WM and II ongoing search process?

[DaveNV]

I'm a rank newbie in II, and trying to fully understand how WM works within II. Can those of you who understand things more clearly please help me out?

I have an exchange set up in II for Summer 2020 in Hawaii on the Big Island. I'm interested in adding a second week, either immediately before or after that week. My II account shows the same WM flex deposit as it was, which I understand won't change, since it gives me the option to make an exchange in II if I find something I want, and II has no idea how many WM credits I have available. I think I'm good with all of that.

My question is how do I use that availability to make an ongoing search for a specific week? I'm 18 months out at this point, and I'd like to get things in place. Do the nicer resorts (Marriotts and such) show up this far in advance, or during a certain deposit window? Are there tips or tricks to snagging one of those nicer weeks?

Thanks for the help. I want to maximize this ownership, but I don't know how to do it right.

Dave

 

[samara64]

Dave, I like your Dog. looks sweet.

Just do a search for your resort(s) for the time period you need. If it does not show up, just press the button "place your exchange request" and you can put your dates for the weeks in one request (one for week after and one for week before in the same request) for more than one resort.

It amazes me how many vacations you are getting out of the 12K WM you have.

Have fun.

 

[bizaro86]

Make a search in II for what you want. If it happens to be there, book it. If nothing comes up, you'll see an orange button "place your exchange request."

Click that, and follow the directions. Select the 3 bedroom float and choose 3 Bedrooms. You only get charged for what you use, and the 3 bedroom might increase trade power. For resort selections, I prefer to list them by resort code instead of geographic area. I use the spreadsheet in the sightings area to make sure I don't miss anything suitable.

Marriott units typically don't show up until 12-13 months, because owners can't book them until then. Westin units even closer to check-in, as that is when they do bulk deposits.

I think you mentioned in another thread you still have an RCI account. WM trades with similar trade power in RCI. There will likely be a 2020 bulk deposit for the HGVC resorts in a couple of months, so it might be worth doing an ogs there as well.

 

[DaveNV]

Dave, I like your Dog. looks sweet.

Just do a search for your resort(s) for the time period you need. If it does not show up, just press the button "place your exchange request" and you can put your dates for the weeks in one request (one for week after and one for week before in the same request) for more than one resort.

It amazes me how many vacations you are getting out of the 12K WM you have.

Have fun.

Thank you! Cody is a sweetheart, now five and a half years old. There is a lengthy thread on Tug from when I first got him. Some nice pictures there: https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/new-puppy.201352/ I also have his younger brother, Kona, who is from the same parents, but is 18 months younger. And then we have the maniac Rescue cat, Kai, who is almost three. They're good friends, drive each other crazy, and make up a pretty nutty fur family.

Thanks for the II tips. I'll go back and dig around some more. It sounded too easy at first, and I wanted to be sure I'm not missing anything. My exchange experience is predominantly in RCI, and things are just different enough in II that I don't want to screw anything up.

I'm definitely trying to maximize the WM ownership. It came fully loaded, and I've been using pieces and parts of that amount to date. (Three short stays in 2018 [Leavenworth, San Francisco, and Seattle], and two full weeks in 2019 [New Orleans and West Yellowstone. The Yucatan Cruise was a cash thing through Costco Travel.] I still have more than 2K credits left from the 2019 allotment, and I have the full 12K to borrow for 2020. It's working out really well, and much better for me than my Weeks ownerships did. I'm pleased with it.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Make a search in II for what you want. If it happens to be there, book it. If nothing comes up, you'll see an orange button "place your exchange request."

Click that, and follow the directions. Select the 3 bedroom float and choose 3 Bedrooms. You only get charged for what you use, and the 3 bedroom might increase trade power. For resort selections, I prefer to list them by resort code instead of geographic area. I use the spreadsheet in the sightings area to make sure I don't miss anything suitable.

Marriott units typically don't show up until 12-13 months, because owners can't book them until then. Westin units even closer to check-in, as that is when they do bulk deposits.

I think you mentioned in another thread you still have an RCI account. WM trades with similar trade power in RCI. There will likely be a 2020 bulk deposit for the HGVC resorts in a couple of months, so it might be worth doing an ogs there as well.

Thanks for this. Yes, I do still have an RCI account. My concern was that I'm not used to the "request first" option. RCI doesn't do that. If I try to do an OGS in RCI, won't I need to force a deposit first? (Uses WM credits with no promise of a return, right?) I may also have to extend the RCI membership to cover travel dates, which I'm not sure I want to do. I'm really trying to give II my business, if I can.

