# II points   How many members own points---good idea?



## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 11, 2016)

I looked back through some threads/posts, but can't decide, based on what I have read.  It doesn't seem like many II owners have converted to points.

I have a chance to convert a fixed week to Points.  It would cost me about $500 (one-time fee).  I supposedly would get a maximum of about 90,000 points (if I did a deposit at least 4 months out)---OR maintain the option to still trade my week as a fixed week.

How many of you have done this.  Is the term Club Interval Gold always used for this?

I guess the important question is:  How valuable are 90,000 points in II ???

Pat


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## DeniseM (Apr 11, 2016)

Most resorts are not affiliated with II points, so it's not an option for most owners.  

My questions would be:

-It the exchange fee more or less?
-Do you have access to the same inventory as everyone else?
-Is the yearly membership fee more or less?
-Is there a clear and documented advantage to converting?


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 11, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> Most resorts are not affiliated with II points, so it's not an option for most owners.
> 
> My questions would be:
> 
> ...



Ok---so I definitely don't know much about this  

I don't believe I would have to pay any additional amounts (no additional exchange fee, nor yearly membership fee).

I thought I would simply go into II, and see that, as an example,  XYZ Resort in Hawaii is 15,000 points per night.  So, I could spend 90,000 points for 6 nights-----I'd be able to make that 'exchange'.

I also could buy off season weeks, worth about 35,000 points---if I bought one of those, I'd have 125,000 points that year.  I could then stay at XYZ for 8 nights.  I'd then have 5000 points left over-----which would be a challenge to use up, of course.

The advantage to converting (I was thinking) would be more flexibility to get into nicer resorts---albeit perhaps less than a 7-day stay

Denise-----I guess you are saying that there are FEW resorts that are participating like XYZ above??

Pat


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## tschwa2 (Apr 11, 2016)

I believe the II fee goes up some.  It is club interval gold so I think it is the equivalent of the regular membership and the gold combined or something close to that.  I also think you won't be eligible for any 2 for 1 type deals (which I rarely am offered anyway).

I think the problem you are going to find is that with the exception of specifically weeks deposited in as points through Club interval gold, the only other non full weeks are the types that are available as short stays, which is a very limited subset of weeks.  So without combing two years of points you wouldn't be able to get that week in Hawaii.

Points work well if you have a large non lock off unit and are regularly exchanging into smaller units or lower seasons.  Using points you don't have to worry about trading power, you either have enough points or you don't and your place in line is determined by the date you put in your search.  On the other hand you won't be able to uptrade to a larger unit or a better season than what you have been assigned even during flex change.  If you regularly trade up then points won't help.

$500 is one of the lower fees I've seen quoted but I don't know if you have enough points to make it worth even that.


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## youppi (Apr 11, 2016)

This is the exchange chart


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## dominidude (Apr 11, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> $500 is one of the lower fees I've seen quoted but I don't know if you have enough points to make it worth even that.



I second that. I talked to a salesperson who said (I know, they might have been lying, but this one seem honest, as I told him I would NOT be buying and  continued talking to me)  that the II points conversion fee is $3499, and that if II finds out that a resort takes less than that, that the resort could be kicked out of the points program.

Please share the details of how you got this, so that others may benefit.

At $500 for a points conversion fee, I would do the conversion, PROVIDED that as tschwa2 said, you feel the exchanges you get are a step down from what you own. 

As part of your points conversion, your II membership will be "upgraded" to the Gold membership until your current expiration date, which means II will give you a $59 value for free for however many years you have left in you II membership.

So, in anticipation of the points conversion, I would extend my II membership for as long as I felt comfortable (5 yrs, 10yrs, for example), making sure to verify beforehand that as part of your points conversion you will get your membership upgraded to gold for free until your current membership's expiration date.

After your points conversion,  you will need to pay the upgraded membership renewal rate for the gold membership (after the expiration date in your current membership , of course), which is $59 more expensive than the $89 II regular membership rate. If you refuse to renew your membership, you will lose your points conversion, and your week will revert to being a regular 1 week interval with no points.

