[2012] "Should My Week(s) Be Enrolled?"

[piper_chuck]

Has anyone tried and been able to extend the expiration date for the 800 pts? I joined last year and the 1 yr date is coming up.

See if you can work out a trade with someone who is getting points now and wants to use them soon.

 

[vacationcrazy]

We need to know how you have used your eligible week in the past and how you plan to use it in the future. Are you retired, close to retirement? There are a number of factors that we would base our advice on.

We have never stayed at Cypress Harbour. We have traded it in II. We have owned it almost 4 years now. We probably will not be retiring for about five years unfortunately. In the future I wouldn't mind going to Orlando, but right now I do like trading for other places. I feel at least flights from CT to Orlando are not too expensive if we are unable to afford going other places once we retire.

 

[JanT]

Quick question. I don't have time to do a search or otherwise I would. If we joined, could we sell the 800 bonus points to someone else for their use? They would expire within a year and there is no way we could use them before then. If we can rent them, well.....we might take the plunge and join.

 

[FractionalTraveler]

Quick question. I don't have time to do a search or otherwise I would. If we joined, could we sell the 800 bonus points to someone else for their use? They would expire within a year and there is no way we could use them before then. If we can rent them, well.....we might take the plunge and join.

Place your 800 points rental here:

http://vacationpointexchange.com/

Many other folks have done this already. The site is great and run by other TUGGERS.

Good Luck

 

[dioxide45]

I own one Marriott Platinum eligible resale week and one week at a non Marriott resort. I do not see how the DC would be a benefit for me as I would have to maintain a II account anyway. Could anyone please weigh in on my situation and give advice as to what to do.
Thanks,

We have never stayed at Cypress Harbour. We have traded it in II. We have owned it almost 4 years now. We probably will not be retiring for about five years unfortunately. In the future I wouldn't mind going to Orlando, but right now I do like trading for other places. I feel at least flights from CT to Orlando are not too expensive if we are unable to afford going other places once we retire.

It seems that you only own one week at CH and you appear to own another week that you will have to maintain II membership for. So you will pay a $165 DC annual fee to only save $119 in exchange fees. So enrolling won't save you any money. You need to determine if that extra cost is worth the additional options you get under DC.

Quick question. I don't have time to do a search or otherwise I would. If we joined, could we sell the 800 bonus points to someone else for their use? They would expire within a year and there is no way we could use them before then. If we can rent them, well.....we might take the plunge and join.

Just make sure you place your ad once you get the points, I have seen several listings of PlusPoints that are real close to expiration, I am guessing they probably went un-rented.

 

[windje2000]

Quick question. I don't have time to do a search or otherwise I would. If we joined, could we sell the 800 bonus points to someone else for their use? They would expire within a year and there is no way we could use them before then. If we can rent them, well.....we might take the plunge and join.

Plus points are not transferable. The occupancy you obtain for plus points can be rented.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170326&highlight=pluspoints

 

[JanT]

Yes, I knew about the site and had visited it previously. I just wasn't sure if I could "rent" them or whatever and didn't have time to really look.

Ok, one last question. Can I make a reservation on line with the 800 points or would I have to call a Marriott DC rep for that?

Thank you everyone. I'm working with a bit of a "handicap" right now and can't get time to look for answers.

J

Place your 800 points rental here:

http://vacationpointexchange.com/

Many other folks have done this already. The site is great and run by other TUGGERS.

Good Luck

 

[dioxide45]

Yes, I knew about the site and had visited it previously. I just wasn't sure if I could "rent" them or whatever and didn't have time to really look.

Ok, one last question. Can I make a reservation on line with the 800 points or would I have to call a Marriott DC rep for that?

Thank you everyone. I'm working with a bit of a "handicap" right now and can't get time to look for answers.

