I'm new to this thread and maybe everyone has moved on from it but I'll share with you why I bought Worldmark.
I own a small 6k contract that I bought for $2,200 last October that came with 18k points! I can sell that contract at any time, even if it only has the current 6k points available for the same amount of money, if not the same. Being able to resell my contract for little, if any loss is a plus but the bigger plus is that I am all but guaranteed to be able to sell it.
I’m always worried about being stuck with a timeshare because it just won’t sell, even for free. Worldmark contracts, as long as they are not over priced seem to always sell very quickly (i.e. within a week or so of listing). I’m not sure that is the case with Wyndham.
Yes, the contact I bought is pretty much useless in terms of booking a larger size unit every year but the really cool thing about Worldmark is that you can rent points from other owners for the same amount (and sometimes less) as the maintenance fees. It basically costs $600 to rent 10k points and housekeeping token from an owner. With that 10k points, you can book most 2 bedrooms in prime season at any Worldmark resorts. That $600 is about what it would cost in dues if I owned those points. You can also rent an unlimited amount of points from other owners and the entire process is quick, easy and relatively safe.
I never intend to use my Worldmark contract to stay at a Worldmark resort. I live in Ohio, so there just aren’t many resorts available for me and I am not a fan of the Pacific Coast. It’s beautiful out there but way to cold and the water is freezing!!!
I bought my Worldmark contract purely as a trader. Nothing beats Worldmark in RCI. I want to be able to exchange into DVC and Hilton and other top notch resorts and when I found out about Worldmark and how they pull everything in RCI and that Worldmark owners get priority over everyone else in RCI, I was sold. For 10k Worldmark points, I can get any 2 bedroom exchange in RCI – so long the week I want is deposited.
When I called to request a Myrtle Beach exchange for this summer last month, the RCI guide told me it would be tough trade but that all good things in RCI happen for Worldmark owners. A few weeks later, I was matched with a 2 bedroom Ocean Boulevard exchange for this July 31st.
The other impressive thing about Worldmark is that I can exchange into II, and get Marriott and Hyatt and Four Seasons, etc… for the same amount of points and for even cheaper trade fees. The only small downside is that Worldmark is not quite the top dog in II that it is in RCI. Worldmark still pulls everything in II, but I think some Hyatt and Marriott owners get preference, but only those owners with very prime weeks.
Kind of a long post but the short end of it is, I bought Worldmark points as a trader. I’m sure there are cheaper ways to trade but I wanted something the all but guarantees me great trades (i.e. Disney and Marriott and Hyatts and Hawaii and ski weeks, etc…). Worldmark does all of that and at a cost of $600 per week for a 2 bedroom. On top of that, the buy in costs are low and I can sell at any time any time and not come out any poorer. I also like that my maintenance fees are only $400 a year and that I can rent as many points/weeks per year as I want. This way, I can easily book a week for my sisters or parents whenever and for wherever they want to go. Owning even a small Worldmark contract can be like owning multiple weeks at the most top notch resort you can think of. Granted you have to take your chances of being able to trade into the top resorts but if the resort and week you want is ever deposited in RCI, you get it and things work just about the same in II.