Here is more information about club interval gold (CIG):
http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238991

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239064


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## dominidude (Apr 11, 2016)

youppi said:


> This is the exchange chart
> View attachment 2624



I've seen this chart many times. This is a generic chart which gives you a ROUGH idea of how many points you will need to perform an exchange. 
The actual number of points you will actually need to perform a specific exchange changes day to day, and the closer you get to check in the lower the number needed to perform an exchange, but also the lower the availability.

The chart is useful to give you the upper limit of points you will need for a specific exchange.

The number of points you get when you deposit your timeshare will be told to you when you perform the points conversion, and also depends on how close you are to check in, the closer you are to checkin the fewer the points you get credited to your account.

This is one of the things that makes II points conversion so lame in comparison to RCI. II cant tell you how many points you will need for a specific trade, which makes it difficult to know whether a points conversion makes sense for your specific situation. For example, you can get lucky and get a great trade at half the points, or get unlucky and get a mediocre trade at full point value. 

To makes matters worse, II reserves the right, and uses that right, to slow down how quickly to diminish the points needed for a trade as the check in date gets closer. So one year you might find that a specific timeshare is worth so many points 10 months out from check in, and the next year you might find that the same timeshare is worth significantly more points at 10 months from check in.

The other thing that makes II points conversions lame is that they cannot be transferred to a new timeshare owner.


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## dominidude (Apr 11, 2016)

#1 Cowboys Fan said:


> Ok---so I definitely don't know much about this
> 
> I don't believe I would have to pay any additional amounts (no additional exchange fee, nor yearly membership fee).
> 
> ...



My understanding is that members with II points DO NOT REALLY get greater flexibility to book "Short Stays".

The main reason is that the number of points II requires for short stays is significant. You could end up using a bunch of points on marginal resorts in the off season using short stays.

In my opinion, booking several weeks in the off season, as well as booking week long short-notice reservations,  are both decent reasons to do a points conversion.

Using II points is a good way to trade down in size, quality, or season. Trading up is not worth one red cent in point conversion fees, in my opinion.


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## youppi (Apr 12, 2016)

dominidude said:


> I've seen this chart many times. This is a generic chart which gives you a ROUGH idea of how many points you will need to perform an exchange.
> The actual number of points you will actually need to perform a specific exchange changes day to day, and the closer you get to check in the lower the number needed to perform an exchange, but also the lower the availability.
> 
> The chart is useful to give you the upper limit of points you will need for a specific exchange.
> ...



So, the II points system seems to follow the II trading power of the week system. So, not knowing how many points it will take in advance for an exchange, it is not worse than the II week system where you have no idea of your deposit trading power and the exchange trading power of the unit you would like to get.


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## dominidude (Apr 12, 2016)

youppi said:


> So, the II points system seems to follow the II trading power of the week system. So, not knowing how many points it will take in advance for an exchange, it is not worse than the II week system where you have no idea of your deposit trading power and the exchange trading power of the unit you would like to get.


Club interval gold (cig) is joined by paying a points conversion fee. Therefore you can always pay the fee and get no extra benefit, which I would consider to be worse off. 
Even if you do not have cig, you can use the grid to get a rough idea of the likelihood that your trade request will go through. The grid gives you a rough idea of the trading power of your unit and of the unit you are requesting. When trading up, you do not need to pay extra to join cig. Just put in your request OGS and hope for the best. It's only when trading down that cig seems beneficial to me, because you'd be left with extra points for another trade.


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## tschwa2 (Apr 12, 2016)

The other benefit would be able to combine two weeks (years) if need be.  If you own a studio and can never get the 2 br that you know is regularly available then you could occasionally combine two years worth to get it.


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 12, 2016)

dominidude said:


> In my opinion, booking several weeks in the off season, as well as booking week long short-notice reservations,  are both decent reasons to do a points conversion.
> 
> Using II points is a good way to trade down in size, quality, or season. Trading up is not worth one red cent in point conversion fees, in my opinion.



Someone else on this thread implied the same thing---but I still wonder.

If 90,000 points can get me 5 or 6 nights at a resort that I couldn't 'pull' if the week was only fixed----isn't that worthwhile, and adds flexibility?

