# What can be done with 6000 WM credits?



## DaveNV (Oct 13, 2017)

Someone at my work is advertising 6000 annual WorldMark credits on the employee bulletin board. They state 3625 credits are available for this year, and 6000 available to borrow. I don’t know how much they’re asking for it.

For a non-Points person, (me), what does that mean? What can be done with 6000 WM credits? What unit size/location etc. will it get?

Thanks,
Dave


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## VacationForever (Oct 13, 2017)

Short stays, borrow/bank to get more points, pay cash for Monday Madness, Fax time and Bonus time.  I would not start with a 6000 pt account but lots of people do and they can still get alot of vacations out of it.

The 2 other important piece of information is anniversary month and how many housekeeping tokens on the account now and to borrow... also if any money owed,


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## HudsHut (Oct 13, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> What can be done with 6000 WM credits? What unit size/location etc. will it get?
> Thanks,
> Dave



During White or Blue season, you do not need to reserve an entire week in WorldMark. And during RED season, as soon as it is 10 months before check-in date, you may reserve less than 7 nights.

6000 can get you 7 days in a 2br during off-season. Or 4 - 6 days in a 1br or studio.
The combined total 9k will get you a 1 br in high season.

Mon - Thurs are the cheapest nights. Fri  & Sat cost more, usually double whatever Mon-Thu are.
Each location has a different price. Find the points charts here:
https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/resorts/

Select any resort and click on Credit Values.

Note: every reservation which uses credits (points) must also incur a housekeeping token or the equivalent fee. This can easily add $100 to the reservation, so in general, I don't recommend the use of credits for fewer than 4-5 nights.


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## DaveNV (Oct 13, 2017)

They state January anniversary. I haven’t asked them about it, and likely wouldn’t if 6K doesn’t get much.

If I was looking for a more useful amount of WM credits, what should I watch for? How many does it take to do a reasonable 1br week in a average-to-better resort?

I just saw the above reply. I’ll check the pints chart. Thanks.

Dave


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## RX8 (Oct 13, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> I’ll check the pints chart. Thanks.
> 
> Dave



For me, about three pints are needed before any timeshare purchase as they help me relax. Yours may vary.


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## sue1947 (Oct 13, 2017)

The Jan anniversary means that Jan 1, the account has another 6000 credits in the available category and another 6000 moves into the available to borrow category so you would have 15K of credits.  
WM has cash options to use instead of credits.   The cash price includes HK so it can be a good deal, but there are restrictions.   Bonus time is whatever is available at 2 weeks out.  In your neck of the woods, it's usually limited to Birch Bay in WA or Running Y in OR; the other resorts aren't likely to have anything left at 2 weeks.  
WM is a great trader in either RCI or II.  
You can rent in additional credits, up to double your account size (12000) in this case, if you need more credits.  
I bought my first WM account from a co-worker who was unable to book the week he wanted on the Oregon Coast because of the competition with other owners.  That was 15+ years ago and things are much tighter now.  If you want prime time, you need to book at 13 months out and even then, you may get aced out.  It is incredibly difficult, for example, to book anything at Yellowstone in the summer, and almost impossible in the fall.  The renters scoop up all the inventory.  However, if you want off season, or a good trader, it can work well for you.  

Sue


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## DaveNV (Oct 13, 2017)

RX8 said:


> For me, about three pints are needed before any timeshare purchase as they help me relax. Yours may vary.



Smart aleck.   That's what I get for trying to post from my iPhone.  If I drank three pints before buying a timeshare, I'd be up to my, er... "proverbials" in timeshares! 

Dave


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## DaveNV (Oct 13, 2017)

sue1947 said:


> The Jan anniversary means that Jan 1, the account has another 6000 credits in the available category and another 6000 moves into the available to borrow category so you would have 15K of credits.
> WM has cash options to use instead of credits.   The cash price includes HK so it can be a good deal, but there are restrictions.   Bonus time is whatever is available at 2 weeks out.  In your neck of the woods, it's usually limited to Birch Bay in WA or Running Y in OR; the other resorts aren't likely to have anything left at 2 weeks.
> WM is a great trader in either RCI or II.
> You can rent in additional credits, up to double your account size (12000) in this case, if you need more credits.
> ...



