Banking Star options into Interval

[Yngonzo]

Long story short I forgot to bank our 2023 star options (67,100). I am currently sitting at 123,575 (to include the 67,100) to expire at the end of the year. We currently live on Oahu and haven't been doing much traveling because of the time/money to get out of Hawaii and we have already gone to both the Maui and Kauai locations. I called Vistana and basically was told the only thing I can do to salvage the 67,100 options is to transfer it into interval. I have never used interval and am unsure what to expect/do in order to ensure I am getting the most out of my options.

Any and all help is welcomed.

 

[DeniseM]

You can't actually bank Staroptions - you have to bank a unit that you own: Assuming that you own a 2 bdm. lock-off, you would be depositing a studio. Depositing it in Interval will be less valuable than using the Staroptions in Vistana, but you can still get value for it.

 

[kozykritter]

Long story short I forgot to bank our 2023 star options (67,100). I am currently sitting at 123,575 (to include the 67,100) to expire at the end of the year. We currently live on Oahu and haven't been doing much traveling because of the time/money to get out of Hawaii and we have already gone to both the Maui and Kauai locations. I called Vistana and basically was told the only thing I can do to salvage the 67,100

StarOptions cannot be deposited into II but their underlying ownership can be. What do you own that generated the StarOptions? If it is a deeded week and you haven't used any of the StarOptions associated with it, you can deposit the week usage into II before the end of the calendar year. If you own a flex product, then what you have is 67,100 home options and those can be deposited into II as well. To bank your ownership go to your Vistana dashboard and click on the link on the left side that says External Exchange and the system will walk you through the process. If you have never set up your II account, on your dashboard scroll down on the left side to My Resorts and click on the What I Own link. It will list your ownership and within those details it will tell you your II membership number. Then you can go to intervalworld.com and set up your account.

 

[mauitraveler]

Yngonzo,
Please note that after you deposit your studio unit into I.I., you will have until the end of 2025 to use it for an exchange. You can always place a request for a unit at KORV(KAA) or KORVN(KAN) or Nanea(WNA) if you want to go back to Maui. I did this during the pandemic and my request was matched for a summer week and I purchased Eplus to try to get an upgrade from the studio to either a 1BR or 2BR unit. I was successful in upgrading to a 2BR unit at Nanea, but I also requested weeks 2 yrs. from the year of my deposit, so that I would be high up on the queue for the exchange. Good luck to you! CJ

 

[Yngonzo]

StarOptions cannot be deposited into II but their underlying ownership can be. What do you own that generated the StarOptions? If it is a deeded week and you haven't used any of the StarOptions associated with it, you can deposit the week usage into II before the end of the calendar year. If you own a flex product, then what you have is 67,100 home options and those can be deposited into II as well. To bank your ownership go to your Vistana dashboard and click on the link on the left side that says External Exchange and the system will walk you through the process. If you have never set up your II account, on your dashboard scroll down on the left side to My Resorts and click on the What I Own link. It will list your ownership and within those details it will tell you your II membership number. Then you can go to intervalworld.com and set up your account.

We have an annual floating flex product, so 67,100 home options. Also when depositing I have to use and entire week, it cannot be broken up into shorter stays?

 

[Yngonzo]

You can't actually bank Staroptions - you have to bank a unit that you own: Assuming that you own a 2 bdm. lock-off, you would be depositing a studio. Depositing it in Interval will be less valuable than using the Staroptions in Vistana, but you can still get value for it.

Sorry I didn't realize they were actually call home options. But we own a floating flex product and if we deposit it into interval we would only get a studio equivalent?

 

[dioxide45]

Sorry I didn't realize they were actually call home options. But we own a floating flex product and if we deposit it into interval we would only get a studio equivalent?

You would get 67,100 points to exchange with in II. What you can trade into is based on the size of the unit and the TDI.

 

[kozykritter]

We have an annual floating flex product, so 67,100 home options. Also when depositing I have to use and entire week, it cannot be broken up into shorter stays?

