Shell Vacations Club points - how to maximize

[TScurious]

So glad I found this forum! I've learned a lot reading through here already.

A friend mentioned he has a timeshare that he hasn't had the scheduling flexibility to use for some years. Mentioned he might want to unload it.
I offered to take a look at the details and maybe purchase it from him if I thought I could use it. Now that I've done some research, it doesn't seem like "purchasing" would be in my best interest, since these points are available for free or almost free here on the forum and also on eBay and a couple other timeshare sites I found.

The membership iincludes 2900 Shell Vacations Club points annually (it's in the SVC-Pacific home club). At the most, I'm thinking I could offer to take over the MF (~$1,000) or maybe split both the MF & points for part ownership and use points for last-minute "Dash Deals" or II exchanges.

I'm a bargain hunter when it comes to travel; I rarely pay full-price for hotels and look for VRBOs when traveling with family. I have a VRBO of my own (a lake cabin) and have found ways to leverage that a few times in a free membership site for vrbo owners for discounted travel (paid ~$300 total for 5-night stay in a 3-bedroom condo by Disneyland earlier this year that way).

So my specific questions. (no need to reply to them all -- whatever feedback anyone has on *any* of the questions is very welcome!)

1) what are some ways I could maximize using these points if I take them over? (and/or what I can suggest to my friend to get the best use from them besides just the traditional "reserve a week" approach).

2) is there any value in the points that would warrant *paying* for the membership, when there are so many free ones available online? (I can't see doing that, but maybe I'm missing something)

3) I do see timeshares and points for sale on some sites. It seems like if people were buying them, then there wouldn't be so many available for free. Do people put them up for sale because they're willing to wait for someone who is unaware of the free ones, and just hope to get lucky? Or maybe they still have loans on them?

4) In this membership, there are 5800 points that are set to expire at the end of Aug (didn't bank this year's in time, and it appears that last year's that were banked will expire too... I think? -- The membership info says 2900 pts "available for use" at the beginning of the new use year.)
Any suggestions for how to get the best use out of those in the next 3 months?

5) if the points are deposited in II, then it appears from what I've read, that they will be valid for another 2 years from the deposit date. Using them in II, are the points exchange similar to using within SVC?

6) if the points are deposited in II to avoid losing them, what costs are involved? I see an exchange fee is charged for stays at II properties -- is it charged upfront at the time of deposit or is there just the SVC transaction fee at that time, and then the exchange fee paid when an actual stay is booked?

7) how feasible is it to use 5800 points within the next 2 years at an II property? will exchanges be available (even if off-season)? Will that many points go very far? Seems like it would be better than losing them completely though.

8) any other thoughts of how to get at least the $1,000 value of the MF on an ongoing basis? It looks like the points required for a week at the home resort during off-season would just about match that value compared to what is being offered on a retail rate (though with discounts and CAN exchange rate, booking direct retail seems a bit less). That doesn't quite make it worth it to me with my "NPR" (never pay retail) approach.

Thanks, looking forward to any and all feedback!

 

[Ty1on]

Pacific....Does Mountainside at Whistler appeal to you? that's the only resort in that Club. You would lose some reservation priority using it in other clubs' resorts. Also, 2,900 isn't a lot of points.

1. The mantra is that you maximize use of your points by reserving timeshare units with them, preferably by the week, because housekeeping expenses come to play otherwise. Using points for anything but resorts, Shell will take a haircut off the value they give you.

2. I don't see any circumstance by which you should pay for the points. I will say that I haven't seen SVC Pacific points given away....I don't know if that means it has value or that it's just so small that those owners giving away their memberships don't stand out.

3. Most of what you see at an inflated price is either a company that has advertised the timeshare as promised when gouging an owner with ridiculous promises of what they can sell for, or a delusional owner who will not come to terms with the fact that their "investment" is worthless.

4. Have him make a reservation for you for checkin prior to the expiration date with a guest certificate in your name, so you don't have to sweat finding what's available once it transfers( If anything you would want is actually available now). Or deposit in II.

5. I'll leave this for people who actually exchange with II, but there is a fixed point schedule that depends on number of bedrooms and quality level of resort you want to exchange into.

8. Very feasible. You can use the whole 5800 points on one reservation, especially after the points requirements increase soon. Furthermore, there is a likelihood Shell moves to RCI once its II contract is up.

I wouldn't take on Shell, because I don't like the maintenance fee cost benefit ratio. There are others who love it.

 

[Ty1on]

double post

 

[TScurious]

This is all really helpful! Thanks!

I did see a couple free offers for Mountainside on some website the other day. Timesharenation I think. It was for weeks, not points though. Whistler has some appeal but probably not every year for me. I'd rather have flexibility to visit other places. I need to look more closely at the housekeeping costs but thought I read that for the last minute "Dash Deals" housekeeping isn't charged. There's really only one other Shell resort in driving distance though so the 14-day deals probably aren't feasible with flights needing to be booked out that far.

Thanks & if anyone else has thoughts on this, please share!