J

You can make the reservation online now. I had 100 extra PlusPoints that I offered up on here for free to any takers. Making the reservation was quick and painless. I was even able to add the other persons name to the reservation when making it online. No need to call to even do that. They even got an e-mail directly from MVCI for the reservation since it permitted me to enter their e-mail address during the reservation process.

 

[JanT]

Thanks, Dioxide! Now just to make that final decision......what to do, what to do. I think we're going to pull the trigger even though we own an EOY, 1 BR resale ($1495 to join since it wasn't a resale through Marriott). Alot of people say don't do it because we can't lock off, etc but we like to vacation for about 10 days at a time. Having the flexibility to do that with points makes it a bit more appealing to us. We can recoup some of the $1495 by renting the 800 plus points. Makes it a little easier to swallow. So....gotta talk to the hubby one last time and then I think we'll pull the trigger.

 

[abg1688]

I just took the plunge and enrolled, even though I am still not sure whether it is a good idea or not But the question is when I will be notified to pay the $169 fee so I can use the new II account?

 

[Ann in CA]

We have never been billed for the annual fee, (only paid the enrollment fee) and the account is active. It has only been a bit over month, so someone in longer should know when they want the payment.

 

[dioxide45]

The annual fee is billed in Oct/Nov last year and was due December 10th. You won't have to pay anything until that time this year. You get a few months free.

 

[korndoc]

It is 1:00 AM and my eyes are blurred trying to read as many posts as possible to help make a decision regarding jointing the Points program.

I have a couple thoughts and questions (please excuse me if these have been asked before):

1. A thought: my Desert Springs Villas I only gets 3200 points, so I may not be able to get into the Marriott resorts I want to go to. Yes, I can rent an additional 1500 points or so, but paying an extra $750 just seems wrong.

2. A Question: I have been splitting my weeks every year. If using points, I guess you don't split your week, right? Points are points. So not only do I lose out with the skim and low point value compared to some of the areas I would prefer going to, I also go from 2 weeks of vacations through II to less than 1 week with the DC program. How is this a good thing?

3. An observation: While reading the first 3-4 pages of this thread I figured I would save money on the annual fees, so why not simply sign up for that reason and to be in the program should that be really necessary in the future. But now I realize I may not be saving money. My Desert Springs Villas is a lock-out unit. Examples have shown I would save the annual II membership fee, the Marriott lock-off fee, and the 2 exchange fees. But those exchange fees would only be saved if I trade into another Marriott. Since I don’t always go to Marriott timeshares, I would not save enough during those years. And as a resale purchaser, I will need to pay $1495 up front, so it will take that much longer to break even. This is a much easier decision if I only had to pay $5-600 to sign up

Thanks, Jeff

 

[m61376]

good morning

m6 just do it... you can't possibly convert your week to points accidentally.... enrolling just gives you the option!!!!

you'll feel better!!!!

ok- so why do I only feel $1995 poorer?
Oh- but I do get some MR points for using my Visa

The process was simple and almost instantaneous. I figured the website may crawl later today and tomorrow, so I'd just, as you said, do it already, but I'm not so sure it wasn't just throwing out a couple of grand. Oh well...time will tell if it was the right decision, but I feel more comfortable that whatever Marriott ultimately has in the works I'll be sitting on the "right" side of the fence.

Maybe I'll get some good ideas from the other thread and put the 800 plus points to good use.

 

[FractionalTraveler]

ok- so why do I only feel $1995 poorer?
Oh- but I do get some MR points for using my Visa

The process was simple and almost instantaneous. I figured the website may crawl later today and tomorrow, so I'd just, as you said, do it already, but I'm not so sure it wasn't just throwing out a couple of grand. Oh well...time will tell if it was the right decision, but I feel more comfortable that whatever Marriott ultimately has in the works I'll be sitting on the "right" side of the fence.

Maybe I'll get some good ideas from the other thread and put the 800 plus points to good use.

Rent the points and get some of your money back. You will feel better.

 

[puckmanfl]

good morning....

m6

just think about all the money you saved by purchasing resale....

enjoy!!!!

