Your experiences with resale points systems

[Yellowfin]

We have RCI points (Regal Vistas at Massanutten) and Vistana StarOptions (SVV Bella). They are both good. RCI has a lot more options but it is more difficult to find upscale resorts. Vistana costs more per vacation but you have access to few great resorts and the inventory is very decent for those. We used to own HGVC but we sold it I do not regret it, I have enough options with RCI, Vistana and Interval.

 

[win555]

I think a pairing of HGVC and Vistana would be good for what you’re wanting. I think you’re smart to start with HGVC. It’s a really good point system and has strong resale value.

We now own both systems (just closed on an HGVC resale today). We’ve been really happy with Vistana as well - but wanted to fill in a couple of location holes in the Vistana system (Vegas, BI and Oahu).

I read up about both systems. My understanding is HGVC cancellation/borrow/saving policies are better than Vistana. Would you agree?

HGVC does have booking fees while Vistana doesn't.

 

[win555]

I would have suggested WM, but you already own that. I think the best system for your needs is probably HGVC points as noted by others above.

The next best fit seems to be Marriott DC points purchased resale. I suspect your budget would get you ~2000 DC points. That isn't tons, but the MVC resortd are nice and they have the biggest variety in locations of the high end brands.

You could use WM to trade for week long vacations in II or RCI and use the MVC for your weekends.

Investigating HGVC. That seems to be the only system unanimously recommended.

Marriott seems to be the most scummy system. What I read is it is a class system. If you have fewer points, you are lower class, you don't get to book weekends until 11 months or something like that. And they charge so much for the holidays and weekends. So my guess is the lower points people probably cannot get anything useful and probably just pay MFs to subsidize the upper class people in that system.

They are nasty with those fees on resale points as well. I'm not gonna touch them.

 

[win555]

BTW...If you own Worldmark, could you trade into RCI to use HGVC properties? It does involve a resort fee of about $25/day but might be more cost effective than buying HGVC. May not get school holidays though because you would fall behind HGVC points traders in priority. Suggest checking out RCI availability for HGVC before spending more money.

I ran some numbers and I don't see a huge advantage to using RCI vs. using HGVC. Cost of RCI trade with WM would be $800 to 1000 MF, $239 RCI exchange fee, $99 RCI membership fee (whether or not I find an exchange). Seems like I could do better by booking the exact dates I want with hgvc.

 

[Shankilicious]

You are talking about the Registry Collection (owned by RCI) but not RCI Points, right? I had misunderstood and thought you were discussing using RCI in the passage above. My bad. How much Welk do you have to own to do that ...would it be a thing at regular entry level? Thanks!

No. Not talking about the registry collection website. Just logging in through the Welk portal to RCI. And to book directly into Disney you have to own 540k points annually and they can't all be resale. You can buy a resale package and then pay to buy more retail and get the retail perks.
The priority access Welk gets to Disney properties is something all owners get.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[TravelTime]

As a resale HGVC owner, you have all of the features and access as a retail buyer with no restrictions. The only difference is that resale purchases (usually) do not count toward Elite levels, but the Elite benefits are not that big of a deal. If the HGVC system and properties would work for you, resale is the best way to go w/o losing any benefits of membership vs. retail.

Kurt

I bought a resale week in Key West and I am trying to sell it back the Hyatt. I could not figure out the Hyatt points system. I never used my week or the points. I let it expire and I am now hoping Hyatt will buy it back before 2021 MFs are due. I found Mariott, Vistana and Disney‘s point system all to be user friendly. I am lost with Hyatt. Please share with me the secrets of the Hyatt points system. Everyone on TUG raves about Hyatt and here I am with a week and points and I lost them.

Updated: HGVC means Hilton. So we are taking different systems right? My bad.

 

[TravelTime]

A Vistana Mandatory Trader such as a free/low cost Vistana Villages 81k or 95k point 2bdrm might also fit your budget. Make sure you buy a mandatory unit (Bella or Key West Only). Other mandatory's might fit but the WKORV/WKORVN Hawaii MF may be over your budget of $2k MF (about $2400+ - $2800 and will likely increase this year). Non-mandatory Vistanas make good II traders but are not points as you desire and are full week trades.

Vistana has AZ, Palm Springs, HI, CO, Florida but no Disneyland or UT. It trades in II week to week.

I suggested this to the OP on another thread. I am not sure what he thinks of it.

 

[TravelTime]

Thanks everyone for the input. I will read up on this. Which system is easy to buy and sell and likely to keep value?

