New abound “family” …

[AH1984]

They finally got us to sign up for ownership on our third package to the Westin in Maui.

They offered us 2000 points at $16.40
They gave us some discounts and so it brought it down …

26,525 / 2000 = 13.26
26,525-2995 = 23,530
23,530 / 2000 = 11.77

The 2995 is what we paid for this times around for the encore package, so they put that towards the down payment.

There was also a 4000 point bonus and then the financing deal after 18 months you get another 2000, debating on actually doing that though since interest is going to cost me around $5K.

TOA is 1500/yr.

One point of contention I had was the sales person told me that there would be no special assessments and then when reading through the contract it clearly stated this could be possible… they went through how the trust has billions in reserves etc. there’s never been a special assessment …


I haven’t found a lot of new buyers directly from them, I see a lot of resale stuff with rofr getting passed at about $4ish ….

So now I’m re-thinking this …

We go on vacation one to two times a year, we have a growing family but I’ve always used a combination of CC points to pay for hotel and flights so my target is always around $2-3000k out of pocket, per trip.

Would appreciate anyone’s advice, comments or whatever on this… TIA!

 

[jwalk03]

You can buy points on the resale market for about $7/pt all-in cost. So I would rescind and buy resale if you really want to own Abound points.

 

[davidvel]

I agree with Jwalk03, you overpaid by about $10,000. RESCIND TODAY.

What view/size/lenght of stay are you in now? What are you going to use the 2000 points for? Do you know what they can get you?

 

[Pamplemousse]

Rescind, do your research and then purchase if you are fully confident that’s what you want.

 

[AH1984]

I agree with Jwalk03, you overpaid by about $10,000. RESCIND TODAY.

What view/size/lenght of stay are you in now? What are you going to use the 2000 points for? Do you know what they can get you?

I don’t believe there is a pre determined length of stay, it would depend on the location, time of year, etc. to see how far the point allocation would take you.

I know it can’t get me this stay in Maui which is closer to 4-5000 for a week. But I highly doubt we are coming back for a while with the little ones … the trip from the east coast is a little difficult.

The properties we looked at in the Caribbean and surrounding area would net us a week there…

 

[AH1984]

Rescind, do your research and then purchase if you are fully confident that’s what you want.

They made such a big deal about rofr… and the points for sale I quickly looked up, weren’t clearly club points but were eligible for conversion … so that wasn’t clear to me…

 

[vacationtime1]

They made such a big deal about rofr… and the points for sale I quickly looked up, weren’t clearly club points but were eligible for conversion … so that wasn’t clear to me…

If anything wasn't absolutely clear to you, you should rescind; you have a lot of money on the line.

You caught them in a direct lie (about special assessments); you need to discount everything you were told that is not in writing (such as whether they exercise ROFR).

The advice here is unanimous; you should rescind.

 

[Hindsite]

The properties we looked at in the Caribbean and surrounding area would net us a week there…

Here is the link to the points chart, so you can check what you really get and when for the points you have purchased. Caribbean starts on page 88.

You might get a week for 2,000 club points, but will it be for the dates and unit size that you want?

https://vacationpointexchange.com/pointschart/points_charts_2025.pdf

 

[bazzap]

The Trust owns inventory at most MVC resorts and pays its share of the Maintensnce Fees at those resorts.
So as some of those have had and will have Special Assessments then the Trust will pay its share of those Special Assessments.
They are probably just using Wordplay to claim that the Trust itself does not have Special Assessments?!

 

[davidvel]

I don’t believe there is a pre determined length of stay, it would depend on the location, time of year, etc. to see how far the point allocation would take you.

I know it can’t get me this stay in Maui which is closer to 4-5000 for a week. But I highly doubt we are coming back for a while with the little ones … the trip from the east coast is a little difficult.

The properties we looked at in the Caribbean and surrounding area would net us a week there…

You won't get much more than a week in a studio in the Carribbean, even in the lowest seasons. As your children grow, you will want a 1BR and then a 2BR. You may also be bound by school holidays (highest seasons.)

$4/pt is getting past ROFR +$3 junk fees=$7 (about 10,000 savings)

Marriott points are a VERY EXPENSIVE way to reserve. Go browse the points charts. (Did salesman show you all these?) But if you are hell-bent on buying, get 1,000 points for $7K and then rent additional points (at about the MF) for no upfront cost. But 1st, RESCIND NOW. You can never get that $$ back once it lapses. You can always buy this crappy deal again or get an even better deal resale.
.

 

[Pamplemousse]

They made such a big deal about rofr… and the points for sale I quickly looked up, weren’t clearly club points but were eligible for conversion … so that wasn’t clear to me…

They are club points and about $4 passes rofr
You then need to pay $3 per point activation fee (often referred to as a junk fee) so $7 all in.
But if you didn’t know this in advance then you were definitely not ready to purchase.
You need to know all the options, the cost of each and what it is you need to accomplish your vacation goals before you sign anything.

 

[AH1984]

Here is the link to the points chart, so you can check what you really get and when for the points you have purchased. Caribbean starts on page 88.

