(2007 thread) Shell Vacation Club (SVC) Points Knowledge thread

[hockeygran]

You can also use SVC points within the RCI points system. You would do this for two reasons – one, because you want to travel to a location where there is no SVC property, or/and two, because you have been unable to use your points within your “use” and one “carryforward” years in the SVC system. Keep in mind that through SVC, you are not a regular RCI Points member; you are an SVC RCI points member. What that means is that you cannot access the RCI points system directly or do searches and bookings online. Instead, you must call the SVC 1-800 number and speak to one of their staff members for any transactions.

To use your SVC points within the RCI points system, right now it “costs” 3,500 SVC points for a 1-bedroom and 4,500 SVC points for a 2-bedroom during the Red season. Different numbers of SVC points are needed for different sized units or different seasons. Also, you will need to pay the usual RCI exchange fee for your trade. As always, any trades in this system are subject to RCI availability, and the SVC rep will look these up for you. If you happen to be an RCI Points member (outside of your SVC ownership) then you should (I think) be able to search availability yourself online before calling SVC.

The second reason to deposit your SVC points in the RCI points system is to “extend” their life. Let’s go back to the earlier example. Let’s say your use year was Mar. 1, 2007-Feb. 28, 2008. As long as you notified SVC by Nov. 1, 2007 you could carryforward your points within SVC to take them to Feb. 28, 2009. If you still couldn’t use them by Feb. 29, 2009, you could deposit them in RCI points and extend their use to Feb.28, 2011. No fee to deposit them into RCI, but there would be the usual RCI exchange fee when you finally used your points.

Thanks so much. This is the best site for newbies with Shell. Any chance you might have a link to a chart showing SVC points conversing to RCI resorts?

 

[pfaff]

One week point conversion:
2500 points : studio
3500 points : 1 bedroom
4500 points : 2 bedroom
5500 points : 3 bedroom

I had to pay the $174.00 fee to start a search when I deposited. One downfall is that you don't get regular rci online access. You will have to go with the luck of the draw or pay attention to the sightings on this site for a specific resort.

 

[CatLovers]

VERY COOL! New online search feature at SVC!

You can now search online at SVC if you are a member. Log on like you normally do, and then select the Point & Play option under Reservations on the left-hand side. After that, it's pretty easy to follow the instructions. This gives you instant availability at almost all their resorts, and you can book it online as well. VERY COOL!

 

[starlifter]

Your maintenance fee will increase if you purchase more points. The fees for Shell West are calculated as follows (2009) if you want 7000 points: It is $315 dollars for the first 1350 points, it is Shell's flat rate. Then $0.161 for all points after. Shell West's club fee is 147.50. So for 7000 points it would be $1372.50

7000-1350= 5650 x $0.161= $909.65 + $315= $1224.65 + $147.50= $1372.15

This is not the same for Hawaii, Arizona, Mexico, etc. They all have different flat rate pricing and point amounts but are all figured out the same way.

I am trying to see if I have this figured out or not. If I had say, 4 WEST contracts and were to merge them.

Contract A= 3075 pts
Contract B= 1750 pts
Contract C= 1500 pts
Contract D= 2500 pts
Total pts = 8825

Contract A = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $277
Club Fee = $147
Total = $739

Contract B = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $ 65
Club Fee = $147
Total = $527

Contract C = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $24
Club Fee = $147
Total = $486

Contract D = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $185
Club Fee = $147
Total = $647


Contract A= $739
Contract B= $527
Contract C= $486
Contract D= $647
Total Fees = $2399

By combining the accounts...

Contract A = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $1203
Club Fee = $147
Total = $1665

Separate accounts = $2399
Combined = $1665
Savings = $734

Is this correct? Am I missing something?

 

[DahliaK1]

SVC Points Re-Sale Market

I have had multiple headaches with solicitations from companies who say they can sell my SVC timeshare. I have read multiple TUG posts as I try to research companies and industry practices - I am learning more all the time. But I am pretty weary.

I have read the how to buy and sell post and may take the time to aggressively advertise the TS myself.

But my question is: Is there a good re-sale market on TUG for SVC points?

This is not an advertisement, just a question of whether or not SVC points sell well here and what the likelihood is of finding a buyer here?

