Using StarOptions for Resort Credit - New Feature

[dioxide45]

This proves why actual experience for things like these is more reliable than any information you may get from owner services or even people onsite.

 

[daviator]

If they give you any problems on check out, tell them all the bar charges were for non-alcoholic drinks and let them try to prove differently. The data is probably buried in their system but I doubt the check-out clerk can access it.

 

[tkrisnel]

If they give you any problems on check out, tell them all the bar charges were for non-alcoholic drinks and let them try to prove differently. The data is probably buried in their system but I doubt the check-out clerk can access it.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[controller1]

I see that the Maui Vistana resorts now allow the use of Resort Credits for Trilogy cruises!

 

[tkrisnel]

Update on resort credits in Maui. We had a bunch of restricted baked options (thanks to covid). Cashed in 153,000 options, for over $1800! Stayed at Westin Nanea for 9 days. We did Triology cruise. massages at Spa Heleni, multipe drinks of the day at the bar every days, several breakfasts and dinners, and went home with a ton of souvenirs from the on-site market. Everything was seamless! And front desk staff was helpful in getting us a mid-week status on usage and remainder of points.

 

[EnglishmanAbroad]

Update on resort credits in Maui. We had a bunch of restricted baked options (thanks to covid). Cashed in 153,000 options, for over $1800! Stayed at Westin Nanea for 9 days. We did Triology cruise. massages at Spa Heleni, multipe drinks of the day at the bar every days, several breakfasts and dinners, and went home with a ton of souvenirs from the on-site market. Everything was seamless! And front desk staff was helpful in getting us a mid-week status on usage and remainder of points.

How long did you bake your options for? It sounds like a good way of getting something useful out of them.

 

[dioxide45]

How long did you bake your options for? It sounds like a good way of getting something useful out of them.

Banked StarOptions are good for the two calendar years after the use year.

 

[VacationForever]

In 2019 I had expiring banked options and with nowhere to use, I converted to $1210 Resort Credits for a Westin Desert Willow stay in March 2020. It turned out that nothing was open, no Marketplace and no restaurant and they had a limited pool bar which they just opened up 5 days before. I was pretty unhappy because when I converted to resort credits, the Vistana rep said I could use at the Marketplace. The WDW manager contacted Vistana and they extended my expired banked SOs to expire in Dec 2022. Score!

 

[jabberwocky]

I'm thinking of converting some of our SO to resort credits for my upcoming WKORV stay. I have around 10k that will expire this December and a bunch that expires next year. My cost per point if I use my SDO Plat works out to around 0.8 cents per SO, and the resort credit is worth 1.2 cents per SO, so it's not a bad deal. I think I can easily go through about $550 of resort credit.

For those who have done this, what is the best way to convert - is it online or do you have to call in? They can pull from multiple SO "buckets" (i.e., 2022 banked and 2023 banked) in the same request, correct?

 

[daviator]

I'm thinking of converting some of our SO to resort credits for my upcoming WKORV stay. I have around 10k that will expire this December and a bunch that expires next year. My cost per point if I use my SDO Plat works out to around 0.8 cents per SO, and the resort credit is worth 1.2 cents per SO, so it's not a bad deal. I think I can easily go through about $550 of resort credit.

For those who have done this, what is the best way to convert - is it online or do you have to call in? They can pull from multiple SO "buckets" (i.e., 2022 banked and 2023 banked) in the same request, correct?

Calling in is probably easiest if you can get them on the phone without an interminable wait on hold. But I have also had success using the chat or "send us a message" function on the website dashboard. If you use the "send us a message", be really clear and explicit about which year(s) and which VOIs you are pulling from. Assume that you are dealing with an idiot and make the instructions idiot-proof (though you may well get lucky and have your request handled by someone competent.)

So long as I've clearly included everything they needed to know, they've done the resort credit conversion that way and sent me an email confirmation, and no waiting on hold was required.