I'll go back to II and mess around. I do have the resort code list (I think you gave me that list, back a ways), so I can search by code, rather than map or resort name. I like that I can eliminate resorts I know I don't want to stay at.

One thing - if they find a match, do I have a Yes or No option before they book it? Or do I have to accept what they find, regardless of unit size or resort? I think I read that II will make the match and book the resort automatically if it's on the search list. Is that right?

Dave

 

[samara64]

They are so adorable. I grew up with 4 Maltese Dogs and 4 Siamese cats. We have now a sweet playful cat that we miss when we go on vacations. We had a Maltese until a few years back and we may get a new one but my time limitation is forcing me to wait.

Have no idea about RCI. Never used them even though I get RCI points membership with Worldmark for free.

With II, they will only take the credits out of your WM account if they get you the unit that matches, they will book it and you have 24 hours to cancel the exchange if you do not want it. They may also call you from time to time to offer you other alternatives around your area.

Big island should be easy and you are so early out. Now if the II membership expires, I think everything will just stop but you can call and renew it.

 

[bizaro86]

I haven't been distributing the II codes list, but it's in the sightings forum in a sticky. Great benefit of Tug membership.

II will auto-match anything that fits your criteria. That's why I like to request by resort name, to avoid suprises. You have 24 hours to cancel, but that's less reliable than RCI's system where you have to accept.

I haven't done this because I have tons of TPUs to use up, but I'm pretty sure Worldmark owners can make an OGS in RCI without making a deposit. Because of the fixed grid, they just take the points when your search matches. So I think you could search in both RCI and II and take whichever matches to something good first. Caveat would be you'd have to pay 2 exchange fees, but the one you cancel should be refundable.

II has more really good stuff in Hawaii, imo, but the HGVC resorts are really nice too.

 

[DaveNV]

Back for Round Two: I tried making an Exchange Request in II, and got stuck at the point of entering dates for travel. They want an Earliest Travel Date and Latest Travel Date. So let's say my currently confirmed week checks in on August 22, and checks out August 29. Saturday to Saturday. I'd like to check in on Kauai on Saturday the 15th for seven nights, or more preferably, the 29th for seven nights. How do I tell II that I only want to check in on those Saturdays? When I tried, it looked like it jumped back to the Thursday prior, and went through to the Tuesday after. I don't want to mess with the week in the middle, which is a done deal.

If I only want to check in August 15 or 29, what do I enter in those date fields? Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[breezez]

Dave,

I think in II the dates you enter are your arrival date range. So make it rather small. If you need more items to do your OGS pick some off the Wall thing in Hawaii you know won’t get filled.

II also adjusts your requested start for weekend to I think Thursday and will then match any weekend checkin day. This I don’t like but no way around it that I know of.

I talked with owner care last week also because all my request first trades come in as red trades even though the resorts I am trading into may not be red weeks / high season. She told me II sends them the season. And they pull credits based off that.

Here is a list of all the premiere resorts and premium boutique locations. You can past entire list at once in resort code field.

HRP, HNS, HWP, HYS, HSH, HYK, HYN, HBK, HMS, HSL, HYP, HYA, HCC, HYB, HYI, HRA, LFP, SXP, STW, SDI, VTA, PGA, PGN, SRM, FSA, SCT, VIO, VO1, VIT, SVV, VKW, VVM, VCC, VIS, VS1, WDL, KAA, KA1, KAN, KA1, WKV, WLR, WMH, WPV, WV1, WRF, WEJ, WSJ, MAW, MFC, MGO, MMB, MPU, MKO, MOW, MAO, MCP, MBY, MMC, MSE, MSF, MDS, MPD, MGR, MSK, MCV, MMO, NCV, MSU, MKW, MPB, MUZ, MGA, MG1, MG3, MG5, MOU, MCU, MGC, MC1, MGK, MM1, WNA, MGI, KIR, YAM, YOU, VVR, GZE, CIU, POE, BG1, BGD, GBR, PZZ, MMY, WFR, GRI, CL3, CLD, IN1, INN, SFW, SW1, AIK, DMO, TRJ, CCK, BKL, ISN

 

[K2Quick]

If I only want to check in August 15 or 29, what do I enter in those date fields? Am I missing something?

You're not missing anything. It's annoying by design (II intentionally doesn't let you pick a specific check-in date). The only way to override this is by calling in and telling them to restrict your request to specific check-in dates. You won't be able to see that reflected in your exchange request online, but it will be in their system.