 

[pfaff]

Your math looks correct, but the values have risen a little. I can't find my bill so I can't tell you what the new values are. First, you would be saving by only paying one club fee instead of four. Also, the first 1350 points actually cost you $0.24 on each contract so you would save there too. However, you can only combine contracts if they are all the same home club as you stated Shell West contracts. I would call Shell to confirm that those contracts are eligible to be merged. 877 Shell 10

I am trying to see if I have this figured out or not. If I had say, 4 WEST contracts and were to merge them.

Contract A= 3075 pts
Contract B= 1750 pts
Contract C= 1500 pts
Contract D= 2500 pts
Total pts = 8825

Contract A = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $277
Club Fee = $147
Total = $739

Contract B = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $ 65
Club Fee = $147
Total = $527

Contract C = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $24
Club Fee = $147
Total = $486

Contract D = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $185
Club Fee = $147
Total = $647


Contract A= $739
Contract B= $527
Contract C= $486
Contract D= $647
Total Fees = $2399

By combining the accounts...

Contract A = First 1350 pts = $315
Remainder pts x .161 = $1203
Club Fee = $147
Total = $1665

Separate accounts = $2399
Combined = $1665
Savings = $734

Is this correct? Am I missing something?

 

[Picker57]

Hi Dave - There's also a pretty informative section in the Shell website (Might be in the "Members Only" section) that describes the points manipulations/calculations. I would have thought they'd be merged automatically if they're in the same club. Yes, much more expensive to have points in different clubs.

------Zach

 

[akp]

[Deleted]

[I'm sorry, but this isn't permitted in the forums - please consider using the free private trading area in the TUG Marketplace. - DeniseM Moderator]

 

[pastpob]

Ok, total newbie here and I just found this site, which looks totally helpful compared to the "knowledge" of the sales people at the Vino Bello in Napa. Ok, so we finally took the plunge and bought some points at Vino Bello. We bought the minimum that we needed to in order to convert our one week at the Legacy in Phoenix and one week in Kona Coast in Hawaii to points. We have owned the weeks for a number of years and we just don't go back to these places and hate "exchanging" and figured it would be more flexible for us to be in the points system, especially now that we have kids. We bought the weeks at the Legacy and Kona Coast prior to having kids.

Ok, the sales folks told us that we be combining all the points into one bank and that we would now be paying one maintenance fee.

They also said that we would have the same priority with our "converted" points as we have with our newly purchased Vino Bello points. Living in the SF Bay Area, we like the idea of being able to drive to Napa and use the Vino Bello, and not have to book one whole week. But, if we are going to have problems getting in because our "converted" points have originated from the weeks from Kona Coast and the Legacy and don't carry the same priority at the Vino Bello as "purchased" points at the Vino Bello, that isn't much of an advantage anymore.

Also, I hope my understanding of the paperwork/contract is wrong in that, since the "converted" points are not considered a "home club" for me at the Vino Bello, can I only make reservations at the Vino Bello using the converted points 9 months out? I assume I can make my Vino Bello reservations 12 months out if I use the newly purchased points?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I know there will be some that will say that I should not have converted, but I have already made that decision. My question now is that did the salespeople mislead me in thinking that all the points are now part of the same priority and will be part of one large bank?

Thanks in advance!

H

 

[LisaH]

H , welcome to TUG! I don't own at Shell so have very little to offer you. I know you said that you have made your decision to convert. However, in most of the cases, buying directly from developer does not make economic sense at all. I hope others will chime in to give you more sound advice.

 

[Picker57]

We converted our Paniolo Greens week to points some time ago, and Hawaii was deemed our Home Club. We've purchased more points, but always for Hawaii. It makes sense that, since you purchased at Vino Bello, that would become your home club, and I'm sure that Shell COULD do anything they wanted to as far as getting your converted points designated for the same Club. I would start a correspondence with Shell to verify that, and have the name of the salesperson handy.

As to starting a conversation about the advisability of converting to points - we're still ambivalent after all these years, so I hope we don't restart a lengthy debate on that. The key thing is learning how to best use your points, and there's plenty of information on TUG. Best wishes for your new acquisition.

--Zach

 

[shellboy]

Pastpob - I think based on your statement (from the contract), you likely have points in three different home clubs at this point (California, Arizona and Hawaii). These can all be combined into a single point account. You need to get all the use years aligned if not already (points become available on the same date from all three clubs). You will only have 12 month priority for the number of points assigned to each home club (purchased amount at California, converted amount at Kona, or converted amount at Legacy). At 9 months out, all the points can be used at any Shell property. My experience has been that you can get what you want at 9 months (may find exception for really high demand time). I recently stayed at Vino Bello for a few nights with some extra Hawaii points, reserving a midweek stay at about two months out. Had you found TUG earlier, I would have suggested a different solution, but at this point you just need to concentrate on maximizing your points benefit, as stated by Picker57.