Pat


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 12, 2016)

*More on II Points*



dominidude said:


> I second that. I talked to a salesperson who said (I know, they might have been lying, but this one seem honest, as I told him I would NOT be buying and  continued talking to me)  that the II points conversion fee is $3499, and that if II finds out that a resort takes less than that, that the resort could be kicked out of the points program.
> 
> Please share the details of how you got this, so that others may benefit.
> 
> ...



sorry---I didn't know how to 'splice' my comments in any better than I did above....


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 12, 2016)

youppi said:


> This is the exchange chart
> View attachment 2624



So, it looks like 90,000 is a 'decent' amount of points  (?)

Pat


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## tschwa2 (Apr 12, 2016)

I think there isn't more info because the points don't transfer on resale and most TUG members are reluctant to pay $3000 + for what seems like for the most part questionable benefits.  If all resorts offered the conversion for $500 or less, there would probably be a lot more takers and more info.

There are a fair number of RCI points owners here but very few are TUG members who paid to convert.  Many were bought on the resale market for less than the original owner paid for the conversion.


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## dominidude (Apr 12, 2016)

#1 Cowboys Fan said:


> If 90,000 points can get me 5 or 6 nights at a resort that I couldn't 'pull' if the week was only fixed----isn't that worthwhile, and adds flexibility?
> 
> 
> So, it looks like 90,000 is a 'decent' amount of points  (?)
> ...



As far as short stays (reservations for less than 7 days) you can currently see what you will pull in after a points conversion. Just go to intervalworld.com, click on "exchange"-> my units->then under the unit that you want convert to points you should see a "ShortStay Exchange" button.

What you see NOW when you click that "ShortStay Exchange" button  should be the same that you will see after the points conversion. As I explained before, ShortStays are usually not a good reason to do a points conversion (both because you can already get the shortstays without paying for the conversion and because the number of II points required to book shortstays is high).

You do not get more trading power by doing a points conversion in II. What you get is information about the trade power of your timeshare and the trade power needed to exchange into a timeshare you want, all expressed in II points.

What you do with that information is up to you. In other words, the value of II gold points is purely in knowing the trade value of your timeshare and what other timeshares "cost". People with no II points have to "shoot in the dark", trying to guess whether they will have enough trading power to complete an exchange. Most people get around this lack of information by doing a "request first" exchange. The corollary to this is, when trading up, you should be able to do the same exchanges with or without II points, and when trading down, you will be able to take advantage of the left over II points.

There is another difference between weeks and points membership. If a member with a regular week and another member with a points account make a request for the same timeshare, the requested timeshare will go to the member with the regular week only when the regular week member's timeshare has already been deposited and has more trade value than the minimum II points required to get the requested timeshare. In other words, in II, the trade value of the timeshare deposit gets priority. Otherwise, the member with II points will get the timeshare, as II points members get first-in-first-out priority. So, all in all, II points members will get their exchange requests fulfilled faster, but that is not necessarily a good thing, since all you may be getting are bad trade-downs to begin with.


So, as far as 90000 points being a "decent" amount, it depends! What do you want? and how many points MAXIMUM will you need to get what you want?

If you determine that you can get the maximum number of points you need relatively cheaply, then the conversion is worth it. Otherwise, it's not.

Was it  Vacationland Estates and Harbor Ridge or Lakeview Resort which offered the $500 cig conversion?


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## Bernie8245 (Apr 12, 2016)

*I am an II Points member*

I own a 3 bedroom unit at Grand Crowne resort in Branson that locks out into three 1 bedroom units, each having full kitchens and a washer and dryer. Before we switched to the points program, we  could get 3 weeks vacation a year in a 1 bedroom unit. When we switched to the points program, we received 221,000 points. We do a lot of our travelling in the off season and book within 59 days of check in date which uses half the points and we have stayed 5 weeks at Hilton Head, SC in Jan/Feb in 2 bedroom Marriott timeshares and still had points left over. This year we stayed 3 weeks in Hilton Head in January at Marriott Grande Ocean, Owners Club at Hilton Head and Marriott Surf Watch. Grande Ocean was a 2 bedroom and Owner's Club and Surf Watch were 3 bedrooms. It cost us 87,500 points because we booked within 59 days. I've been very happy with the II points program.  
    We also have used the short stay exchanges before. If you don't stay on a Friday or Saturday, you use a lot less points. In a lot of cases, you can stay 4 nights during the week and use less points than if you stayed Friday and Saturday nights.
    Hope this helps,
     Bernie