 

[DaveNV]

You're not missing anything. It's annoying by design (II intentionally doesn't let you pick a specific check-in date). The only way to override this is by calling in and telling them to restrict your request to specific check-in dates. You won't be able to see that reflected in your exchange request online, but it will be in their system.

Thank you. I'll give them a call. The IT guy in me was trying to do as much as I could online, without speaking to a human. LOL! I finally put in the request online, using a Start Date of Aug 29. It automatically plugged in a Start Date of Aug 27, and an End Date of Sept 5, which is a week later. That's the preferred dates I want to travel during that trip (Big Island, then Kauai), so I'll see how this goes.

Another two quick II questions: I chose nine resorts on Kauai I'd be willing to stay at - if nothing comes through, do I get my Exchange and Etrade Fees back? And if something does come through, will II charge me any additional fees, or is this one paid for?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[K2Quick]

Another two quick II questions: I chose nine resorts on Kauai I'd be willing to stay at - if nothing comes through, do I get my Exchange and Etrade Fees back? And if something does come through, will II charge me any additional fees, or is this one paid for?

1. I think you can get your exchange fee refunded (not sure about the e-plus fee), but you'd have to call in for that. As a matter of practice, if an exchange doesn't come through for me, I usually just leave the ongoing request out there, but add a future request to it. I figure the exchange fee is always going to go up so at least I'm locked into a potentially lower fee. As a side note, I wouldn't add the e-plus option to your initial request when you first put it in. You can always do that within a couple of days after your exchange matches. If you get the prime exchange you'd hoped for, there's no need to pay the incremental fee.
2. II won't charge you any additional fees. The only other fees you'll experience are transient taxes that every resort in Hawaii will collect once you check in and resort fees if the resort you trade into has them (I think on Kauai that would be Point at Poipu).

 

[easyrider]

When I am trying to get a specific location and week I look everywhere, not just II. Worldmark trades well with all trade companies for the most part. I kind of like Trading Places as you can see most of their inventory.

Big Island part of August

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

• Wyndham Mauna Loa Village - Kailua-Kona, HIDates: Aug 23, 2019 - Aug 30, 2019Size: 1 Bedroom Sleeps 4Occupancy: 4Important Notice

• 
  Wyndham Mauna Loa Village - Kailua-Kona, HIDates: Aug 24, 2019 - Aug 31, 2019Size: 1 Bedroom Sleeps 4Occupancy: 4Important Notice

• 
  Wyndham Mauna Loa Village - Kailua-Kona, HIDates: Aug 30, 2019 - Sep 06, 2019Size: 1 Bedroom Sleeps 4Occupancy: 4Important Notice

• 
  Kona Billfisher - Kailua-Kona, HIDates: Sep 05, 2019 - Sep 12, 2019Size: 1 Bedroom Sleeps 4Occupancy: 4Important Notice

• 
  Wyndham Mauna Loa Village - Kailua-Kona, HIDates: Sep 27, 2019 - Oct 04, 2019Size: 1 Bedroom Sleeps 4Occupancy: 4Important Notice

• 
  Kona Islander Vacation Club - Kailua-Kona, HIDates: Dec 07, 2019 - Dec 14, 2019Size: Studio Sleeps 4Occupancy: 4

• 
  Kona Billfisher - Kailua-Kona, HIDates: Aug 15, 2020 - Aug 22, 2020Size: 1 Bedroom Sleeps 4Occupancy: 4Important Notice

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[easyrider]

I didn't see anything for Kauai on Trading Places. I did see some direct exchange options at Vacation International for the Point at Poipu for Aug and Sept while I was looking for our next Maui trip.

You can call SFX and talk to a reservation person. They like Worldmark. My luck with II has been ok for Mexico. I haven't tried them for Hawaii.

Bill

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks, all. This Exchange is for August 2020. The Big Island is already locked in, (Kona Coast Resort Phase II 2br), unless an II Retrade finds me something better for that week. I'm trying to get to higher-end resorts in the Koloa area of Kauai. Are the other exchange companies likely to have inventory in that area, and especially this far out? I have a point of contact at SFX I've worked with before. I can give him a call.

After all these years of using mainly RCI and SFX, I'm finding navigating the other companies a challenge. Trying to give II my business, if I can, so I can learn how they work. But I'm not loyal to any one company.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Just got off the phone with SFX. My point of contact there put in a Request First for me for my preferred dates and location on Kauai. So now the clock starts, and we see who comes through first.

