Bank Covid StarOptions with Vistana or Deposit Weeks in Interval?

[PamMo]

For non-elite members, the 2020 deadline is coming up on June 30th to bank StarOptions.

Most of us have only been able to dream of taking fantastic vacations to our favorite resorts this year, so we're sitting on a lot of StarOptions. I want to confirm that when you bank your 2020 StarOptions in Vistana, you cannot use them in the future to make an Interval exchange. Is that correct? We can either bank StarOptions with Vistana to be used by the end of 2022 in VSN (with the 8 month reservation window) OR deposit full weeks in Interval to be used by the end of 2022?

I'm trying to figure out what to do. If most owners bank their 2020 StarOptions, competition will be brutal for units in VSN, and there will be very few Vistana deposits in Interval. What are you doing with your StarOptions this year?

 

[SteelerGal]

I banked my SO and it indicated that I had until 2022. I don’t know if this was a one time deal.

 

[PamMo]

Thanks, SteelerlGal. I'm pretty sure you always get two more years to use the banked StarOptions in SVN. I just want to make sure that you cannot use those underlying banked weeks for an Interval exchange if you can't find something in VSN.

 

[jabberwocky]

Banking always gives you an extra two years.
As part of the SO banking process you are agreeing to give up your right to the underlying week - so I don’t think it can be deposited in II. There is a mechanism to deposit SO into interval - but I’m not sure if bankers SO can be used for this.

personally I would bank them. My guess is that a whole bunch of 2020 units from multiple systems are getting deposited to II - so competition will be fierce in II as well. I’d rather have the relatively smoother experience of booking via SO than hoping something comes up in II.

Keep in mind that a lot of the 2020 SO for 2021 usage will be restricted SO - not banked. You’ll have a head start on those.

 

[PamMo]

...Keep in mind that a lot of the 2020 SO for 2021 usage will be restricted SO - not banked. You’ll have a head start on those.

Thank you, jabberwocky. You make a very good point about the unfortunate owners who were only able to salvage restricted SO's out of this year.

 

[jabberwocky]

Thank you, jabberwocky. You make a very good point about the unfortunate owners who were only able to salvage restricted SO's out of this year.

I'm unfortunately one of those. The Canadian/US Border closed two days before we were scheduled to arrive. I was fortunate enough to cancel a couple weeks in Maui at the 62 day mark and banked those SO (so good to 2022).

Upshot is that I have 511k SO available in 2021, 125k of which are restricted.

Edited to add: I should note that the 511k is what we currently have available. It would be more (around 754k) if I were to add in the 176k (WKORV-N) and 67k (WFlex) reservations that I currently have booked for next March/April.

 

[PamMo]

OUCH!!!!

I've cancelled so many weeks, my color coded spreadsheet has run out of distinct colors! This was the year we were going to do a lot of traveling with family before all the grands are in primary school and half of them move to Europe.

At least everyone is healthy.

 

[EnglishmanAbroad]

The one thing I would say about II over VSN is that it does offer many more geographic options, although the standard of accommodation is often, but not always, inferior to VSN. I think both systems are going to be straining under pent up demand when the travel restrictions are lifted and travelers regain their confidence in vacationing again.

We have around 60,000 SO expiring this year that we were looking to use up in Hawaii around Easter just as the pandemic hit so we'll be scrambling to find somewhere to use those before 12/31 and at a time where work commitments allow. We also had a 1BR WKORVN banked with II two years ago that expires this year so just gifted a week in a Lake District resort (2BR cabin) in England to our family over there. Nowhere near the face value of the deposit but much better than letting it lapse.