# Are any of you Club Interval (Points) Members? [merged]



## DesertGal (Jun 11, 2015)

I listened to the online/telemarketing presentation from Outfield last night and ended up converting my Quarter House week to points. The cost was $3190 and  I have 3 business days to rescind (until Monday 6/15).  I'm hoping that a TUG II points member can help me--first, to give any general feedback about the program and second, to check availability at a few locations.

They gave me 101,875 points for my unit, which has a TDI (travel demand index) of 150. The most you can get is 105,000 points, so that seemed good.

I've almost always traded the unit, often using ShortStay exchanges so that I can get two 6-night stays. We like to trade for Hilton Head, but it's not normally available in Sept/Oct, my preferred months. The inventory of ShortStays seems to have declined like everything else.

It looks like a 2-BR week at HH during Sept/Oct costs 52,500-70,000 points.  If I use 70,000 points, that only leaves me 31,875 for a second vacation...not enough to get anything halfway decent, unless it's just for a few days.  I'm not sure how they prorate the shorter stays.  Getting a smaller unit would also help, but we like to have the flexibility of inviting friends or family.

Would someone mind checking to see what's available in HH for weeks 35-43??  We've stayed at many of the Marriotts, as well as Spicebush and others that would be acceptable.

I was really hoping that this would improve the usability of our TS, but it's not looking good right now. However one big unknown is the availability of units.
Any feedback would be appreciated (other than "rescind now", which I know I can do in a few days).  Thanks!


----------



## Free2Roam (Jun 11, 2015)

Thanks for posting details of the offer. 

They contacted me a couple days about listening to their presentation. I considered participating to see what they were up to. When he asked which email address to send the confirmation, I said "just use the one on file." He said he didn't have that info and admitted he wasn't calling from The Quarter House... I said "no thanks, you just misrepresented yourself and it feels too scam-ish." 

I don't use Interval but I have access because I manage my mom's SVN ownership. All of my exchanges (not counting mini-systems) are thru my RCI Points account and I have had pretty good experiences there.


----------



## DesertGal (Jun 11, 2015)

*Selling TS week with points vs. without points*

I know that selling my TS will be difficult, but might it be easier if it was in a RCI or II points program?  Assuming both are available and cost the same (about $3000), would one be preferable to the other?


----------



## DeniseM (Jun 11, 2015)

No - you will never recoup the cost of joining.


----------



## DesertGal (Jun 11, 2015)

I found out that short stays are "charged" as follows:  Sun-Thurs are 10% of the weekly points and Fri/Sat are 25%.  So a 6-night stay at a 70,000-point/wk resort would be 52,500 points.  That's similar to the regular ShortStay program, at least for my unit...in other words, I could (almost) get two 6-night stays with my annual points.  Depending on time of year, size of unit, quality of resort...

I'm so burned out on thinking about this...ready to give the darn thing away!  Now I'm wondering if my week would sell better if it had points. I've read that the II membership doesn't transfer, which is the same with all II memberships.  However once the week is converted, any new owners can purchase a Club Interval (points) membership.


----------



## Bill4728 (Jun 11, 2015)

To the best of my knowledge almost no one has II points.  So you owning II points would likely be a huge negative if you want to sell.  

II points is fairly new and very few TS companies seem to be offering it to their owners. Several TS companies ( like Marriott, Hyatt and DRI) have adapted their own internal point system to work with II and allow owners to use their system pts to make reservation with II but this is not II points. 

RCI points  has been around for some time now and I'd never pay any more than a few hundred dollars to "convert / join" a exchange company's point system.


----------



## pacodemountainside (Jun 11, 2015)

Check out post about three down on converting Quarter House , NO.


----------



## BJRSanDiego (Jun 11, 2015)

do all of the ii member resorts participate in the points program for stays that are less than a week and is their a housekeeping fee for those shorter points stays?.
the reason for my question is that when I was checking out the rci points program I learned that only abt 20% of the rci resorts are truly points based.  The remainder (the weeks resorts)let you use points but your stay ends up being a full week.  many/most rci points resorts charge a housekeeping fee for stays less than a week.  I wonder abt the similarity to the ii program.


----------



## tschwa2 (Jun 11, 2015)

DesertGal said:


> I know that selling my TS will be difficult, but might it be easier if it was in a RCI or II points program?  Assuming both are available and cost the same (about $3000), would one be preferable to the other?