Funny, but after fifteen years of doing the timeshare thing, it seems lately I'm feeling like a newbie every time I turn around. Tuggers always come through with solid info. You folks rock!

Dave

 

[ecwinch]

Isn’t there an open issue with using these third party trading companies - regarding how the guest certificates get handled? In that you could get charged for more than one GC, if the exchange company has to change the guest name for some reason?

Or have they adopted some internal process to prevent that?

 

[alwysonvac]

Thanks, all. This Exchange is for August 2020. The Big Island is already locked in, (Kona Coast Resort Phase II 2br), unless an II Retrade finds me something better for that week. I'm trying to get to higher-end resorts in the Koloa area of Kauai...

Just be careful with II retrades via ePlus. The following post provides a great summary.
Several times I had cancellation credits that never returned into my account

One word of caution about using ePlus on a II exchange booked with WM credits. A ePlus rebooking is essentially cancelling your existing reservation - returning the credits to your WM acct, and then a withdrawal of credits from your acct for the rebooked reservation.

The problem is that the new reservation quickly withdraws credits from your acct, while the cancellation takes days - sometimes weeks - to redeposit the credits to your acct.

So if you are without enough credits to book the new reservation, then WM will do a FAX rental to fulfill the credits needed - and will charge you either 8 cents or 15 cents per credit.

And sometimes the cancellation credits never come back into your account. So you need to monitor it closely. I have had this happen and am still fighting to get it sorted out.

Also they will never borrow a HK token on a II exchange, they will bill you for one if you dont have one in the available column. So if you dont watch the mail and pay the bill - your acct can easily be suspended. They will not just bill your credit card on file - they will just send you a paper bill that you need to pay.

On the plus side - if you do a retrade within 59 days - then you get it the unit at 4k credits. If you upsize the unit outside 59 days, you will be hit for whatever the credits required for the larger unit. So if charged 8k for a 1BR reservation, and you upsize to a 2BR at the 150 day mark, you will quickly see 10k credits withdrawn from your acct, and 8k credits deposited with a few days/weeks. Within 59 days, you would see 4k come out and 8k redeposited....

Here’s another thread discussing the issue - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/beware-re-trading-on-worldmark-difficulties.231507/

 

[DaveNV]

Happy Update! II found me a 2br at The Point at Poipu, one of the nine resorts I'd asked for, checking in August 29, 2020, the exact date I asked for. They sent me a Confirmation email this morning. Do I need to tell them Yes? Or is it automatically accepted if I don't call to turn it down? I understand the fees I paid II are now spent, and all is well on their end.

But now, how does it work with WorldMark? This was one of those "Worldmark in II Floating unit" requests, and I'm sure WM will ask me to give them credits to pay for this. I expect the credits needed will be 10K? (2br unit this far out?). If so, my account will be short a few hundred credits. So I expect I'll be asked to pay for them somehow? Nothing shows yet on my WM account about this.

Still learning - What should I expect?

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

I just checked my II account online, and it shows the Confirmed Exchange mentioned above. So I think II is happy. The larger question remains for what WM will ask for. Anybody know?

Dave

 

[ecwinch]

There is a lag before the credits are pulled.

If you are short credits, Wyndham will kindly rent them to you at the FAX rate of 15 cents a credit. Not sure if the 8 cent one time FAX rate applies.

They also will pull a HK token.

When either of the above occurs your account will have an outstanding balance, and they will send you a bill in the mail. You might have a credit card on file to autopay your dues, and think they will automatically collect the charges, but that would be too easy. And failure to pay the bill in a timely manner will result in your acct being suspended.

So call in as soon as the credits are taken, to settle the bill. Or quickly rent in the credits.

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks, Eric. Am I correct that a 2br uses 10K credits? If so, I’m only like 150 credits short. Not enough to hassle about, whether at 8 or 15 cents a credit.

Dave

 

[ecwinch]

Thanks, Eric. Am I correct that a 2br uses 10K credits? If so, I’m only like 150 credits short. Not enough to hassle about, whether at 8 or 15 cents a credit.

Dave

Yes .. 10k for a 2BR. The only concern I might have is using up my 1 in 5 years red season FAX rate for 150 credits.

 

[DaveNV]

Yes .. 10k for a 2BR. The only concern I might have is using up my 1 in 5 years red season FAX rate for 150 credits.

Is there an alternate option? How does one rent 150 credits?

Dave

 

[ecwinch]

You could do a credit rental from another member using the form on the Club website (linked below - must be logged into WMtC to view).

https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/owners/secure/creditAssignment.jsp