Star points vs star options

[remowidget]

They have made us offers, but it has included SPG points for more money

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[DeniseM]

Do you get them in the mail, or at owner updates?

 

[remowidget]

At owners updates.

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[dioxide45]

They always offer Explorer package offers after a sales presentation. We never get offers in the mail or by phone.

 

[momofthreeplusone]

For the Explorer package, they offered us a studio at WKOVR for one week. Total cost would have been $2900. Going through listings, looks like I can rent a two bedroom for that price.

 

[remowidget]

For the Explorer package, they offered us a studio at WKORV for one week. Total cost would have been $2900. Going through listings, looks like I can rent a two bedroom for that price.

How many Staroptions were included? Usually, it is quite a few.

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[momofthreeplusone]

How many Staroptions were included? Usually, it is quite a few.

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No staroptions, but they did offer 5,000 starpoints

 

[remowidget]

No staroptions, but they did offer 5,000 starpoints

Doh. Lol. Yea, that would not be a very good deal.

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[canesfan]

I’ve gotten offered Explorer packages after an owner update. Recently I received a promo in the mail for a lower priced package for one of the CA desert properties. We had no interest so I just tossed it.


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[DavidnRobin]

I was referring to the ExpPkg that is offered at end of Sales Presentation (Owners Update), and not some of the other Preview offers that are good deals (as long as one doesn't buy). Also, not referring to the SPs that they sell at discount - that value is dependent on many factors (as often discussed).

The ExpPkg is a good deal if one buys from VSE - and that GENERALLY is not a good deal unless one is planning on 5* AND they are requalifying high SO resales while getting to 5*. AND, it can still be argued...
And Yes - there are exceptions to this...

I did purchase an EOY WPORV with 100K SP incentives from SVO (pre-VSE) using a same-day ExpPkg (80K SPs), and requalified an annual VOI (148.1K SOs) with the EOY purchase and got to 3* Elite/SPG Gold (that I have gotten some use from), and got Owner price ($24K vs. $36K) - and ended up with a total of 225K SPs that we used for 16-day 1st class vacation in Europe. That $24K EOY WPORV is now worth ~$3K on resale market, BUT still a happy owner of WPORV. But... was it worth it? Depends...

 

[r1lee]

Once you become an owner, I don't think you are eligible for this offer.

No brother law and I got offered the package to return. But unlike the potential new owners version we did have a few things we couldn't /had to do.

1. Attend a presentation, this was required or we pay full price for each day.
2. We couldn't book the following weeks. Christmas, New Years, Presidents' Day, 4th of July and thanksgiving.

My friends who got their package do not have to do any of the above. They will get the credit if they go to presentation. And they get to book almost any time with no blackout dates as long as its available.

I have also received the $2900 package for 2 bedroom for 1 week with 70,000 or so spg points. Both times, but turned it down.

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks for clarifying - I was talking about the 5 day preview pkgs with a car - sorry for the confusion.

 

[remowidget]

Thanks for clarifying - I was talking about the 5 day preview pkgs with a car - sorry for the confusion.

They try to get owners to give friends contact info to make these offers. I think you can probably make referals from the Vistana website. We would then get Star Options, I think, if you buy. To us this is kind of a slap in the face, because we aren't eligible.

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[DeniseM]

You just get StarPoints - not Staroptions.

 

[ValleyGirl]

Really? I always thought the Explorer package was the cheap package they offer back to owners to revisit the resort and the ones shared with potential new owners.

This was at lagunamar.

The new owner one was
4 nights stay in studio for $419.

They offered us
4 night stay studio for 399
4 night 1bd for $449
5 night studio $449
5 night 1 bedroom $499.

They offer it as a last resort after you have said NO 5 times!

 

[momofthreeplusone]

No staroptions, but they did offer 5,000 starpoints

Oops, it was 50,000 starpoints, but still I didn't think it was a cost effective deal, especially for a studio.
We did do their introductory package at the Sheraton Kauai with the car and 5,000 air miles on Hawaiian airlines; that's how we ended up in the sales presentation for Nanea. Didn't know it was a timeshare thing until the lady at the car rental counter turned us on to the fact that we had signed up for a timeshare presentation. Even with the sales presentation, I do think their intro package is a good deal. Especially when you consider that I learned about the resale market after that trip The sales guys were not pressuring at all, and, as I mentioned in my first post, we almost went for the explorer package at the end. Got home, learned about TUG, and cancelled it. My only regret is that the "90 minute" presentation killed about three hours of my beach time. All said, we had a lovely week and got a few nice freebies out of the deal, including a $100 dinner with a nice bottle of wine, the airmiles, and a couple other coupons that we used while on Kauai. And my interest in a timeshare is still very high; I think it could be a great way for us to vacation more regularly. But the very best thing that came out of our experience is that now I know about TUG and will definitely not be buying a timeshare from a developer, ever.