I believe that they can combine SOs from different buckets, you just need to give them really clear instructions so they don't screw it up. So if you can get through on the phone, I think that's a superior choice. But in 2020 and 2021 it was really hard to reach anyone.

The last crucial step occurs when you arrive at the property. You apparently MUST "activate" the resort credit by going to see the concierge on arrival and asking them to do so. Supposedly they will not let you use the credit at check-out if it hasn't been activated. (I suspect this is just another way to get you in front of someone who will try to sign you up for a sales presentation...) But the concierge will also let you know all the places the resort credit can be used, and you will have to sign a document acknowledging that.

 

[dsmrp]

I'm thinking of converting some of our SO to resort credits for my upcoming WKORV stay. I have around 10k that will expire this December and a bunch that expires next year. My cost per point if I use my SDO Plat works out to around 0.8 cents per SO, and the resort credit is worth 1.2 cents per SO, so it's not a bad deal. I think I can easily go through about $550 of resort credit.

For those who have done this, what is the best way to convert - is it online or do you have to call in? They can pull from multiple SO "buckets" (i.e., 2022 banked and 2023 banked) in the same request, correct?

You'll need to call in to CS. And yes they can pull from different SO buckets, usually the oldest ones first. You'll need to have the concierge activate the credit after you arrive at the resort. I don't recall seeing the credit being listed on my online Vistana reservation.

 

[rcv82]

Update on resort credits in Maui. We had a bunch of restricted baked options (thanks to covid). Cashed in 153,000 options, for over $1800! Stayed at Westin Nanea for 9 days. We did Triology cruise. massages at Spa Heleni, multipe drinks of the day at the bar every days, several breakfasts and dinners, and went home with a ton of souvenirs from the on-site market. Everything was seamless! And front desk staff was helpful in getting us a mid-week status on usage and remainder of points.

We just did the same thing with $880 in resort credit over two weeks at WKORV, including a Trilogy dinner cruise and many dinners at Auntie’s Kitchen. Most of it was from restricted StarOptions expiring at the end of 2021 that I converted to the resort credit at the last minute. This is an awesome benefit. I hope they keep it around.


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[echino]

Just to confirm, only StarOptions from developer-bough contracts can be used for resort credit? No resales?

 

[daviator]

Just to confirm, only StarOptions from developer-bough contracts can be used for resort credit? No resales?

Yes, this only works for enrolled weeks/options, so they either have to be developer-bought or requalified.

 

[MarineBlue]

Just yesterday, I wanted to convert our expiring (enrolled) Options for credit at WDW. Our adult son and new wife are going to use the three nights I had booked under our name. I called to change the name on the reservation and then asked about them using our expiring Options for credit at the resort. Customer Service said they don't issue credits for a different name on the reservation. CS did confirm that you talk to CS first to get the credit, and then when on-site go to the Concierge to activate. Their loss... the Concierge missed out on a sales opportunity to convince a couple to attend a presentation!

 

[DavidnRobin]

Yes, this only works for enrolled weeks/options, so they either have to be developer-bought or requalified.

I don’t think this is correct - I used a combination of different types of restricted SOs - there is no link to where these SOs came from. I have resale Mandatory SOs in the SOs used for Resort Credit.


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[daviator]

I don’t think this is correct - I used a combination of different types of restricted SOs - there is no link to where these SOs came from. I have resale Mandatory SOs in the SOs used for Resort Credit.


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If you have a mix of resale and qualified VOIs, you might be able to get away with using restricted SOs from the mandatory resale VOIs for resort credit. I don’t think Vistana’s system is smart enough to track where the SOs came from once you are in a different year. This might be the case for banked SOs too, I don’t think they know where they came from.

But I believe the terms of the resort credit program state that it’s only for ownerships that are eligible for conversion to Bonvoy points or something like that. They just may not have a way to keep track.

