2 more newbie questions

[arrosen]

1. If I buy a resale, 81000 SO, EOY, I understand that the points have to be used in the use year, but what does "used" mean? In March of the use year, could I book a few days in that summer and then in October, use the remainder of my points to book a week the following summer? This would effectively let me use my EOY points to travel every year (even though every other year, it would just be a "mini-vacation").

2. How does II work with a resale? Do I still deposit through SVN? Who pays for my membership?

Thanks so much!!

 

[DeniseM]

1. If I buy a resale, 81000 SO, EOY, I understand that the points have to be used in the use year, but what does "used" mean? In March of the use year, could I book a few days in that summer and then in October, use the remainder of my points to book a week the following summer? This would effectively let me use my EOY points to travel every year (even though every other year, it would just be a "mini-vacation").

It means the Staroptions (not points) have to be used by the end of the calendar year. So if you owned an odd year, you would have to use your 2009 Staroptions before Jan. 1, 2010. They do not carry over. (Resales never come with points - even if they are mandatory.)

2. How does II work with a resale? Do I still deposit through SVN? Who pays for my membership?

Thanks so much!!

With a resale from a mandatory resort, depositing with II works exactly as if you had bought from the developer. You have to call owner services and ask them to deposit a week for you. With SVN mandatory TS's, Starwood reserves the right to choose the week deposited. With a mandatory TS, your II membership is included in your yearly MF. For more info., see the article in Owner Resources under "Exchanging."

Also - see the Starwood FAQ at the top of the page of a good overview of how Starwood works.

 

[arrosen]

Yes, but does "use the Star Options" mean that travel must be completed by the end of the year, or I have to make a reservation by the end of the year?

 

[clsmit]

You have to travel during that year -- use it or lose it. So if you have 81,000 options, you have to use all 81,000 during that calendar year or they are forfeited. You can't carry forward EOY options to the next calendar year.

Most people (on TUG, at least) reserve their vacations 8-12 months in advance so we are in the middle of reserving our 2009 vacations right now using our 2009 options.

 

[DeniseM]

With an EOY ownership, you can't use your Staroptions during the off-year at all. For instance, if you own an EOY odd week, you cannot borrow your Staroptions from 2009 and use them during 2008. All Staroptions have to be used during the calendar use year.

If you can't use your week one year, you can deposit it with an exchange company, rent it, or let friends or family use it.

 

[arrosen]

Thanks...I understand.

If you exchange into II, how long do you have to use an exchanged week?

 

[DeniseM]

You have 2 years to use your exchange. Here is a link to the article about Starwood & II - take a look at it and then let us know what questions you still have.

 

[calgarygary]

arrosen, in reading your op, you indicated that you might want to book a partial week in March for the summer. Are you aware that when booking partial weeks that it can only be done within 90 days? In your scenario, you would have to wait until the end of March to be able to book up to the end of June. I strongly suggest that you read the faqs posted in this forum to determine if Starwood is a good fit for you.

 

[SDKath]

Exactly. I wish that we could book partial weeks all year but with the system the way it is set up, you really can't. The 90 day restriction means you won't be able to find good weekend add ons during heavy use times of the year (Summer for most resorts, Spring for desert or ski resorts).

Also, you will only get StarOptions (your example of 81,000) if it is a MANDATORY resort if you buy it resale. Voluntary resorts gat NO SOs ever so all you could do with the voluntary resorts is 1) use your full week EOY during the float period that you buy 2) deposit the full week in II for a 2 year chance to trade someplace else. If it is a 2BR LO, you can deposit each side of the unit in II separately. Then since you have 2 years to complete your travel, you can get vacations EY out of an EOY purchase. But that is through II only, not Starwood.

Hope that's not all too confusing. Katherine

 

[arrosen]

I've done lots of reading...please let me know if I understand things correctly.

If I buy a 2br LO EOY at WKV, Gold season resale, I get 81000 SO. I can use my SO points to book a small 1br villa at WKV or SDO or WMH in the summer and then deposit the 1br side in II to trade the following year. Since it is Gold, I won't have great trading power, but I should get decent trades.

If I waited until I found a platinum week at WKV, it would be better because the week I deposit in II would trade better. But in any case, I would be able to travel every year with an EOY TS using this strategy,

 

[DavidnRobin]

I can't speak for the II exchange - but you will get more bang for your buck (MF-wise) if you buy Plat instead of Gold - since the MFs are based on unit size and not season. Of course - the downside is that they are more expensive, but you get more SOs to use.

 

[SDKath]

If I buy a 2br LO EOY at WKV, Gold season resale, I get 81000 SO. I can use my SO points to book a small 1br villa at WKV or SDO or WMH in the summer and then deposit the 1br side in II to trade the following year.

Actually with 81,000 SOs, you'd get a large 2BR villa at SDO or WMH in the Summer OR a larger 1BR villa during the peak season. There is a very handy SO chart in the resources above this board where you can see how many SOs it would take to trade in places.

Katherine