Club interval Gold points do not transfer upon resale.  When you sell, it would automatically convert back to a simple week. 


Depending on the week you own and the MF to points ratio, a converted week rci points week may be more valuable but rarely would it be worth more than $500 or so more.  Some weeks are more valuable as a week and not in RCI points.


----------



## DesertGal (Jun 12, 2015)

DeniseM, do you know of any II points members? I'm disappointed that I haven't found any (so far) on TUG.

As for RCI points, do you know of people that happily converted?  It seems like there would more flexibility in the way I could use my week.


----------



## DesertGal (Jun 12, 2015)

tschwa2 said:


> Club interval Gold points do not transfer upon resale.  When you sell, it would automatically convert back to a simple week.



My understanding is that the II membership is not transferrable either way (week or points). But the week remains designated as a points week, and the new owner can buy the Club Interval Gold membership without an additional fee.  EDITED: maybe there is an additional fee, after re-reading the thread on "Converting Quarter House".


----------



## Bernie8245 (Jun 14, 2015)

*Interval International points*

I have an I.I. points membership. The main advantage for me is anything booked within 59 days is half the points. I just booked a 2 bedroom July 4th week at Little Sweden in Door County, Wisconsin for 87,500 points. Normally it would be 175,000 points. The amount of points needed vary depending on the time of year that you travel. We do most of our exchanges in low season and within 59 days.
Bernie


----------



## kparam (Aug 6, 2015)

We have 4 timeshares (II weeks AND Points (2 units)) 1 Unit with RCI (Points) and 1 unit with neither.

I prefer fixed weeks.  I used II points to trade and had 10,000 points left over, basically not worth squat and they ended up expiring.


----------



## Greg G (Aug 13, 2015)

So I got a letter from my resort that they are planning to "enroll" in II's Club Interval Gold.  I haven't called them back yet and knowing nothing about Club Interval points I assumed there would be some big conversion fee to be able to participate in this but after posting a question on Interval International's Membership community forum the answer I got from another frequent poster jcislord was that there is an annual membership fee of $148 that replaces your current II annual membership fee to be a Club Interval Gold Member.  So once you have that you interface with II the same as before with the exception that you can now deposit your week for points along with all the other benefits the points program allows you.   So am I understanding this correctly in that the only cost for joining and using II Club Interval Gold is the annual membership fee of $148?  Plus the normal exchange fees when you request and exchange

Greg


----------



## tschwa2 (Aug 13, 2015)

I don't think JC is correct and if it is true for his resort, I don't think it is going to be true for all resorts (no conversion cost).  Developers in active sales can choose to sell the weeks already converted.  Basically the program is sold as a way for a developer/HOA to make additional $$ from existing members.

Call up your resort and ask.  If it is free or a nominal fee and by this I am guessing $500 or less, your resort will tell you.  If it is more I bet they say that they can't tell you but would be happy to schedule an appointment either onsite or possibly somewhere near you to talk to you about it.  \

In all liklihood, with a 3 br in Orlando that locks off into a studio and 2br and a tdi of 150, you would do better in points.  You do have to know how much the conversion would be and how much the annual fee is to see if you benefit enough to make it worth your while.


----------



## Greg G (Aug 13, 2015)

tschwa2

I've been putting off calling the resort about this until I did a little research but will need to call them now.  Interestingly got a few more responses on the II membership community forum questioning the response that said to gain Club Interval membership it was only a $148 yearly maint fee.   The other poster was saying he had heard it was typically around $3K that is paid to a resort to join.  Yes, I have a 3 bedroom lockoff that would have a TDI of 150.  The fact that it is a lockoff already gives me the ability to get a second week at smaller units although not necessarily as flexible as points would allow me.  Would need to do some thinking about how I might change my usage so as to get more vacation time and analyze that against the conversion cost.  I pretty much would want a 2 bedroom most all the time as my wife usually likes to take up one entire bathroom.
Would be nice to hear from someone who has gone through a conversion.

