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VIP question

Wolverine25

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I had 154k points with Wyndam Club Access and recently while in Vegas on vacation was told of the level changes. We bought 146k more points and told that we would be deeded and grandfathered into silver. I recently spoke to Wyndam and according to them neither is true. I would like to get to silver without having to purchase more from this company and was reading about PIC plus is that my best route? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

tschwa2

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I had 154k points with Wyndam Club Access and recently while in Vegas on vacation was told of the level changes. We bought 146k more points and told that we would be deeded and grandfathered into silver. I recently spoke to Wyndam and according to them neither is true. I would like to get to silver without having to purchase more from this company and was reading about PIC plus is that my best route? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
PIC requires a new purchase. There is no way to reach VIP without a retail purchase. It would probably be a minimum of $15,000-$17,000 plus you would need to include a PIC week and to be honest silver is probably worth less than $1000 in benefits per year.
 

Wolverine25

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PIC requires a new purchase. There is no way to reach VIP without a retail purchase. It would probably be a minimum of $15,000-$17,000 plus you would need to include a PIC week and to be honest silver is probably worth less than $1000 in benefits per year.
Thanks, really liked Margaritaville in St. Thomas that's pretty much my reasoning in trying to get to silver
 

cbyrne1174

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You would be at Advantage with 300,000 points. 15% discounts and suite upgrades 2 weeks out is all you get. You still have to count your housekeeping credits. If you buy another 192,000 points and get 2 three bedroom PICs for 508,000 points, you can get to VIP platinum, which is the VIP level that really saves money in the long run. Timeshare Nation has two Massanutten 4 bedrooms that you can use as PICs for free.


The maintenance fees end up being around $3.7 per thousand using PICs instead of the $6.28 per thousand that you pay for CWA points. Last I heard Telesales sold points at $134 per thousand and 200,000 points is the closest to 192,000 that they would sell. So you would have to spend an extra $27,000 to be VIP Platinum.
 

Cyrus24

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If it's too late to rescind, enjoy what you have, for now. Down the road, buy 100k more points and add in 2 3BR PICs (PIC Plus, not Express). That would put you at 908K (154+146+100+254+254) points, and permanent (whatever is replacing) Gold. Buy from telesales. Take your time, listen to those much more fluent at this then I (Richelle and Hitchhiker71) to really understand your options as you might want your next purchase to be your last. I am VIPP with 2 PIC's and am very happy with my current status.
 

cbyrne1174

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If it's too late to rescind, enjoy what you have, for now. Down the road, buy 100k more points and add in 2 3BR PICs (PIC Plus, not Express). That would put you at 908K (154+146+100+254+254) points, and permanent (whatever is replacing) Gold. Buy from telesales. Take your time, listen to those much more fluent at this then I (Richelle and Hitchhiker71) to really understand your options as you might want your next purchase to be your last. I am VIPP with 2 PIC's and am very happy with my current status.


With what OP originally posted, it makes more financial sense to just go all the way to Platinum. The extra $13,000-$14,000 that Platinum would cost would pay for itself in a few years with getting first pick at upgrades.
 

Eric B

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Thanks, really liked Margaritaville in St. Thomas that's pretty much my reasoning in trying to get to silver

If Margaritaville St Thomas is what is driving your desire, you might look into picking up a resale contract there as another option. There's one on SMTN for $1 - just 105,000 points, though. Other possibilities would be resale contracts at the other Margaritaville resorts; I believe they allow you to book St Thomas as a reciprocal benefit as a non-VIP. If you decide to go the VIP route, you might look at either The Colonies or Williamsburg Plantation for 4 BR LO weeks as a resale option to maximize your flexibility. You can typically find those for about $1 as resales on eBay or a few other spots like the TUG marketplace. The MF for a 4 BR LO is about the same for those as it is for Massanutten, but they are dual affiliated with RCI & II, so you can use them in either exchange system. They trade pretty well because they are both premier resorts in II; just look for an annual one between week 23 and week 34 to maximize the value by being in the high season. Massanutten works well, too - I have a 4 BR LO week there, but you're limited to RCI.

You can get a lower MF 3 BR week to use for a PIC Plus contract, but I like using a 4 BR LO despite the slightly higher MF cost. I have the option of PICing the whole thing for 254,000 Wyndham points, using it as a 4 BR week myself, using it as a couple of 2 BR weeks, or exchanging it as either a 4 BR or two 2 BR weeks. Since I own WorldMark as well, I can deposit it as two 2 BR red weeks there and get the WorldMark credits and housekeeping tokens.

One final thought - you didn't mention how big a unit you use there. Lately I've seen a fair number of studios there in RCI. If that size unit works for you, you might just try booking that through the Wyndham RCI portal or through RCI using a different TS. Really depends on how much you want to go there in the high season, of course.
 

