MVC Newbie Here... Could use some advice to maximize the program.

[Scafidi]

If you really want to save some BIG bucks then rescind your point purchase, forget about a resale point purchase, and purchase a resale week instead.

The most bang for the buck are resale weeks! Granted you don't have the flexibility of points, but resale weeks are a bargain these days!

Right now, on eBay, there are TWO Marriott PLATINUM Oceana Palms resales up for bid. This is a FIRST CLASS resort, and these weeks can be used for occupancy or Interval International trading. Current bids are currently $338. I think these originally sold for over $30,000 per week.

Now there is no telling where the final bid will be, but imagine paying just 1% of the original retail price..... This is why I really believe that resale weeks are the best way to go, but others do have differing opinions.



.

Holy smokes... this world of timeshare, resale, and opportunities is endless. Thanks, TimeTraveler for the idea and insight!

 

[Gemini Chica]

I would agree with Timetraveller, in Europe we buy weeks not points so we own now 4 weeks. And if you enroll them with Marriott (buy direct) then I can also exchange for points for me this is the best option as I have the best of both worlds. In the Spanish resorts you can buy a resale week normally for 1/5 of the direct price and I suspect with the pandemic there are even better deals to be had!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[csalter2]

Question on recision - Would it be beneficial to reach out to the sales agent first indicating my intent to rescind to see if they will lower their point fee/renegotiate the deal?
[/QUOTE]

Well, you can always ask, you’ll never know. That happened to me and I got a great deal but it was four months in the making. You won’t get a better deal than resale in my opinion because you’re buying such a small quantity of points. Plus, they will try to talk you out of rescinding. But, if you can be strong and listen and not bite, by all means do so.
Your rescission needs to be in writing.

 

[rthib]

I just bought some resale points and a resale week and can pass along the name of my guy if you want (PM).
After you join the club - with points to not think in weeks. Sun-TH is best value. Also, once they start again the last minute destination escapes are a great deal if you are flexible on traveling.
And remember that you can rent points to get more, so if you need 1400 points and only have 1000 you can rent 400.

 

[TravelTime]

@Scafidi I agree with everyone else. Rescind and buy resale. I am Presidential Level with MVC destination points program, own a Maui week at Vistana (which comes with StarOptions) and two every other year weeks at Four Seasons Aviara. I used to own Disney, a Hyatt week and a Westin Princeville week but I am selling all of that and consolidating into MVC. Since I bought resale, I am not losing much if any money when I sell them again. That is one of the big benefits of buying resale. If you change your mind or your travel needs change, you can put them back on the resale market and get most of your initial investment back.

Just wondering why you are buying points. Like others have said, you can't do much with 1000 points and there is a big upfront cost to buy the points. Why not just rent until you have more funds to buy a larger amount of points?

Some people have recommended buying a resale week instead of points. In terms of affordability, that is a good suggestion. If you buy a Marriott week, one concern I have with that is you can only trade with Interval International. It is not as flexible as the points program. I like the points program because you can choose what resort you want to stay at, the number of days, the room size and the view. Some people love II and some, like me, do not like it because I like views and with II, you can't select the view type.

The other thing you might investigate before making a final decision is the Vistana program. You can buy a mandatory week and get the best of both worlds by being able to use Vistana's StarOptions program. Marriott has purchased Vistana so eventually you will be a MVC member. With less than $10,000, you could buy a great mandatory week and either use the week or exchange with StarOptions for any of their other locations.

Vacation Ownership | Vistana Signature Experiences

Explore Sheraton Vacation Club and Westin Vacation Club timeshare ownership with Vistana and get access to exclusive discounts and experiences. Stay at 6,500 hotels and resorts across 29 brands in 127 countries.

www.vistana.com

Mandatory resorts, where you can trade with StarOptions for any other location, include:

• Harborside Resort at Atlantis.
• Sheraton Vistana Villages (Bella and Key West Phases)
• Westin St. John (Virgin Grand - Hillside)
• Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas.
• Westin Kierland Villas

Many Tuggers like Kierland or Orlando (Bella/Key West phases) because the maintenance fees are lower.

Just another idea to explore. Have fun learning about timesharing!

 

[csalter2]

And this is why I asked! Thank you csalter2!!! I'll get the Rescission going today.

So let me ask you... Once we rescind, what would be the best and most affordable way to participate in the MVC and receive the same benefits? If you were starting brand new... what would you do?

Thanks again!

