Interval International makes dramatic changes to their unit upsize exchange policy, and ? upgrade to higher season policy.

[CericRushmore]

I left RCI years ago, but I need to check further to see if I can exchange my 4 studio units in Cocoa Beach with them instead of II. At least their Last Calls were a good bargain.
Update: I looked back on TUG, 2024/5 for information regarding RCI and Ocean Landings. It's not clear if this resort exchanges with RCI. I may rejoin RCI to use their Last Calls.

Ocean landings isn't directly part of RCI. The CA that had bought a few hundred units that defaulted on them, were part of RCI, but that wouldn't apply to people directly like us that are direct owners.

 

[amsunshine]

​ Is there even such a thing? I thought NCV were just 2 Bedrooms?

Right, but it seems like the 2 bedrooms in general have a lower value overall.

 

[DRH90277]

Am I the only one who likes the changes made by Interval? I found it hard to figure out some the changes but the help I got on the phone from Interval was excellent.

We own a number of weeks and points and were poised to buy more points to advance a level on the MVC side. We stopped that exercise as a no value-add proposition for us.

What Interval has now done is a pretty nice enhancement of our week ownerships and likely provides a better alternative to point reservations. Please look at the Interval website and the Trading Values, etc. for your weeks. I focused on the impacts on our portfolio, made a list of questions, and called Interval. I didn't get a sales job but I did get a pretty good way forward with Interval.



Keep in mind that the numerical value assigned to your deposited week is "based on resort quality (as reflected by the Resort Recognition Tier), unit size, travel season, demand, and the date of your deposit." This value is out in the open and is quite understandable.

 

[krj9999]

Update:
So I guess that my studio units will now be useless. I just did a search in the new system. For me to exchange a studio unit in December to a 2 bedroom will be an additional $599. I may as well start using AirBnB's. Please correct me if I am wrong.

View attachment 129930

And that week at SVV is available as a Getaway for $527 (regular member pricing) excluding taxes.

 

[Red elephant]

Am I the only one who likes the changes made by Interval? I found it hard to figure out some the changes but the help I got on the phone from Interval was excellent.

We own a number of weeks and points and were poised to buy more points to advance a level on the MVC side. We stopped that exercise as a no value-add proposition for us.

What Interval has now done is a pretty nice enhancement of our week ownerships and likely provides a better alternative to point reservations. Please look at the Interval website and the Trading Values, etc. for your weeks. I focused on the impacts on our portfolio, made a list of questions, and called Interval. I didn't get a sales job but I did get a pretty good way forward with Interval.



Keep in mind that the numerical value assigned to your deposited week is "based on resort quality (as reflected by the Resort Recognition Tier), unit size, travel season, demand, and the date of your deposit." This value is out in the open and is quite understandable.

I happy for my MOW gold which is enrolled bought for $2000. Has tier 27 from April to October. Trading for KoOlina next October.
My studios from MGC will cost a lot more for the same 2 bedrooms at the France property in June so I might just convert to abound points going forward.

 

[SMB1]

What are the point values?

If you go to the resort directory and click on any resort it will give you the exchange power for that week for the year. I'm pretty sure the exchange value and trading value for weeks are the same.

 

[amsunshine]

If you go to the resort directory and click on any resort it will give you the exchange power for that week for the year. I'm pretty sure the exchange value and trading value for weeks are the same.

No, I was asking Cindy what her values were for Shadow Ridge

ETA: I will check but when I went to the resort directory earlier today, it didn’t give me values.

2nd eta: yeah, it doesn’t give me values in the resort directory.

 

[DRH90277]

If you go to the resort directory and click on any resort it will give you the exchange power for that week for the year. I'm pretty sure the exchange value and trading value for weeks are the same.

Not quite right.

The Interval deposits' Trading Power (TD) will change over the year as the factors driving the TP change. The TP factors are "the value assigned to your deposited week is based on resort quality (as reflected by the Resort Recognition Tier), unit size, travel season, demand, and the date of your deposit." The TP is fixed for the week at the time of deposit and the TP of the target trade will be set as the transaction proceeds. A cash payment will be required if the target week TP is higher than the deposited week. Differences of 0 to 2 points $0, 3 to 5 points $99, 6 to 8 points $199, 9 to 11 points $399, and over 12 points $599.

It was difficult for me to understand this from the sparse material on the website so I had to call Interval and I did receive great help there. The rationale seems quite good to me.

 

[Retired2025 aka AlmostRetired]

I paid the upgrade fee to trade a 1 bedroom Grand Chateau for a 2 MGO for 8/15, both are platinum season. I looked at tried a re-trade just to see impact of new implementation. The GC 1 bedroom of 19 and the Grand Ocean for that date has a trade value has a trade value of 25. A retrade for a Sunset point for mid June had a trade value of 29 and required an additional $99. This would be on top of the $99 upgrade fee already paid.

