What to buy? Points or a week?

[debbenys]

I joined this site a few months ago and it is taking me that long to figure out: should my husband and I buy a week or buy into a points system?

We like to travel at Xmas week, but we also like long weekends through out the year.

I have read the articles on this page, and am in the process of receiving some hard bound books on timeshares.

Would one of you tuggers please offer some guidance?

thank you.
debbe

 

[DeniseM]

Most places, Christmas is a difficult reservation, unless you own Christmas week - many places it is sold as an event week, and you can't reserve it unless you own it.

For weekends, you need points.

Here are some questions you can answer to help us, help you:
1) Where do you want your home resort to be?
2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
4) How many people do you usually travel with?
5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
10) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
12) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?

 

[Gophesjo]

Christmas week

I believe Denise is correct that Christmas week is difficult, but it is not impossible. I own a floating week that includes the Christmas week, and so long as I pay my fees early (more than one year in advance) and call for my reservation at the earliest I am allowed to do so, I can get Christmas week.

I know the Wyndham points system allows you to reserve 13 months out at your home resort, but even with that advanced reservation priority, I do not know if Christmas week is any easier to get.

I personally do not own any points systems, even though I have thought about pretty much all of them. What I am doing for weekend trips instead falls into two categories. First category is depositing a trader I own as early as possible with one of the independent exchange companies so as to be able to get multiple credits for the one deposited week, and then using those credits to book whole weeks that I may stay at only three or four nights. Second is renting - either last minute weeks from the exchange companies, bonus time at resorts I own, or off season reservations made by points system owners in the rental business.

Good luck!

 

[linsj]

I own two weeks on Kauai that are for use, not trade, and Hilton points. I get a lot more bang for my buck and flexibility with the points. For example, 2-3 weeks in Hawaii, depending on season, for less than MF for one Kauai week. I can check in any day I choose with points but am limited to weekend check-ins with the week TS, which I don't like. Often I'll book less than a week with my points in a variety of locations.

Bottom line, I prefer points.

 

[rrlongwell]

... We like to travel at Xmas week, but we also like long weekends through out the year.

If you post the city you would like to go to over Christmas, then availability could be checked by people that participate in the System. I can check Wyndham Vacation Resorts if you like. That would give a quick spot check for you. VIP Members can use the reciprical ARP privedges and call in for availability. Non VIP members can call in and check availability for their Home Resorts. Both can do this from the 13 month to 10 month out point. Wyndham will give them availability during those time frames. The computer can check it at 10 months out and under.

 

[ronparise]

I think the Wyndham points system will work for you. I dont know much other than Wyndham, so others might work too

With Wyndham you cant reserve any further out than 10 months except for your home resort, so its too early to check for Christmas, week but I dont think you will have any problem at the ten month mark, anywhere in the system.

Weekends work well with Wyndham


Here is a link to the Wyndham owners directory so you can get an idea of where Wyndham has resorts in locations you like (dont consider the Affilate Resorts...you will have trouble with these. there is very little availability for us Wyndham owners at the affiliates)

Wyndham Directory

 

[learnalot]

I think the Wyndham points system will work for you. I dont know much other than Wyndham, so others might work too

With Wyndham you cant reserve any further out than 10 months except for your home resort, so its too early to check for Christmas, week but I dont think you will have any problem at the ten month mark, anywhere in the system.

Weekends work well with Wyndham


Here is a link to the Wyndham owners directory so you can get an idea of where Wyndham has resorts in locations you like (dont consider the Affilate Resorts...you will have trouble with these. there is very little availability for us Wyndham owners at the affiliates)

Wyndham Directory

I agree with Ron. In my experience, you should be able to get a reservation at Christmas week almost any place in the Wyndham system if you call right at the 10 month mark. The main exception I can think of (for Christmas) would be that you might have trouble getting a 3 or 4 bedroom at Bonnet Creek without ARP. There are a few other reservations throughout the year where ARP is generally needed (some Myrtle Beach in summer, New Orleans at Mardi Gras, Daytona at Bike week and so forth). Barring these types of exceptions, it is generally not a problem getting a reservation anywhere at 10 months out, although some will go quickly after that.