 

[klpca]

It is 1:00 AM and my eyes are blurred trying to read as many posts as possible to help make a decision regarding jointing the Points program.

I have a couple thoughts and questions (please excuse me if these have been asked before):

1. A thought: my Desert Springs Villas I only gets 3200 points, so I may not be able to get into the Marriott resorts I want to go to. Yes, I can rent an additional 1500 points or so, but paying an extra $750 just seems wrong.

2. A Question: I have been splitting my weeks every year. If using points, I guess you don't split your week, right? Points are points. So not only do I lose out with the skim and low point value compared to some of the areas I would prefer going to, I also go from 2 weeks of vacations through II to less than 1 week with the DC program. How is this a good thing?

3. An observation: While reading the first 3-4 pages of this thread I figured I would save money on the annual fees, so why not simply sign up for that reason and to be in the program should that be really necessary in the future. But now I realize I may not be saving money. My Desert Springs Villas is a lock-out unit. Examples have shown I would save the annual II membership fee, the Marriott lock-off fee, and the 2 exchange fees. But those exchange fees would only be saved if I trade into another Marriott. Since I don’t always go to Marriott timeshares, I would not save enough during those years. And as a resale purchaser, I will need to pay $1495 up front, so it will take that much longer to break even. This is a much easier decision if I only had to pay $5-600 to sign up

Thanks, Jeff

Honestly Jeff, I'm at the same place as you. I'm worried that I'm being short sighted with respect to the new program, but I can't make the numbers work no matter how hard I try. We have other timeshares so we'll still have to pay the II fee, so no savings there. We plan to stay in our DSV unit at least every other year so only partial savings there. I keep forgetting about the exchange fee being only on our Marriott trades (I try to keep it Marriott to Marriott though), but the Marriott is our only 2 bedroom in II, so sometimes that's the unit I need to use to get the trade. If we weren't resale and we were talking $600, I'd pull the trigger, But with the higher amount, the break even point is more like 7 - 10 years.

If we use it to trade every other year (our current planned usage) our trading costs for the two years would be: $80 (L/O fee), plus two Marriott trading fees $129 + $129. No II account savings since we have to keep our account open for our other timeshares. So a total cost of $338. Program fees for those two years is $165+$165, total $8 net out of pocket, plus the enrollment fee of $1495. Less whatever the value is of 800 points. Obviously at this point the joining fee is just a sunk cost to stay in the program. If we were to exchange every year, the net numbers would be $338 less $165, or a net savings of $173 each year. In the neighborhood of an 8 year break even, less depending on the value of the 800 points. I'm underwhelmed by the value for our particular situation. (and don't even get me started on the skim, lol).

For anyone who is still reading at this point, did I miss anything in my analysis?

 

[FractionalTraveler]

Honestly Jeff, I'm at the same place as you. I'm worried that I'm being short sighted with respect to the new program, but I can't make the numbers work no matter how hard I try. We have other timeshares so we'll still have to pay the II fee, so no savings there. We plan to stay in our DSV unit at least every other year so only partial savings there. I keep forgetting about the exchange fee being only on our Marriott trades (I try to keep it Marriott to Marriott though), but the Marriott is our only 2 bedroom in II, so sometimes that's the unit I need to use to get the trade. If we weren't resale and we were talking $600, I'd pull the trigger, But with the higher amount, the break even point is more like 7 - 10 years.

If we use it to trade every other year (our current planned usage) our trading costs for the two years would be: $80 (L/O fee), plus two Marriott trading fees $129 + $129. No II account savings since we have to keep our account open for our other timeshares. So a total cost of $338. Program fees for those two years is $165+$165, total $8 net out of pocket, plus the enrollment fee of $1495. Less whatever the value is of 800 points. Obviously at this point the joining fee is just a sunk cost to stay in the program. If we were to exchange every year, the net numbers would be $338 less $165, or a net savings of $173 each year. In the neighborhood of an 8 year break even, less depending on the value of the 800 points. I'm underwhelmed by the value for our particular situation. (and don't even get me started on the skim, lol).

