# Diamond points



## ukellie (Aug 3, 2010)

just wanted to ask if any tug members had joined the diamond points programme

we are marriott owners and reacently traded into a diamond resort We agreed to the sales pitch about joing there points system, on the face of it we thought it may work for us as we live in the uk Marriott resorts are limited so we would get more choice.

It came down to cost if it was comparrable with II we would sign up the exchange cost looked good then came the joining fee oh why oh why do they have to write it down £4995 = $7500 we could of fell off our chairs  needless to say we left!!!   

can anyone advise if the points system is any good and if any one has managed to get a cheaper joining fee

regards uk ellie


----------



## dougp26364 (Aug 3, 2010)

ukellie said:


> just wanted to ask if any tug members had joined the diamond points programme
> 
> we are marriott owners and reacently traded into a diamond resort We agreed to the sales pitch about joing there points system, on the face of it we thought it may work for us as we live in the uk Marriott resorts are limited so we would get more choice.
> 
> ...



I'm assumng you're talking about DRI or Diamond Resorts International. If this is the case, then $7,500 isn't likely to buy you enough points to go anywhere. IMHO, one should have at least 10,000 points, depending upon where they want to go, time of year they want to travel and size of accomadations that fit their needs. 

As far as DRI and their system goes, we're owners of 26,500 points and, at this moment in time are very satisfied with their internal exchange system. For one annual membership price (we own Club points but not Trust points) we can make all the exchanges we want vs paying $149/exchange with I.I. This year I have two exchanges made and will likely make at least two more. That more than covers the I.I. exchange fee's, which would have been $596 (membership fee is $235). 

What they may have been selling you on was buying into THE Club with minimal points and then using Club Select to convert your Marriott ownership into THE Club points. This is something I've never looked seriously at doing because I like and use our non-DRI managed properties. I didn't see the value in it for us at the time.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Aug 3, 2010)

*We Wouldn't Touch It With A 3.3-Metre (10-Foot) Pole.*

Nice resorts, generally speaking.  Good proprietary points-based exchange system from all I can gather.  

The trouble is, club membership is available only from the timeshare company for big bux (i.e., prodigious pounds, extraordinary Euros, etc.), whereas we are resale all the way. 

Not only that, when we're done with it & quit, membership simply vanishes because it cannot be transferred or sold. 

Thus Diamond's timeshare points club is a complete non-starter for us, despite its apparent advantages to those willing to pay for them. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## csalter2 (Aug 3, 2010)

Hello uk ellie,

I am a DRI and Marriott Ko Olina owner. I am a member of DRI's Club and have 30,000 points. I have enjoyed my membership and have had very few problems. 

It has many similarities to the point system that Marriott is now trying to implement so there is lots of flexibility. I used to think that one could be very limited in the DRI system with less than 10,000 points. However, yesterday I looked again at the points needed for reservations. I noticed that in Europe there are several DRI resorts and affiliates that have one bedrooms for 5000 or less points. There are a great number of opportunities for a person who owns outside. The Ko Olina 2 bdrm can provide an additional 12000 DRI points if placed in DRI's Club Select Program as a studio and 1 bdrm.  There are lots of places in the UK and Spain/Canary Islands to go with that many points not to mention results in Italy and France. Thus, a UK owner could find quite a bit of value for a number of stays.


----------



## pgnewarkboy (Aug 4, 2010)

You can deposit your Marriott weeks into Diamond for Diamond points as well.  A friend of mine does that.  I am no expert on Marriott buy my friend who owns many marriott timeshares is investigating transferring to Marriott points. He says, however,  that you cannot use Marriott points as II points.  IMO, if he is correct, that is a big problem for many people.  It is not a problem for my friend because he still gets DRI points which can be used in II.

If you are interested in using II which gives you a wider selection then Marriott alone, you should seriously consider joining DRI points in "The Club".  It seems to provide the ultimate flexibility for Marriott owners.


----------



## ukellie (Aug 4, 2010)

*DRI points*



ukellie said:


> just wanted to ask if any tug members had joined the diamond points programme
> 
> we are marriott owners and reacently traded into a diamond resort We agreed to the sales pitch about joing there points system, on the face of it we thought it may work for us as we live in the uk Marriott resorts are limited so we would get more choice.
> 
> ...



Thanks guys for your response in principal we also thought it may be worth our while for the european rests the £4995 $7500 was a joining fee that entitled us to put our marriott resort(s) into the system in exchange we would get points 

My querrie was the joing fee it seems alot of money to join an exchange company any thoughts would be appreciated ie is there a cheaper option

regards ukellie


----------



## dougp26364 (Aug 4, 2010)

$7,500 usually includes a minimal number of trust points. This sounds like a 1,000 point trust. You have to own something with DRI to be a members. You can't just join and put timeshares from other management companies into the program. So you're actually buying developer inventory for the minimum amount and having the fee to join included in the package.

In short, they're selling you points and throwing in THE Club membership as part of the package. This is the standard way of doing business for most timeshare companies.

You could venture to buy something on the resale market and HOPE that DRI will allow you to join THE Club for a fee. That fee use to be $2,995. I'm not sure if this is still an option as DRI really wants to push sales rather than sell joiner fee's.


----------



## midwest6 (Aug 9, 2010)

could she be talking about the diamond select program?


----------



## dougp26364 (Aug 9, 2010)

midwest6 said:


> could she be talking about the diamond select program?



Probably, but you still need to be an owner with DRI to take advantage of the Diamond Select program.


----------



## fnewman (Aug 30, 2010)

Were they offerring to take your Marriott week and give you points in exchange?  If so that, along with whatever else they were including, could be an OK deal.   For sure, they are probably never going to let you into the Club without buying some points and paying a fee.  The only way to minimize the impact of that cost is to negotiate the right to bring in some additional property without paying an additional fee.  It has been done.
Also, as mentioned above, while 10,000 points may not get you a week at Polo towers, it will book a lot of other locations in the DRI system and as many as two 1BR weeks in some European locations.  As Platinum members we have obviously found value in the system; it is not without flaws - none are - but we have learned to use the system so that it serves our needs pretty well.


----------

