Fee to pay by Credit Card

[dioxide45]

You also assume that a majority of owners use CC to earn Marriott points or others, which is not established.

The majority paying by credit card (85%) has been established by the Sheraton Flex association. I don't see any reason why that would be different for any of the other associations.

 

[billymach4]

Will MVC / Vistana weeks owners outside the US be charged a credit card fee? I cannot pay by ACH as a Canadian.

You can expand the microscopic print of footnote 8. The last sentence says owners in certain jurisdictions......may not be charged a surcharge at all or as applicable by law.

 

[Hindsite]

I think it’s a scam when any company charges CC fees. It wasn’t a thing 6 years ago but companies big and small took advantage of Covid to start passing it on to the consumer when we could least afford it. It’s like the govt will help the big companies and some of the small companies but screw the individuals that spend the actual money.

In this specific case its the Credit card processing fee that is being passed on to card users, its not a new thing, you have always been paying it one way or another. Its a reason that AMEX isn't accepted in as many places globally as visa and mastercard. Amex generally has a higher processing fee than Visa and mastercard. I won't use Amex when paying at smaller businesses, even if they do take it, as I know it matters to them more than it matters to me. Large corporations can, and do negotiate better rates so I use it with them.

With the near explosive proliferation of rewards cards of all flavours in the US processing fees have gone up. Manor Club 2021 actuals was $149,100 ($1,494MF) vs budget for 2026 of $187,036 (($1,865MF). Processing fees are ever so slightly out-pacing maint fee increases in a context where the Trust will have taken on more inventory, so fewer owners will be actually using CCs.

Given the extent of MVC/MVWs ownerships and assuming that they don't use a CC to pay for their maint fees, they will experience the very extreme of cost penalty relating to subsidising the increased use of expensive CCs by owners. They will have, but not disclose to us, the data on the spread of fee rates by owner and jurisdiction and have probably got an analytics bot, or summer intern, that came up with how much they might save by this approach, even taking into account the loss of management fee revenue.

HoA's/BoD's have been asking owners to avoid using CCs to pay maint fees for decades and its gone in the opposite direction, so it will be no surprise for them to support this even if its a MVC driven proposal.

There are lot of parts of maint fees where I pay for resort facilities or services that I don't value and I accept that because it contributes to the overall resort quality. Paying the premium CC fee for other people to get Bonvoy/airline/amex/chase points when paying their maint fee is something that makes no contribution to the resort and is wholly discretionary. I'll be happy to see my costs for that reduced and some of those that do use the cards see the true cost.

 

[ljmiii]

I suspect those people will just pay the surcharge to still pay by credit card.

Obviously we'll see what the future holds for the Abound Trust. But on TUG we live in rarified air...I doubt many here (if any) bought a bunch of points directly from MVC on credit and then compounded the problem by paying off their MFs every year with yet more money they don't have. 'You don't want my money...you don't get my money' is a visceral reaction none of us need utter.

I do find it interesting that MVC projects that the increase in Bad Debt Expenses, ~5,559,798, will almost wipe out the savings from reductions in credit card fees, ~6,972,429. If you further add in the decrease in projected Exchange Company Dues, ~2,852,141, it's a net loss.

On the other hand, MVC projects that those able to pay their MFs in advance will drive a one time spike in MF Interest Income in 2026 over 2027 of 30.7% (~1,184,171) and increase in Bank/Investment Interest in 2027 over 2026 of 112.1% (~480,511).

 

[igopogo]

As I understand it, the fees collected from parking fees is a revenue item on the resort association budget, so it does go back to offset fees in general.

I’m fairly sure this is not true at GRC. Let’s say 95% sure. Otherwise the owner’s side of the board would not have imposed a retaliatory $10 fee on top of MVC’s $35 fee.

 

[davidvel]

The majority paying by credit card (85%) has been established by the Sheraton Flex association. I don't see any reason why that would be different for any of the other associations.