 

[zjhasan1976]

Question - I know that for resale, you can't convert Star Options into Star Points. Also, Star Options don't transfer. However, do accumulated Star Points from the previous owner transfer on the sale?

 

[VacationForever]

Question - I know that for resale, you can't convert Star Options into Star Points. Also, Star Options don't transfer. However, do accumulated Star Points from the previous owner transfer on the sale?

Starpoints belong to the person. Separate from timeshare. The seller does not lose their accumulated Starpoints.

 

[dioxide45]

Question - I know that for resale, you can't convert Star Options into Star Points. Also, Star Options don't transfer. However, do accumulated Star Points from the previous owner transfer on the sale?

To clarify, you can't convert StarOptions in to Starpoints at all, regardless if it is resale or developer. You can convert your home ownership week in to Starpoints. Previously accumulated Starpoints are the property of the prior owner in their SPG account and don't transfer. Any banked StarOptions also do not transfer.

 

[ValleyGirl]

To clarify, you can't convert StarOptions in to Starpoints at all, regardless if it is resale or developer. You can convert your home ownership week in to Starpoints. Previously accumulated Starpoints are the property of the prior owner in their SPG account and don't transfer. Any banked StarOptions also do not transfer.

Au Contraire

A developer purchase or a re-qualified resale will have SO's that can be converted to SPs
https://www.vistana.com/ownership101#spg_conversion

 

[VacationForever]

The nuance is that a developer week, Flex points or requalified resale can convert to Starpoints.

 

[DeniseM]

A developer purchase or a re-qualified resale will have SO's that can be converted to SPs

Staroptions cannot be converted to StarPoints. You have to convert a full week of usage to StarPoints. StarOptions are not involved in the conversion.

Let's say I own a two bedroom lock-off:

-I can convert the studio side to Starpoints
-I can convert the 1 bdm. side to Starpoints
-I can convert the entire 2 bdm. to Starpoints

Let's say I have 600 Staroptions leftover:

I cannot convert them to Starpoints, because you can only convert a full week of ownership usage.

 

[PhylisD]

and... if you are going to buy from VSE, then you should buy resale first to requalify into VSN (maximizing SO value).


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the explorer package is much more expensive in Maui. In Kaui just last week they offered us the package for $1875 where in Maui the week before they offered us the package for around $2700

 

[47vampire]

Good point. There is another great use of SPG points for air. You can trade 90k SPG points to Marriott, making 270k Marriott points. That will buy you a category 5 fly and stay package, which for us was 7 nights in a category 5 Marriott hotel and 120k Southwest points. A round trip ticket from Portland Oregon to Cancun is about 25k Southwest points.

So, for a little more than a Platinum plus lock off week, you can get 7 nights in a Marriott and almost $2500 worth of flights.

Marriott offers other categories and airlines as well.

Thanks for the idea. I only recently moved some points from SPG to Marriott and I will look at the travel packages. I had found a couple of Marriott hotel and flights I liked last year but had never thought about moving it around.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Hi- I’m about a year and a half late for this thread but any advice for someone who is considering a resale purchase at the Westin Princeville in kaui that doesn’t come with star options. What exactly does this mean? Can I still trade at other affiliated properties? What are the downsides of not having the options?

I own WPORV, and even bought an EOY odd preconstruction from SVO (now VSE) knowing and already owning resale WKORV, WSJ-VGV, and WKV. A classic thread from 2007.

Buy WPORV to use (resale), and not to exchange, and if prime villa location is important by getting a top timestamp by reserving exactly when reservation window opens (meaning being able to plan 12 months in advance).

This is what I do - and have been extremely happy (since 2009). Almost bought a fix/fix (and traded in my EOY Float), but the 10%+10% was too much. Also, I do not like the studio (Q bed...) - so I use studio for 6 nites in 1 Bd (using SOs at 8 months as an adjacent stay). Or, have friends come along. Advantage of buying from VSE (but not worth the cost).

Otherwise - pass. MFs are too high and can exchange into relatively easy by buying WKV or SVV resale (but won’t get a prime location most likely).

Good luck.
Others here tend to disagree with me about owning WPORV. But, with caveats above, it is a great resort and certainly a fabulous location.