With Flex, you can deposit any number of your home options from 1 to 67,100. You just have to do it before the end of their use year (12/31/23) and they will be good towards II transactions for two years (12/31/25). The minimum home options needed for a full week exchange is 20,700, though some owners can book short stay exchanges that use fewer options (those that upgrade to Gold & Platinum II memberships).

When you do an exchange search in II, it will show the results as the number of home options needed to do each exchange, the amount getting higher with larger units and higher demand seasons. If you book one of them, the home options you have on deposit will be used first and then Vistana will be asked to pull the remaining amount (if any) from your account. If that involves them using future years home options to complete the transaction, you will have to prepay the maintenance fee on those options (if you haven't already paid it) before Vistana will release them to finish the exchange. Exchanges to Vistana and Marriott properties in II have no exchange fee and can be retraded for free an unlimited amount of times. Exchanges to all other properties currently cost $229.

I've inserted a chart that shows the set number of home options for different unit sizes in different demand levels (TDI). Ignore the word StarOptions and think home options instead.

 

[sdtugger]

Can I confirm the interval options for Vistana owners:

1. If you own a flex product, you can search interval using that product and then only use the number of flex options necessary to confirm what is available? If so, that is an unexpected bonus for flex! I just did a search with Aventuras Flex options in interval and can confirm a nice studio for about 1/2 the flex options required to directly confirm a studio. Awesome!

2. The part I just want to confirm is that it appears that I can't do the same thing with an owned Vistana week. I can either deposit either side or the entire week. But, I can't deposit star options. Right? In my case, I have weeks where some of the star options were used to book another Vistana week. I'd like to use some of those "orphan" options in Interval. But, it appears that I can't. I can only deposit a studio, 1 bedroom, or 2 bedroom. Do I have that right?

3. Related to #2, Vistana took star options from different weeks to confirm internal reservations at other Vistana locations. The end result is that I have less than the normal total options for a complete 2 bedroom, 1 bedroom, or studio. Although, I have more than enough star options spread among various pieces of multiple 2024 weeks. Could I get Vistana to reallocate the options to give me a complete studio, 1 bedroom, or 2 bedroom that I could then deposit into Interval?

Thanks.

 

[dioxide45]

For #2 - You are correct. You can't deposit or trade with StarOptions. Only the entire VOI or each full portion of a lock off.

For #3 - It may be possible, but doubtful. It doesn't hurt to call and ask if they can reinstate home resort usage. Your other option is to bank the StarOptions. That being if you aren't already past your banking deadline.

 

[sdtugger]

Thanks. I have until Oct. 31 to bank them. So, I will do that for many of them. Too bad I can't also use them in interval. Thanks again.

 

[vbtraveler]

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. I think maybe I made a mistake in how I was thinking about exchanging my Vistana HomeOptions into II.
I booked a week at a Vistana resort (not my home resort) and then was looking for a way to deposit that week to my II account. Is that not possible? I can only deposit HomeOptions?

 

[Hindsite]

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. I think maybe I made a mistake in how I was thinking about exchanging my Vistana HomeOptions into II.
I booked a week at a Vistana resort (not my home resort) and then was looking for a way to deposit that week to my II account. Is that not possible? I can only deposit HomeOptions?

You deposit your home ownership, not a booked week and Vistana do the deposit for you via your dashboard.

 

[mauitraveler]

Thanks. I have until Oct. 31 to bank them. So, I will do that for many of them. Too bad I can't also use them in interval. Thanks again.

Yes, banking seems to be the easiest way to save all the "orphaned" SOs. However, since you have "more than enough star options spread among various pieces of multiple 2024 weeks", is it too late to cancel your original reservation and carefully re-fund the reservation so that you can deposit a VOI into I.I.?

 

[sdtugger]

Yes, banking seems to be the easiest way to save all the "orphaned" SOs. However, since you have "more than enough star options spread among various pieces of multiple 2024 weeks", is it too late to cancel your original reservation and carefully re-fund the reservation so that you can deposit a VOI into I.I.?

Great minds think alike. I made some changes to existing reservations for other reasons and I was able to move things around to where I only have one set of points that aren’t a full unit. I also used some options so my problem is smaller. i do think I will end up banking almost all of them. But, I like that I now have an option.