People paying with credit cards does not equate to people doing so specifically to earn points. Either way, those that do are earning those points on the backs of other owners. It doesn't seem that complicated to me, of all things on TUG. But I get it is emotionally driven by those that want their points subsidized by other people.

 

[ljmiii]

It doesn't seem that complicated to me, of all things on TUG...

I think exactly the same thing...but come to the opposite conclusion. If you have a problem with receivables the last thing you do is make it more difficult for the customer to pay. Discouraging those who must pay their MFs with credit from doing so seems brain dead to me.

 

[dioxide45]

On the other hand, MVC projects that those able to pay their MFs in advance will drive a one time spike in MF Interest Income in 2026 over 2027 of 30.7% (~1,184,171) and increase in Bank/Investment Interest in 2027 over 2026 of 112.1% (~480,511).

This is what I am seeing in the estimated budget @Fasttr posted in this thread. There are two types of interest listed here. One way up another down. Neither have a footnote, so I don't exactly know what the difference is. Is the MF Interest Income down for 2027 because they will collect it and pay it out to the resorts in 2026 and not earn any interest on it in 2027?

 

[ljmiii]

This is what I am seeing in the estimated budget @Fasttr posted in this thread. There are two types of interest listed here. One way up another down. Neither have a footnote, so I don't exactly know what the difference is. Is the MF Interest Income down for 2027 because they will collect it and pay it out to the resorts in 2026 and not earn any interest on it?

I took this to mean that they expect to make more money off of MF interest income in 2026 because of prepayment of 2027 dues. But you are right, without better footnotes it is conjecture.

 

[davidvel]

I think exactly the same thing...but come to the opposite conclusion. If you have a problem with receivables the last thing you do is make it more difficult for the customer to pay. Discouraging those who must pay their MFs with credit from doing so seems brain dead to me.

Anyone that has no ability to pay MF without using a likely 20+% credit card, but want to pay the MF, will not refuse to pay a 3% surcharge. I don't agree it will discourage such people at all.

Let me guess, you use a Marriott branded card to pay MF?

 

[JIMinNC]

Going forward I will use ACH, because that is the financially beneficial decision for me.

We will likely do the same, starting in 2028 for sure. For 2027 fees, it's TBD. I need one more year and a few more nights to qualify for Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, and paying my fees using the Marriott Visa gives me 2-3 Bonvoy nights. If it looks like I might need those nights to reach 50 nights in 2027, I'll gladly pay the 3% fee one time to get that guaranteed nights credit and secure lifetime status. Lifetime Platinum has minimal benefit for us right now since our MVC ownership level gives us Titanium, but if we were to ever scale back our ownership in the coming years, having Lifetime Platinum secured is something of an insurance policy to secure the free breakfast benefit at Marriott hotels. It's not worth jumping through a lot of hoops for, but since I am so close, it makes sense to try to lock it down. Then I'll switch to ACH.

 

[Hindsite]

@JIMinNC won't you get lifetime plat from 10 years of titanium or is it the total number of nights that you are short of?

 

[JIMinNC]

@JIMinNC won't you get lifetime plat from 10 years of titanium or is it the total number of nights that you are short of?

The Titanium we get from our MVC status does not count toward Lifetime status, as far as I know. My understanding has always been that the annual nights-based qualification is what gets you Lifetime. Also, our Titanium status right now is attached to my wife’s Bonvoy membership anyway, not mine, and she is already also Lifetime Platinum.

My goal is to qualify myself for Lifetime Platinum as well, so I get the Platinum benefits even when on a solo trip of some kind. 2027 will be Platinum year 10 for me, and I should hit the 600 nights in early 2028.

 

[dioxide45]

@JIMinNC won't you get lifetime plat from 10 years of titanium or is it the total number of nights that you are short of?

It's a combination of both.

Here are the requirements for lifetime. It doesn't matter how you get the 10 years at Platinum Elite or higher. My wife got lifetime platinum based on a mix of elite nights from timeshare, hotel stays and credit card spend. She met the ears at elite based on our OBL.