For anyone who is still reading at this point, did I miss anything in my analysis?

Understanding your current usage scenarios and applying it to any potential Financial RIO for joining is a great way to begin looking at it.

One thing that IMHO many posters fail to consider in their assessment beyond the numbers is the potential value of the DC program enhancements that will come over time.

This really matters for those who seek ultimate FLEXABILITY and additional vacation OPTIONS.

Since the DC program is not mandatory, it really comes down to paying for the added flex and usage options. If you are happy with what you own and vacation the same way year after year then the existing program is great. But if you are interested in MORE than that, you may want to consider joining for that purpose alone.

 

[SueDonJ]

... For anyone who is still reading at this point, did I miss anything in my analysis?

I don't think so, in both yours and korndoc's situation. Sometimes enrollment just doesn't make much sense and you both seem to be in those shoes. Unless you're ignoring a gut feeling that's telling you that you don't want to let this pricing deadline go by without acting, then it's perfectly understandable for both of you to not enroll your Weeks.

Maybe it will ease your decision if you think of it like this - the coming price increase affects direct purchasers much more than it does resale purchasers. If an Owner of a single direct purchase Week doesn't enroll before the deadline and then changes his/her mind after, the enrollment price takes a huge jump from $595 to $2395. But if either of you should change your mind later, your jump is "only" from $1495 to $2395. Right, it's $900 and that's not chump change, but it's a little bit more palatable than the $1800 for a direct purchaser, isn't it? Plus you'll only suffer it if somewhere down the line you see a benefit to enrollment that you're just not seeing now - and you are no doubt as informed as you can possibly be about the whole shebang.

Is there a risk that some things will change later and you'll wish that you had acted, well sure. But there have been risks all along that changes could be made to Marriott Weeks usage/costs, and we've all accepted those risks throughout the years while being perfectly happy with our vacations. I don't see any blatant foreshadowing that informed folks who continue on with Weeks usage outside the DC will be made unhappy.

 

[klpca]

One thing that IMHO many posters fail to consider in their assessment beyond the numbers is the potential value of the DC program enhancements that will come over time.

This really matters for those who seek ultimate FLEXABILITY and additional vacation OPTIONS.

This is in reference to the point system? Our week is almost worthless in the point system unfortunately (2100 points) so I can't see us getting much value in this scenario. Our week is a case of it being worth more to us than to the DC. For us it is a quick drive-to location, and our weeks are fall weeks, which is when we can get away from work. We can lockoff, or split into 3/4 day reservations. It works for us. But i can see this having a lot of appeal for multi-week owners at high point value resorts.

Maybe it will ease your decision if you think of it like this - the coming price increase affects direct purchasers much more than it does resale purchasers. If an Owner of a single direct purchase Week doesn't enroll before the deadline and then changes his/her mind after, the enrollment price takes a huge jump from $595 to $2395. But if either of you should change your mind later, your jump is "only" from $1495 to $2395. Right, it's $900 and that's not chump change, but it's a little bit more palatable than the $1800 for a direct purchaser, isn't it? Plus you'll only suffer it if somewhere down the line you see a benefit to enrollment that you're just not seeing now - and you are no doubt as informed as you can possibly be about the whole shebang.

Interesting perspective Sue. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm ok with our decision. We'll have to wait to see if it was the correct one.

 

[Cmore]

Klpca,
You've already received very good advice so I won't add to that. Rather, I would point out that just because there is this "supposed" deadline doesn't mean it is a never again, deal. I can think of many situations whereby Marriott MAY (not will) come up with some limited time offers to goose enrollment, or will allow for the purchase of "x" points the ability to enroll, etc. Fact is, a deadline gets people to act, then a limited time offer gets a few more off the fence, etc. These are all very common marketing tactics that get applied in different industries, over and over again.