Thanks, Sue! I've been tossing around the idea of points, especially WorldMark, for awhile, ever since my manager started letting us know his frequent long weekends away were at WM places in Washington and Oregon. I'd enjoy the same thing, with a full week here and there tossed in someplace.  Neighbor of mine has a gazillion points a year (I presume Wyndham) and is always on the go someplace cool.  So maybe after all these years of being a dyed-in-the-wool Weeks owner, it's maybe time to look closer at a Points ownership. Either that, or start renting from all those WM owners who have snapped up the good weeks... 

Dave


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## ronparise (Oct 13, 2017)

The 6000 account is pretty much the equivalent of an every other year contract with other timeshares. Worldmark credits are good for 2 years and you can borrow next years credits   So there is a lot of flexability

Another feature is that you can “rent” points from other owners, up to twice your annual allocation. The going rate is about the same as your maintenance fees. So a 6000 credit account can have the same vacations as an 18000 credit account.  

A 2 bedroom in red season at the older resorts is 10000 credits, a 1 bedroom is less.  The credit requirements at the newer resorts is more


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## geist1223 (Oct 13, 2017)

Patti and I started with a 6,000 Account in 2002 and by careful management and without renting Points we had several good vacation. Then after about 4 or 6 years we went to 20,000 and never looked back. We are now at 89,000 Points and about to add another 6,000.


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## sun starved Gayle (Oct 16, 2017)

ronparise said:


> The 6000 account is pretty much the equivalent of an every other year contract with other timeshares. Worldmark credits are good for 2 years and you can borrow next years credits   So there is a lot of flexability
> 
> Another feature is that you can “rent” points from other owners, up to twice your annual allocation. The going rate is about the same as your maintenance fees. So a 6000 credit account can have the same vacations as an 18000 credit account.
> 
> ...


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## sun starved Gayle (Oct 16, 2017)

ronparise said: ↑
The 6000 account is pretty much the equivalent of an every other year contract with other timeshares. Worldmark credits are good for 2 years and you can borrow next years credits So there is a lot of flexability

Another feature is that you can “rent” points from other owners, up to twice your annual allocation. The going rate is about the same as your maintenance fees. So a 6000 credit account can have the same vacations as an 18000 credit account.







Ron hits it on the nose here.

Hi Dave,

I have a 6000 credit account, also live in Washington and am pretty content with that amount. You can rent twice the number of points as your account is worth once a year from another another owner. I have found a person on wmowners.com site that I usually deal with. That is what I do if I need more points.

In January, Worldmark usually has an inventory promotion of all resorts where you can book without a housekeeping token. I usually book several stays then, and cancel if I do not need them. You can cancel one month out, with no penalty. That is really a bonus to me.

My kids live in Seattle and I like to book Mother's Day weekend at a resort that they can easily get to. We have stayed at Discovery Bay, and Birch Bay for Mother's Day the past couple years. The amount of resorts in the NW, and the ability to stay short stays are what really attracted me to WM.

I also like Wordmark for their bonus time, which you can book for points or cash. I have booked a lot of units for cash, I feel the price is very reasonable. I have booked a 2 bedroom three night long-weekend stay at Eagle Crest at the end of this month (blue season, the cheapest) for my nephew as a wedding gift for $197.00 total. I use a weeks timeshare to book Hawaii, but fill in a couple of the days with Worldmark because we like to stay for 10 days. Two weekend nights in a one bedroom on Kauai was $223.00 which is pretty reasonable for a Hawaiian hotel room, let alone a full condo. A two night midweek stay in February 2016 in a one bedroom ocean front at Gleneden Beach in Oregon was $100.00 total.

Also, Worldmark has a great waitlist feature that almost always come through for me. I have waitlisted several holiday periods and my requests have come through. You might have to assemble it one day at a time, but it can be done. I have found most of the WM customer service agents to be very helpful. I have also found if I leave the WM site up at my desk and keep refreshing, it is quite amazing what will turn up at the last minute on bonus time. You have to be patient and QUICK, but I have gotten Seattle on weekends as well as the Oregon Coast on weekends that way.

I think Worldmark, as with a traditional timeshare, is for someone who enjoys the "game" of timesharing, the thrill of the hunt, and can plan ahead. People who don't use their memberships don't understand or enjoy the in's and out's of the whole timesharing game.

Off my soapbox now...........


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## izzymail (Oct 16, 2017)

sun starved Gayle said:


> ronparise said: ↑
> The 6000 account is pretty much the equivalent of an every other year contract with other timeshares. Worldmark credits are good for 2 years and you can borrow next years credits So there is a lot of flexability
> 
> Another feature is that you can “rent” points from other owners, up to twice your annual allocation. The going rate is about the same as your maintenance fees. So a 6000 credit account can have the same vacations as an 18000 credit account.
> ...