Pacific....Does Mountainside at Whistler appeal to you? that's the only resort in that Club. You would lose some reservation priority using it in other clubs' resorts. Also, 2,900 isn't a lot of points.

1. The mantra is that you maximize use of your points by reserving timeshare units with them, preferably by the week, because housekeeping expenses come to play otherwise. Using points for anything but resorts, Shell will take a haircut off the value they give you.

2. I don't see any circumstance by which you should pay for the points. I will say that I haven't seen SVC Pacific points given away....I don't know if that means it has value or that it's just so small that those owners giving away their memberships don't stand out.

3. Most of what you see at an inflated price is either a company that has advertised the timeshare as promised when gouging an owner with ridiculous promises of what they can sell for, or a delusional owner who will not come to terms with the fact that their "investment" is worthless.

4. Have him make a reservation for you for checkin prior to the expiration date with a guest certificate in your name, so you don't have to sweat finding what's available once it transfers( If anything you would want is actually available now). Or deposit in II.

5. I'll leave this for people who actually exchange with II, but there is a fixed point schedule that depends on number of bedrooms and quality level of resort you want to exchange into.

8. Very feasible. You can use the whole 5800 points on one reservation, especially after the points requirements increase soon. Furthermore, there is a likelihood Shell moves to RCI once its II contract is up.

I wouldn't take on Shell, because I don't like the maintenance fee cost benefit ratio. There are others who love it.

 

[presley]

You can reserve in your home club 12 months in advance. You can reserve other Shell properties 9 months in advance. Ask yourself where you would use these points. $1,000/year is a large amount of money. Shell runs more than other systems. So, it isn't worth owning unless you want to use it for Shell properties.

I own the West Club, which has all the California, Oregon and Nevada properties. I have 5,000 points for about $1266./ year. Depending on where I want to stay, I can get one week or a couple weeks per year with that. Make sure you check what you can get for 2900 points. If you want to stay in Hawaii or Vino Bello, you'll need 2 years of points, so that will be $2,000 in annual dues for one week of vacation. Sounds like you are doing a lot of research and you should continue.

I see no reason to pay any money for this other to cover the transfer fees and the annual dues.

The expiring points should be bankable in II. II trades are very good. I've used mine to stay in high end properties such as the Four Seasons and Marriott. The point cost of trades is variable depending on how far out you book, the travel demand index and the size of the unit. If you can travel in less than 60 days, you'll get more trades.

Where do you plan to use this? How many people do you travel with? How often do you vacation in timeshares?

 

[Bill4728]

I own the Mountainside ( outside of Shell) and can not give away my two weeks there. I even tried giving a bonus of a free ski week vacation with my week and still no takers.

SO NO do not buy shell points which gets you only to the mountainside.

 

[presley]

6) if the points are deposited in II to avoid losing them, what costs are involved? I see an exchange fee is charged for stays at II properties -- is it charged upfront at the time of deposit or is there just the SVC transaction fee at that time, and then the exchange fee paid when an actual stay is booked?

7) how feasible is it to use 5800 points within the next 2 years at an II property? will exchanges be available (even if off-season)? Will that many points go very far? Seems like it would be better than losing them completely though.

6.) You get 2 free transactions per year. After that, you pay $25. for phone and $17.50 for online transactions. Usually, phone is better and more reliable.

You pay the exchange fee when you book an exchange or when you start on ongoing search. Some resorts will charge additional fees when you check in for things like TOT, resort fees, etc.

7.) You could use that many points in one exchange or in 5 exchanges. It depends on the size of the unit the season. Basic rule of thumb is that most II exchanges will require 3500 Shell points for a one bedroom or 4500 Shell points for a 2 bedroom. If you travel at most popular times at highest level resorts, it will cost more points. If you travel on short notice during less popular times, you can easily get double the travel.

 

[TScurious]

6.) You get 2 free transactions per year. After that, you pay $25. for phone and $17.50 for online transactions. Usually, phone is better and more reliable.

You pay the exchange fee when you book an exchange or when you start on ongoing search. Some resorts will charge additional fees when you check in for things like TOT, resort fees, etc.

7.) You could use that many points in one exchange or in 5 exchanges. It depends on the size of the unit the season. Basic rule of thumb is that most II exchanges will require 3500 Shell points for a one bedroom or 4500 Shell points for a 2 bedroom. If you travel at most popular times at highest level resorts, it will cost more points. If you travel on short notice during less popular times, you can easily get double the travel.

Thanks, this is all very helpful. For me, with all the various options for travel these days, I need to really feel like I'm getting good value and enough flexibility going the timeshare route vs direct booking at discount rates.

From your other post, you mentioned it might take the equivalent of 2 years of points ($2,000 in MF) for a week stay in Hawaii at a Shell property. Is that at a property that would generally rent for more than $300/night? Would that most likely be for a 1 bedroom?

I do have the freedom to travel at short notice at less popular times (to some extent; although some of my travel is with family, which includes school-age grandsons so I give some consideration to their schedules now).