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## tschwa2 (Apr 12, 2016)

You aren't a II points member.  You own in a system that happens to use a points currency to exchange in II.  Worldmark, Hyatt, Marriott points, DRI, wyndham and a few others do as well. In many ways they are similar, using a grid based on size and season (tdi).  The funny thing is most don't consider the desirability of a specic resort or location in the equation or if they do it is part of the range.   The discount or timing of the discount if one is offered at all can also change.


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 13, 2016)

I wish I could see a complete list of resorts that I could use points to trade into.

I'm still confused as to: why couldn't I use 90,000 points to trade into a better resort, for 6 nights (as an example).

Someone mentioned II might be unhappy with the $500 offer----I'm confused by that too.

As a result, I'll wait for now.

Pat

(also, I'd prefer to not name any resort that I got this offer from)


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## tschwa2 (Apr 13, 2016)

Any resort that is available through II is available using points.  You just won't see the number or points for a particular week until you have a points account set up.

Most weeks aren't set up for partial weeks.  Only the ones II makes available as short stays.  You can click on the short stay tab (using a weeks account) and see how limited those are. Without points you can reserve two short stays of up to 6 days each.  With points you can book as many or as few nights as you have points.


I don't think II cares how much resorts charge.  I think they mainly leave it up to the resorts and tell them that they can charge whatever they like.  The resorts that charge a very high fee usually have a sales staff selling the conversions and the sales staff keeps 50% of the fee and the Hoa gets the rest minus II's fee that is likely in the $300-$500 range per week.


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## dominidude (Apr 14, 2016)

#1 Cowboys Fan said:


> I wish I could see a complete list of resorts that I could use points to trade into.


As was said before, II doesnt have a catalog listing the points needed for each resort, because the points needed for each exchange change day to day.

There is a catalog which lists the resorts where you can use points:

https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/pdf/iw/buyers-guide.pdf

However, that buyers guide will not tell you the number of points you will need for any specific exchange.




#1 Cowboys Fan said:


> I'm still confused as to: why couldn't I use 90,000 points to trade into a better resort, for 6 nights (as an example).



You do not get greater trading power by converting to II points. Therefore you would be able to trade up to a better resort using II points only in the same circumstances you can now. All you get with an II points conversion is the same trading power you have now, with an optional benefit that if you have points left over after a trade (a trade down exchange), you will be able to use those left over points for an additional trade. 



#1 Cowboys Fan said:


> Someone mentioned II might be unhappy with the $500 offer----I'm confused by that too.



That statement contradicts your earlier statement.



#1 Cowboys Fan said:


> I have a chance to convert a fixed week to Points. It would cost me about $500 (one-time fee).



So in effect, it seems that you do not have the chance to convert a fixed week to points, it seems that you were thinking of offering the resort $500 to convert to points, and hope the resort would take that offer. Sorry, that probably wont work, see explanation below to another comment.




tschwa2 said:


> I don't think II cares how much resorts charge.  I think they mainly leave it up to the resorts and tell them that they can charge whatever they like.



II DOES NOT seem to leave it up to the resort to charge whatever they like, a salesperson I talked to (who seemed honest to me because they continue to talk to me at length even after I told him that I would not be converting to points) showed me the form that is used to convert an ownership to points. The form comes from II, and it has pre-printed on it the amount of $3499 for the conversion to points. The salesperson told me that they can fudge the numbers a bit by combining the sale of a timeshare with the II points conversion, but that at the end of the day the resort would need to net at least $3499 from the combined transaction. The salesperson said that II is very strict about the conversion fee not being lowered, and that the resort could get booted off the points system if the resort agreed to a lower amount (and II found out). Specifically, the salesperson said that the conversion fee is like an MSRP, which the resort is NOT authorized to lower.


