# Wyndham Advice



## Kidpolska (Aug 12, 2013)

Wife and I just attended a TS presentation in Myrtle Beach; lucky for us we found out about TUG BBS beforehand, so of course, there was no chance we were signing anything. Our salesman was so disappointed, I think we were "the Big Fish" in our session, with numerous managers coming in to sweeten the pot every time we said no. Since then, I have been looking around the TUG site trying to find advice about E-Bay...are there certain "warning signs" or "red flags" I should be looking for when looking at the listings?  Maybe there is an advice page and I'm just missing it....

During our presentation, the salesperson kept referring to a program called "Last Call", which would basically net you a vacation for around $250.  I've learned from the BBS that this is done through RCI, but honestly, it just sounds too good to be true.  Is this a legit program?

The one good thing that came out of our experience is that we have decided time sharing is for us; we are just trying to find the safest (and most economical) way to get into it.  Any and all advice would be appreciated!

Bill


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## GeraldineT (Aug 12, 2013)

Kidpolska said:


> Wife and I just attended a TS presentation in Myrtle Beach; lucky for us we found out about TUG BBS beforehand, so of course, there was no chance we were signing anything. Our salesman was so disappointed, I think we were "the Big Fish" in our session, with numerous managers coming in to sweeten the pot every time we said no. Since then, I have been looking around the TUG site trying to find advice about E-Bay...are there certain "warning signs" or "red flags" I should be looking for when looking at the listings?  Maybe there is an advice page and I'm just missing it....
> 
> During our presentation, the salesperson kept referring to a program called "Last Call", which would basically net you a vacation for around $250.  I've learned from the BBS that this is done through RCI, but honestly, it just sounds too good to be true.  Is this a legit program?
> 
> ...



Last Call is legitimate but they are last minute so unless you can book that way that may not work for you.   There have been times where it worked for us but more often than not it hasn't but that may just be us.


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## timeos2 (Aug 12, 2013)

Kidpolska said:


> Wife and I just attended a TS presentation in Myrtle Beach; lucky for us we found out about TUG BBS beforehand, so of course, there was no chance we were signing anything.



GREAT!  Enjoy your gift on them. 



Kidpolska said:


> During our presentation, the salesperson kept referring to a program called "Last Call", which would basically net you a vacation for around $250.  I've learned from the BBS that this is done through RCI, but honestly, it just sounds too good to be true.  Is this a legit program?
> 
> The one good thing that came out of our experience is that we have decided time sharing is for us; we are just trying to find the safest (and most economical) way to get into it.  Any and all advice would be appreciated!
> 
> Bill



Oh it does exist and can be great way to get some really nice resorts if you can use them ever-so-little off peak times. You'll find more available in REALLY off season but even those can be a deal if you use it right. We'll go to a summer area in the fall or spring and enjoy a fireplace equipped unit, indoor pool, etc and usually luck into at least a few days of beautiful weather.  We beat the crowds, stay in a gorgeous place for <$43 / night with tax and just relax.  We've also had some luck with special sales or just lucking into a $249 deal in a Holiday period. We got two weeks in Las Vegas last spring break for $199 and $249 in 2 bedroom units!  

Just getting the RCI membership - free with your ownership of a Wyndham points resale - you get access to all that RCI has in trades & rentals plus whatever Wyndham points you get for $.01 on the retail dollar. You just saw it, those Wyndham resorts and location are great and a great value when you get them resale. 

Look around - just last week a Wyndham Alexandria 1 BR was given away for free to a lucky TUG member! They paid the closing & transfer fee and got hundreds of thousands of Wyndham points. Less than $1000. And that wasn't a rare deal at all. Enjoy the hunt & welcome to timeshares.


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## 55plus (Aug 12, 2013)

We bought millions of Wyndham points on eBay without any problems. Just make sure you read the entire auction page. A few day ago someone sold a million points. The points don't start until 2016, but the maintenance fees of $7000 a year begin when closing is complete. I believe the few that bid didn't read the fine print.

We find Wyndham Vacation Resorts timeshare points work for us as far as flexibility, resort locations and quality.


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## massvacationer (Aug 12, 2013)

Club Wyndham Points are a great product.  Spend two or thee months (or more) reading and learning before buying anything.   

Read the stickies here, read many of the BBS postings here, the 2013-14 directory, check-out forums.atozed.com, etc.

There's a lot to learn .And you'll make a better purchase the more you know.

You'll need to understand:
ARP
home resort
Maint fee per point
Credit Pooling
Borrowing Points
Points charts for resorts that you will visit
RT's
Housekeeping
RCI
etc
etc


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## kwindham (Aug 12, 2013)

Kidpolska said:


> Wife and I just attended a TS presentation in Myrtle Beach; lucky for us we found out about TUG BBS beforehand, so of course, there was no chance we were signing anything. Our salesman was so disappointed, I think we were "the Big Fish" in our session, with numerous managers coming in to sweeten the pot every time we said no. Since then, I have been looking around the TUG site trying to find advice about E-Bay...are there certain "warning signs" or "red flags" I should be looking for when looking at the listings?  Maybe there is an advice page and I'm just missing it....
> 
> During our presentation, the salesperson kept referring to a program called "Last Call", which would basically net you a vacation for around $250.  I've learned from the BBS that this is done through RCI, but honestly, it just sounds too good to be true.  Is this a legit program?
> 
> ...