If I were starting out today, my goal would be a minimum of 10,000 points. I would probably buy a high point platinum lock off high demand resale week or two for as low a cost as possible. This would be an ideal time because Marriott is not exercising its right of first refusal (ROFR) as much so you can make a low offer to the owner and they can accept and it can become your unit. My next step would be to take advantage of Marriott’s summer special which seems to be all year long now and buy an Aruba platinum week direct from Marriott to enroll those other to weeks into the Destination program. This would provide me with great flexibility in the program. You could get SEVERAL WEEKS use, you’d have access to the entire program and the full use of points when you desired. Owning weeks you pay less in maintenance fees per point as weeks owners don’t pay maintenance fees. For example, Destination points currently have a maintenance fee of .604 per point. So if you owned 4000 points you’d pay $2416. My Aruba week elects to 4075 points. My maintenance fee is $1905. That’s $511 less in maintenance fees.

So weeks work for me and that’s the path I’d take if I were starting out. Resale weeks and the cheapest way to get them enrolled which buying a Marriott in Aruba, St. Kitts or Spain will allow you to do.

 

[TravelTime]

If I were starting out today, my goal would be a minimum of 10,000 points. I would probably buy a high point platinum lock off high demand resale week or two for as low a cost as possible. This would be an ideal time because Marriott is not exercising its right of first refusal (ROFR) as much so you can make a low offer to the owner and they can accept and it can become your unit. My next step would be to take advantage of Marriott’s summer special which seems to be all year long now and buy an Aruba platinum week direct from Marriott to enroll those other to weeks into the Destination program. This would provide me with great flexibility in the program. You could get SEVERAL WEEKS use, you’d have access to the entire program and the full use of points when you desired. Owning weeks you pay less in maintenance fees per point as weeks owners don’t pay maintenance fees. For example, Destination points currently have a maintenance fee of .604 per point. So if you owned 4000 points you’d pay $2416. My Aruba week elects to 4075 points. My maintenance fee is $1905. That’s $511 less in maintenance fees.

So weeks work for me and that’s the path I’d take if I were starting out. Resale weeks and the cheapest way to get them enrolled which buying a Marriott in Aruba, St. Kitts or Spain will allow you to do.

How much would this strategy cost? I think it would probably cost at least $35,000 to $40,000 to buy 2 resale weeks on the resale market plus an Aruba week direct from MVC so he could enroll the two resale weeks. The OP only invested about $10,000. So I am assuming he is looking for a strategy to maximize a $10,000 initial investment.

 

[Scafidi]

If I were starting out today, my goal would be a minimum of 10,000 points. I would probably buy a high point platinum lock off high demand resale week or two for as low a cost as possible. This would be an ideal time because Marriott is not exercising its right of first refusal (ROFR) as much so you can make a low offer to the owner and they can accept and it can become your unit. My next step would be to take advantage of Marriott’s summer special which seems to be all year long now and buy an Aruba platinum week direct from Marriott to enroll those other to weeks into the Destination program. This would provide me with great flexibility in the program. You could get SEVERAL WEEKS use, you’d have access to the entire program and the full use of points when you desired. Owning weeks you pay less in maintenance fees per point as weeks owners don’t pay maintenance fees. For example, Destination points currently have a maintenance fee of .604 per point. So if you owned 4000 points you’d pay $2416. My Aruba week elects to 4075 points. My maintenance fee is $1905. That’s $511 less in maintenance fees.

So weeks work for me and that’s the path I’d take if I were starting out. Resale weeks and the cheapest way to get them enrolled which buying a Marriott in Aruba, St. Kitts or Spain will allow you to do.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough response. That looks like a solid strategy!

 

[vacationtime1]

Rescind.

That said, what is missing from the discussion is what kinds of vacations OP and family wish to take. If it's a week in Palm Springs or Newport Beach, buying a week is a much cheaper strategy. If it's twelve days in a different location every year, points will work better (12 day Sunday-to-Friday trips are a sweet spot in the points system).

 

[Dean]

How much would this strategy cost? I think it would probably cost at least $35,000 to $40,000 to buy 2 resale weeks on the resale market plus an Aruba week direct from MVC so he could enroll the two resale weeks. The OP only invested about $10,000. So I am assuming he is looking for a strategy to maximize a $10,000 initial investment.

Probably more like $50-60K for high demand, high quality and low fee per point options. But it's for a lot more volume than the OP bought though 1000 points along doesn't do much unless you rent additional points. It'd be a lot less than just buying 10-12K points retail but likely more up front than buying points resale but not by much at that volume. A good thorough investigation will answers most of those questions though.

 

[ljmiii]

Question on recision - Would it be beneficial to reach out to the sales agent first indicating my intent to rescind to see if they will lower their point fee/renegotiate the deal?

Absolutely not. They won't change the price and just try to delay and run out the clock. And even if they are 'willing' to reduce they will never hit the $2 + $3 currently offered on eBay.

Follow the recision instructions you got in your purchase packet to the letter and send it certified return receipt. As others have said, once you do that come back and we'll try to walk you through the benefits of purchasing MVC points vs weeks depending on your travel desires.