So a June Sunset has an 8 point difference with a GC 1 bedroom both Platinum. A June Sunset has a higher trade value than an August Grande Ocean for 8/15. Both are Platinum. Won’t know the real impact of 3 bedroom traders until I start from scratch with my 2028 weeks. My guess is it will cost more but still a cost effective way to get 2 weeks in HHI

 

[WBP]

I just completed a deep dive into Interval International’s new exchange methodology, and I have to say: my greatest fear has been realized.

In my opinion, the current Marriott Vacations Worldwide/former Diamond Resorts leadership has fundamentally undermined the traditional week-exchange system that MVCI owners have relied upon for decades.

Specifically, they have:

• Devalued and denigrated the traditional week-exchange methodology, which I believe is designed to push owners away from weeks and toward points and Abound reservations.
• Dramatically increased exchange fees for week owners, making it increasingly expensive and difficult for owners to use Interval International as they have in the past.
• Undermined a system that longtime owners have trusted for decades, including those of us who have used Interval International for 40 years.

This does not feel like an improvement to the owner experience. It feels like a deliberate strategy to make the traditional week product less attractive while steering owners toward the points-based Abound system.

And frankly, these former Diamond Resorts executives are proving to be exactly what I feared they would be: sharks.

What is most troubling is that this is happening under the watch of the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Board of Directors. The Board has a responsibility to protect the interests of its owners and to ensure that changes to the system are not simply a mechanism for extracting more revenue from them.

I hold the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Board of Directors accountable for allowing this to happen.

After 40 years as an MVCI weeks owner, I find this direction deeply disappointing—and, frankly, unacceptable.

 

[krj9999]

No, I was asking Cindy what her values were for Shadow Ridge

ETA: I will check but when I went to the resort directory earlier today, it didn’t give me values.

2nd eta: yeah, it doesn’t give me values in the resort directory.

Click on "Destination Exchange Values" right above "Travel Demand Index" when on the resort page. Will allow you to enter dates for an entire year.

 

[krj9999]

I paid the upgrade fee to trade a 1 bedroom Grand Chateau for a 2 MGO for 8/15, both are platinum season. I looked at tried a re-trade just to see impact of new implementation. The GC 1 bedroom of 19 and the Grand Ocean for that date has a trade value has a trade value of 25. A retrade for a Sunset point for mid June had a trade value of 29 and required an additional $99. This would be on top of the $99 upgrade fee already paid.

So a June Sunset has an 8 point difference with a GC 1 bedroom both Platinum. A June Sunset has a higher trade value than an August Grande Ocean for 8/15. Both are Platinum. Won’t know the real impact of 3 bedroom traders until I start from scratch with my 2028 weeks. My guess is it will cost more but still a cost effective way to get 2 weeks in HHI

You can look at weekly values for each resort - MGO would be 31 for the date you selected for Sunset (still higher). The value needed drops in early August from the summer peak value and then another drop in mid-August - the value of 25 isn't shown in the grid (but could be a blended value of the 27 and 23 shown?).

 

[WBP]

There is no mention of Home Resort Priority (MVCI) in this new exchange methodology, including the issue of exchanging back into one’s Home MVCI Resort—the equivalent of a like-for-like exchange. That may be a question worth raising with the TUG Liaison at Interval International.

There is also a long history between the Custom House and Interval International that is relevant to this discussion.

From the inception of pre-construction sales, the sales representation was that a Custom House one-bedroom villa would exchange through Interval International as a two-bedroom villa. At the time, however, Interval International did not view it that way. In fact, when Custom House owners attempted to exchange into two-bedroom lock-off villas, they were told that they were entitled only to a one-bedroom villa at resorts offering two-bedroom lock-off units, because they were depositing a one-bedroom Custom House villa.

That led to an uprising among Custom House owners. As a result, an agreement was reached between MVCI and Interval International under which, behind the scenes, MVCI provided Interval International with additional inventory to make up the difference between a one-bedroom villa at the Custom House and a two-bedroom villa.

At approximately the same time, there was the attached April 28, 1999, letter from the then-Vice President of Member Service at Interval International—a great, customer-focused, professional, and honest guy—which was eventually distributed to Custom House owners. The letter provided assurances that Custom House owners could exchange their one-bedroom villas for two-bedroom villas at resorts with two-bedroom lock-off units.

It is hard to believe that was 27 years ago. Fortunately, that agreement has apparently worked for 27 years. In my opinion, both the original agreement and the extent to which it was sustained over all those years were a testament to the work of the consummate Marriott professional, Stephen P. Weisz, then President of Marriott Vacation Club International.

