Please Post the Positive things You See with The New Points Program

[ral]

Remember, MR points can also be purchased without any ownership.

Let's also remember that any Marriott Rewards member (doesn't have to own either points or weeks) may purchase or receive as a gift a combined maximum of 50,000 points per calendar year. Points may be purchased at the rate of $12.50 per 1,000 points ($625 for 50,000 points or $1250 for 100,000 points accumulated over two years). This charge can be placed on the Marriott credit card, obtaining additional Marriott Reward points. If one were willing to pay $169 or $199 Club Fee solely to exchange for points, subtract that amount from the $1250 and you've got a bargain obtaining Marriott Reward points and still have your week to use!

 

[dougp26364]

When you compare this to the cost of buying MR points direct from Marriott, aren't you coming out on the short end of the stick? You have to pay your MF's, the joiner fee and the yearly membership fee for 125,000 Marriott Rewards points. That doesn't seem like a deal to me.

I found the information:

• A member may purchase or receive as a gift a combined maximum of 50,000 points per calendar year.
• Points may be purchased in increments of 1,000.
• Purchase rate is 12.50 (USD) per 1,000 points.
• Please allow 24-48 hours for transaction to be completed and points awarded to recipient.
• You must be a Marriott Rewards member in good standing to both purchase and receive points.
• Once points have been purchased or gifted, no refunds will be permitted.
• Purchasing points with the Marriott Rewards Visa® card will result in earning one point per dollar spent on these transactions.


The cost to purchase 50,000 points would be $625.

If you could buy 125,000 points (Marriott now limits you to 50,000 points per year) the cost would be $1,562.50. I don't know what your MF's are but, in our case I determined it's not economical to exchange for MR points when I can buy them outright and keep my ownership week for exchanges.

 

[thinze3]

I like the MR pts conversion ability!

It is actually less MR points than you would get if you were a "purchased from Marriott" deeded week owner. A 3,000 club point equivalent deeded week would net you 125,000 MR points under the original system "if you bought from Marriott". ...

Not understanding this post. There are very very few resorts that ever offered 125K MR points. My 2BR Waiohai in HI was only offered 85K MR pts originally. It now offers me 4225 Club points which is equal to 135K MR points (cheaper than buying). Of course you can only trade in 50-75% depending on your status. If I join I will be "Premier" status and could trade 65%.

Waiohai
4225 club pts x 65% = 2746 club pts
3746 club pts X 32 = 88K MR pts

So I would get the 88K MR pts still have 1479 club pts that I could add to my other pool of club pts.

Actually, I could convert three of my weeks to 202K MR rewards points and still have enough club points (3395) to get a 2BR week at St. Kitts, which is where we want to go next.

.

 

[dougp26364]

Let's also remember that any Marriott Rewards member (doesn't have to own either points or weeks) may purchase or receive as a gift a combined maximum of 50,000 points per calendar year. Points may be purchased at the rate of $12.50 per 1,000 points ($625 for 50,000 points or $1250 for 100,000 points accumulated over two years). This charge can be placed on the Marriott credit card, obtaining additional Marriott Reward points. If one were willing to pay $169 or $199 Club Fee solely to exchange for points, subtract that amount from the $1250 and you've got a bargain!

Did you forget to add in the MF's for the week you exchange for those points? When you do that PLUS the joiner fee PLUS the membership fee, is it still a bargain?

 

[jimf41]

You can only trade in 50% of the vacation club points. Not much you can do with 45k points.

If you need the points right away just trade in your unit (in most cases).

My Ocean Pointe unit generates 100,000 MRP points under the old system. Under the new system it gives me 4,325 MVCP points. I can convert 75% to MRP. Doing the math that gives me 103,800 MRP. That's a BC R/T to Europe with 3,800 MRP left over. I'll have 1081 MVCP in the bank. That gives me 6 days in a studio at the Surf Club or 8days in a studio at Ocean Pointe.

Considering that I didn't have to pay a separate $104 fee to convert or $99-$109 fees to trade into either of the units I mentioned I think its a pretty good deal. I'll have 3,800 MRP left over and I guess you're right, not much I can do with those.

The title of this thread is "what are the good points". Some folks are going to see bad in all of it. There are some things I don't like but so far the only real show stopper for me is that this is the initial offer that can be changed at any time. If they were to reassign only 2000 MVCP points to my Ocean Point unit it would be a disaster for me. Before I join I'm going to have to be reasonably sure they can't or won't do this.

 

[ral]

Did you forget to add in the MF's for the week you exchange for those points? When you do that PLUS the joiner fee PLUS the membership fee, is it still a bargain?

I meant for my interpretation to show that it is NOT necessarily a plus to exchange one's week for Marriott Reward points, when you can purchase them without any ownership for as little as $1250 for 100,000 points. I will edit the original post to make it clearer.

 

[gmarine]

Anyone who is considering joining should read EVERYTHING very carefully in the Terms and Conditions. There was something posted in which you give up your right to vote against Marriott and your ability to vote Marriott out of your resort.
Marriott wants you to give up your vote. Hmmmmm. Think about it.

 

[thinze3]

I still think it's not a sure bet to exchange resale week usage for MR points. The footnote to Terry's quoted language makes it clear that the ability to trade is subject to the rules in the language quoted for me in the third post in this thread and also includes:

I am on the phone now with MVCI. I am being told that the two resale weeks which I now own WOULD be able to convert to MR points but only at the original rate that was offered and the frequency offered.

BeachPlace 110K EOY
Waiohai 85K EOY (not so good)
Legends Edge 100K EY

 

[Dave M]

Others are being told the same thing (and so was I) - but only if they sign up by tomorrow night.

