Bonus Time coming to Club Wyndham???

[Eric B]

… that’s one of the enhancements listed for the website I just got! Just described as being the ability to pay for a reservation with cash instead of points with no further details. Hopefully it’s at a lower rate than $12/1,000 points.

 

[Rolltydr]

Wow! Nothing like an email from Wyndham touting upcoming website upgrades to make one realize just how antiquated the website is. And, they still don’t have an app! At all!

• Recent Searches - see a list of destinations and resorts that were recently searched for.
• Flexible Search - search by length of stay (number of nights, weekend, week, etc.) as well as preferred month of stay.
• Waitlist Text Option - add a mobile phone number to your waitlist request to receive a match notification via SMS text message.
• Modify Nights - ability to remove nights from booked reservations.
• Bonus Time - option to pay for reservations using cash instead of points.

 

[NHTraveler]

And, they still don’t have an app! At all!

An app should be arriving some time in 2050. It is Wyndham speed.

 

[HitchHiker71]

An app should be arriving some time in 2050. It is Wyndham speed.

It will be released either later this year or early next year. I’ve been participating in sessions to review the upcoming app - it’s real.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[paxsarah]

Club Wyndham accidentally let it slip last week in its Facebook group.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

What exactly is “bonus time?”

 

[geist1223]

In Worldmark Bonus Time is a short fused cash option that includes the House Keeping Costs.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

In Worldmark Bonus Time is a short fused cash option that includes the House Keeping Costs.

So less than the $12 per thousand points that Wyndham currently charges?

 

[bnoble]

Time will tell.

 

[geist1223]

So less than the $12 per thousand points that Wyndham currently charges?

You are not renting Points but the Reservation. Also remember the approximate ratio is 13-16 Wyndham Points to 1 Worldmark Credit.

We have never used Bonus Time in 22 years. It is only a 2 week time fuze. We have pets and have to coordinate our very in demand House/Pet Sitter.

 

[pauljeffrey10]

If the app is as bad as the website it will be nothing but hugely frustrating.
....."something unexpected happened".....

 

[paxsarah]

Also remember the approximate ratio is 13-16 Wyndham Points to 1 Worldmark Credit.

It doesn’t seem that this is relevant.

 

[CO skier]

Also remember the approximate ratio is 13-16 Wyndham Points to 1 Worldmark Credit....

It doesn’t seem that this is relevant.

WorldMark Bonus Time is currently $0.085/credit. That would make the conversion rate, arithmetically, for Club Wyndham:

$6.54/1000 at 13:1 ($0.085/13*1000)

$5.31/1000 at 16:1 ($0.085/16*1000)

Time will tell.

 

[CO skier]

It is only a 2 week time fuze.

The WorldMark Bonus Time rate also applies to Inventory Specials that have a 60-day fuze at select (but a significant number of) resorts, which has been extended to 90 days for the past few years.

 

[scootr5]

I did a survey a year or so ago, and one of the questions was if I would be interested in being able to pay cash for a stay instead of using points.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

How would this not completely destroy the value of the product? Unless the points are priced so high that the maintenance fees are still much lower than what they’re charging? Or can you only do this in a very narrow window close to check-in?

 

[Eric B]

How would this not completely destroy the value of the product? Unless the points are priced so high that the maintenance fees are still much lower than what they’re charging? Or can you only do this in a very narrow window close to check-in?

The way it works in WorldMark is that you can pay for a reservation in unused inventory within 14 days of check in for CONUS resorts and 30 days of check in for others. That is within the timeframe that most TS systems allow the developer to rent out stays to the general public. In WorldMark it provides another option for inventory that no one has chosen to book until the point when it would already be available to the general public and it provides another market of customers to actually use the inventory for a reasonable price. The result there is income to the system that it would not otherwise have.

If Wyndham does a similar thing in Club Wyndham Plus, it would more likely be income to the developer than helping to cover the costs of resort operations, as is the case with WorldMark. It still doesn't seem like a horrible idea unless they price it too high as well as having a narrow reservation window. Time will tell.

 

[Floridaman76]

I just wonder how this will impact our ability to get upgrades in the VIP upgrade window. I have a lot of questions, like, when will this inventory be available to be taken. As it is now, with the website so flaky, it's harder to get upgrades reliably inside the VIP upgrade window.

Even when the website shows inventory, rather than getting the instant upgrade we are entitled to, you have to more often than not select "opt in" to upgrades, which may or may not happen. And if you are inside your cancellation window (15 day) and NEED the upgrade, that's a risk. I'm so frustrated by this website nonsense and prefer they fix it, rather than add new features.

 

[paxsarah]

That is within the timeframe that most TS systems allow the developer to rent out stays to the general public.

30 days is indeed the window in the Fairshare Vacation Plan documents where Wyndham has free rein to do what it wants with unbooked inventory (it can take some at 60 days but not the last 10%). I do see how this would further devalue Bronze benefits especially - although I view Bronze as nearly valueless already, it would really put the nail in the coffin of any pretense of the 15-day upgrade window ever bearing fruit.

 

[dioxide45]

30 days is indeed the window in the Fairshare Vacation Plan documents where Wyndham has free rein to do what it wants with unbooked inventory (it can take some at 60 days but not the last 10%). I do see how this would further devalue Bronze benefits especially - although I view Bronze as nearly valueless already, it would really put the nail in the coffin of any pretense of the 15-day upgrade window ever bearing fruit.

It may depend on what they dump into Bonus Time. Perhaps larger units won't be priced attractively or available at all?

 

[CO skier]

30 days is indeed the window in the Fairshare Vacation Plan documents where Wyndham has free rein to do what it wants with unbooked inventory (it can take some at 60 days but not the last 10%).

WorldMark has a 45-day window "where Wyndham has free rein to do what it wants with unbooked inventory". It has nothing to do with Bonus Time. In WorldMark, Bonus Time payments accrue to WorldMark the Club, not the Developer.

 

[CO skier]

It may depend on what they dump into Bonus Time. Perhaps larger units won't be priced attractively or available at all?

In WorldMark, 100% of the available inventory is available for Bonus Time booking within 14 days of arrival and Inventory Specials at Bonus Time rates within 90 days of arrival (nothing is reserved by the Developer then "dumped" into Bonus Time Inventory).

 

[chriskre]

I would welcome this as in the past it's never made sense to try to complete a reservation with renting points with the extra housekeeping fees.
I've found it Cheaper to do an RCI last call.

 

[WManning]

So less than the $12 per thousand points that Wyndham currently charges?

Worldmark is $.085 per credit with a minimum of $80 per night. I just booked at Sea Gardens a 2 bedroom deluxe in Ocean Palms for 2 nights $238 total cost. No housekeeping fee or taxes. 2 bedroom condo with full kitchen, 2 baths and a washer and dryer for $109 per night!

 

[CYRUS2400]

Worldmark is $.085 per credit with a minimum of $80 per night. I just booked at Sea Gardens a 2 bedroom deluxe in Ocean Palms for 2 nights $238 total cost. No housekeeping fee or taxes. 2 bedroom condo with full kitchen, 2 baths and a washer and dryer for $109 per night!

How far in advance of the stay did you book? And, is there a cancellation with refund time?

That's a very good deal. As a VIPP with free housekeeping, I could get into a 2BR DLX (not in Ocean Palm) with an upgrade for about $63 ($7/1000). If I went directly to Ocean Palms, it would cost $126 (VIPP 50% discount). Price without discount/upgrade would be $252 PLUS the Housekeeping Fee.

Worldmark is offering a heck of deal, IMHO. I really don't see Wyndham being so generous.