Thanks again. I was assuming there was different inventory but wanted to confirm. Two final final questions that I didn't see explicitly stated in the threads I read.
Per the FAQ
7) What are Starpoints?
Starpoints are Starwood hotel points & they can be used for hotel stays, airfare, and other purchases from the Starwood Preferred Guests Program. Starpoints do not transfer with any resale.
a. What are the rules for converting to Starpoints?
Regular owners can convert their timeshare to Starpoints every-other-year - there is a $99 conversion fee and you must pay your maintenance fee before converting. The earliest you can convert to Starpoints is Oct. 1, of the year before the use year, and the latest you can convert to Starpoints is March 31st, of the use year. (A Starpoint chart is posted in the Owner Resources sticky.)
b. Elite Owner Conversion?
* 4 & 5 Star Elite owners do not have to pay the $99 conversion fee and they can convert to Starpoints every year.
* 3 Star Elite owners can convert as late at July 1.
* 4 & 5 Star Elite owners can convert as late as Oct. 1.
This link seems to suggest you can but wanted to make sure - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/banking-staroptions-important-update-2-13-12.153142/
SUMMARY:
5* Elite Owners: No charge.
3* and 4* Elite Owners: $79
All other (non-Elite) Owners: $99
Non-Elite SVN members can request SO Banking no later than July 1
3* and 4* Elite members may request SO Banking through October 1
5* Elite members may request SO Banking through December 31
- If we were to buy a 2 bedroom at WKV (which gives you 148k SOs) through the resale market can we use those to trade (assuming availability and that it's enough points) for whatever length of time we want on Maui or Kauai? The timeshare sales guy made it sound like we could use those points for booking whatever combo of length we wanted. Say 148k equals 12 nights worth of points in a 1 Bedroom at Princeville. Could we redeem them for 3 separate 4 night trips or do we have to book an actual 2 bedroom for one week and that's all we can do? I get that some days are more expensive than others but just for this example let's assume they're all equal. My question is really more around if I have to book an actual week or if I can book whatever nights I have points for based on the room type.
- If you buy resale are you able to bank your SOs (I understand there is a $99 fee to do this for non-elites) if you can't use them in the year? If I were to buy direct (which I likely wouldn't ever do) you can pay a relatively small fee and bank the points for up to two years so that you can use them the next year. Is the same available if you buy resale? Seems like it but I wanted to confirm.
Per the FAQ
7) What are Starpoints?
Starpoints are Starwood hotel points & they can be used for hotel stays, airfare, and other purchases from the Starwood Preferred Guests Program. Starpoints do not transfer with any resale.
a. What are the rules for converting to Starpoints?
Regular owners can convert their timeshare to Starpoints every-other-year - there is a $99 conversion fee and you must pay your maintenance fee before converting. The earliest you can convert to Starpoints is Oct. 1, of the year before the use year, and the latest you can convert to Starpoints is March 31st, of the use year. (A Starpoint chart is posted in the Owner Resources sticky.)
b. Elite Owner Conversion?
* 4 & 5 Star Elite owners do not have to pay the $99 conversion fee and they can convert to Starpoints every year.
* 3 Star Elite owners can convert as late at July 1.
* 4 & 5 Star Elite owners can convert as late as Oct. 1.
This link seems to suggest you can but wanted to make sure - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/banking-staroptions-important-update-2-13-12.153142/
SUMMARY:
5* Elite Owners: No charge.
3* and 4* Elite Owners: $79
All other (non-Elite) Owners: $99
Non-Elite SVN members can request SO Banking no later than July 1
3* and 4* Elite members may request SO Banking through October 1
5* Elite members may request SO Banking through December 31