I am an owner at Powhatan, now owned by Diamond resorts. Got the pitch today about upgrading by trading in my week and purchasing points--for $15,000+! Is this worth it? Don't know much about points, so help me!
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Opinions needed--upgrade to Diamond points for $15,000?
- Thread starter gramasue
- Start date
Wow! How many points do you get for $15,000+?
csalter2
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Diamond Resorts Gold
Beware!
The points are good for flexibility to travel. I like that a lot. However, I always had points and when Sunterra had The Club it did not cost me anything to join. You basically will double pay if you already own your Powhatan.
I would give it some serious consideration before signing on any dotted line. I used to be a big fan but the way they have been handling maintenance fees has been of great concern. Also, if you use points for cruises or any of the other items you can trade points for, you are basically losing money because the cost of each point is reduced significantly for those items. It would be better for you to book your own cruise or airline fares than to use points because it would be much cheaper to pay for it yourself than to use points.
Others on TUG will chime in I am sure to help you in your decision. Diamond has some good points because I can trade into really nice resorts through Interval International using the points. Also, they have some really nice resorts in Europe, however, be careful.
This warning is coming from an owner.
I would say no. You already own so why would you have to pay $15000 for what you already have. How much are your maintenance going to be? They have gone up 25% for this year. I am a gold member with Diamond. I just want you to watch out. I would say wait to see if they improve their properties like they say they will. I like you have owned before they took over. If the salesman says that they are going to do something, make sure it is writing just the way they say it will be.
The points are good for flexibility to travel. I like that a lot. However, I always had points and when Sunterra had The Club it did not cost me anything to join. You basically will double pay if you already own your Powhatan.
I would give it some serious consideration before signing on any dotted line. I used to be a big fan but the way they have been handling maintenance fees has been of great concern. Also, if you use points for cruises or any of the other items you can trade points for, you are basically losing money because the cost of each point is reduced significantly for those items. It would be better for you to book your own cruise or airline fares than to use points because it would be much cheaper to pay for it yourself than to use points.
Others on TUG will chime in I am sure to help you in your decision. Diamond has some good points because I can trade into really nice resorts through Interval International using the points. Also, they have some really nice resorts in Europe, however, be careful.
This warning is coming from an owner.
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No! Most people on here would say that you should never pay to upgrade. I tend to me more lenient and think that there are situations where it might be considered. This is not one of them. $15000 is a totally, just totally outrageous price.
bogey21
TUG Member
You've got to be kidding!
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I Wouldn't Touch That With A 10-Foot Pole.
Too expensive.
Too expensive.
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
BillR
TUG Member
I will raise the ante - for $15,000 I will "let you keep your resort week and give you points equal to what they offered you" PLUS 20% more.
jdetar
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Y'all ought to be ashamed!
You've scared the OP away.
You've scared the OP away.
Bill4728
Moderator
Most offers seen in the past, for upgrading to DRI pts, involved paying ~$3000 to upgrade to points.
For $3000, it may be worth it, but never for $15,000!
PS You may be able to buy the US collection for just a few thousand and then you get pts for use within the collection (~20 resorts) Not all DRI resorts but 20 resorts. Including Powhatan.
For $3000, it may be worth it, but never for $15,000!
PS You may be able to buy the US collection for just a few thousand and then you get pts for use within the collection (~20 resorts) Not all DRI resorts but 20 resorts. Including Powhatan.
PPS Did you read the DRI FAQ threadDRI FAQ said:
Teresa
TUG Member
Sometimes you go BACKWARDS when you buy points
With all the 'benefits' you might get with points, there is a chance you can go backwards - depending on which week you own. I talked to a woman who owns at the same resort I do. Same size unit. We had both been in the float system but somewhere along the line she 'upgraded' to the point system being offered to all owners at the resort. She paid the fee and they converted her May week to points. Now she can't get any summer weeks, Easter or other holiday weeks because her week doesn't give her enough points to get a whole week during busier seasons. Before she switched to points, she was 'even' regarding the float system.
It also takes her longer to try to reserve a week as she can't call the resort to do this - she has to call the 'club' that handles the points. She is currently trying to get out of 'the club' but hasn't been successful yet.
$15K sounds outrageous to me for getting nothing more than a different way to use your original timeshare. Think of how you can use that $15K just to rent something different once in a while while still using your original timeshare the way you thought you'd use it when you signed up.
With all the 'benefits' you might get with points, there is a chance you can go backwards - depending on which week you own. I talked to a woman who owns at the same resort I do. Same size unit. We had both been in the float system but somewhere along the line she 'upgraded' to the point system being offered to all owners at the resort. She paid the fee and they converted her May week to points. Now she can't get any summer weeks, Easter or other holiday weeks because her week doesn't give her enough points to get a whole week during busier seasons. Before she switched to points, she was 'even' regarding the float system.
It also takes her longer to try to reserve a week as she can't call the resort to do this - she has to call the 'club' that handles the points. She is currently trying to get out of 'the club' but hasn't been successful yet.
$15K sounds outrageous to me for getting nothing more than a different way to use your original timeshare. Think of how you can use that $15K just to rent something different once in a while while still using your original timeshare the way you thought you'd use it when you signed up.