How do you find out about the inventory specials, and are they only on January? Are the point values reduced, or just no housekeeping fee?


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## sue1947 (Oct 16, 2017)

izzymail said:


> How do you find out about the inventory specials, and are they only on January? Are the point values reduced, or just no housekeeping fee?



Inventory specials are announced each month for excess inventory expected 2 months out so Oct 1 had inventory specials for Dec.  
Gayle is actually referring to Monday Madness which is announced each Monday for varying resorts.  In the past, they have expanded that in Dec to include all resorts; called Winter Madness.  It usually expires in early Jan.  They used to do one in the summer as well, but this summer it was limited to specific resorts vs all of them. 

All of the cash options, including the above as well as fax and bonus time include housekeeping the the fee.  Monday/winter Madness, Inventory special and Bonus time each have a minimum payment of $50, but soon to rise to $65/night, which can raise the price significantly (up to 20+ cents per credit).  Fax, at 8 cents per credit and no minimum fee can often be a better deal.  
https://wmowners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=25234
https://wmowners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=7425
https://wmowners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=15729

Sue


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## DaveNV (Oct 17, 2017)

So hypothetically, let's say I bought this 6000 WM credits. And let's say I borrowed from next year to get 12000 credits.  And then let's say I wanted to reserve a unit in Hawaii that is 14000 credits. Can I pay cash for the other 2000 credits, or rent from another owner, or do I have to find something that uses only 12000? Is there a reasonable way to make up the difference?  I'm still trying to decide if this system would work for me.

Dave


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## VacationForever (Oct 17, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> So hypothetically, let's say I bought this 6000 WM credits. And let's say I borrowed from next year to get 12000 credits.  And then let's say I wanted to reserve a unit in Hawaii that is 14000 credits. Can I pay cash for the other 2000 credits, or rent from another owner, or do I have to find something that uses only 12000? Is there a reasonable way to make up the difference?  I'm still trying to decide if this system would work for me.
> 
> Dave


You cannot pay the difference but you can buy one time use credits - go to wmowners.com.  Many people sell at 7 cents per credit.


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## LisaH (Oct 17, 2017)

I have had a 7000 points membership for over 15 years. It’s a great way to supplement your vacation planning. When my kids were young, we took advantage of its bonus week policy, and stayed up and down CA on weekends frequently. These days, I mostly borrow to book a summer coastal week to rent and it has worked out very well. I have not had the need to upgrade my membership to a higher level.


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## taterhed (Oct 17, 2017)

What they said.

The number of credits is less important than the price...   6k is not that efficient, so wouldn't pay a premium for it.

The deal with WM accounts:  The MF's are tiered.  So, 6k and 7k have the same MF, but different points.  So, if you buy a 6k account, you're paying the same fee as a 7k account--without the use of the other 1k points (@ .075c value per point).  The optimum accounts are 5k, 7k, 10, and 12k....  Bigger accounts, it makes less diff.  Sample 2017 dues below.  1 HKT per 10k credits, so all accounts below 20K points only get one HKT.    Less efficient accounts sell slowly/lower price due to the annual penalty.

All-in (including transfer and all fees) a good price is .40 cents a point.  BUT  that assumes the following:

fully loaded account (within 90 days):  for example on 6k account:  6000 accumulated, 6000 current and 6000 available to borrow:  18,000 points total plus 3 HKT's (1 accumulated, 1 avail, 1 borrow).  Also referred to as: Worldmark 6k account: 12000 available with 6000 to borrow, 3HKT's  (etc....).   6000 points x .40 per point = $2400.  Total, not plus $299 etc....  I would expect to pay escrow fees if desired (up to maybe $150?).  Personally, for under $3k, I wouldn't bother if I trusted the person at all.
Subtract $$$ from the contract value for missing points (@ .075 a point) and missing HKT's which can't be rented (avg $85 per HKT???).  Thus, a 'stripped' account with no points or HKT's is missing about $1500 worth of value.  NOT a good deal on a smaller account which takes time to rebuild.
Your buddy's account (with 9600 points) is missing some points (and how many HKT's?) but will bump back up to 15600 by the time you would own it, so only some HKTs and 2400 points. So.....$2400-350.  I'd say it's worth $2k plus or minus a bit.