You might get a week for 2,000 club points, but will it be for the dates and unit size that you want?

https://vacationpointexchange.com/pointschart/points_charts_2025.pdf

Yeah it seems like 2500 is the real minimum I would need and ideally I need closer to 5000 to go the places we would for a week

 

[AH1984]

They are club points and about $4 passes rofr
You then need to pay $3 per point activation fee (often referred to as a junk fee) so $7 all in.
But if you didn’t know this in advance then you were definitely not ready to purchase.
You need to know all the options, the cost of each and what it is you need to accomplish your vacation goals before you sign anything.

Yes I am aware of this, thank you!

I have been checking rofr dot net now and I see that 3.90 has failed but 4 has been passing

 

[AH1984]

Really it seems the move is to rescind, buy a 1000 points on the resale market or maybe 2000 since the TOA isn’t much more and then just rent more as needed for that years vacation … and buy more if needs change

 

[jwalk03]

Really it seems the move is to rescind, buy a 1000 points on the resale market or maybe 2000 since the TOA isn’t much more and then just rent more as needed for that years vacation … and buy more if needs change

Definitely rescind first. Then spend some time learning the program and figure out if ownership is even right for you. You can also rent others time from the TUG marketplace or Redweek or Facebook without any long term commitments or upfront cost. Or you can consider buying a trading week and playing the exchange game for far less as well (but less flexibility too)

 

[amycurl]

EXACTLY. You will have *plenty* of time to read and research here and figure out what will best meet your needs and budget, but you have VERY LIMITED TIME to rescind, which you should do IMMEDIATELY. Like, why did you not go to the post office today?

 

[AlmostRetired]

Ready, fire, aim is rarely a sound strategy. After learning about weeks and points, if points fit your travel lifestyle, as mentioned, you can buy resale. Once you are in the program and understand more, you can decide if renting is a good strategy for you to supplement your ownership. There are no shortage of points to rent. I rented 2024 points in 2023 at .65 a point and already rented 2025 points at .69a point.

 

[claraj]

@AH1984 welcome to the "family." Another option that would be available to you are Getaways through Interval International, which I am sure the sales team has mentioned. **Edited removing incorrect statement** Anywho, you can purchase Getaways to supplement your vacation and you wouldn't need as many points as you think. While Getaways are typically easier to get for shoulder, off season and last minute stays, Orlando is pretty easy to get and it seems like you have little ones who may enjoy trips to Disney or Universal in the future. For example, I've picked up weeks at Grande Vista for about $700 for a 2BR villa. I also picked up a week in Vail for $350 for a 1 BR villa.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

They finally got us to sign up for ownership on our third package to the Westin in Maui.

They offered us 2000 points at $16.40
They gave us some discounts and so it brought it down …

26,525 / 2000 = 13.26
26,525-2995 = 23,530
23,530 / 2000 = 11.77

The 2995 is what we paid for this times around for the encore package, so they put that towards the down payment.

There was also a 4000 point bonus and then the financing deal after 18 months you get another 2000, debating on actually doing that though since interest is going to cost me around $5K.

TOA is 1500/yr.

One point of contention I had was the sales person told me that there would be no special assessments and then when reading through the contract it clearly stated this could be possible… they went through how the trust has billions in reserves etc. there’s never been a special assessment …


I haven’t found a lot of new buyers directly from them, I see a lot of resale stuff with rofr getting passed at about $4ish ….

So now I’m re-thinking this …

We go on vacation one to two times a year, we have a growing family but I’ve always used a combination of CC points to pay for hotel and flights so my target is always around $2-3000k out of pocket, per trip.

Would appreciate anyone’s advice, comments or whatever on this… TIA!

Rescind, there are very few circumstances in the timeshare world where buying from the developer makes sense versus resale and the situation you describe is not one of them. I promise you if you rescind and change your mind this “deal” will still be here, but if you don’t rescind within the rescission period you will be stuck with this forever. The fact that you have an second thoughts about this should be enough to rescind.

 

[Fasttr]

@AH1984 Note that if you purchase points resale, you would need to join Interval International via annual membership (the membership is free if you purchase direct.)

I believe, as long as you pay the junk fees, a resale points purchaser would get the free II membership too…no?

 

[AlmostRetired]

Note that if you purchase points resale, you would need to join Interval International via annual membership (the membership is free if you purchase direct.)

You are incorrect. Resale + junk fee = no difference with purchasing direct. It is contained within club dues.

 

[AH1984]

Here is the link to the points chart, so you can check what you really get and when for the points you have purchased. Caribbean starts on page 88.

You might get a week for 2,000 club points, but will it be for the dates and unit size that you want?

https://vacationpointexchange.com/pointschart/points_charts_2025.pdf

Do you know if there is an excel version of this ?

 

[claraj]

You are incorrect. Resale + junk fee = no difference with purchasing direct. It is contained within club dues.

Oh, sorry I'll update my post!

 

[claraj]

You are incorrect. Resale + junk fee = no difference with purchasing direct. It is contained within club dues.

Sorry, it didn't click.

 

[Hindsite]

One thing to remember with the points system is that just because there's a points chart doesn't mean there will ever be inventory for where and when you want to travel. Some locations and seasons have lots of inventory others little to none.
With club points you can't use them in II to exchange back into any MVC, Sheraton and Westin resorts, and it's generally an expensive way to get exchanges in II vs a resale week when you compare the maintenance fees for what you have to deposit.
There's a lot more twists and turns to any decision on what and where to buy so take your time.