 

[thinze3]

Others are being told the same thing (and so was I) - but only if they sign up by tomorrow night.

Still on the line and of course I was told that there is NO DEADLINE.

 

[jimf41]

Does anyone know what the "T" and "E" designations mean on the points chart?

 

[iamnotshopgirl]

Still on the line and of course I was told that there is NO DEADLINE.

Terry

Have you verified NO DEADLINE?

bob

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Others are being told the same thing (and so was I) - but only if they sign up by tomorrow night.

Dave, I'm glad you're retired. Moderating the Marriott posts for the next few weeks will turn into a full time job!

On behalf of myself, and surely all others, thank you so much for your continued assistance and input.

 

[DB-Wis]

I just don't understand this overwrought emotional negativity to the new program.

If you think it stinks, ignore it and continue as you have in the past. If it's really as bad as you think it is, then few will participate and the quantity of units for exchange on II will not be affected. In short, you've lost nothing.

So, if you don't like it, fine. Move on and stop wasting your time trashing something that will not affect you if you choose not to participate

 

[thinze3]

I agree. I was also just told that I could deposit any week, even after converting to the new system, with II under the old rules in my old II account which still has five more years left on it. I could then request any other resort, even a Marriott.

So far so good.

 

[RandR]

But I thought that someone else posted that if you join the new program your week would have to go through Marriott and they would then work with II. I think a big problem people are going to have is that this is so new that there is no way the reps can anticipate all the questions and have answers for them.

One good thing is that they are giving you until August to decide and still get a bonus and the end of the year to join at the current pricing.

 

[saturn28]

But I thought that someone else posted that if you join the new program your week would have to go through Marriott and they would then work with II. I think a big problem people are going to have is that this is so new that there is no way the reps can anticipate all the questions and have answers for them.

One good thing is that they are giving you until August to decide and still get a bonus and the end of the year to join at the current pricing.

I spoke to Marriott Owner Services and the only time your week goes through Marriott to Interval is when you convert your week to points. The new Interval account that they setup at Interval is a points account not a weeks account. So, if you are a weeks owner and join the new points system, you will have 2 Interval accounts one that you use if you decide to make a weeks exchange like you have done up until now and a 2nd that you use if you are depositing points into Interval for exchange and are making an external exchange to another resort that is not Marriott.

It is good to use the points deposit into Interval if you own at a place like Cypress Harbour were you don't have lock-offs. Interval will now have a points exchange where the cost of exchanging into different size units will cost you more or less points depending on the size of the unit and the time of year you go. Again this new Interval Points exchange setup for Marriott Points members is strictly for external exchanges out of Marriott

 

[jjluhman]

I spoke to Marriott Owner Services and the only time your week goes through Marriott to Interval is when you convert your week to points. The new Interval account that they setup at Interval is a points account not a weeks account. So, if you are a weeks owner and join the new points system, you will have 2 Interval accounts one that you use if you decide to make a weeks exchange like you have done up until now and a 2nd that you use if you are depositing points into Interval for exchange and are making an external exchange to another resort that is not Marriott.

It is good to use the points deposit into Interval if you own at a place like Cypress Harbour were you don't have lock-offs. Interval will now have a points exchange where the cost of exchanging into different size units will cost you more or less points depending on the size of the unit and the time of year you go. Again this new Interval Points exchange setup for Marriott Points members is strictly for external exchanges out of Marriott

So does that mean that you still have to pay your own II membership fee AND the Marriott dues?

 

[saturn28]

So does that mean that you still have to pay your own II membership fee AND the Marriott dues?

If you make an external exchange out of the Marriott system through II you have to pay an exchange. However, if you make an internal weeks exchange to another Marriott through Interval using the weeks exchange their is no extra charge

 

[m61376]

So would we have 1 or 2 II accounts? I thought it was a singular account, with the dues covered by the annual 169/199 fee, and could be used for either weeks based or points based exchanges.

 

[saturn28]

So would we have 1 or 2 II accounts? I thought it was a singular account, with the dues covered by the annual 169/199 fee, and could be used for either weeks based or points based exchanges.

You will have a weeks based account with II should you choose to continue to exchange either to Marriott or externally to other resorts through Interval. Then you will have a points account with II that you only use when you are depositing the new Marriott points for exchange to go resorts that are not Marriott through Interval. If you are using Marriott points to do an internal exchange to other Marriott resorts it doesn't go through II, Marriott does the exchange internally themself. Both of these accounts are included in the new club fee. However, any external exchange to another resort other than Marriott will incur an exchange fee.

 

[Antny]

Website vs. owner services

Will we be able to request/confirm exchanges made via points from the current MVCI website (similar to II) or is this something that can only be done via owner services?

 

[thinze3]

There are Starwood owners who have the same thing - two II accounts. One for weeks in the SVN network and one for weeks not in the SVN network.

 

[saturn28]

Will we be able to request/confirm exchanges made via points from the current MVCI website (similar to II) or is this something that can only be done via owner services?

I believe the internal exchanges are done either through your Vacation Advisor at Marriott or you will able to do the internal exchange through the Marriott website the same way you can use the website to reserve your home week.

 

[IngridN]

This is what I was told re weeks deposit if you join the program and II.

Until you exhaust your banked weeks in II, you will have 2 II accounts. If you join the points program and continue to reserve and deposit your weeks Marriott will utilize II under the new II account #. Your liaison will be Marriott and they will make all of your reservations for you, including non-Marriott ones, not II. You will talk to a Marriott rep to make reservations during their office hours. Told her no thanks, I want 24/7 II online access. She went to talk to her supervisor, comes back and tells me that I will continue to have online access as now...

Ingrid