 

[daviator]

 

[daviator]

Just yesterday, I wanted to convert our expiring (enrolled) Options for credit at WDW. Our adult son and new wife are going to use the three nights I had booked under our name. I called to change the name on the reservation and then asked about them using our expiring Options for credit at the resort. Customer Service said they don't issue credits for a different name on the reservation. CS did confirm that you talk to CS first to get the credit, and then when on-site go to the Concierge to activate. Their loss... the Concierge missed out on a sales opportunity to convince a couple to attend a presentation!

It’s a good thing you hadn’t already requested the resort credits, as they’d have been lost as a result of the name change.

From the T&C;

1. StarOptions applied to a Resort Credit will be forfeited as a result of a Resort reservation name change into a third-party.

I wonder if you could have solved this by merely adding your son’s name to the reservation instead of changing it completely?

 

[dsmrp]

It’s a good thing you hadn’t already requested the resort credits, as they’d have been lost as a result of the name change.

From the T&C;

1. StarOptions applied to a Resort Credit will be forfeited as a result of a Resort reservation name change into a third-party.

I wonder if you could have solved this by merely adding your son’s name to the reservation instead of changing it completely?

Also, I think the resort credits are specific to each reservation.
So if you have a resort credit at say WKV, and you have to cancel the reservation, then you lose the credit. I recall CS reading me the T&C when I've called to convert options to credit. I could be wrong. Maybe CS could transfer the credit to another reservation stay.

I had a short stay at WDW in December that I had to cancel. I didn't get the credit for that stay as there weren't many services or restaurants open at the time of reservation, and was glad I hadn't. So best to check what you can use the credit on for your reservation. I usually wait a week or two before check-in to redeem options for credit.

 

[daviator]

Also, I think the resort credits are specific to each reservation.
So if you have a resort credit at say WKV, and you have to cancel the reservation, then you lose the credit. I recall CS reading me the T&C when I've called to convert options to credit. I could be wrong. Maybe CS could transfer the credit to another reservation stay.

I had a short stay at WDW in December that I had to cancel. I didn't get the credit for that stay as there weren't many services or restaurants open at the time of reservation, and was glad I hadn't. So best to check what you can use the credit on for your reservation. I usually wait a week or two before check-in to redeem options for credit.

You can’t cancel the resort credit, as you say. But if you cancel the underlying reservation, the resort credit SOs will be returned to your account. If the cancellation is within 60 days of check in, the resort credit SOs will be returned as restricted SOs (and so would the SOs for the cancelled villa.)

I think waiting until a week or two before check-in to attach the resort credit is a good idea. The only exception might be that I *think* you can use, for example, expiring 2022 SOs as a resort credit for a 2023 reservation. That might be a better option than paying to bank them and then exchanging them for resort credit later, and it’s certainly a better option than letting them expire.

 

[rcv82]

The only exception might be that I *think* you can use, for example, expiring 2022 SOs as a resort credit for a 2023 reservation. That might be a better option than paying to bank them and then exchanging them for resort credit later, and it’s certainly a better option than letting them expire.

Yes, this worked for me, even with expiring restricted SOs.


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[suzanna945]

I'm trying to understand and get this straight: we have 14,000 "dangling" Staroptions, expiring in 2023. We have a stay coming up at Westin Lagunamar (not our home resort) this year. Is it possible to convert the 14,000 Staroptions to resort credit at our Westin Lagunamar stay this year? And if so, a Concierge must be involved?

 

[VacationForever]

I'm trying to understand and get this straight: we have 14,000 "dangling" Staroptions, expiring in 2023. We have a stay coming up at Westin Lagunamar (not our home resort) this year. Is it possible to convert the 14,000 Staroptions to resort credit at our Westin Lagunamar stay this year? And if so, a Concierge must be involved?

You call owner services to convert the SOs into resort credit and attach it to a reservation. When you get to Westin Lagunamar, you go to the concierge to activate the resort credit. On check out, you will find that the resort credit has been applied and any unused resort credit is forfeited. If you only own resale, you cannot convert SOs to resort credit.

Added: Only a handful of resorts participate in the program. You will need to check with owner services on the current list.

 

[suzanna945]

Thank you!