I'm curious about the Dash Deals -- I read your very informative comments on that on the thread where you were offering your SVC 5,000 points membership. So I think I understand how that works, but just to confirm -- Dash Deals are a benefit of the SVC membership to use for greatly discounted travel within 14 days at the SVC properties. They are "rented" with cash (a nightly rate, plus a per-stay transaction fee after the 1st 2 transactions are used for the year) and there are no housekeeping fees, tax, etc. Do they ever add on "resort fees", like with the exchanges? And, since they are "rented", no points are used?

A few more questions regarding II exchanges. Even though it is called an "exchange", I'm assuming once the points are deposited, they are converted to II points that can be used for available bookings up to the 2-year limit. They don't require an equivalent exchange/trade with someone who wants to use SVC points? (most of what I've read about II is about exchanging "weeks" not points).

And to make sure I understand the "guest certificate" -- that is only issued when an actual booking for an exchange (or a "Getaway") is confirmed with set dates, is that right? Or can they be issued for a points value that the "guest" then can use to book their own stay at dates that they select later?

Thanks!

 

[presley]

I'm curious about the Dash Deals -- I read your very informative comments on that on the thread where you were offering your SVC 5,000 points membership. So I think I understand how that works, but just to confirm -- Dash Deals are a benefit of the SVC membership to use for greatly discounted travel within 14 days at the SVC properties. They are "rented" with cash (a nightly rate, plus a per-stay transaction fee after the 1st 2 transactions are used for the year) and there are no housekeeping fees, tax, etc. Do they ever add on "resort fees", like with the exchanges? And, since they are "rented", no points are used?
I don't know of any Shell resorts that charge a resort fee. Peacock Suites has mandatory valet parking and TOT that is charged daily upon check out.

As far as housekeeping fees for Dash Away Deals, I do not think any are charged. I haven't used the process, but others who own Shell told me they do not pay housekeeping fees. I don't expect that to last, as paying $25./night for a one bedroom won't cover the cost of cleaning up the room afterward.
A few more questions regarding II exchanges. Even though it is called an "exchange", I'm assuming once the points are deposited, they are converted to II points that can be used for available bookings up to the 2-year limit. They don't require an equivalent exchange/trade with someone who wants to use SVC points? (most of what I've read about II is about exchanging "weeks" not points).
Only points get deposited to Interval. It is very convenient and I am a huge fan of exchanging in Interval with Shell. You don't need the trade power of weeks, because they will just take the necessary points from you. However, the big timeshares such as Marriott will only allow Marriott owners to see their deposits for a while before they become available to others.

Another good place to exchange Shell is SFX. You can book a week in San Francisco and have the highest trading power in SFX. San Francisco deposits also give you a larger room. If you deposit a studio, you can get a one bedroom, etc without the upgrade fee.
And to make sure I understand the "guest certificate" -- that is only issued when an actual booking for an exchange (or a "Getaway") is confirmed with set dates, is that right? Or can they be issued for a points value that the "guest" then can use to book their own stay at dates that they select later?
The first part is right. You cannot issue points to someone to make their own reservations. However, you can transfer Shell points to another Shell owner. You wouldn't need a guest certificate because they will own the points if you do that.
Thanks!

For Hawaii, all the resorts are different, but for Kaui, one week in a one bedroom ranges from 3700 points to 6750 points depending on season.

 

[TScurious]

I own the Mountainside ( outside of Shell) and can not give away my two weeks there. I even tried giving a bonus of a free ski week vacation with my week and still no takers.

SO NO do not buy shell points which gets you only to the mountainside.

How do you like the resort? I would go up there first to check it out to see if I like it before I make any commitment.

Have you had success using your weeks for trades in II or RCI?

I wonder why no one wants to take it even for free -- is the MF the same for yours even though it's not in Shell? I saw a couple weeks there on timesharenation being offered for free too.

 

[TScurious]

For Hawaii, all the resorts are different, but for Kaui, one week in a one bedroom ranges from 3700 points to 6750 points depending on season.

I would have to do some comparison shopping to direct booking nightly rates I guess, but if my math is right and I'm calculating the 2900 points "value" just based on what the annual MF is, then that would work out to $1275-$2327 per week at those point levels, or $182-$332/night. For a 1-bedroom, unless the resorts are *amazing*, that seems a bit high for Kauai but then I haven't been there in 11 years so maybe it's reasonable?

oh & I forgot to add the exchange cost too, another ~$150-$200 maybe.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Yes, it's quite expensive to book Kauai, even at our .22 per point in the West Club (I don't own Hawaii club). I can exchange into other resorts on Kauai for much less $$$.

As I told someone before, we stayed 5/1-5/6/2016 in a 2 bedroom at Suites at Fisherman's Wharf, and we paid only $572 for those five nights in MF's because we booked Sun-Fri, which are much cheaper than weekends. I loved Suites at Fisherman's Wharf for the location, which was one block from Ghirardelli Square and two blocks from some of the best restaurants.

You should check to see what the exact MF's are for these 2,900 points. I wouldn't pay over .30 for MF's for a measly amount of points like that.