 

[Millisara]

Gophesjo,
Does multiple credits mean multiple weeks? If so how do you get multiple weeks out of just one deposited week? thanks

 

[ronparise]

Gophesjo,
Does multiple credits mean multiple weeks? If so how do you get multiple weeks out of just one deposited week? thanks

Im not sure how Gophesjo will answer your question but heres one answer:

I deposited a week to RCI last year and was credited with 17 TPU. Checking RCI now, I see numerous possibilities at the 4-5 TPU level...so 4 for 1 isnt difficult

Its the strategy I call deposit long/reserve short

 

[Gophesjo]

You can get multiple credits for depositing future weeks early, or certain desireable weeks, at one or more of Platinum Interchange, Dial an Exchange, or Trading Places International. I am not a member of either RCI or II so I am not sure what is available with them, but I believe they may have similar type programs. The exchange inventory at these independents is more limited, I believe, than at RCI or II (especially with respect to top tier resorts - where the independents have little if any inventory), but they do have offerings worth investigating.

 

[momeason]

Gophesjo,
Does multiple credits mean multiple weeks? If so how do you get multiple weeks out of just one deposited week? thanks

I own points for 1 week-prime at Royal Vista in Wyndham. Royal Vista is one of the few Wyndham resorts which trades in II, Interval International. I used to be able to make 4 deposits into II every year with my 1 week. 2 two br and 2 studio. In II, size of your unit is all that matters. I make low season deposits because in II it is valued the same as high season. Each time I get a confirmed exchange, I am able to make a bonus exchange for areas which have excess inventory. I have 5 weeks booked for this year, one ongoing search and one more unused studio for Flexchange. I have the potential for 5 more bonus XYZ exchanges. II does not have as many locations but offers more bonuses and Marriotts, Hiltons, Sheratons and the like. If you are able to travel w/o school schedule restrictions, some great properties are available.
Now, the present reality is that I can only make 2 deposits a year going forward unless I buy more points. Wyndham totally changed all the point values required for II/RCI deposits a year ago. I am still working off my older deposits until 1/2013. But with Wyndham you can buy more points to make another deposit. They are $10/1000 points I think. You are not obligated to these points on a continuing basis. So any year you want another deposit, you can do that. It is very expensive though if you need a lot of points to have enough for another deposit. There is also no guarantee that II will continue to offer the bonus exchanges. If they do, I can still get 4 trips/yr. For ongoing searches, It is unlikely that Wyndham points will get you a Marriott quality resort but I have picked up 5 Marriotts in the last year during flexchange or in excess inventory.
This is where flexibility in travel schedules makes all the difference.
As Denise said, you are entering a contract for a lifetime or until you can give it away. Do not expect to be able to sell it. You will be fortunate to find someone to take it. We have owned for 4 years and really like it. With time and experience and TUG you can really enjoy your timeshare purchase.
If you do not want to spend a lot of time trying to get bargains, Marriott has great quality resorts. A Marriott resale might be worth considering because it trades very well. Do not buy in an overbuilt area like Branson, Williamsburg, Gatlinburg, Vegas or Orlando.
You are doing the right thing researching BEFORE you buy!

 

[shagnat]

I'm not a newbie in regards to "time involved with timeshare" but a total newbie in understanding all of this.......... one thing I would advise is: Nothing is as easy as the salesperson indicates. (if you're going thru a reseller)
I only have points and like them very much. I cannot imagine much of an advantage to weeks but am ignorant on how they trade. Seems more of a hassle to me, but, again, I speak from ignorance.
Points is simple to me. If I want to go to Japan and have enough points (let's say 85,000 points) then I just make the reservation and pay all those stinkin' booking fees etc. and I'm done....
What all this "banking" and "trading" weeks is about I just don't know. It makes my head spin.
I can always go to my "home resort" as often as I wish, but, in the 10 years I've been a time share holder, I've only been to my home resort twice. With points, I just find out where I want to go, check for the number of points needed vs the number of points I have and I'm done.
Hope this helps a little.... and best of luck.

 

[Brerrabbit]

Check it out first as a renter

My advice to anyone who is thinking about buying a time share by whatever system they have it organized as, i.e. points or weeks, would be to find one you think you would like, and then do not buy it until you have rented it and stayed in it at least one week per year for 5 years. That way you will get used to it and the thrill will wear off and you can have a more down-to-earth opinion of it, instead of the impulse reaction you might have listening to a sales pitch at a presentation. Also, ask to see what the maintenance fees have been every year for the last 10 years or so - see how much they have gone up every year. I would only buy one where there was an ironclad provision in the contract that if they raise the maintenance fees, you are entitled to sell it back to the developer and get 100% of your money back, if you decide at that point you don't want to keep it. Increasing maintenance fees is the BIG downside to these things, and you don't really have any control over it.