 

[pastpob]

Thanks for the welcome Lisa. And, thanks for the input so far from you and everyone else!

Yeah, let's please not turn this into a debate about how I could have obtained a better deal if I did not buy directly from Shell because that part is done (well, not really since I believe there is a 7 day right of rescission). But what I am most wanting to understand is how easy or how difficult it will be to use the "converted" points along with my newly "purchased" points and if the priority of said points are different.

I thought in this very thread, I read about someone who was not having very much luck with his/her reservations even at 9 months out but maybe I am making too big of a stink. I doubt I will ever need to make a reservation more than 9 months out, but I just would hate to think that at 9 months out it may be difficult to make a reservation using different sources of points.

Thanks again and any other advice or input would be greatly appreciated!!

H

 

[pastpob]

ok, so i have until monday to cancel my contract. my main objective was to get rid of my "deeded" weeks at the AZ and Hawaii clubs since it is not easy for my family to fly out to these locations due to cost and the kids we now have. so i ended up buying the minimum number of points at Vino Bello and they allowed me to convert my two other clubs to points. the sales folks told me that it would be under one home club (Vino Bello) but of course I confirmed that isn't true. I will have 3 home clubs at this point.

the sales folks also told me that my HOA would be much cheaper than before since i will now combine all points under one club. again, not true. in fact, for some reason, the new HOA on my AZ club is much cheaper than my prior HOA, but then my new HAWAII HOA is much more expensive than my prior HOA. no one could tell me why that is. net, net, i save a whopping $1 between the two when you total it all up. again, not what the sales person and his manager told me!

i was told that simply calling Shell and telling them that i want to convert my two weeks to points would cost me around the same as buying the minimum 1250 points at Vino Bello and that would allow me to convert the 2 clubs to points. they said that usually they only allow someone to convert one club when you buy the minimum. not sure if that was just another sales pitch or not.

what other solutions are there out there...i know i said before in an earlier post that i didn't want that to be the theme of the responses, but now i am wondering if i do have a better alternative at this point. any quick tips before monday is greatly appreciated!

thanks!

H

 

[Picker57]

Hmm.....it seems like you need to decide whether the advantage of being in points outweighs the extra fees you'll be paying by being in three separate Home Clubs. However I still think these people CAN do anything they want to as far as designating a Home Club, and maybe the real possibility of your canceling your contract would accomplish that.

If you are prepared to cancel, another option might be to just use your current deeded weeks as rentals (maybe use them occasionally) and proceed to buy Shell points resale. Playing hardball before Monday can't really lose you anything. Good luck.

---Zach

 

[kvp]

I would cancel then explore the options available to you. If you have multiple home clubs, you'll need to pay separate maintenance fees; so this could cost you way more than you expected. I believe that the MF for the Hawaii club is more than for the other clubs. Typically Hawaii timeshares have high MFs. The MF for our timeshare in Popiu (not a Shell property) is $1,600 per year! (It was around $700 when we bought in 1996.) It's cheaper to rent a condo in Kauai for a week than it is to pay the MF!

We bought 1,200 Shell points in the West club a few years back from the developer for about $8,000. What an outrageous price! About a year ago, we bought 1,250 Shell points for abour $1.00 plus closing costs. I think we bought on eBay then. I made sure to buy into the same home club to keep the maintenace fees reasonable. They're still high though. It took quite a while for Shell to get the two accounts combined and we had to pay MFs on both accounts for a while.

Anyway, I say cancel the contact and spend some time exploring your options.

Good luck!

Kathy

 

[Picker57]

I would cancel then explore the options available to you.

Definitely good advice.

The MF for our timeshare in Popiu (not a Shell property) is $1,600 per year! (It was around $700 when we bought in 1996.) It's cheaper to rent a condo in Kauai for a week than it is to pay the MF!

That's the real hidden cost in owning a timeshare. Actually, I feel like Shell's MF's have risen fairly reasonably, though it still ends up costing us around $110/night in fees for a 1 BR.

