# New HGVC owner- help me maximize my points



## Uscjusto (Nov 27, 2013)

My wife and I bought at Elara in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2013.  As life would have it, our first child was born recently, and we have no immediate plans for travel.

Here is a summary of what we have:
2,200 club points annually
10,000 bonus points that expire 2/2015
260,000 HHonors points from previous business trips

We have not used any club points or bonus points yet, and *I'm most concerned about the 2,200 club points that expire end of 2013*.  I have not rescued/deposited any points either.

Anyone out there have any good advice on how to use the points?  My preferences are to travel somewhere close (we live in California) in 2014 with our baby, and then possibly take a bigger trip in 2015 to use the remainder of the bonus points.

Thanks for the advice.  I admittedly purchased the HGVC before getting onto these forums.  I would like to maximize what I purchased, even though our short term travel plans have been interrupted by our baby.


----------



## presley (Nov 27, 2013)

You can pay a fee to rescue your 2013 points to use in 2014.  You need to do that right away as they get very busy next month and if you don't get through by the end of the year, you will lose your points.  You could also pay a fee to turn them into Hhonors points and use at a hotel instead.

There are 3 HGVC properties in California.  They are all in Carlsbad.  The cost of staying on weekends is much higher than staying weekdays.  You could book weekday stays and get more nights.  Marbrisa has studio units which can be a bargain.  The other 2 properties do not.

The bonus points need to be used for travel before they expire.  If it gets near Feb. 2015 and you haven't already used all of them, call in and have them converted to HHonors points for free.  You cannot call by the expiration and use them for a stay after the expiration.  

I'm curious what you got for 2200 points/year.  I've never seen any weeks for that low at any resorts I've looked it.  What week is it and for which property?


----------



## HatTrick (Nov 27, 2013)

How bonus points can be used:

https://www.hgvclub.com/hgvclub/pdf/CRP-MKT-0090BonusPoint.pdf


----------



## Uscjusto (Nov 27, 2013)

presley said:


> I'm curious what you got for 2200 points/year.  I've never seen any weeks for that low at any resorts I've looked it.  What week is it and for which property?



Thanks for your advice.
We purchased at Elara in Las Vegas for $10,000.  We get 1 week there, during Platinum season (2,200 annual club points)


Does anyone have any advice on converting my points to use with RCI?
My 2,200 annual points is not going to get us the grand vacation that I initially thought!  Oooops.


----------



## dvc_john (Nov 27, 2013)

Elara - Platinum - studio = 2200 points.


----------



## slum808 (Nov 27, 2013)

I'm currious what the maintenance fees are for this platinum studio.


----------



## Talent312 (Nov 27, 2013)

To avoid paying the rescue fee, you could simply make an RCI reservation for next year.
The system will draw points from the current year without requiring a rescue.

You do not "convert" points to RCI. HGVC has it's own special point-chart for RCI bookings that have no direct relationship to RCI-points. You simply use the online RCI-portal from the HGVC members' website to visit RCI (or call the HGVC Center) and the requisite points are deducted from your account.

With 2,200 points, you may need to do a lot of banking & borrowing. 'Tis better to borrow from future years, as that process is both free and automatic. Again, the system simply takes the requisite points from future years as needed.
.


----------



## presley (Nov 27, 2013)

Uscjusto said:


> Does anyone have any advice on converting my points to use with RCI?
> My 2,200 annual points is not going to get us the grand vacation that I initially thought!  Oooops.



You could deposit your 2013 points into RCI and have up to 2 years to book an RCI vacation.  I don't know if you can get anything for 2200 points, but you will be able to use 2014 points with it to make up any shortages.

HGVC has a continual upsell.  They will always sell you something, whether you can take a vacation with it or not.  Anytime you stay at one of their resorts, they will offer to sell you more and tell you how you'll never be able to take good enough vacations with what you own.  

Should you decide to add more points at a later date, please never buy on the spot at a resort again.  Compare what you could buy on the resale market.  Your resale and retail points will all be in one account for you to mix and use together.


----------



## derb (Nov 29, 2013)

A major rule for me, *always live in Hiltons Pocket*.  By that I mean always be borrowing from next year.  Owner since 1998, I have never lost a point.


----------



## Uscjusto (Nov 29, 2013)

derb said:


> A major rule for me, *always live in Hiltons Pocket*.  By that I mean always be borrowing from next year.  Owner since 1998, I have never lost a point.