The question moving forward is: How will Interval International treat Custom House one-bedroom villas under the new exchange methodology? More specifically, will Custom House owners have the equivalent of two-bedroom villa points—or equivalent exchange value—to leverage an exchange into a two-bedroom villa?

I have not yet reviewed the latest information from Interval International regarding the Custom House. This may therefore be an issue that Custom House owners need to address directly, particularly in light of the apparent absence of any specific reference to the historical treatment of Custom House one-bedroom villas.

There is also the separate issue of Home Resort Priority and whether the new methodology preserves the ability of an owner to exchange back into his or her Home MVCI Resort on a like-for-like basis. I do not see that addressed in the new methodology, and that may be another question for the TUG Liaison at Interval International.

Finally, there is the issue of supply and demand and how those factors have historically influenced exchange power. With only 84 villas, the Custom House, from its inception, was positioned as having exceptional exchange power because of its extremely limited supply and the high demand for Custom House inventory.

I need to think further about how that dynamic plays out under the current Interval International environment and, in particular, whether the new exchange methodology recognizes or preserves the exchange power that Custom House owners have historically enjoyed.

 

[jackio]

I would feel much better about this if we could trade into a lower tier and the left over "units" could be used toward another exchange, like I can in RCI. On the other hand, in RCI, if I don't have enough "trade power units" I don't have the option to pay the extra fee to get a higher exchange... At least I don't think I can... I've only used RCI once.

You can combine more than one deposit for a cost, which will up your TPU count in addition to extending your deposit expirations if they have less than 1 or 2 years left ( you can choose the time).

 

[Hindsite]

NO MENTION OF HOME RESORT (MVCI) PRIORITY in this new exchange methodology, and Home Resort Priority, exchanging back into one's Home MVCI Resort (like for like exchange). That might be a question for the TUG Liaison at Interval International.

Where was the home resort priority mentioned in the previous versions of the II buyers guide? I've only seen it mentioned in the MVC info on using II and its still there.

 

[Retired2025 aka AlmostRetired]

You can look at weekly values for each resort - MGO would be 31 for the date you selected for Sunset (still higher). The value needed drops in early August from the summer peak value and then another drop in mid-August - the value of 25 isn't shown in the grid (but could be a blended value of the 27 and 23 shown?).

you are correct. I did not look at chart but on the II trading system and misread the value. It is 27 not 25. So an an owner of an MGO deeded week, not all platinum deeded weeks have the same trading value. An MGO mid August to a Mid June would be a 4 point difference and cost 99 dollars when both platinum seasons. Interesting.

 

[Retired2025 aka AlmostRetired]

Bottom line I am not happy with the changes but as Marriott timeshare owner adjusting to change is the only thing that doesn't change. I have an enrolled 3 bedroom GC and a 3 bedroom that that can't be enrolled both are traders. One either for points or II and the other only II.

Looking this only as a trader. in the GC it has trade values of 16 for the one bedroom, 23 for the two bedroom and 28 for the three bedroom. I normally trade for the Grande Ocean or the Monarch. I will use only the Grande Ocean since it is the worst case scenario since and higher trading value than the Monarch. The GO has a trade value of from 31 to 27 for platinum season. I will use the trade value as 31 since it is the worst case scenario.

On paper - A one bedroom GC with normally only gets me the end of GO Platinum Season so the old cost would have been a $99 upgrade fee. The new cost would be $599 for a GO platinum week with a trading value of 31 (+15) or $399 with a trading value of 27 (+11). The 2 bedroom with a GC value of 23 would cost $199 to go to GO of 31 (+8) or $99 to go to a GO of 27 (+4). To go to a GC 2 bedroom to GO 2 bedroom cost nothing now.

So with a MF of about 2500 for the GC and 2100 for the GO. the trader will cost me 2500+599+399+189 (trading fee) + 189 (trading fee) or 3876 up from 2977 and increase of 900. (2500+99+189+189). Even if I try a 3 bedroom GC for a 2 bedroom GO, it will still cost me $99 (+3).

BTW, there is now a lead time value chart that decreases trade value for deposits within 6 months of reservation.

This year we are becoming snow birds in HHI renting a 3 bedroom in Sea Pines from early Jan to early March. I could see this impacting our desire to spend multiple summer weeks in HHI going to just 1 week with my kids and their family requiring only two weeks. If this becomes . If this is the case, I will keep my enrolled week because this becomes an even trade using points for another GO. I will now have my 2 weeks for travel with Family. I have had a trader sine 1996. The way I specifically used it, It may finally be time to stop the train and get off.

It si too late for 2027. I will not be anything until I see how 2028 play out when I go from paper exercise to actual trades .

 

[DRH90277]

I just completed a deep dive into Interval International’s new exchange methodology, and I have to say: my greatest fear has been realized.