Finally, you can rent points, buy points, fax time, Inventory specials, winter madness, bonus time etc....  You can get all the points you need.  You can add/combine another account ($299?) to make an efficient account.  Don't worry about the points, worry about the purchase price, the time/ease of buying/selling and the annual penalty for small/inefficient accounts.

Worldmark is awesome......get it cheap, use the points and sell the stripper at an anniversary (like now) to get all your money back if you don't like it!
Cheers.

ps.  Just insure it's a "premium account" with no RTU-like 40yr expiration.  Very rare, but just know they might exist (like Nellie, the loch Ness monster).


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## DaveNV (Oct 17, 2017)

Wow, Rob.  That ^^^ was good info! A great way to decide whether the prices I see are on the level.  Thanks!

Dave


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## DaveNV (Oct 18, 2017)

Well, Tuggers, you all convinced me!  I decided to give it a shot.  

eBay had a great auction going, I bid a few times at the last minute, and I won it!  I am now the proud owner of 12000 WorldMark credits. Seller pays all the fees and transfer costs, so I'm in it for about 13 cents a point. (That's good, right?)  Still waiting for the seller to provide final details, but I think I'll be good to go. Any advice for a points newbie?

Time to head over to wmowners.com and sign up, I think.

Dave


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## VacationForever (Oct 18, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> Well, Tuggers, you all convinced me!  I decided to give it a shot.
> 
> eBay had a great auction going, I bid a few times at the last minute, and I won it!  I am now the proud owner of 12000 WorldMark credits. Seller pays all the fees and transfer costs, so I'm in it for about 13 cents a point. (That's good, right?)  Still waiting for the seller to provide final details, but I think I'll be good to go. Any advice for a points newbie?
> 
> ...


Congrats!  Does it come with any existing points, points that can be borrowed, hk tokens?  What is the anniversary date?


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## rhonda (Oct 18, 2017)

12k _annual_ @ $0.13/credit with seller paying transfer (etc)?  Sounds great!  Congrats!


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## geist1223 (Oct 19, 2017)

Great deal Welcome to WM.


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## DaveNV (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks! I'm happy. A bit shell shocked, since I wasn't planning to jump this quickly, but you all know how eBay draws you in. 

Yes, they are annual points.  Anniversary date is August. (How does that play into things?  Just that the points don't add till August each year? Is that bad?)  I don't know yet about existing points, points to borrow, or HK tokens. The ad was very basic,  stating it was 12K annual credits "available for use as soon as the transfer is complete."  I take that to mean things are all intact.  I've asked the Seller some clarifying questions, so we'll see what is said.  If there is anything out of line, I won't go forward with it. I'm optimistic, but that's my basic nature. Stay tuned. 

Presuming things go as expected with no surprises, I know I have much to learn.  I've been a Weeks guy for the last 10+ years.  Points is something very new for me. I'm excited for the challenge.

Dave


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## VacationForever (Oct 19, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> Thanks! I'm happy. A bit shell shocked, since I wasn't planning to jump this quickly, but you all know how eBay draws you in.
> 
> Yes, they are annual points.  Anniversary date is August. (How does that play into things?  Just that the points don't add till August each year? Is that bad?)  I don't know yet about existing points, points to borrow, or HK tokens. The ad was very basic,  stating it was 12K annual credits "available for use as soon as the transfer is complete."  I take that to mean things are all intact.  I've asked the Seller some clarifying questions, so we'll see what is said.  If there is anything out of line, I won't go forward with it. I'm optimistic, but that's my basic nature. Stay tuned.
> 
> ...


My guess is that the account has been stripped of current points.  Anniversary month is when the annual points get credited to your account.  Most sellers list contracts that they have sold of all existing credits, some even come without any borrowed points.  It makes a big difference in the price.  At 13 cents a point it is a good deal but it is also most likely there are no points on the account. 

I just sold my 10K contract, fully loaded, anniversary month of Jan.  It means the buyer will get 3 years of points in January and MF is not due until January. I sold it fully loaded and I did not ask for MF credit to me.  Needless to say, I had 6 buyers within a week of listing...


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## CO skier (Oct 19, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> The ad was very basic,  stating it was 12K annual credits "available for use as soon as the transfer is complete."  I take that to mean things are all intact.


That could mean you have only the 12,000 "To Borrow" credits available.  Even if this proves to be the case, you still scored an excellent deal.

I read somewhere that transfers are currently taking a minimum 4 months.  You will want to be sure that the purchase contract clearly states that you will not have to begin paying maintenance fees until the transfer is complete.  The longer the transfer takes, the better the deal that you won.