That being said, I'm sure one-size-does-not-fit-all and there may be resorts out there that may get a break from this II points conversion rule.



Finally, here are two more links to II points discussions on TUG.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228254
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204933


While it is true that not many TUGgers are II points member, I feel that there is enough information here on TUGbbs to make a relatively informed decision on whether to convert to II points.


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## tschwa2 (Apr 14, 2016)

I believe your salesperson might have believed what he was saying but that doesn't make it the truth.  II will provide written pamphlets with whatever the resort wants them to print on it on II letter head.  

If you said you spoke with the president of your independent resort that has decided to offer CIG and this is the info they were given, then I would believe that was the truth as it pertains to that resort.  A different resort may be given a different deal.

As it is a salesman is given very little info on internal workings of exchange companies.  They make up the rest in a scenario that makes sense to them when selling.  

By the way which resort did you get your info from?

This is a post from 2011  and gives one of the best summaries I have seen.


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## youppi (Apr 14, 2016)

dominidude said:


> Specifically, the salesperson said that the conversion fee is like an MSRP, which the resort is NOT authorized to lower.



It is not like MSRP if the resort is not authorized to lower. 

A manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) is the amount of money for which the company that produces a product recommends that it be sold in stores. *MSRP does not necessarily correspond to the price retailers actually use or to the price customers are willing to pay.*


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 14, 2016)

dominidude said:


> So in effect, it seems that you do not have the chance to convert a fixed week to points, it seems that you were thinking of offering the resort $500 to convert to points, and hope the resort would take that offer. Sorry, that probably wont work, see explanation below to another comment.



Oh, I definitely DO "....have the chance....."

I wouldn't be "...offering the resort $500"-------it's a set fee ($495).

That's what I'd pay.

I'm just not sure I'm going take advantage of this 'offer'.

Pat


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 14, 2016)

dominidude said:


> There is a catalog which lists the resorts where you can use points:
> 
> https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/pdf/iw/buyers-guide.pdf



Thank you for that link.


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## dominidude (Apr 14, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> By the way which resort did you get your info from?



John Watson at Ocean Landings, Cocoa Beach, FL.


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## cawilson99 (Apr 16, 2016)

*II Club Interval GOLD Disadvantages*

I "upgraded to the Points System and II Gold membership in Hawaii (through a Great Destinations sales dept at my Waikiki resort).  It cost me a 'discounted' price of under $4000. I expected to have both the Weeks option AND the Points option in my current II membership, even though they gave me a one-year Free Gold membership (although I had already renewed my Platinum membership by 3 yrs for my long-standing II account.)  Two months later I learned that I now had TWO II accounts, with the Gold Points one costing more than the Weeks one at a Gold level!  I complained at every level I could - that I did not need TWO II accounts and would never renew the Gold one after the free year was up, no matter how many times they called me to beg me to extend that membership. They began calling at only 3 months into it!!  So, I will lose the Points "advantage" for my 1 week in Hawaii plus the nearly $4000 I spent for that so-called upgrade.  I can deal with using, or renting out a week, and owning just *one* II membership much better. I refuse to pay II TWICE for a trading membership of dubious value to me.  BTW, the Waikiki resort severed its partnership with Great Destinations after that first year!


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## #1 Cowboys Fan (Apr 17, 2016)

So, it appears I was confused with the points idea.

I guess I thought it would result it something like Wyndham, etc (which I know little about).

My thought was, if my week was worth 90,000 points, and I saw another resort that was 18,000 points per night, then I could exchange for 5 nights.

If a resort was 10,000 per night, I could stay 9 nights if I wanted.

Apparently NOT----- I guess what folks are responding is that WEEK is worth 90,000 points----not to be broken up into DAYS (with the exception of using II 'short stays.)

Pat


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## BigRedOne (Apr 17, 2016)

I have owned a timeshare since the mid 80’s before there was such thing as points. There have been many resorts trying to switch their owners to points recently.  All I can say is “Why”?  The only advantage I can see is to the benefit of the resort as they have found a way to get more $$$$ from you.  Just a thought; the points system was developed by Fairfield (Fairfield is now Wyndham) because of a lawsuit that they lost forbidding them from being in the timeshare business.  This was an apparent loophole they found to stay in business.