 

[Scafidi]

How much would this strategy cost? I think it would probably cost at least $35,000 to $40,000 to buy 2 resale weeks on the resale market plus an Aruba week direct from MVC so he could enroll the two resale weeks. The OP only invested about $10,000. So I am assuming he is looking for a strategy to maximize a $10,000 initial investment.

TravelTime - Im new so any and all strategies are on the table. Your are correct that Im not in a position to invest $30-$40K but the ideas and strategies are what I'm looking for.

My thought at the moment is to get the minimum number of points so we can be in the club, then rent what we really need. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as long as we are in the system, we can rent as many points as we want for the cost of the maintenance fee, no? Am I missing something?

 

[Scafidi]

Absolutely not. They won't change the price and just try to delay and run out the clock. And even if they are 'willing' to reduce they will never hit the $2 + $3 currently offered on eBay.

Follow the recision instructions you got in your purchase packet to the letter and send it certified return receipt. As others have said, once you do that come back and we'll try to walk you through the benefits of purchasing MVC points vs weeks depending on your travel desires.

Will do! Thanks

 

[Dean]

My thought at the moment is to get the minimum number of points so we can be in the club, then rent what we really need. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as long as we are in the system, we can rent as many points as we want for the cost of the maintenance fee, no? Am I missing something?

Currently that's the case but probably slightly over the cost of the fees though with less control and less flexible/options. I'd just wait and figure out where you need to be in 10 years rather than rushing for "savings" now.

 

[ljmiii]

My thought at the moment is to get the minimum number of points so we can be in the club, then rent what we really need. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as long as we are in the system, we can rent as many points as we want for the cost of the maintenance fee, no? Am I missing something?

Long story short-ish...

Broadly speaking, if you have someplace you know you want to travel every year (of Every Other Year if you buy an EOY week) the cheapest way to do that is to buy a resale week. But you are then committed to going to that location in the villa size and season you buy or renting it out or trading in Interval International (best if your travel is flexible).

Buying points is generally speaking more expensive (even at $2+$3/pt) but much more flexible. There are some locations it is difficult to get into because they are largely owned by weeks owners who stay where they bought...but the ins and outs of each location can be dealt with later.

Renting points is cheaper since there is no buy in cost...but is less flexible. If you want to go 'somewhere in Orlando' it's a great option. But if you are fighting for one of the much sought after locations like Maui you'll need to have the points in hand before you try to book. And if you are unsuccessful you are left with points that can't be banked. And yes, pre-COVID points were going for slightly above maintenance fees. Now everything is up for grabs.

 

[TravelTime]

Currently that's the case but probably slightly over the cost of the fees though with less control and less flexible/options. I'd just wait and figure out where you need to be in 10 years rather than rushing for "savings" now.

@Dean Just out of curiosity, how does it work when someone rents DPs from another member? Can they transfer the DPs into their account? Are there any restrictions on the DPs?

 

[driftdiver]

$4600 will go a long way! Ya, I'm super pissed at myself for not doing more due diligence upfront. At the same time... I don't think I would have fully understood the process, etc.

Don't be too hard on yourself, TUG is brimming with people who discovered it *after* they made a purchase, many too late to rescind.
And the salespeople are good, in terms of being effective.

A few weeks of reading up and the worst you'll do is getting what you have now for a lot less.

 

[csalter2]

How much would this strategy cost? I think it would probably cost at least $35,000 to $40,000 to buy 2 resale weeks on the resale market plus an Aruba week direct from MVC so he could enroll the two resale weeks. The OP only invested about $10,000. So I am assuming he is looking for a strategy to maximize a $10,000 initial investment.

The question was if I starting out today. I think you need about 10,000 points to really play in Marriott’s game comfortably. You can get by on less for sure, but I think 10,000 points gives you plenty of options and flexibility. So I would have this as my plan if starting out now.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Thanks, jmhpsu93!

If you knew then what you know now, would you rescind and go straight to the resale market?

I really like the idea of owning the fewest points possible, then renting what we need -basically at the cost of the maintenance fee.

Yes, looking back I would have liked to have bought resale, but back then with ROFR in full swing I probably wouldn't have done better than $7/point all-in, and I got some incentives, etc. Now that I'm in, I would never buy retail unless it let me enroll my Marriott AND Vistana resale weeks. At this point I'm paying more than enough in MFs anyway, but I have a ton of flexibility.

 

[Scafidi]

Yes, looking back I would have liked to have bought resale, but back then with ROFR in full swing I probably wouldn't have done better than $7/point all-in, and I got some incentives, etc. Now that I'm in, I would never buy retail unless it let me enroll my Marriott AND Vistana resale weeks. At this point I'm paying more than enough in MFs anyway, but I have a ton of flexibility.

Got it. Filling out the recission letter now. Thanks again!