 

[vacationtime1]

I don't like MVC imposing fees for using a credit card, but it makes perfect business sense.

MVC has been under enormous pressure to keep MF's steady since the large increases in 2025. This new credit card transaction fee allows them to reduce the stated MF's but actually collect more money when add-on fees are included (do the math).

Theoretically, this should reduce the HOA's non-reimbursable expenses by ~2% (credit card fees) with no impact on the resort experience.

 

[OneTree]

The decision to remove the option of using a credit card with no fee for annual dues at Marriott Vacation Club is reversing many years of providing this perk for vacation points purchased. I've owned for 40 years and when I purchased in the last decade, the sales reps always specifically offered as a benefit for the card they helped me get that I would get 6X in Bonvoy points for each $1 when I paid my fees and dues and for other Marriott purchases. It is a breach of promise. I am losing over $1,100 in Bonvoy points every year due to this change. Marriott Vacation Club misled me and everyone that bought into this perk of buying points through a Marriott credit card. The idea that cutting out the card payment option, unless you pay an inordinately large fee, helps with future dues and fees is misleading. I will never see a reduction in dues and fees resulting from this policy change anywhere near the value of the Bonvoy points I am losing. The Board of Vacation Club meets this week in Orlando. The notice letter I received identified Ronni Nassar, Director of Finance as a contact, email mvctoa@vacationclub.com. I sent an email explaining my objection to this policy and asked that it be communicated to management and the Board. I asked that the Board reverse this decision. I do not know if it makes any difference, but I recommend that everyone who is concerned and upset by this send a message to them and ask that the Board reverse this decision. We can at least communicate our opposition to this policy. They have the authority to reverse it. If you are attending the meeting (I am not), consider introducing a motion to resend this policy. This is a bad policy that removes an important and valuable perk of being an owner.

 

[DanCali]

The decision to remove the option of using a credit card with no fee for annual dues at Marriott Vacation Club is reversing many years of providing this perk for vacation points purchased. I've owned for 40 years and when I purchased in the last decade, the sales reps always specifically offered as a benefit for the card they helped me get that I would get 6X in Bonvoy points for each $1 when I paid my fees and dues and for other Marriott purchases. It is a breach of promise.

If you've owned for 40 year you should know that anything said verbally and is not in writing should be taken with a grain of salt. The only thing that matters is what's in writing...

Moreover, was the option to pay with a credit card really removed (as you say in the thread title)? Or are they just now charging you 3% for that option? If you can still use a credit card and you still get 6x, you need to be clear about what promise was breached, because it's not what you said above: "The sales reps always specifically offered as a benefit for the card they helped me get that I would get 6X in Bonvoy points for each $1 when I paid my fees and dues and for other Marriott purchases" - this seems to still be 100% true because they probably never said "no fees".

I do not know if it makes any difference, but I recommend that everyone who is concerned and upset by this send a message to them and ask that the Board reverse this decision. We can at least communicate our opposition to this policy. They have the authority to reverse it. If you are attending the meeting (I am not), consider introducing a motion to resend this policy. This is a bad policy that removes an important and valuable perk of being an owner.

IMO, the best way to communicate your opposition is to attend a sales presentation and cite this as the #1 reason you are not buying.

 

[PsuFrh]

