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5-night certificate qualification questions

Scott Strang

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Hello,

Apologies if these questions have been asked before, but I'm a non-owner that is very interested in Marriott 5-night certificates. I'm hoping you can advise me.

1. Is there a minimum number of points that one needs to qualify as a Marriott vacation club member?
2. If not, is it possible to buy, say, one point from Marriott directly or any resellers?
3. What kind of fees could I expect from doing so?
4. Assuming that all of the above is possible, would it be worthwhile just to have access to the 5-night certificates vs. the 7 certificates. I have a lot of Marriott and SPG points, but would prefer the former because of how I like to travel.

Thank you so much in advance! This seems like a great community from my initial browsing!

Cheers,
Scott
 

Fasttr

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I would not buy DC points if your sole motivation is get access to the 5 nights when you already have access to the 7 nights. The actual value per night of the 7 nights is better anyhow, I believe. Best to just not use a night or two of a 7 night if you have to vs the upfront cost of DC points and ongoing MF’s.
 
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Scott Strang

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I'm primarily interested in the airline miles that accompany the hotel and air packages, so it's definitely better value for the 5-night package. But if being able to buy a minuscule number of Marriott Vacation Club points isn't an option, with or without prohibitive fees, then I guess I'll have to settle for the 7 night certificate.
 

SueDonJ

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I'm primarily interested in the airline miles that accompany the hotel and air packages, so it's definitely better value for the 5-night package. But if being able to buy a minuscule number of Marriott Vacation Club points isn't an option, with or without prohibitive fees, then I guess I'll have to settle for the 7 night certificate.

All Marriott timeshare owners are eligible for the 5-Night MR Travel Packages so if the initial outlay for a minimum DC Points purchase is too much, you could purchase an inexpensive Week on the external resale market to gain access. Many off-season annual Weeks can be had for little money, every-other-year Weeks even less. The catch is that you'll be on the hook for the annual MF's and most of those at the low end are still +/- $1K, and as soon as you get rid of your Week you'll lose the 5-Night package access. Note external resale Weeks aren't eligible for the exchange-to-Marriott-Rewards-Points benefit so if you're not interested in timeshare stays in addition to your Travel Package travels, this wouldn't work for you either.
 

SueDonJ

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Is there a secondary market for certificates, somewhat like points? Meaning, can a TS owner buy a 5-night certificate and transfer it to a 3rd party?

I believe that you can add a guest's name to these packages (which we've done for our children) but the T&C's prohibit rental activity.
 
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