Tell that to my 3 month old son!
We could barely even go to family Thanksgiving dinner, and that was for 3 hours down the street!


----------



## itradehilton (Dec 1, 2013)

Uscjusto said:


> Tell that to my 3 month old son!
> We could barely even go to family Thanksgiving dinner, and that was for 3 hours down the street!



Having a 3 year old is a great reason for getting at least a 1 bdr timeshare unit. At nap time you just put them down for a nap and go into the other room to relax. It also makes meal time in the room a bonus. After a while kids learn how to handle being away from home and adjust to the changes a vacation brings.


----------



## Uscjusto (Dec 2, 2013)

I agree but a 3 month old is quite different than a 3 year old!


----------



## Talent312 (Dec 2, 2013)

Uscjusto said:


> Tell that to my 3 month old son!
> We could barely even go to family Thanksgiving dinner, and that was for 3 hours down the street!



Use your points to book stays in 2015 (the 2nd calendar year).
Then, your 3 mo. old will be 2+ yrs. old, and may let you out of the house.

How to avoid the "Terrible Two's"-- Throw a 3rd year b-day party early.
-- _Source: "Dinosaurs" (ABC, 1991-1994)_


----------



## channimal (Dec 3, 2013)

with 2200 pts you'll be limited in options/trades.  I'd also suggest depositing in RCI and then investigate possibly adding to your pool with a resale purchase of 4800 pts.  With 7,000 points total you'll have plenty of choices/options.


----------



## Uscjusto (Dec 3, 2013)

channimal said:


> with 2200 pts you'll be limited in options/trades.  I'd also suggest depositing in RCI and then investigate possibly adding to your pool with a resale purchase of 4800 pts.  With 7,000 points total you'll have plenty of choices/options.



I currently pay $778 a year in fees and dues. If I purchase 4800 more points resale at the same club I own (Elara in Vegas) then will I pay more in fees and dues with 7,000 points total?


----------



## HatTrick (Dec 3, 2013)

Uscjusto said:


> My 2,200 annual points is not going to get us the grand vacation that I initially thought!



Depends on what you mean by grand. You may not be able to get anything but a studio unit, but that studio can be in a grand place like Oahu or Florida or right where you purchased, Las Vegas--any HGVC resort that has studio units for 2,200 points (platinum season) or 1,600 points (gold). And putting your annual points allotment toward an RCI reservation, studios are 1,200 points (blue season) or 1,700 points (white), 1-bedroom units are 1,700 (blue).

Borrowing points, of course, would allow you to get a larger unit every couple of years or so.


----------



## presley (Dec 3, 2013)

Uscjusto said:


> I currently pay $778 a year in fees and dues. If I purchase 4800 more points resale at the same club I own (Elara in Vegas) then will I pay more in fees and dues with 7,000 points total?



Yes.  You would be paying on 2 contracts.  You only pay need to pay the HGVC fee once per year, but you would pay MFs on all contracts.  

$778.00 sounds very high for such a small amount of points.  Did you finance your purchase?  If you are saying $778. for dues plus financing, it makes more sense.  If not, the MFs must be really high for all Elara contracts.

Here is a link to the MFs for 7,000 annual points at Hilton Flamingo.  http://judikoz.com/Search.aspx

Maintanence:  810.35
Property tax:  32.89


----------



## Uscjusto (Dec 3, 2013)

No we paid in cash. 

2014 operating fee $538
Reserve fee 45
Real estate taxes 10
Club dues 136
Voluntary ARDA fee 5


----------



## Yamabachi (Dec 3, 2013)

To elaborate on the above, adding another contract to increase your point total to 7000 will likely be more expensive in maintenance fees (in the long run) than if you sold the 2200 point package that you have and re-bought one 7000 Platinum point package at a location where the MFs are low (Vegas is known for some of the lowest MFs in the system).  

MFs are based on the size of the unit and not season, so the CV is to go for a platinum week.  Many consider the 7000 point platinum package to be one of the better ways to optimize your MF efficiency, and these packages also tend to hold its value a little better than others.  

Of course, the above only takes into consideration the MF issue, so I am not necessarily advocating this course of action.


