt that is the case because they are sold to the resort by II as a way to get more money out of current owners), and you get a decent number of points for a so-so exchanger.

My guess is $2000-$5000 to convert.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 2, 2014)

I don't know but I am going to inquire and find out.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 2, 2014)

Also, we don't have a management company. If there is any profit on the points conversion it would go back to the owners through a reduced deficit or budget surplus. My guess is the price is the II actual with no markup. No maintenance fee increases for 7 years.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 2, 2014)

Sometimes well meaning (but a little naive) HOA's who aren't equipped to do the hard sell that points require hire outside contract "consultants"  like Outfield -who have worked with Festiva and DRI, to upsell the points.  The deal being that the consultant gets 50% or so of the fees and the other 50% goes to the HOA.  Sounds good on paper but most HOA's who aren't in active sales aren't going to have the killer deals that gets their owners more points than the resort probably deserves- think Grandview and VV Parkway with RCI.  Then a high pressure sales team comes in -possibly to owners homes convincing them that they need to convert or they will never get good exchanges again.  

Also with points you have a set value and although it can be good getting some high demand properties (if you have enough points), you don't really get a discount for easy to get ones in overbuilt areas.

But all of my info is hear say gleamed from other sources.  Would love to hear a first hand account.

Also there is additional there is additional expenses for HOA's with points.  Properties that once had only one or two check in/out days now have more and more administrative expense tracking and possibly additional hk fees which usually gets passed on the exchangers checking in or out on a non traditional day and/or staying more or less than 7 nights.


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 2, 2014)

This resort does everything in-house but doesn't do any hard sells. They don't need to. They also check-in all 7 days because so much of their occupancy are hotel style bookings. Perhaps some HOA's couldn't handle it but no fee increases for this long speaks for itself. 

I am interested in learning but I doubt the points are for me. I almost always uptrade in value. One thing I noticed is if you have an II points week I think the trading power of all the II inventory becomes transparent. To most of us it's a mystery but I think with points it is a known.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 2, 2014)

It's known but only in the same way that Wyndham points using RCI through the portal is known but doesn't necessarily translate into values for non point weeks.



> TDI range
> 135-150
> 115-130
> 90-110
> ...



So if you own a 2 br week with a tdi of 140, Interval assigns you a value between 78,750 and 105,000.  Likewise exchanging into a 2 br with a tdi between 135-150 would cost between 78,750 and 105,000.

The full chart is on page 6 of the II's Buyer's/Disclosure Guide


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## Saintsfanfl (Jul 2, 2014)

It's interesting it is based on TDI. I have some fixed weeks at a resort where one has lower TDI than another but way better trading power. Usually it's reflective in general but I don't think it's directly related.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 2, 2014)

> Studio 1 Bdrm 2 Bdrm 3 Bdrm 4 Bdrm
> 140 - 150 2,250 3,000 4,500 6,000 7,000
> 115 -135 1,750 2,750 4,000 5,000 6,000
> 90 - 110 1,500 2,250 3,000 4,000 5,000
> 50 - 85 1,000 1,500 2,250 3,000 4,000



This is how Marriott destination points trade through II, they don't even get a range for properties.  So for them a 2br in a non-rated Orlando resort weeks 23-27 would cost 4500 as would a 2br in Williamsburg during any week from 23-34. But a 2 br in Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas Sept-Nov would be around 3000 points.

This is the same as HGVC in RCI- a 1 br Manhattan club costs less than a 2 br no name orlando in high season.  

So although it tells you something about how II values weeks, it doesn't mean those same values cross over when not using the points system.


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## twinmommy19 (Jul 5, 2014)

What I like (in theory) about the II points system is the ability to put in a pending request for any size unit you want.  I think that could be a valuable advantage in confirming 3BR units in desirable locations (not talking about places where big units show up regularly for all deposits in open inventory).  Unless you own a 3BR unit or bigger which you don't lock out, there is no way to ever put in a request for a unit this size in the weeks system.  I could now do request first with my 4 BR week in Williamsburg,  but then I'd be giving up two 2BR deposits (locking off) and also the two ACs I get for each of those deposits so it would have to be a really great exchange to make it worthwhile. 

Being able to place a request is a valuable feature.  What your deposit can view in open inventory doesn't seem to be upheld in the request system.  I've learned this by placing requests which are being honored with my ACs.  Last week I confirmed a 2BR at Manor club in Virginia with August 10th check in using an AC and also confirmed New Years week at MFV via another AC request.  Neither of these units were viewable to me in open inventory.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 5, 2014)

Yes, but worldmark is probably the best way to accomplish this.  The MF are fairly low.  It holds some resale value.  Both RCI and II regularly offer owners 2 for 1 deals and exchanges in both.  You can search with a 3 br deposit but if only a 2 br is available that is the number of points you pay.  There is a discount for confirming less than x days in advance.