Greg


----------



## Saintsfanfl (Aug 14, 2015)

Greg G said:


> tschwa2
> 
> I've been putting off calling the resort about this until I did a little research but will need to call them now.  Interestingly got a few more responses on the II membership community forum questioning the response that said to gain Club Interval membership it was only a $148 yearly maint fee.   The other poster was saying he had heard it was typically around $3K that is paid to a resort to join.  Yes, I have a 3 bedroom lockoff that would have a TDI of 150.  The fact that it is a lockoff already gives me the ability to get a second week at smaller units although not necessarily as flexible as points would allow me.  Would need to do some thinking about how I might change my usage so as to get more vacation time and analyze that against the conversion cost.  I pretty much would want a 2 bedroom most all the time as my wife usually likes to take up one entire bathroom.
> Would be nice to hear from someone who has gone through a conversion.
> ...



Perhaps the $148 is the annual amount for a resort that doesn't charge up front to join? I was under the impressions that with the ~$3k up front price you received a free of charge II points account that is separate from your regular account. It actually makes more sense if it is $3K PLUS the $148 annual amount. This is how many "club" systems work.

In either case the whole thing is a bit of a ripoff. I can see it possibly making sense for someone with a 2BR non-lockoff, but then again why not give that away and buy a lock-off, which is much less than $3K. The most I have ever paid for a lock-off at the QH is about $1,800, and I paid too much.



DesertGal said:


> *I know that selling my TS will be difficult*, but might it be easier if it was in a RCI or II points program?  Assuming both are available and cost the same (about $3000), would one be preferable to the other?



It depends on how much you expect to sell it for. It is *extremely easy* to sell a Quarter House unit, provided the price is realistic. Joining a points program is very unlikely to change the selling price. While the QH is easy to sell it is probably not going to fetch more than $3K in any reasonable amount of time (except fixed Mardi Gras). Since you can't recoup the $3K it doesn't make sense to join to make it easier to sell.


----------



## Greg G (Aug 14, 2015)

Saintsfanfl

I think you're probably right.  There is probably some one time conversion fee the resort charges then a yearly membership fee II charges for membership in Club Interval Gold. The only thing left is for me to call the resort to see what the one time conversion fee is  (any bets on it being around $3K?). 

Greg


----------



## nanders (Aug 18, 2015)

*I have II club interval gold- do not recommend*

I bought this just to add a bit more spice to our same old same old time share.  Have deposited my weeks two years, to make one very sad exchange.  Figuring in the cost of the exchange, the cost of the membership, the cost of the "upgrade" it has not been a worthwhile exchange.
If I could do it over I would not have paid for the points.


----------



## Saintsfanfl (Aug 19, 2015)

Greg G said:


> Saintsfanfl
> 
> I think you're probably right.  There is probably some one time conversion fee the resort charges *then a yearly membership fee II charges for membership in Club Interval Gold*. The only thing left is for me to call the resort to see what the one time conversion fee is  (any bets on it being around $3K?).
> 
> Greg



I think it would be the resort that charges the fee as a line item on the maintenance fee bill.


----------



## tschwa2 (Aug 19, 2015)

nanders said:


> I bought this just to add a bit more spice to our same old same old time share.  Have deposited my weeks two years, to make one very sad exchange.  Figuring in the cost of the exchange, the cost of the membership, the cost of the "upgrade" it has not been a worthwhile exchange.
> If I could do it over I would not have paid for the points.



How much did your resort charge you to convert and how much do you pay for your annual II membership now?


----------



## dominidude (Sep 11, 2015)

DISCLOSURE INFORMATION ABOUT 
THE INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL® EXCHANGE PROGRAM 


Club Interval Gold program

The two PDFs above has information relevant to Club Interval Gold.


----------



## EileenSRN (Sep 22, 2015)

*Just heard the spiel*

Finally succumbed to the Quarter House webnair. According the them EVERYONE has converted to points. Soon you will have no nice places to exchange into if you decide you want to go elsewhere. Cost to convert was $3690. They would take off $500 for a full one time payment. They pay the first year of the Club Interval Points program, there after $148 per yr, with multiyr plans up to 5 yrs, which brings it down to $85 a yr. There are no cleaning fees for short stays. Exchanges cost %139 for 5 nites and $179 for any number of nites from 7-21. Didn't ask about 2 or 3 nite stays. Of course, this offer is ONLY if you sign up at the end of the session. I managed to get a 24 hr stay, so I could talk to my daughter, who will inherit my wk 7 2 bdrm at the Quarter House. She said if she can't stay a week, she'd just get a hotel reather than hassle with an exchange and the fees. I'm inclined to agree. Looking for someone to convince me I should switch. Now, we put it inhouse for rent, but I'd be willing to try and rent it on TUG.


