Club Interval Gold - worth it?

[AnnaO]

My home resort (Powder Ridge Village) recently joined the Interval International program called Club Interval Gold. My 3 bedroom ski weeks are in high demand and I would get 78,750 points per unit, if I was to deposit it. We have never done the exchanges, because we usually use our ski weeks ourselves. But it sounded attractive and I was on board with joining the program up until the last detail: it would cost $3500 to join the program. That on top of $163 per year for II membership and $209 exchange fee for each exchange. Has anyone had the experience with the Club Interval Gold ? Any thoughts on how worthy it is? Also a follow up question - can you see the available exchange inventory before you decide to deposit your week?

 

[kwelty]

I bought into CIG though our HOA and only paid $500 instead of the thousands that a developer would charge plus they gave me 35,000 points to get started.. The points for my Harbor Ridge Maine 2 bedroom June unit is 105,000 with 115,000 being the max given even for Marriott etc. While I haven't made any trades yet, I think it will be a good thing. You can see all inventory without depositing.

II does have a brochure but it is a sales tool.
https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/pdf/iw/cig-mem-broruchre-us.pdf

Other information about CIG:

Winning the Timeshare Game
https://timesharegame.com/all-about-interval-international-points/

Inside the Gate
https://www.insidethegate.com/2011/11/club-interval-gold-points-to-increased-sales/

TUG Thread
https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...-interval-points-members-merged.228254/page-2

 

[dougp26364]

We're part of Club Interval Gold thru our ownership with Breckenridge Grand Vacations. Personally, I'm not that impressed. We received 82,500 points for our week when my wife changed jobs and she wasn't able to secure the time off for our planned vacation (we never intended to use I.I. but, that's life). I've done a little looking around online and, honestly, it seems to be more of a rip off than what I've been accustomed too with the regular exchange process. In the past we'd lock off our 2 bedroom unit and get two exchanges out of it. Many times two 1 bedroom units for a 1 bedroom master suite and a studio unit. Now it's looking like we'll have some issues getting much in the way of value or something we'd really enjoy considering the unit we gave up.

Then again, I.I. has made so many downgrades (they call them enhancements or upgrades) over the years I feel membership has become limited in value. I.I. use to be our main method for obtaining units in locations where we aren't owners. Now, we much prefer the various timeshare systems with internal exchange/reservation rights. Paying an outside company $162/year PLUS additional exchange fee's PLUS having what I'm seeing as rather limited options for a direct exchange or, having to request, wait and hope you get what you want just isn't working for us.

My intention was to drop or I.I. membership as I felt paying their yearly fee as a backup plan was to rich for my blood. Looks as if we'll keep it one year longer than planned. Hopefully this will be the last job change for either of us and I can let our membership go. I.I. use to be a decent value but, increasing membership fee's, increasing exchange fee's, additional fee's like upgrade in unit size fee's et.....has reduced from our first choice to the choice of last resort.

There is NO WAY I'd pay a joiner fee of $3,500 unless I was at a point in life where I couldn't or wouldn't be using my ownership week. It would have to be a situation where exchanging was becoming my primary source of securing vacation resort weeks. If that were the case, then maybe it's worth the price of admission. But it would be a very tough call.

 

[AnnaO]

Thanks for your responses. I have a follow up question. in your experience, is there a difference in what a regular II membership would show me for my unit as available inventory, vs. what the CIG will?

 

[dougp26364]

Not in the instant exchange situation. I can see the same things with my Marriott weeks at as I can with my Grand Colorado on Peak 8 summer value season week. Both are comparable in quality but, the Marriott weeks are in a corporate Marriott I.I. account where the Grand Colorado week is in a private account.

However, instant exchanges are, IMHO, the left over weeks that didn't match pending requests. I don't consider them a true barometer of a weeks value in the exchange system. Many of the better exchanges we've had in the past have come by request and wait for the match instead of instant exchange. To that end I don't believe there is much difference other than CIG is possibly more transparent as to exactly how I.I. values your "high value week". As you can see my summer value 2 bedroom week in Breckenridge receives more points than your high demand 3 bedroom ski season week. Why? That's a very good question. I would expect a ski season week that's a larger unit received more points than a summer value season week in the mountains (Late Spring/early Summer and Fall weeks). Still, the point difference gives you an idea of what value I.I. assigns your week and, what value they'll give you in an exchange for that week. It seems to me that I.I. undervalues your week in CIG if you've been able to obtain great exchanges for those weeks in the past.