Wolverine25

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If Margaritaville St Thomas is what is driving your desire, you might look into picking up a resale contract there as another option. There's one on SMTN for $1 - just 105,000 points, though. Other possibilities would be resale contracts at the other Margaritaville resorts; I believe they allow you to book St Thomas as a reciprocal benefit as a non-VIP. If you decide to go the VIP route, you might look at either The Colonies or Williamsburg Plantation for 4 BR LO weeks as a resale option to maximize your flexibility. You can typically find those for about $1 as resales on eBay or a few other spots like the TUG marketplace. The MF for a 4 BR LO is about the same for those as it is for Massanutten, but they are dual affiliated with RCI & II, so you can use them in either exchange system. They trade pretty well because they are both premier resorts in II; just look for an annual one between week 23 and week 34 to maximize the value by being in the high season. Massanutten works well, too - I have a 4 BR LO week there, but you're limited to RCI.

You can get a lower MF 3 BR week to use for a PIC Plus contract, but I like using a 4 BR LO despite the slightly higher MF cost. I have the option of PICing the whole thing for 254,000 Wyndham points, using it as a 4 BR week myself, using it as a couple of 2 BR weeks, or exchanging it as either a 4 BR or two 2 BR weeks. Since I own WorldMark as well, I can deposit it as two 2 BR red weeks there and get the WorldMark credits and housekeeping tokens.

One final thought - you didn't mention how big a unit you use there. Lately I've seen a fair number of studios there in RCI. If that size unit works for you, you might just try booking that through the Wyndham RCI portal or through RCI using a different TS. Really depends on how much you want to go there in the high season, of course.
We did a 2 bedroom when we were there, I don't really travel during high season, most of my vacations are to get away from the cold of Michigan
 

Wolverine25

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If it's too late to rescind, enjoy what you have, for now. Down the road, buy 100k more points and add in 2 3BR PICs (PIC Plus, not Express). That would put you at 908K (154+146+100+254+254) points, and permanent (whatever is replacing) Gold. Buy from telesales. Take your time, listen to those much more fluent at this then I (Richelle and Hitchhiker71) to really understand your options as you might want your next purchase to be your last. I am VIPP with 2 PIC's and am very happy with my current status.
You would be at Advantage with 300,000 points. 15% discounts and suite upgrades 2 weeks out is all you get. You still have to count your housekeeping credits. If you buy another 192,000 points and get 2 three bedroom PICs for 508,000 points, you can get to VIP platinum, which is the VIP level that really saves money in the long run. Timeshare Nation has two Massanutten 4 bedrooms that you can use as PICs for free.


The maintenance fees end up being around $3.7 per thousand using PICs instead of the $6.28 per thousand that you pay for CWA points. Last I heard Telesales sold points at $134 per thousand and 200,000 points is the closest to 192,000 that they would sell. So you would have to spend an extra $27,000 to be VIP Platinum.
Can you do a PIC with telesales?
 

cbyrne1174

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Can you do a PIC with telesales?


Yes you just have to have the PICs recorded in your name first. 508,000 PIC points and 492,000 developer points will put you at permanent VIP Platinum.
 

Wolverine25

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Cool, one last question for now. Is Timeshare Nation, SMTN and Ebay the only or best places to get PIC properties?
 

Richelle

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Cool, one last question for now. Is Timeshare Nation, SMTN and Ebay the only or best places to get PIC properties?

Those are probably have the best selection but keep an eye on the Bargain Bin forum here on TUG. Just in case no one mentioned it, you do have access to Margaritaville. You don’t need to be VIP to book Saint Thomas. You can book Margaritaville five months out. Any owner can. VIPs can book it sooner. You have to be a Margaritaville owner to book Pigeon Forge though.

Whatever PIC you decide to get, confirm with the broker that it trades in RCI. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t qualify for PIC Plus. You want PIC Plus because PIC Express expires after five years and you have to buy more points to renew it. Make sure the sales person knows PIC PLUS. A sales person who is not familiar with the program can screw it up. Biannual fixed weeks can be used in PiC and even though you can only get the points every other year, they still count towards VIP status in the off years. Many use Biannuals to reduce their costs because the maintenance fees are cheaper.
 

HitchHiker71

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Cool, one last question for now. Is Timeshare Nation, SMTN and Ebay the only or best places to get PIC properties?

As @Richelle said those are your best bets most likely. Be careful with some of the resellers on eBay though - check their reputations and don't hesitate to post in this thread for advice on specific resellers - many of us have dealt with quite a few of them over time and know which ones are good and which ones are problematic. I've used both SumDay and J&J on eBay for my PICs and they were both solid - however my understanding is that Sumday closed up shop recently. You can also find sales on sites like Redweek.com, the listed prices are ridiculous for the most part - but I've also found if you bargain that many of the people that list on redweek know that the price is a joke and will deal pretty aggressively on price as a result.
 

HitchHiker71

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Can you do a PIC with telesales?

I did my VIPP temp (VIPG permanent) with PIC Plus in July 2018 entirely through telesales. Feel free to ask questions as you go.
 