We bought 1,200 Shell points in the West club a few years back from the developer for about $8,000. What an outrageous price!

We did the same thing - in multiples (we're slow learners and it was in our pre-TUG days). It goes into the 'what's done is done' file. Key now is to study TUG and other resources for how best to use and enjoy the timeshares.

Anyway, I say cancel the contact and spend some time exploring your options.

Again, definitely good advice. Quick non-related question: I didn't realize Shell HAD a property in Carlsbad. Is it one of the non-Shell properties that they can book into?

-----Zach

 

[pastpob]

Thanks to everyone who gave me all the great input! I sent my cancellation form/letter today. The loan officer (not sales) at Shell already acknowledged receiving it and the contract is now cancelled! WOW! I can't thank everyone and this great site enough! I'm so glad I found it. I knew though that I was not comfortable with the transaction, otherwise, I would have never even done a search for a site like this.

What's next? I still like the idea of trying to get some points sooner or later. I'll just take my time though and find the right way to do it. I'm sure I'll be asking for some advice from the great folks on this site.

H

 

[Picker57]

There are a lot of great websites for gathering information. One that I highly recommend is timesharestogo.com. Tom has a lot excellent information, such as his 'timeshares 101'. Happy learning !

Zach

 

[kvp]

. Quick non-related question: I didn't realize Shell HAD a property in Carlsbad. Is it one of the non-Shell properties that they can book into?

-----Zach[/B]

There are many timeshares in Carlsbad, but none are Shell properties. We owe a week at Grand Pacific Palisades in Carlsbad and two weeks at The Point at Poipu in Kauai, RCI points, and Shell points.

Kathy

 

[Picker57]

Ah....I misread. Glad mebbe I'm NOT losing my mind altogether(?). Carlsbad area has been on our bucket list for a while; will check out rentals. Thanks.

Zach

 

[talez]

Glad to see you've cancelled

Hi Pastpod,

I'm glad you canceled the contract. Just remember, sales people will say anything go get a sale! They will let you deal with the gotchas and headaches later.

If you want to get SVC (or any timeshare) go for aftermarket. You'll find many owners will gladly give you their ownership.

I for one is already sick of the maintenance cost. Although I did enjoy the stays at a few of the SVC locations, the maintenance cost + the initial cost (yes I made the mistake buying direct) really don't justify it.

 

[DrBopp]

Hello

Hello Tuggers! I am considering a purchase of some SVC points for a stay in SF in 2012. I have been reading posts from several years back to the present(including this thread) and my questions are;
1) I have read that I could combine points for 2 years, 2011 & 2012 in my case to use in 2012. If I don't have enough, how much would I have to pay per point to reserve a place?
2)Does SVC have a 45-60 day Instant Exchange Feature? I have not seen it mentioned in my readings.
3)Depending on how many people come on this trip, it may be 2 or 3 people. Suites at Fisherman's Wharf is the only resort on SVC that offers a 2BR condo. Does anyone know what kind of condition it is in?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Gordon

 

[Picker57]

1) I have read that I could combine points for 2 years, 2011 & 2012 in my case to use in 2012. If I don't have enough, how much would I have to pay per point to reserve a place?

I'm pretty sure 'rental points' are still $.25/ point - more than maintenance fees but you only need buy when needed. They are $.15/point when rented within 14 days of trip (good for last-minute getaways). jFor comparison, maintenance fees - at least for Hawaii - average out to around $.21/point depending on how many you have.

2)Does SVC have a 45-60 day Instant Exchange Feature? I have not seen it mentioned in my readings.
Hmm...not familiar with that term.

3)Depending on how many people come on this trip, it may be 2 or 3 people. Suites at Fisherman's Wharf is the only resort on SVC that offers a 2BR condo. Does anyone know what kind of condition it is in?

There are reviews in the TUG Resort Reviews (members) section. You might also check out Trip Advisor for reviews. We're planning on that place for a future trip. I figure 'It's in San Fran, a block from The Wharf,....how bad can it be?" Good luck.

---Zach

 

[JohnPaul]

Thanks for that.

How far in advance can you book stays that are not a full week? Like a 4 night vacation and use only 4 night's worth of points? I heard it was only 4 months in advance. Is that true? Is there any home resort priority when booking shorter stays?

At 60 days out, you can book only 1 night. From 61 - 307 nights out you have to book 2 nights. Beyond that it is a week minimum.