In my opinion, the current Marriott Vacations Worldwide/former Diamond Resorts leadership has fundamentally undermined the traditional week-exchange system that MVCI owners have relied upon for decades.

Specifically, they have:

• Devalued and denigrated the traditional week-exchange methodology, which I believe is designed to push owners away from weeks and toward points and Abound reservations.
• Dramatically increased exchange fees for week owners, making it increasingly expensive and difficult for owners to use Interval International as they have in the past.
• Undermined a system that longtime owners have trusted for decades, including those of us who have used Interval International for 40 years.

This does not feel like an improvement to the owner experience. It feels like a deliberate strategy to make the traditional week product less attractive while steering owners toward the points-based Abound system.

And frankly, these former Diamond Resorts executives are proving to be exactly what I feared they would be: sharks.

What is most troubling is that this is happening under the watch of the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Board of Directors. The Board has a responsibility to protect the interests of its owners and to ensure that changes to the system are not simply a mechanism for extracting more revenue from them.

I hold the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Board of Directors accountable for allowing this to happen.

After 40 years as an MVCI weeks owner, I find this direction deeply disappointing—and, frankly, unacceptable.

 

[rickandcindy23]

No, I was asking Cindy what her values were for Shadow Ridge

ETA: I will check but when I went to the resort directory earlier today, it didn’t give me values.

2nd eta: yeah, it doesn’t give me values in the resort directory.

I looked at 2028, the entire year. Late January through May, the value of the 1 bedroom is exactly the same, 19. The studio is 13 for the same dates. The two bedroom is 23. The fees on our Shadow Ridge are pretty high, $2,300. I have rented most of the units over the last few years.

I am hoping to get a week 51 with the newly-acquired Shadow Ridge, if it would just transfer to our account soon. That two-bedroom deposit would be worth 27. That's better.

Ironically, the fall dates are the same numbers as the supposed "platinum" season. Go figure. If II received a large number of fall deposits, due to the equality of the weeks in II, would they adjust those numbers down?

 

[DRH90277]

The "anomaly trade"

Check this out, I need some help to explain this better so feel free to help me here - The point difference fees between the deposited week and the target week are on a graduated scale from $0 to $599. However, when you get to that last 30 days before the target vacation will expire, it seems no point difference fees are charged. So that worst case $599 fee would disappear. I got this tip from my Interval conversations yesterday and hope I got it right.

There is probably an easy way to benefit from this where there may be excess target inventory available near the expiration of a week in Interval's inventory. It may be as simple as asking an Interval person about these situations. It may also be that you can trade for a cold Ocean Front week at Ocean Watch with the worst possible week you have.

I hope I'm not getting everyone off on a tangent. But, I'm going to look hard for one of these trades and try it.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I was willing to pay extra for Disney resorts, yet my one bedrooms cannot even see the one bedrooms now. 17 points to 27 points is +10, yet I cannot book them, if I cannot see them.

 

[BigDawgTUG]

I wrote II yesterday to request a prorated refund for the unused portion of my upgraded platinum membership. The only reason I upgraded was to get the reduced upgrade fee (from Studio to 1BR, 1BR to 2BR, etc.) from $99 to $59. With the new trading policy implemented, that is no longer a benefit of platinum membership. One way to express our displeasure with the change!

 

[jackio]

I wrote II yesterday to request a prorated refund for the unused portion of my upgraded platinum membership. The only reason I upgraded was to get the reduced upgrade fee (from Studio to 1BR, 1BR to 2BR, etc.) from $99 to $59. With the new trading policy implemented, that is no longer a benefit of platinum membership. One way to express our displeasure with the change!

Please let us know if they do it. This was a big reason I renewed my platinum.

 

[rickandcindy23]

There are some crazy things with some of these re-trades. I have a Marriott's Willow Ridge studio that I exchanged into a week 1 at Gold Point in Breck, and we are not going to use that week, I don't think...anyway, when I go to retrade the week, I get the exchange value of 24, when my studio is only 12. I can use the 24 exchange value toward another exchange. There are still limits in where I can go, but it's giving me the full value.

When I look at re-trading my Sheraton to Westin Nanea week for next August, I am seeing a trade value of my 2 bedroom Sheraton, which is 20. I cannot use the 31 Westin value for anything.

Right now I can get a studio at Ko Olina for 7/24 for a retrade week that I currently have booked to Animal Kingdom villas 1/15 in a one bedroom as an even exchange. I will keep watching for anything better that I can get for next spring/summer with that week. I have until 11/15 to retrade it.

 

[jackio]

I was willing to pay extra for Disney resorts, yet my one bedrooms cannot even see the one bedrooms now. 17 points to 27 points is +10, yet I cannot book them, if I cannot see them.

19 seems to be the sweet spot to see DVC Orlando.