The decision to remove the option of using a credit card with no fee for annual dues at Marriott Vacation Club is reversing many years of providing this perk for vacation points purchased. I've owned for 40 years and when I purchased in the last decade, the sales reps always specifically offered as a benefit for the card they helped me get that I would get 6X in Bonvoy points for each $1 when I paid my fees and dues and for other Marriott purchases. It is a breach of promise. I am losing over $1,100 in Bonvoy points every year due to this change. Marriott Vacation Club misled me and everyone that bought into this perk of buying points through a Marriott credit card. The idea that cutting out the card payment option, unless you pay an inordinately large fee, helps with future dues and fees is misleading. I will never see a reduction in dues and fees resulting from this policy change anywhere near the value of the Bonvoy points I am losing. The Board of Vacation Club meets this week in Orlando. The notice letter I received identified Ronni Nassar, Director of Finance as a contact, email mvctoa@vacationclub.com. I sent an email explaining my objection to this policy and asked that it be communicated to management and the Board. I asked that the Board reverse this decision. I do not know if it makes any difference, but I recommend that everyone who is concerned and upset by this send a message to them and ask that the Board reverse this decision. We can at least communicate our opposition to this policy. They have the authority to reverse it. If you are attending the meeting (I am not), consider introducing a motion to resend this policy. This is a bad policy that removes an important and valuable perk of being an owner.

Does what you''ve described only apply to fees for points holders or does it include paying Maintenance Fees for weeks owners?

 

[brianfox]

I am a weeks owner. Just logged on to site to pretend to pay $10 extra (toward next years dues). The payment screen still lists credit card as a valid payment method - with NO wording regarding a fee. Furthermore, there is no mention of a fee on the terms or service. NOTE: I did not actually make a payment, so I am not sure if a "surcharge fee" window would have popped up.

 

[hcarman]

The crazy part is they are advertising how now you can pay your monthly loan payment with a credit card, which didn't used to be the case unless you had them do automatic withdrawal each month. But they are charging a fee to pay the maintenance fees with it. Hyatt has done this for several years, but Hyatt has a fee for everything.

 

[brianfox]

So this is my understanding:

CLAIM: The MVC Trust Owners Association voted to "add" 3% processing fee for Trust Owners. This will begin in 2027.

The fact is if you are an owner - Trust OR Weeks - some portion of the 3% processing fee is ALREADY baked into your MF - they make a reasonable assumption of the number of owners who will pay by credit card and calculate the fees, and spread it among all owners in the MF. It essentially becomes a line item in the Operating Budget. EVERYONE shares in paying it, whether they pay by Credit Card or ACH.

Marriott said so: processing fees are currently "funded through the Association’s annual budget, which means they are shared by all Owners regardless of the payment method used.”
So what they are doing to the Trust portal is making the Credit Card payers eat the full 3% directly, and stop making the ACH payers eat anything.

This apparently has not yet hit the Weeks portal. Weeks are a different animal. Every Resort already bakes the 3% into their Operating Budget. MVC cannot just flip the switch and make the portal charge 3%. The resorts get a vote and need to prepare for it.

If you are a TRUST owner who pays by CC, you need to pay 2027 dues early or make a decision on how to pay moving forward.
If you are a WEEKS owner who pays by CC, you might as well get maximum points out of it while you can.
Either way, understand that you are NOT going to suddenly eat a 3% fee out of the blue. You may have already been paying 2% all these years anyway. This is not the game changer the OP is making it out to be...

Regarding CC points:
Early this year, Chase Sapphire Reserve still gave 4x for dues (February statement). This is after Chase changed to a highly restrictive travel award policy that excludes many forms of travel.
If Marriott portal changes and they send you through a third party site that does not code as "hotel", points suddenly become 1x...

 

[PsuFrh]

So this is my understanding:

The MVC Trust Owners Association voted to "add" 3% processing fee for Legacy Owners. This will begin in 2027. (I put those quotes there for a reason I will mention later.)
For Weeks owners it is more complicated.
The fact is if you are a weeks owner, your dues ALREADY factor in an estimate for processing fee - they make a reasonable assumption of the number of owners who will pay by credit card and calculate the fees, and spread it among all owners in the MF. It essentially becomes a line item in the Operating Budget.

But let me be clear: If you are a weeks owner, and have been been paying by CC, you ALREADY HAVE been paying some portion of a credit card swipe surcharge all these years. For that matter, all the check payers have also been paying said surcharge all these years, too...