I love RCI last call.  Use it fairly frequently.  But I can get away at the last minute (usually).  You can get some really nice resorts sometimes.  So yea, its a legit program.


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## paxsarah (Aug 13, 2013)

This is the first year in three years of Wyndham ownership that I've used the cash vacations from RCI. We stayed near Disney in May for around $300 on a Last Call, and during a sale we also reserved a week in Williamsburg for this coming October for around $225. In both situations it was cheaper than the MF cost of our points would be to stay in a Wyndham resort at the same time.

Everyone else has posted good advice about what to know before you buy on eBay. My points all came from eBay and we've been generally happy with our purchases - there were small glitches but the sellers were very willing to make things work. If you see an auction you're interested in, you can frequently search the seller's handle here on TUG to find discussions of people's experiences with them.

Edited to add that our May trip was in a non-Wyndham resort, and our October stay will be at a Wyndham.


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## ronparise (Aug 13, 2013)

I think if I had it to do all over again I would buy the smallest Wyndham points contract available for the included RCI account and use Last call exclusively. Im able to pick up and go at the last minute and Im not picky as to room size or resort, and if one week doesnt work, next week is just as good.  A small one bedroom at Vacation Village at Parkway satisfies my needs as well as as a 2 bedroom at Bonnet Creek or even a Marriott.  And if I cant get a Last Call,  RCI has rentals they call Extra Vacations, 

But I didnt do that, I bought Wyndham Points and bought most of them on ebay.  My advice is to know the product before you buy. That way you will understand whats being said in the ads and pick up on their mistakes. Also know the sellers, if not by experience,  by reputation.  The good ones will answer your questions and help you through the process.


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## snickers104 (Aug 13, 2013)

So.....if I buy an extremely small contract I get RCI membership which allows Last Call cash vacations???  Is this really worth it,,,,better than just renting?


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## GeraldineT (Aug 13, 2013)

snickers104 said:


> So.....if I buy an extremely small contract I get RCI membership which allows Last Call cash vacations???  Is this really worth it,,,,better than just renting?



Thats a matter of preference (IMO).   We are a family of 5 so unit size is important to us.   We dont want the studios need the full kitchen and washer/dryer and have to watch the max occupancy as some resorts are stricter than others.   Also due to hubby work last minute isn't always doable for us.   

If that works for you then you can definitely save buying a small contract and either using it or renting it and then doing the last call vacations.


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## Kidpolska (Aug 13, 2013)

When they say the RCI deals are "last-minute", what kind of window are they typically referring to (7 day, 30 day, etc)?  Thanks!


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## markb53 (Aug 13, 2013)

Kidpolska said:


> When they say the RCI deals are "last-minute", what kind of window are they typically referring to (7 day, 30 day, etc)?  Thanks!



Up to 45 days. But many don't show anything beyond 30 days


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## markb53 (Aug 13, 2013)

Here is an example for you.
This is for Wyndham Cypress Palms looking today (8/13/13) There are 1BR for $269 and 2BR for $294 Starting Aug 18th and running through Sept 27th


1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Sun 18-Aug-2013 - Sun 25-Aug-2013	USD 269.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Sun 25-Aug-2013 - Sun 01-Sep-2013	USD 269.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Sat 31-Aug-2013	 - Sat 07-Sep-2013	USD 269.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Fri 06-Sep-2013 - Fri 13-Sep-2013	USD 269.00 
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Sat 07-Sep-2013	- Sat 14-Sep-2013	USD 269.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Fri 13-Sep-2013	- Fri 20-Sep-2013	USD 269.00
2 Bedrooms 8 (6)	 Full	 Fri 13-Sep-2013	- Fri 20-Sep-2013	USD 294.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Sat 14-Sep-2013	- Sat 21-Sep-2013	USD 269.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Fri 20-Sep-2013	- Fri 27-Sep-2013	USD 269.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Sat 21-Sep-2013	- Sat 28-Sep-2013	USD 269.00
1 Bedroom	 4 (4)	 Full	 Fri 27-Sep-2013	- Fri 04-Oct-2013	USD 269.00
2 Bedrooms 8 (6)	 Full	 Fri 27-Sep-2013	- Fri 04-Oct-2013	USD 294.00


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## ronparise (Aug 13, 2013)

snickers104 said:


> So.....if I buy an extremely small contract I get RCI membership which allows Last Call cash vacations???  Is this really worth it,,,,better than just renting?



I cant rent a week anywhere, for $300 and make a profit, even with Wyndhams platinum discount.

If you think you will do more than one or two Last Calls in a year, I think its the best deal in timeshares today. 

