Borrowing Staroptions from future years

[Henry M.]

I know you are supposed to be able to borrow Staroptions from future years by paying the maintenance fees. I may be interested in doing this, but I can't seem to find where to get more information in the Vistana web site or in the Owner Resources sticky here. Calling Vistana just results in dropped calls, even though it tells me it is connecting me to an associate.

1.) Does anybody know where this process is described in the Vistana site?
2.) Has anybody done this?
3.) Can you borrow Staroptions from one location to be used at another one?
4.) How long does the process take?

It would be helpful if I could reserve a WKORV week in 2021 with my WSJ Staroptions from my EOY use of 2022. I'm not planning to go to St. John next year.

 

[dioxide45]

A StarOption is a StarOption. So borrowed StarOptions can be used like others to book other resorts. You must prepay your fees for the use year you are borrowing from. You also must call to borrow StarOptions and they will only borrow enough to make whatever reservation you are making. This also means you have to call at 9am to make the reservation and you can't do it online at midnight like you can with banked or current use year StarOptions.

 

[Henry M.]

Thank you. Calling seems to be pretty difficult right now. I've called both the elite and normal numbers ad get to the point where they ask for my phone number and match it to my account. It then says they're transferring me to an associate and the call drops.

I'm not concerned about making the reservation at midnight, as there is plenty of availability for what I want.

Does this essentially mean my 2022 WSJ week becomes all Staroptions? I have a 2BR unit in St. John worth 148,100 Starpoints. If I don't use all those points, do I just have get the remainder Staroptions in 2022, no more home resort period at WSJ? They are then bankable for future years? I'm not sure I'll be using the exact number of Staroptions, since I'm looking at reserving an odd number of days in just a 1 BR. I want to understand how the system works.

What happens to the borrowed Staroptions if you have to cancel the reservation?

 

[dioxide45]

Yes, if you break your week by borrowing some StarOptions, the rest of it becomes StarOptions. An exception may be if you own a lock off and take StarOptions allocated to just one half or part of one half. You could then keep the other half for home resort usage.

If you cancel the reservation with borrowed options, the borrowed options go back to their use year as StarOptions.

 

[Henry M.]

Very helpful.

If I cancel everything, I don't get my original future week back, right?

Too bad I can't borrow online. The hardest part of this is getting through to an agent to make the reservation.

 

[YYJMSP]

Very helpful.

If I cancel everything, I don't get my original future week back, right?

Too bad I can't borrow online. The hardest part of this is getting through to an agent to make the reservation.

If you cancel, it goes back as StarOptions into the original use year, so you lose your week

 

[Henry M.]

So to summarize:

Borrowing Staroptions from a future year:

1. Call Vistana to request the Staroptions needed to make a reservation at any resort you wish to use.
2. Select a future week from which to take the Staroptions. The full week will turn into Staroptions and you lose that week as a home resort week. You can use Staroptions from one side of a lock-off without disturbing the other side.
3. Pay the maintenance fee for the week you want to borrow from.
4. The appropriate number of Staroptions needed for a current year reservation will be used.
5. Any cancellation results in the Staroptions going back to the original use year.
6. Other than the maintenance fee, there is no cost to borrow Staroptions.

How are EOY Staroptions handled? Can I borrow from an EOY use year to use the prior year? Can I borrow from two years into the future if this year is my use year and I need more Starpoints?

I think this information should go into the Owner Resources sticky @DeniseM.

 

[dioxide45]

No more home resort priority once you borrow options.

 

[dioxide45]

How are EOY Staroptions handled? Can I borrow from an EOY use year to use the prior year? Can I borrow from two years into the future if this year is my use year and I need more Starpoints?

EOY are more tricky. You can only borrow into a use year that you also have use. So if you have 2022 use (every even year ownership), you can't borrow those StarOptions into 2021. You would need to have an EOY with use in 2023 in order to borrow those into 2021. In order to borrow the 2023 StarOptions, you would also have to pay the 2022 and 2023 MFs.

 

[Henry M.]

I appreciate all the details provided. EOY options can then only be used in the same type of use year (even or odd). You can borrow from two years into the fut provided you own the right type. In my case, I own even years, so I can't borrow to use in an odd year. Feel free to offer wording changes to this summary:

Borrowing Staroptions from a future year:

1. Call Vistana to request the Staroptions needed to make a reservation at any resort you wish to use.
2. Select a future week from which to take the Staroptions. The full week will turn into Staroptions and you lose that week as a home resort week. You can use Staroptions from one side of a lock-off without disturbing the other side.
3. Pay the maintenance fee for the week you want to borrow from.
4. The appropriate number of Staroptions needed for a current year reservation will be used.
5. Any cancellation results in the Staroptions going back to the original use year.
6. Other than the maintenance fee, there is no cost to borrow Staroptions.

NOTE: EOY Staroptions can only be borrowed to be used in the same type of year of the ownership (odd year to odd year, or even year to even year). You have to pay the full two years of maintenance fees to borrow them. For example, to borrow for use in 2021, you have to own EOY odd, and you would be getting Staroptions from the 2023 use year. You would have to pay the 2022 and 2023 maintenance fees of the unit you are borrowing from.

Borrowing rules can be found in the Vistana Signature Network Disclosure Guide located online under the Governing Documents.
https://vistana-web-static.s3.amazo...ts/hoa/documents/2015-svn-rules-mandatory.pdf

[Thanks to Alwysonvac for the reference to the appropriate document]

 

[alwysonvac]

Borrowing rules can be found in the Vistana Signature Network Disclosure Guide located online under the Governing Documents.

https://vistana-web-static.s3.amazonaws.com/owner-documents/hoa/documents/2015-svn-rules-mandatory.pdf

 

[needvaca]

A StarOption is a StarOption. So borrowed StarOptions can be used like others to book other resorts. You must prepay your fees for the use year you are borrowing from. You also must call to borrow StarOptions and they will only borrow enough to make whatever reservation you are making. This also means you have to call at 9am to make the reservation and you can't do it online at midnight like you can with banked or current use year StarOptions.

so in the next couple months, if I want to borrow 2023 staroptions to make a 2022 reservation, do I have to prepay both my 2022 and 2023 maintenance fees?

 

[dioxide45]

so in the next couple months, if I want to borrow 2023 staroptions to make a 2022 reservation, do I have to prepay both my 2022 and 2023 maintenance fees?

Is this an annual week or an every other year ownership? If it is every other year odd, you won't even be able to borrow into 2022.

 

[needvaca]

Is this an annual week or an every other year ownership? If it is every other year odd, you won't even be able to borrow into 2022.

annual

 

[dioxide45]

annual

I think you only have to prepay the MF for the year you are borrowing from, which would be 2023. That said, is that even possible? Any prepayment would apply to the next fee due. Good question which I don't have an answer.

 

[needvaca]

I think you only have to prepay the MF for the year you are borrowing from, which would be 2023. That said, is that even possible? Any prepayment would apply to the next fee due. Good question which I don't have an answer.

I don't need to make the res for a couple more months- at the 8 month mark, so I guess I'll call Vistana and ask them. but I'm guessing I have to pay for both 2022 and 2023