While you wait, check out the WM Resort Gallery to choose where you want to book your first trip.  You can get some advise on how difficult it may be and if you need to be ready at 6 a.m. 13 months in advance.  (Hawaii, and a number of other resorts, are very popular during the summer months.  I would not recommend trying for one of these for your first shot out of the gate).

These are the WorldMark Guidelines, if you have not already seen them, to give you an idea what you have ahead of you.  It took me more than a dozen readings over the course of a month for them to really sink in, but I am a bit slow.  WorldMark is a lot of fun, because it is so flexible.

https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/board/info/pdfs/WM_Club_Guidelines.pdf


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## DaveNV (Oct 19, 2017)

Your collective comments are well considered.  We'll see how it all plays out.  Even if I have to start from scratch, I figure I'm good to go. The auction did say maintenance fees won't start till things are transferred.  

I've always believed the best knowledge comes by owning something.  My first Weeks purchase (in 2005 or so), sight unseen, was a *terrible* studio in Hawaii, that proved to be a completely awful place to stay.  But in RCI pre-TPU, I exchanged it for the Manhattan Club in NYC.  That was a total score. 

Dave


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## taterhed (Oct 19, 2017)

AS mentioned, you don't need any points in the account to book WM.  Just money.  So, you'll be able to book from day one.

Three things you should really study up on:

Waitlist: understand how to use it, how many you can have and what you expect to see (nothing) while it's running.  It's your best tool, and the hardest to monitor IMHO.
Linked reservations:  for both multi-resorts and independently booked days (from waitlist usually), know how to combine/link/plan for reservations to maximize booking, minimize HKT charges and know which day you can book (and cancel)
Cancellation guidelines:  The most generous cancellation policies on the planet (IMO).  But, useless unless you understand them.
Some light reading after you've mastered the above?  Bonus time, Exotic Bonus and inventory specials.  Especially (pardon the pun) the "madness" specials that periodically run.

Enjoy


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## DaveNV (Oct 19, 2017)

Ok, I received some details on the purchase.  The document I'm being asked to sign and return for submission to WM has a letter from WorldMark attached.  I'm taking it to be an estoppel, of sorts. It is undated, but sounds like it would have been written prior to August of this year.  It says the following:

_"The vacation ownership consists of 12,000 annual WorldMark credits. There currently are 24,000 credits available with the next award occurring the first day of the anniversary month, which is August. Additionally, there currently are 12,000 credits available for use in 2018 and 12,000 credits available for use in 2019.

There is no loan balance on the account.

The quarterly dues payment amount is $234.85. Currently the dues amount that is due is $0.00, which includes a special assessment amount of $0.00, and the next due date is 12/01/17. Please note that the special assessment amount of $0.00 is applicable for the following years:  N/A."_

For those of you who understand this better than me, what does this mean?

Am I correctly understanding that while there are 24K points already in the account, (2015 and 2016?), the August 2017 anniversary deposit of 12K more going in forces the expiration of the oldest 12K points, (2015?), leaving only 24K in the account (2016 and 2017?) after August 2017? Or does it mean there will then be 36K available to use?  Don't they expire after two years?

Then, since they say there are 12K available for each of 2018 and 2019, does that mean nothing has been borrowed? And since they don't mention HKT at all, but all the credits going forward are available, am I to presume that means the HKT are all there?

And calculating this all out, it seems like I did better than I expected. Do you folks see something I don't?

Dave, learning fast.


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## taterhed (Oct 19, 2017)

SO......credits could be moved from the account almost instantly.  Your contract would need to specify the accumulated points (2016,2017) and available to borrow (2018) plus the number HKT's accumulated and available to borrow.  Fully loaded would be 24K accumulated and 12 available to borrow with 2 HKT's accumulated and 1 HKT available to borrow.

You would need to verify the account information immediately before payment and receipt of the documents and instruct WM that a transfer (sale) is in progress (fax copies) and that the account should be frozen to prevent transfer of the credits out of the account.

You and the current owner/agent can call WM and talk to the representative to confirm the information.....



Hows that?


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## DaveNV (Oct 19, 2017)

Finally got the official word on the points: I'll receive everything from 2017 and onwards. Previous owner is keeping 2016 and prior. Since the paperwork likely won't close till after the first of the year, and the anniversary date isn't till next August, I'm fine with that. Nothing has been borrowed. 

Dave


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