----------



## Uscjusto (Dec 3, 2013)

Yamabachi said:


> To elaborate on the above, adding another contract to increase your point total to 7000 will likely be more expensive in maintenance fees (in the long run) than if you sold the 2200 point package that you have and re-bought one 7000 Platinum point package at a location where the MFs are low (Vegas is known for some of the lowest MFs in the system).
> 
> MFs are based on the size of the unit and not season, so the CV is to go for a platinum week.  Many consider the 7000 point platinum package to be one of the better ways to optimize your MF efficiency, and these packages also tend to hold its value a little better than others.
> 
> Of course, the above only takes into consideration the MF issue, so I am not necessarily advocating this course of action.




My current ownership is Elara in Las Vegas and apparently the MF's are high for my annual 2,200 club points. 1 week studio platinum season. 

Hmmmmmm decisions decisions. Anyone else get a headache thinking about all these details?


----------



## presley (Dec 3, 2013)

Uscjusto said:


> My current ownership is Elara in Las Vegas and apparently the MF's are high for my annual 2,200 club points. 1 week studio platinum season.
> 
> Hmmmmmm decisions decisions. Anyone else get a headache thinking about all these details?



I get a headache about it all the time.  

Use what you have.  If it works, don't fix it.  If you need more, consider buying a resale contract at a different Las Vegas Hilton (too keep purchase price down and annual fees down).  

Or, if you ever go to another sales presentation at a Hilton, they may offer to buy back the contract towards a purchase of a larger contract.  In that case, maybe you'd be buying a $20K contract for $10K after turning in what you already bought and then you'd have just the one MF every year.  That can work is some cases, but you need to project how long it will take you to break even doing it that way vs. just buying another contract on resale somewhere else.

For now, you don't need to worry about all of that.  You have a baby who would prefer not to travel.  You can bank and borrow what you already have for future vacations.  When you feel like you are always out of points, you can look at the options.  Right now, you are on the verge of not using what you have.  So, no reason to think about buying more.


----------



## Yamabachi (Dec 3, 2013)

presley said:


> For now, you don't need to worry about all of that.  You have a baby who would prefer not to travel.  You can bank and borrow what you already have for future vacations.  When you feel like you are always out of points, you can look at the options.  Right now, you are on the verge of not using what you have.  So, no reason to think about buying more.



This....


----------



## Uscjusto (Dec 3, 2013)

Thanks for putting it all in perspective and reminding me what my priorities are.


----------



## GTLINZ (Dec 5, 2013)

Uscjusto said:


> My wife and I bought at Elara in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2013.  As life would have it, our first child was born recently, and we have no immediate plans for travel.
> 
> Here is a summary of what we have:
> 2,200 club points annually
> ...




First, congratulations on the new bundle of joy!

Second, I agree with another poster. Figure out how to use what you have before you buy more - give the system a whirl. You can borrow points with no cost so don't be limited by the 2200 points.  You also have a lot of bonus points to burn so over the next 16 months so I would think you need to go thru them before you think about more unless you have plans now for something really big. You paid for all of these points and you should prioritize using them all.

Third - you said you were most worried about your 2013 club points. I think it would be good to rescue them.

This may not be what you want to do, but here is a suggested plan of action.
1) rescue your 2200 points for 2013. They will have limitations in 2014, but you will still have them.
2) Pay the fee to push your 2014 points into 2015 before the end of THIS year. It has a fee ($69?), but unless you need those points to use for 2013 reservations, you will save any limitations on those points and have the ability to borrow from 2015 for 2014 reservations. I always push next year's points points around this time of year and I never lose any points or have any limitations on them.  These are probably the LAST points you want to use - you are just tucking them away while you work on spending the bonus and rescued points.
3) My club guide says that bonus points can be used for RCI reservations. So you can put those into RCI and travel up to 2 years after you deposit them (which could be 3+ years, I think). It also says that rescued points can be used for RCI.  You can also use them for club reservations - but RCI does buy you more time. 
4) Find somewhere you really want to go (or multiple places) in 2014 - start spending some points! Planning is part of the fun. The last half of the year may be preferable, when your baby starts walking and might enjoy a pool or the ocean and will be somewhat interactive and learning. Not sure how far you want to travel, but he Carlsbad club resorts are nice and you also have RCI and a lot of places in Cali alone. 

FYI - you can push the 2200 points for 2015 into 2016 anytime in 2014. You cannot push the 2014 points, pushed into 2015, subsequently into 2016.  I hope this strategy makes sense. 

Good luck with whatever you decide. It sure seems like you have plenty of points and options over the next 2-3 years.


----------