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## twinmommy19 (Jul 5, 2014)

> Yes, but worldmark is probably the best way to accomplish this. The MF are fairly low. It holds some resale value. Both RCI and II regularly offer owners 2 for 1 deals and exchanges in both. You can search with a 3 br deposit but if only a 2 br is available that is the number of points you pay. There is a discount for confirming less than x days in advance.



I've heard great things about Worldmark's system but being from the east coast I just couldn't rationalize buying into a franchise system that has hardly any resorts that are either convenient to where I live or places that we would be interested in flying the family out to for vacation (I think the Whistler property is the only one of any interest at all and that one is very far for us - none of the other ski resorts are slope side which would be a requirement for us if we fly out for a ski trip).  If I lived on the west coast, I would buy into Worldmark in a heartbeat.


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## lilliand (Oct 9, 2014)

tschwa2 said:


> Points programs offered by exchange companies like RCI and II are marketing tools for developers to resell to owners who have already purchases- get more money out of current owners.  While they may offer some added flexibility they are only available through the developers (and 3rd party marketers like Outfield who partner with the developers) at a fairly high cost.  Like RCI points they may eventually be available on the secondary market as already converted properties unless the developers wrote it in the contract that the unit reverts out of points when resold on the secondary market.



Just sat through what was supposed to be a 45 minute II update this week at a resort that was a getaway for us.  It ended up being a 3 hour hard sell for purchasing through them to get in to the Interval Club points system.  They said we owned at a great resort and they weren't trying to replace that but this would be a supplement to that.  Our home resort has a point system and they said we wouldn't be eligible for the Interval Points through our home resort as they aren't participating in the II points.  They said that for 2015 the II catalog will be changing and will show the points grid for each resort.  Currently they said 152 resorts will be participating the the Interval Points system and that there are great benefits to the Club program (schedule less than week stays, great prices on cruises, etc) that we will not be eligible for.   What has anyone else heard about this?


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## Saintsfanfl (Oct 10, 2014)

lilliand said:


> Just sat through what was supposed to be a 45 minute II update this week at a resort that was a getaway for us.  It ended up being a 3 hour hard sell for purchasing through them to get in to the Interval Club points system.  They said we owned at a great resort and they weren't trying to replace that but this would be a supplement to that.  Our home resort has a point system and they said we wouldn't be eligible for the Interval Points through our home resort as they aren't participating in the II points.  They said that for 2015 the II catalog will be changing and will show the points grid for each resort.  Currently they said 152 resorts will be participating the the Interval Points system and that there are great benefits to the Club program (schedule less than week stays, great prices on cruises, etc) that we will not be eligible for.   What has anyone else heard about this?



If you think that was II giving the sales pitch you've been had. II does not do presentations or sell anything. This is a common lie told by sales companies giving pitches. I went through the same thing as you but I didn't bite on the presentation. When I checked in my getaway I was told an II rep was here to meet with me. I knew it was a lie, heard the attempt, then blew them off.

Some of the benefits that you were pitched are not the benefits of a "points" ownership. They are just the benefits of a Gold account, which a points membership comes with. Anyone can upgrade to Gold, you don't need a points week. Short stays, cruises, and the other benefits can be had by any II member right now. 

Points are not new but II has struggled to make them popular. In almost all cases converting to a points week is not a good deal because they charge over $3k for the "upgrade". Points is a really bad deal if you routinely "upgrade" on your deposit. With points you will always get a slight downgrade. The exception is if you have an extremely valuable week and you are routinely forced to downgrade. In this case you will be given enough points to trade for more than you could before.

There is a reason II has spent several years on points and they have barely moved the meter on popularity. They made it too expensive with very little benefit and in many cases negative benefit.

To be clear, you cannot buy just points. You can only buy a timeshare week that you would then pay to enroll in the points system. Another reason why the deal is so bad is when you sell the week the points don't transfer. The new owner would have to pay another $3k+ to enroll it again.


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## lilliand (Oct 10, 2014)

We knew it was the developer doing the sales.  They did say Interval was just there last week and set up a new computer showing real time deposits and exchanges on a map and they had huge displays all about Interval.  They said the cost to enroll in points was $15,000 in addition to what they wanted for their unit but they would waive the interval fee!!  Yea, right.  That night I posted a question on the Interval site about this as I couldn't find anything when I searched on the site about Interval Club Gold or Chairman's Club which they also claimed they belonged to.  The very next day the resort called me in my room saying Interval had forwarded my comments to them and they wanted to make sure I didn't misunderstand.


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