 

[Dean]

@Dean Just out of curiosity, how does it work when someone rents DPs from another member? Can they transfer the DPs into their account? Are there any restrictions on the DPs?

I'm sure others are better versed in this area than I am as I haven't actually transferred points. The info I have is from places like TUG plus the direct MVC info. You have to be aware of the UY of the points as they are not all the same. Transferred points cannot be banked and banked or borrowed points cannot be transferred (but you can reserve and rent). The option could be removed or changed at any time. I think it's a great option if you have a small shortfall here and there or a big one time trip. I personally don't think it's a good plan as the main approach to ownership but I know others feel differently.

 

[Fasttr]

Hi Friends! My wife and I just bought into the MVC points program (1000 pts) at a presentation in San Diego. I know we paid a premium but we got the minimum and I figured we will purchase more points on the resale or rental market as needed.

We are in our early 40's with a couple of kids who are almost out of the house (19 & 16). We chose MVC because we need to take more vacations and to "up" our standards from the budget hotels. We do a lot of 2-3nt stays for our kids' sports and we like to take beach vacations, which we have not done enough of. So we are excited to be in the MVC and super happy to have found the TUG Forum. Lots of great advice here!

That said... We are very green and all this talk of weeks, points, mergers, conversions, etc. is pretty confusing. Add in the firehose of information during the presentation along with all the tips & tricks found on this forum... my mind is spinning! Haha - in a good way tho.

My question for the seasoned pros... What are the top 3,4,5 things you think I should know about MVC, how to use the program or how to maximize the benefits? Or anything else you think we should know?

I know this is a broad question. See... I'm so new to this - I don't even know what questions to ask!

Thanks for your help!

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but many renters on www.vacationpointexchange.com will make a points ressie for you, with the points you rent from them, allowing you to try the system before making ANY permanent purchase. If you are renting from somebody who is Executive or above, they will have access to book 1+ night ressies at 13 months out. They confirm the ressie is available, you pay for the points to make the ressie, and they make it for you, and put your name on the ressie. If you are dealing with a "Verified Seller" (they are listed on the website...via menu at the top), I think your risk of getting scammed is very low. This might be an approach to dip your toe into the water to see if you like the points system or not, based on your ability to get the ressies you desire in the locations and times you desire them, etc.

 

[csalter2]

@Dean Just out of curiosity, how does it work when someone rents DPs from another member? Can they transfer the DPs into their account? Are there any restrictions on the DPs?

The renter gives the seller their name and account number. The seller calls Marriott owner services and has the points taken from his account and placed in the renters. It can also be done with both on the phone simultaneously with Marriott. Points are a one time move. You cannot bank/save, or transfer those points once you receive them. You need to use them the year you get them.

 

[Scafidi]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but many renters on www.vacationpointexchange.com will make a points ressie for you, with the points you rent from them, allowing you to try the system before making ANY purchase. If you are renting from somebody who is Executive or above, they will have access to book 1+ night ressies at 13 months out. They confirm the ressie is available, you pay for the points to make the ressie, and they make it for you, and put your name on the ressie. If you are dealing with a "Verified Seller" (they are listed on the website...via menu at the top), I think your risk of getting scammed is very low. This might be an approach to dip your toe into the water to see if you like the points system or not, based on your ability to get the ressies you desire in the locations and times you desire them, etc.

Love it! I did see some people were offering to do that. Thanks.

 

[CPNY]

Hi Friends! My wife and I just bought into the MVC points program (1000 pts) at a presentation in San Diego. I know we paid a premium but we got the minimum and I figured we will purchase more points on the resale or rental market as needed.

We are in our early 40's with a couple of kids who are almost out of the house (19 & 16). We chose MVC because we need to take more vacations and to "up" our standards from the budget hotels. We do a lot of 2-3nt stays for our kids' sports and we like to take beach vacations, which we have not done enough of. So we are excited to be in the MVC and super happy to have found the TUG Forum. Lots of great advice here!

That said... We are very green and all this talk of weeks, points, mergers, conversions, etc. is pretty confusing. Add in the firehose of information during the presentation along with all the tips & tricks found on this forum... my mind is spinning! Haha - in a good way tho.

My question for the seasoned pros... What are the top 3,4,5 things you think I should know about MVC, how to use the program or how to maximize the benefits? Or anything else you think we should know?

I know this is a broad question. See... I'm so new to this - I don't even know what questions to ask!

Thanks for your help!

I saw a seller basically giving his points away for peanuts on Facebook. Rescind and make sure you have everyone who signed the contract sign the rescission letter. Send it certified USPS. FedEx or UPS may not be acceptable. Buy resale MVC points if you truly want MVC. Vistana mandatory deeds will give you great beach vacation options (St John, Bahamas, Mexico)