----------



## tschwa2 (Sep 22, 2015)

The inventory for short stays is the same short stay inventory available for week owners which isn't very good.  Even if your resort does not charge extra hk fees for short stays it doesn't mean other resorts will not.  In fact if your resort does not then everyone at your resort will be paying additional MF's to cover multiple cleanings per week for those exchanging in for short stays.


----------



## EileenSRN (Sep 22, 2015)

No, the rep specifically said that the Club Interval does not charge hk fees on short stays. I brought it up to ask what the were, as RCI does charge points people a hk fee. He said that Club Interval does not charge any. This didn't have any thing to do with my resort.


----------



## tschwa2 (Sep 22, 2015)

The club doesn't charge.  It is up to the resort when you check in to decide if they want to recover the fees from the MF's paying owners or the exchangers who are actually booking the short stays and causing multiple cleanings per week. 

RCI points does not charge either.  For the first couple years most resorts did not charge it either.  Now more than 80% in my experience charge a $40-$80 per stay cleaning fee when you check in, not when you confirm a points exchange.

The points sellers also have no clue.  I recently stayed at a resort that changed to RCI points in the last year.  The resort charges a HK fee when staying less than a week in points.  The sales person and their supervisor assured me that I was wrong.  We got the RCI rep at the resort on the phone who said that I was correct.  I bet they are still telling people who ask that there is no additional HK fees.


----------



## EileenSRN (Sep 22, 2015)

Nice to know. I don't have any points with RCI, so I was just going by what I read on any exchange "urgent information"....and I can't remember seeing any that don't say there's a cleaning fee for less than a weeks stay on points. I thought it was an RCI thing. Another reason to stay fixed. I would rarely use it for a short stay.


----------



## ClaudiaG (Sep 24, 2015)

EileenSRN - Did you convert? I almost did - but have not signed the papers as of yet.
I just started another thread then I found this one.  So far I am glad I did not do it.
Here's my story and would love help and input:
For over 20 years have owned a fixed week at 

NewOrleans Quarterhouse.
Don't use it, don't exchange it, Try to rent it out. 

It's been a waste and a nightmare. I know I can't 

sell it as is.  I want out - but the options seem 

limited to say the least. Anyway now Interval 

International claims they are my salvation 

because I can pay them $3K and then still pay an 

annual fee to them, a fee to exchange and the 

timeshare annual maintenance fee however it 

will now have value for me to sell, rent, or even 

use the points to travel where i would actually 

like to go, when I want to go for how long I 

want to go. This mildly appeals to me - but I feel 

like I am still paying a lot of $ annually and of 

course upfront for the privilege of using it.  

Basically I want to know do I change my deeded 

property to allow for points to provide value? 

Does it really? or not? Do I look at other point 

systems besides Interval or is my resort tied to 

only one point sytem?
Thank you for any help and input.


----------



## EileenSRN (Sep 24, 2015)

ClaudiaG - NO I did not convert. My daughter, who will inherit it someday (if she still wants it) says she would not bother to do short stays anywhere. She'd just as soon rent a hotel room. I've tried the inhouse rental, but don't get it in the pool early enough to get the whole week rented. I'm keeping it as a fixed week, and will deposit it in SFX. I am now doing work for the Marines and Mickey Foundation, and they can use weeks in Anaheim, when they give service families a vacation at Disney. Then it tax deductable, and doing a nice thing. I will use it occasionally, we have family in NOLA. When and what size is your unit? I have a 2bdrm, wk 7.
Eileen


----------



## ClaudiaG (Sep 25, 2015)

Hi Eileen,
Thank you so much for your reply.
I think this forum just saved me $3K which I was very close to proceeding to the Interval points program.  I really want out of the whole timeshare, but at the least I need to break even.  I do limited travel mainly because I have limited funds.

In the Interval web presentation, the "I'm not a sales person" person said that QH may not place timeshare deeded units to rent out the weeks in the future because they will only be dealing with the points units??? Do you know anything about this?

I have week 1 and sent you more details privately.   I would eagerly rent it out - just make an offer!  

Same for ownership - if you know anyone who wants it, just make any offer and cover any out of pocket closing costs and they've got it!

This forum is a blessing - I hope to learn more on how to stop the bleeding of timeshare ownership that I can not afford and did not understand when over 20 years ago thought it was a great "investment" and $$ saver for travel i was never able to afford.
thanks again


----------