Buy a 28k Wyndham contract and your mf will be under $300 for the year. and with it you get a RCI membership and all the $300 last calls you can handle 

The 28000 points arent much but you can get, for example 3 weeknights at Bonnet Creek or a whole week at Fairfield Glade in a studio, in the off season 

enjoy


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## snickers104 (Aug 13, 2013)

WOW...thanks for the advice and the examples....wish I could look at some of the RCI deals without an account.


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## markb53 (Aug 13, 2013)

snickers104 said:


> WOW...thanks for the advice and the examples....wish I could look at some of the RCI deals without an account.



If you let me know where you are interested in going. I could look and see what is available.

Florida will be a long list for last call. Most of the rest of the county will be much smaller.


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## Kidpolska (Aug 13, 2013)

This Last Call keeps sounding better and better!

My thinking at this point is to buy around 200-250k Wyndham points per year and to pool them for one "super" trip (e.g. Hawaii) every two years.  Then use the RCI Last Call to take one or two "smaller" trips during the year.  Luckily, our schools are on a 160 day schedule, which buys us some extra weeks that other schools are in session.  We aren't very picky; usually just somewhere in Fla on a beach works for us (although I absolutely LOVE the Indian Rocks area).  Is this sound thinking on my part?


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## snickers104 (Aug 13, 2013)

Would love to see Branson for Sept.


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## GeraldineT (Aug 13, 2013)

So timely.   Just got a call from RCI about some last minute deals.   They must be hurting.


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## GeraldineT (Aug 13, 2013)

snickers104 said:


> Would love to see Branson for Sept.



If you owned Wyndham and booked now for Branson this would be the "prices" (based on BC maintenance of .52/1000)

Checking in September 7
Meadows
1BR B side - $284
1BR A side - $354

The Falls
Studio - $241
1BR Deluxe - $325

Mountain Vista
Studio - $260

Cant get into RCI but they wouldnt offer much of a savings because its a low season.


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## snickers104 (Aug 13, 2013)

Thanks for the info


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## jpsmit (Aug 13, 2013)

snickers104 said:


> So.....if I buy an extremely small contract I get RCI membership which allows Last Call cash vacations???  Is this really worth it,,,,better than just renting?



And, can someone please confirm, do all Wyndham contracts include RCI?

and, last call is RCI correct? Is there an internal (ie. only Wyndham) version of last call? and does it work? (ie are there things available?)


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## paxsarah (Aug 13, 2013)

Wyndham internally also has discounted points (not cash rentals) at selected resorts within about an 8 week window, called simply Resort Specials. We have stayed at Ocean Blvd in Myrtle Beach for ridiculously low points during our Spring Break (mid-March), and at Bonnet Creek in January I was able to rebook a reservation with discounted points and save, even with having to pay $30 for a reservation transaction. However, we couldn't rebook BC during Spring Break or MB in June, so the discounts are typically limited to non-prime-time, and range from 10-40%.

I also wanted to give another plug for RCI's non-last-minute rentals, Extra Vacations. If you plan to visit someplace timeshare-saturated and wait for a sale, there are also good deals to be had further out. We were going to stay 3-4 nights in Williamsburg in late October, but for $200 during a sale it was cheaper to just book a week, even if we leave early.

And all Wyndham contracts do include RCI - it's part of the program fee that all accounts pay. Previously, some resorts were affiliated with II instead, but reports are that all new owners are being set up in RCI regardless of their home resort.


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## markb53 (Aug 13, 2013)

*****Deleted*****


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## GeraldineT (Aug 13, 2013)

markb53 said:


> The prices you quoted assumes VIP Gold status. The OP is considering buying resale so is therefore unlikely to attain any VIP status. My figures are:
> 
> Wyndham Meadows:
> 1BR (A side) 105,000 points at the CWA price of 5.45/1000 comes to $572.25 (I am using CWA because it is a good average)
> ...



I bought resale and those prices are based off what wyndham website is currently showing.


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## markb53 (Aug 13, 2013)

GeraldineT said:


> If you owned Wyndham and booked now for Branson this would be the "prices" (based on BC maintenance of .52/1000)
> 
> Checking in September 7
> Meadows
> ...



RCI Last Call is usually $244 for a Studio $269 for a 1BR $294 for a 2 BR. So a little cheeper than Wyndham points with a 35% off resort special.

In Branson there are 10 resorts with Last Call availability. Including a number of gold and silver crown resorts.


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## markb53 (Aug 13, 2013)

GeraldineT said:


> I bought resale and those prices are based off what wyndham website is currently showing.



I caught that to after I posted. I deleted that one and added a corrected one.


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## GeraldineT (Aug 13, 2013)

markb53 said:


> RCI Last Call is usually $244 for a Studio $269 for a 1BR $294 for a 2 BR. So a little cheeper than Wyndham points with a 35% off resort special.
> 
> In Branson there are 10 resorts with Last Call availability. Including a number of gold and silver crown resorts.



They are defiantly a good deal but if you are only traveling a few times a year or dont want the "indebtedness" of a timeshare purchase the savings often is not "all that" versus renting.


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