MVC cannot just flip a switch and force the 3% to the payment portal for Weeks owners. It requires Resorts to adjust their MF accordingly

If you are a Weeks Owner who pays by CC, you already have a surcharge buried in your MF, so you might as well get some points out of it...
So if there IS a change at some point for Weeks owners, the result will be that a Weeks owner sees the full 3% when they swipe their card, and the Weeks owner who pays by check will not.
At that point, paying by a CC suddenly may become a negative proposition.

Early this year, Chase Sapphire Reserve still gave 4x for dues (February statement). This is after Chase changed to a highly restrictive travel award policy that excludes many forms of travel.
If Marriott portal changes and they send you through a third party site that does not code as "hotel", points suddenly become 1x...

This all being said, I think the OP outrage is very misplaced.
Remember how I said Weeks owners already have the surcharge baked into the MF?
Well, so do Legacy Owners.
Marriott said so: processing fees are currently "funded through the Association’s annual budget, which means they are shared by all Owners regardless of the payment method used.”
So what they are really doing by making this change is making the Credit Card payers eat the full 3% directly, and stop making the ACH payers eat anything. I am not a Marriott apologist by any means, and I was pretty damned concerned after reading the thread title and before researching. Thankfully, this is more of a nothingburger.

Thank you for your very informative explanation.

 

[Hindsite]

The decision to remove the option of using a credit card with no fee for annual dues at Marriott Vacation Club

There is no removal, you have always paid the processing feel, its a line item in the Trust budget and also in the weeks budgets. As a Trust points owner, you've previously been paying towards the CC fees of weeks owners, as the Trust pays the maint fees on weeks, and you've also been contributing to the maint fees of Trust points owners via the Trust budget.

For decades weeks associations have been asking owners to avoid paying via CC for decades, now they are actually doing something to put the cost of the CC processing fees to the people that use CC. There will still be CC processing fee lines in the Trust and weeks budgets for jurisdictions that don't allow the costs to go to the CC user, but it is a start and if it encourages more people to use low cost payment method or the absorb the cost of their choice of payment, then that's good, as it reduces maint fees for us all.

 

[Fasttr]

A retraction email from MVC…

Dear Marriott Vacation Club Trust Owner,

I am writing to share an important update regarding maintenance fee payments for the 2027 billing cycle.

On August 26, you received a preliminary proposal for the 2027 budget, which included a proposed surcharge when paying your maintenance fee via credit card.

That proposal was one of the many initiatives included in developing the 2027 Association budget. While cost management remains a key responsibility, it became clear that the credit card surcharge was not the right tool.

Over the past several weeks, many Owners have shared their thoughts and concerns about the proposed surcharge. I thank everyone who reached out and took the time to provide feedback. We heard you and it made a difference.

Quite simply, we underestimated how strongly and passionately many Owners value the flexibility, convenience and benefits that come with paying maintenance fees by credit card.

We take responsibility for that, and we are taking the following action.

Working with the Association Board, we have decided not to move forward with the proposed surcharge. This update will be reflected in the 2027 budget and maintenance fee bill, which will not include a credit card surcharge.

We will continue working alongside your Association Board to identify additional ways to operate efficiently, while still delivering great hospitality experiences.

Your perspective matters, and in this case, helped us recognize the need to revisit the original recommendation. We appreciate your continued trust and look forward to welcoming you on your next vacation.

 

[MikeM132]

The Titanium we get from our MVC status does not count toward Lifetime status, as far as I know. My understanding has always been that the annual nights-based qualification is what gets you Lifetime. Also, our Titanium status right now is attached to my wife’s Bonvoy membership anyway, not mine, and she is already also Lifetime Platinum.

My goal is to qualify myself for Lifetime Platinum as well, so I get the Platinum benefits even when on a solo trip of some kind. 2027 will be Platinum year 10 for me, and I should hit the 600 nights in early 2028.

Somehow I got lifetime Platinum awhile ago. It never did me any good at all until this past year at a real Marriott hotel where I got lounge access and a free breakfast. The mythical room upgrade continues to elude me.