Given your, korndoc's and many others current usage, single weeks status, etc. not enrolling isn't the end of the world. I enrolled and am very happy with the extra options as they fit our needs better at this time. I say, enjoy your week, and keep an eye out for other offers to enroll. Who knows at some point you might be in the market for an additional week and the option, if available, will be more appealing then.

I wish you many happy vacations !

 

[David10225]

Swore I would never do it...but with my one little resale week I bit the bullet and enrolled...

 

[JanT]

I am ready to hang myself.....sitting on the fence, not sure whether to pull the trigger and join. I've never said we wouldn't join but I can't make the numbers work either. We own a 1 BR Grand Chateau EOY week. We get 2200 points for it - 1100 each year. We use the week to trade (M to M, and to non-Marriotts as well). We have other weeks (2 others that are ineligible to join - why or why didn't I put the other week in when the "loophole" was there?) and SDO and Hyatt. So, I have to have 2 different II accounts anyway. So, no cost savings there. Yes, M to M trading fees are zero so some savings there but eaten up with the $165 fee for DC.

The only two positives I see are that we can use these points to extend our stays to 10 days or so - which we like to do. The other is to trade every fourth year for reward points (for some people it's not worth it but it might for us). Enough of an incentive to join????? I just don't know. For $1495, man it just doesn't see like it's worth it. I can offset some of the cost by renting out the 800 plus points because we absolutely cannot use them before their expiration.

Oh! One question, if I choose points the week, I have to pay the .40 per point for MF's instead of the normal MF, correct?

HELP!!!!!!!! I'm trusting my TUGGER friends that know this system inside/out. Puck?? Dioxide?? SueDon?? Help a TUGGER buddy out here!

Jan

 

[dioxide45]

Oh! One question, if I choose points the week, I have to pay the .40 per point for MF's instead of the normal MF, correct?

Incorrect, nothing changes with your MFs, you pay your regular fees on your week every year. The $0.41 pp MF is for trust point owners only. You are a legacy owner.

 

[dioxide45]

I am ready to hang myself.....sitting on the fence, not sure whether to pull the trigger and join. I've never said we wouldn't join but I can't make the numbers work either. We own a 1 BR Grand Chateau EOY week. We get 2200 points for it - 1100 each year. We use the week to trade (M to M, and to non-Marriotts as well). We have other weeks (2 others that are ineligible to join - why or why didn't I put the other week in when the "loophole" was there?) and SDO and Hyatt. So, I have to have 2 different II accounts anyway. So, no cost savings there. Yes, M to M trading fees are zero so some savings there but eaten up with the $165 fee for DC.

The only two positives I see are that we can use these points to extend our stays to 10 days or so - which we like to do. The other is to trade every fourth year for reward points (for some people it's not worth it but it might for us). Enough of an incentive to join????? I just don't know. For $1495, man it just doesn't see like it's worth it. I can offset some of the cost by renting out the 800 plus points because we absolutely cannot use them before their expiration.

Oh! One question, if I choose points the week, I have to pay the .40 per point for MF's instead of the normal MF, correct?

HELP!!!!!!!! I'm trusting my TUGGER friends that know this system inside/out. Puck?? Dioxide?? SueDon?? Help a TUGGER buddy out here!

Jan

It is tough. Enrolling saves you $12 a year if you enroll. That is because if you lock off and trade both units M to M, you will save the $80 lock off fee and the two $119 exchange fees. You will still have to pay the $165 every year even with your EOY week.

So it will take a loooooong time to pay recoup that $1495 enrollment fee at only $12 a year (over a century ), and that is considering that you never use your home week or trade outside the Marriott system.

So it comes down to the other options. Are they worth the $1495 enrollment fee? Only you can really decide that.

BTW, you actually get 2200 points EOY, not 1100 EY. Though you can get 1100 EY by banking or borrowing. Though you can get more or less than that if you need them.