 

[AnnaO]

Actually Powder Ridge is an older resort, it does not compare to high end like Marriott, so the points assignment seems fair. It serves us very well, because it's ski in-ski out on a great mountain that never gets crowded and almost always has great snow. We have been using it ourselves for years and never exchanged it till now. The only reason I am interested in exchanges now, is that I recently purchased a second week. From what you are saying it looks like I could just signed up for regular II without losing a beat. Thanks for the insights.

 

[amycurl]

The points for my Harbor Ridge Maine 2 bedroom June unit is 105,000 with 115,000 being the max given even for Marriott etc. While I haven't made any trades yet, I think it will be a good thing. You can see all inventory without depositing.

I would love to hear more about your experience with this going forward, esp. if you start seeing things with your CIG points you can't see with your regular week. I agree that Harbor Ridge is selling CIG at a price that is meant for the service to be a "bonus" option for owners, rather than a cash-cow for the resort. But there wasn't enough information/feedback on CIG from folks here when they first launched the program, so we haven't yet taken advantage of it.

 

[kwelty]

if you start seeing things with your CIG points you can't see with your regular week.

I've been looking for a Marriott Hilton Head Island week in November so I will use that as an example. Using a week search and a point search gives the same result except the I would only use 52,000 points out of the 105,000 I get for depositing my Harbor Ridge Maine week. So I could get two weeks for my one week by putting it into points or use that week instead and get an even swap for one week.

If there is a particular place and time you are looking for, I would be happy to check with my week and see what it would get as a week and as points.

Marriott's Harbour Point at Shelter Cove
HPS

Resort Details & Photos


Nov 02 2019 - Nov 09 2019

266

Nov 09 2019 - Nov 16 2019

266

Nov 16 2019 - Nov 23 2019

266

Nov 23 2019 - Nov 30 2019

266

Nov 30 2019 - Dec 07 2019

266

Marriott's Harbour Point at Shelter Cove
HPS

Resort Details & Photos


Nov 02 2019 - Nov 09 2019

266

52,500 Points
More Info
Nov 09 2019 - Nov 16 2019

266

52,500 Points
More Info
Nov 16 2019 - Nov 23 2019

266

52,500 Points
More Info
Nov 23 2019 - Nov 30 2019

266

52,500 Points
More Info
Nov 30 2019 - Dec 07 2019

266

35,000 Points

 

[AnnaO]

Based on these responses I think we'd get some value out of CIG, but not at the $3500 joining fee. I will wait till they stop marketing this thing at the developer prices and then see if our board can get a better deal for joining. Thanks for your help

 

[amycurl]

The price is set by the resort, and, as mentioned our resort sells it for only about $500. It's about offering another option, not generating a profit center for the owner-controlled HOA. And thanks for the feedback, Keith. We may take you up on that search offer sometime, esp. since the ACs we've been getting have really degraded in quality lately.

 

[winnipiseogee]

For what its worth I've had CIG for about 3 years (through Harbor Ridge as well - love that place!!). I haven't been at all impressed with it and in fact just looked at my account and realized I haven't used single point and a bunch of points are about to expire. I'm not sure if this is CIG's fault as the booming economy means everyone is taking vacations. I've had a heck of a time using my RCI and Wyndham points as well.

One thing I thought was really interesting - some resorts like Grand Luxxe don't allow CIG exchanges (although my weeks easily transfer in). I was told by Interval that some high end resorts don't want to let people accumulate points from lots of low end properties and access the high end ones.

I'd probably do it again because Harbor Ridge had such a reasonable cost but I've not seen any big benefit.

 

[kwelty]

I've had CIG for about 3 years (through Harbor Ridge as well - love that place!!).

I love Harbor Ridge too, in fact that is where I'm at now. We are going over to Bar Harbor for a Whale Watch cruise today that we got for half price thanks to a Harbor Ridge Facebook post about the deal.

 

[The Colorado Kid]

Just got this email from The Christie Lodge where we own announcing Club Interval Gold - from my reading the TUG comments likely a pass for me.

Additionally, Outfield Resort Group can get you information on CLUB INTERVAL GOLD, Interval International’s premier POINTS network providing the ultimate in vacation ownership flexibility. This incredible membership offers more options than any other network.

 

[HudsHut]

Under no circumstances would I pay $3500 to join CIG.