 

[Larry M]

I joined this site a few months ago and it is taking me that long to figure out: should my husband and I buy a week or buy into a points system?

Well, maybe I'm old-fashioned but I like the security of a fixed week at the same resort. (You cannot buy these from the developers but you can find them on the after-market, including this BBS.) I don't have the annual uncertainty of whether I can get my desired week or the anxiety of phoning daily (love that Wyndham!) or pounding on the web browser at midnight. I know that I always have week 13 or 33 or whatever.

Do you like to gamble? Or, as Clint Eastwood said in his famous role as Dirty Harry Callahan, "Do you feel lucky...?"

Larry M

 

[Jennie]

The best way to go, IMHO, is to rent for awhile until you find a resort that you really love AND has affordable annual maintenance fees. Try to determine how well it is managed, and if there is likely to be any Special Assessments in the near future.

Many people purchased their timeshares 15-20 years ago and are no longer able or interested in traveling. Since it's very difficult to sell a timeshare in this economy (or even give one away for free) most of these weeks are rented at or below the maintenance fees. Look at the ads here in the TUG MarketPlace, and www.redweek.com and www.myresortnetwork.com. The asking price is often times negotiable.

What we did is to gradually acquire multiple weeks at a resort after we had enjoyed some great rental vacations there. Two of the weeks are fixed/deeded, purchased resale through a broker. The other three were already converted to RCI Points when we acquired them via Ebay auctions. When we wish to vacation for 5 weeks back-to-back in our units, (or rent them) we need to notify RCI at least 9 months before the check-in date that we will be using our units instead of receiving the RCI Points that year. Otherwise RCI automatically places the Points in our account and we cannot use the weeks we own that year.

If at some time we decide we want to use the 5 weeks every year w/o having to remember and meet RCI deadlines, we can withdraw the weeks from the RCI Points program, at no cost, and own them from that point on as fixed/deeded weeks.

Also, since our resort is managed by VRI (a large company that manages many different timeshare properties), and we already have weeks from that resort in the RCI Points program, we have the ability to convert our two fixed-deeded weeks into RCI Points for a one time fee of $500.. If all five weeks were receiving points in a given year, we would have 330,000 Points--enough to exchage into a few high end resorts. or several average ones, and/or many weekends.

It probably sounds complicated, but it is easy enough to learn the ropes when you are at the RCI website, seeing the many different possibilities.

My advice to you is to take your time exploring many possibilities via rentals before purchasing. Keep in mind that the large exchange companies, particularly RCI, keep changing the rules of the Points program--and never to the advantage of timeshare owners. I personally will not buy into a Points program that I cannot get out of easily in the future, if it no longer meets my needs. I made sure to purchase a specific week that I can change back to a fixed deeded week, so as to have nothing further to do with RCI, if I so choose.

 

[sinclair]

Points are more flexible and the easiest way you can use part of your timeshare for just a weekend. But you have to be organized every year to get the week or weekends you want. It's a matter of timing. I find the Wyndham point system very fair. But any point system takes a couple of years to learn the ins and outs in order to manipulate it for your own annual schedule.

I go hear the sales pitch every year because I learn about changes in the system. I don't buy, of course, but you can't use your system to your own advantage unless you know the new rules.

You will pay more for a fixed-week X-mas. But you can get X-mas with points without paying extra---but you're not likely to get it every year.

 

[GeraldineT]

I think it depends on your particular needs and how you plan on spending your vacation. We have friends that own a fixed summer week and love it. They love knowing that every year they will be going on vacation at a certain time. The husband is in a union and has to pick vacations almost 8 months in advance so it works for them.

That would never work for my family. We like trying new places and more often than not book no more than 60 days out so a points system works for us. We also like to split weeks. 4 days in Orlando, 3 in Pompano. Long weekends, etc. With a weeks based system that would be a lot of work and trades.

We looked around on and off for about 3 years before we "took the plunge". Do your homework, ask lots of questions. We did different preview packages through Marriott, Wyndham & Sheraton as well as a few lesser known resorts to get all the info. Spoke to owners as well as sitting through the presentations.

Good luck.

 

[drjkn]

.... Very Interesting .....

 

[keysfan]

I agree with all of the above, it depends on your particular situation. We are tied to the school calendar and therefore we love our fixed Christmas and New Year's weeks in Key West. We never have to worry about getting a reservation and we always know our dates for airline reservations. The few times we were not able to use a week, we either exchanged or rented it out, not a big hassle. This works for us because we know we want to use our unit for those particular 2 weeks. You just have to decide what works for your lifestyle.