HitchHiker71

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I had 154k points with Wyndam Club Access and recently while in Vegas on vacation was told of the level changes. We bought 146k more points and told that we would be deeded and grandfathered into silver. I recently spoke to Wyndam and according to them neither is true. I would like to get to silver without having to purchase more from this company and was reading about PIC plus is that my best route? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

* DELETED
 
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paxsarah

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What exactly did you come to find out that wasn't true? If you purchased 146k more points and are at VIPS today - you should be grandfathered into the equivalent Privileges level when that time comes - which would be Champion.
My guess is that they are temporary VIPS because of their total of only 300k points, and would be grandfathered into Advantage.
 

HitchHiker71

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My guess is that they are temporary VIPS because of their total of only 300k points, and would be grandfathered into Advantage.

* DELETED
 
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Wolverine25

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What exactly did you come to find out that wasn't true? If you purchased 146k more points and are at VIPS today - you should be grandfathered into the equivalent Privileges level when that time comes - which would be Champion.
When we first bought our timeshare they gave us a bonus contract for 254000 so we were already silver til the end of 2020. When we purchased in Vegas around Thanksgiving they knew the changes were coming to the points system and told us if we brought our total up to 300000 and wrote the letter of reasons for buying more we would be grandfathered into silver VIP status. I called to see if they would extend our bonus contract if resorts wouldn't be opening this year and that when they said my VIP expires at the end of the year and they didnt see any notes about the grandfathering.
 

tschwa2

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If they owned 154k points and purchased another 146k points, that's 300k points permanent according to his first post. That's grandfathered VIPS or Champion unless I'm interpreting his words incorrectly.
To be grandfathered at silver with 300,000 points, he would have had to bought sometime around (or before) 2012.
 

HitchHiker71

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When we first bought our timeshare they gave us a bonus contract for 254000 so we were already silver til the end of 2020. When we purchased in Vegas around Thanksgiving they knew the changes were coming to the points system and told us if we brought our total up to 300000 and wrote the letter of reasons for buying more we would be grandfathered into silver VIP status. I called to see if they would extend our bonus contract if resorts wouldn't be opening this year and that when they said my VIP expires at the end of the year and they didnt see any notes about the grandfathering.

* DELETED - you're right - VIPS is 400k not 300k - my bad. :)
 

Wolverine25

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How can I tell if a timeshare on the marketplace is PICable? I see one that is fixed week and the bedrooms I desire but I want to be absolutely sure I do this right.
 

Eric B

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Eligibility requirements for PIC Plus are on page 293 of the 2018-19 Members Directory, which is the current one. They read as follows:

Eligibility Requirements: Membership in the PIC Plus Program is available with a new vacation ownership purchase from Wyndham Vacation Resorts or to CLUB WYNDHAM Plus Members who pay the PIC Plus Membership Enrollment Fee. In order to be eligible, non-Wyndham week(s) must be: (1) affiliated with RCI and (2) not currently participating in a points-based program, including RCI Points. Members will be responsible for maintenance fees on their non- Wyndham week(s).
 

Wolverine25

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Eligibility requirements for PIC Plus are on page 293 of the 2018-19 Members Directory, which is the current one. They read as follows:

Eligibility Requirements: Membership in the PIC Plus Program is available with a new vacation ownership purchase from Wyndham Vacation Resorts or to CLUB WYNDHAM Plus Members who pay the PIC Plus Membership Enrollment Fee. In order to be eligible, non-Wyndham week(s) must be: (1) affiliated with RCI and (2) not currently participating in a points-based program, including RCI Points. Members will be responsible for maintenance fees on their non- Wyndham week(s).
Not sure how to read these yet as I just joined any help would be great. Wondering if this is PIC compliant. This one says frisatsun, does that mean it's just a weekend?
 

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HitchHiker71

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IMHO I would avoid BIS in Duck - it's in pretty bad shape from what I've seen online and in visiting in person last year. I would recommend finding a three bedroom unit at OBBC I if you're going to focus on OBX area. We own a unit there that we PIC in general - however it's pretty well kept up and it's definitely a nice place to go if the unit ever disqualifies from the PIC program in the future for any reason. There's a Facebook page here that maintains a list of units for sale by owner or by the local organization:


The latest sales postings are currently the topmost post in on the page. Feel free to PM me with any questions on OBBC. It doesn't hurt that the MFs are usually lower than BIS as well.
 

Richelle

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How can I tell if a timeshare on the marketplace is PICable? I see one that is fixed week and the bedrooms I desire but I want to be absolutely sure I do this right.

The primary factors are you have to be able to deposit it into RCI and it’s NOT tied to any points system (RCI points, DVC, etc). It also cannot be a Wyndham owned resort which includes Shell resorts. The timeshare brokers should know what exchange system that contract is associated with. Some resorts have multiple exchange systems and it depends on the contract, however that is the exception, not the rule. Any of the Vacation Villages resorts qualify provided it’s not Points. Many of the Vacation villages resorts were enrolled into points. They can be dis-enrolled, but I’m that adds to the time it would take to make it ready to enroll into PIC. Also the vacation village resorts have maintenance fees that are up there. You can find other Gold crown resorts with cheaper maintenance fees. Don’t do the Colonies at Williamsburg. They have ROFR that the HOA has to waive before the transfer can start. One person I know had to wait five months for them to get around to doing that.
 
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