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## tschwa2 (Apr 17, 2016)

RCI points have been much more successful (as a system) then II points, probably because for the most part weeks stay converted when resold.  It may not be as successful as a money making proposition for the HOA's because they can't sell the same thing each time a unit is resold.  RCI has enough enrolled points resorts that they have separate inventory that can be booked by the day.  II either doesn't have enough to do this or has just chosen not to make keep points inventory separate.


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## Bernie8245 (Apr 18, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> You aren't a II points member.  You own in a system that happens to use a points currency to exchange in II.  Worldmark, Hyatt, Marriott points, DRI, wyndham and a few others do as well. In many ways they are similar, using a grid based on size and season (tdi).  The funny thing is most don't consider the desirability of a specic resort or location in the equation or if they do it is part of the range.   The discount or timing of the discount if one is offered at all can also change.



All I know is I get 221,000 points and I use them to exchange through Interval International. To me that makes me an II points member.  I just received the Spring 2016 issue of Interval World magazine and enclosed with the magazine was a helpful guide just for points-based vacation owners
entitled "Getting the Most Out of Your Points When Making an Exchange Through Interval." It states "As an Interval International member, you can exchange your points for stays at hundreds of resorts in countries around the world. What am I missing here?


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## tschwa2 (Apr 18, 2016)

IMO your points are better than the discussed Club Interval Gold (CIG) points.  CIG points are for resorts (and systems) that exchange through II and don't have their own points system.  Why do I think Grand Crowne points are better- the discount that you mentioned is one that some points systems get when using points through II (Worldmark also do-instead of half points at 60 days, I believe all exchanges drop to 4000 points which would be about the cost of a blue studio  or the equivalent of 30,000 grand crowne points regardless of size of unit or season, DRI points get the 50 reduction at 30 days, etc).  CIG like Wyndham points, Hyatt and Marriott points get no discount.  Even if it is the day before travel, the points requirement is the same as if you booked months in advance. 

Another big disadvantage is CIG points revert back to the deeded week only when resold.  So even if an owner pays thousands for the benefit of points when they sell, the new owner would have to pay thousands again if they want points.

One advantage CIG points have (Worldmark also has this option as do Marriott DC enrolled points), is you don't have to elect and use points every year.  If you own a lock off you might find that you can exchange up with you 1 br or studio so you don't have to use points for places that are easy trades but have high points requirements for example a larger unit in the summer in Williamsburg.  

So when you talk points conversion (that exchange into RCI or II) you can't necessarily compare different point systems that happen to exchange through the same exchange company because they aren't always comparable.


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## dominidude (Apr 19, 2016)

I make the following comments in the interest of clarity

tschwa2:

Bernie8245 seems like CIG point point member.

II points member are CIG members. 

To my knowledge, there are no other points system being run by II, other than the CIG system.

So an II points member is also a CIG (club interval gold) member.

Bernie8245:

tschwa2's argument is that there is no separate inventory for II point (CIG) members. In other words, with a few caveats,  the inventory you see is the same inventory I and any other II member sees. (The caveats are: as an II points member, you see inventory based what your number of points allow you to book, and as a regular non-points II member, you see inventory based on your timeshare's trading power).

~~~~~~~~~
The one thing I'd like everyone to understand is that, in II, the trading power of your timeshare *is* the number of points you get in an II points account. II goes as far as saying:

"The number of Club Interval Points that will be allotted to a Club Interval Gold Member based on his or her deposit of a unit week and election to convert it to Club Interval Points shall be determined based on the Club Interval Weekly Points Values chart, which is established by II, from time to time, in its sole discretion upon publication on II’s website, IntervalWorld.com. "

https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/pdf/iw/buyers-guide.pdf 
page 5

In other words, in II, timeshare trading power reigns supreme, and determines the value of your trades, whether you are an II points member or not. AND, II can change that value of your trading power *at any time*.
By comparison, the RCI points resorts do not give up that much control over to the exchange company. 

To put it bluntly, you can be fairly certain that a timeshare in RCI points will keep its same points value during a decades time AND that the number of points needed for a particular exchange will also stay the same. 

Meanwhile in II, timeshare trading power is computed much more frequently, sometimes as much as daily. For example, II can tell you that depositing your timeshare may get you 221000 points, BUT, instantaneously, the number of points needed to get a trade could jump significantly, which has the effect of lowering your deposits value. And of course there is no recourse if you find this unfair. Also, II can, by downgrading your resort's grading from premium to select, or by downgrading your season, also force your deposit to be worth significantly fewer points.

See this as a concrete comparison:
A 1 bdr Grandview RCI points timeshare with 122k points allows its owner to make several exchanges, all at peak season, with some of the exchanges being in 2 bdr units. The number of points added when depositing the timeshare (which happens automatically) and subtracted for each exchange, can be expected to stay the same.

Meanwhile, a 2bdr II premier timeshare with let's say 80k II points for peak season will get its owner, on average, an exchange into another 2bdr II premier timeshare in peak season. That's it.  Additionally, II reserves the right, and uses that right frequently, to change at any time the number of points given when depositing the timeshare, and subtracted when performing an exchange.

In other words, II does not seem to give a reason to convert II points, other than to down trade.


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## Bill4728 (Apr 19, 2016)

If you generally want to trade a great TS and want similar size great TS then II points is likely not going to be a good deal for you.  

BUT if you want to trade down ( different size, Low season,  last minute ect) or trade up by combining multiple weeks of TS, then what points offer may be a good deal for you. 

RE Cost to convert to II points

I have no idea what it costs to convert to II points BUT I do know about RCI points and I'd guess that it is very much the same.  

RCI charges a resort $300 to convert a TS ownership to RCI points  BUT the resort is free to charge any amount they want. 
The majority of resort use " converting to RCI points" as a huge money maker.  They charge $3,000- $5,000  and pocket the extra money.   Only a few TS resorts charge $300 (plus a small fee). 

IMHO  II point conversion is very likely going to follow the RCI point conversion model.  II will charge a small fee to the TS system to convert to II points BUT the resort can charge anything they want and likely will charge much more than II charges them.


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## Bill4728 (Apr 19, 2016)

One last thing about II points.

Some TS systems have interfaced with II to let them use their TS systems points like II points.  Both Hyatt DRI & Marriott now have point systems.  They use their own TS systems point values to get you II trades  So where a II points account may need 45,000 II points to do a trade, a Marriott owner will use only 3,000 Marriott points   or a DRI owner use 5,000 DRI points.  Each system will have it own conversion of it's pts to II pts but it will likely be totally hidden from the owner.


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## tschwa2 (Apr 19, 2016)

While I think it is a money maker for resorts, I am not sure if the RCI points can really be considered a Huge money maker.  First off the sales dept including the gifting to get owners to come to the conversion info sessions (hard sell) typically keep half of the conversion costs.  This is especially true when resorts hire third party RCI authorized conversion agents to assist in the hard sell.  That leaves half minus the $300 RCI fee and resorts do have to make changes when they go from a one or two check in days to check in/out days 7 days a week both in staffing and in reservation and data accounting.  And with RCI this is a one time fee per unit.  For a small resort this can change can be quite difficult.

The other thing that I have heard from someone in sales but this was from a conversation after they left the position, is that resorts that have especially good RCI point values paid for that favoritism.  So a small HOA may be offered the points conversion and get a somewhat fmv for their unit/weeks in points and in return pay the small fee conversiion fee per unit.

Some larger resort groups paid a fee in the hundreds of thousands (originally) to get preferential points valuations (to use as a selling tool) not only to sell conversions but also to sell new units.  In their minds the hefty conversion fee goes toward recouping that investment.  I don't know if this is true but it makes sense if you look at the tpu's vs points given to those grandview and vacation village units where owners typically never exchange back into points inventory because they are so high and use it toward either weeks inventory that have lower values or into lower pointed points inventory.


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