I plan to keep worldmark so I will have access to those locations as well.

I did not realize you have a $10K budget to spend upfront. If that is the case, Kierland for $15K would work perfectly and you would get the benefit that MVC might allow low cost enrollment. I would vote for this. I also own Hyatt but I am in the process of selling it back to Hyatt. I know all my systems well yet I could never figure out Hyatt. I finally got frustrated and gave up. I tried everything to learn, read all the posts about Hyatt, called Hyatt, read all the online info. Still I was lost. I loved the locations and quality of Hyatt. Also there is a possibility that MVC might integrate Hyatt into MVC but that seems to be after they integrate Vistana. MVC is also rumored to possibly sell Hyatt because the Hyatt brand competes on the hotel side. Given the great Hyatt locations and little overlap with MVC locations, my bet is they will rebrand Hyatt with the Marriott or Westin name. So it could be a good gamble as long as you like what you buy and can figure out the Hyatt points system. I bought Key West for under $7K. You can get it much cheaper but I was not a good negotiator. I think you could get it for $5K or less now if you negotiate well. There are many for sale and they might be the best value in the Hyatt system when you balance upfront costs and MFs.

BTW, I have been confusing HGVC with Hyatt. I realize now that people are recommending Hilton, which I have never owned. Hilton was on my consideration list but when I got overwhelmed with Hyatt’s system, I decided I want to consolidate into the MVC system. There is the benefit of owning one or two systems because all the rules and deadlines are different. Once you get beyond a couple systems, it is hard to keep track. I am selling a lot right now to consolidate into MVC.

 

[TravelTime]

You guys mush have a lot of vacation time to use all these weeks and points. Must be nice.

I hope I can find some HGVC good deals in this environment. Or maybe I should wait until there is a vaccine.

Prices will go back up when there is a vaccine. Now is prime time to figure out what is best for you and get it for a steal.

 

[TravelTime]

Investigating HGVC. That seems to be the only system unanimously recommended.

Marriott seems to be the most scummy system. What I read is it is a class system. If you have fewer points, you are lower class, you don't get to book weekends until 11 months or something like that. And they charge so much for the holidays and weekends. So my guess is the lower points people probably cannot get anything useful and probably just pay MFs to subsidize the upper class people in that system.

They are nasty with those fees on resale points as well. I'm not gonna touch them.

I am Presidential level in MVC DP system. That is probably why I am happy. I am worried the new integrated program will devalue Presidential level. Right now, many of us MVC points owners consider Presidential level to be the sweet spot in the MVC system. Currently Chairman’s Club level only offers a few perks above Presidential but the cost to upgrade and the MFs on the points make it expensive. If MVC devalues Presidential level, then I will be forced to upgrade. So I am selling a bunch of my timeshares in preparation for that. I am happiest with Marriott of all the systems I own which also includes Disney, Vistana, Hyatt and Four Seasons. Vistana is my favorite actually. But now they are part of Marriott. Hyatt is also part of Marriott but the plans to integrate are unknown. Otherwise I would hold Hyatt but I also can’t figure out Hyatt’s point system so I am paying MFs and not using it. I would rather deedback to Hyatt and get out now before next MFs are due.

 

[jabberwocky]

I read up about both systems. My understanding is HGVC cancellation/borrow/saving policies are better than Vistana. Would you agree?

HGVC does have booking fees while Vistana doesn't.

Cancellation: slight edge to HGVC since you can cancel up to 31 days before without penalty (other than losing booking fee). Vistana is normally 60 days to avoid restrictions and cancellation fees. HGVC can be pretty harsh with the penalty for cancellations unless you purchase cancellation protection for your points when booking.

Borrowing: both systems allow you to borrow for free. Edge to HGVC since Vistana requires you to prepay the maintenance fees for the borrowed year and you can only borrow on the phone.

Saving/Banking: I’d give the edge here to Vistana. Your banking fee covers all points and the points are extended for two years - HGVC is only one year. HGVC is more generous with the deadlines to save though.

Booking: Edge to Vistana. There is no fee to book. HGVC also has a “feature” where you can “walk” your reservation to get the desired dates. While some like this - I’m not a fan and prefer Vistana’s approach which is first-come-first served for all when the booking window opens. In my view HGVC effectively lets some owners block others from certain bookings via walking.

 

[dayooper]

Cancellation: slight edge to HGVC since you can cancel up to 31 days before without penalty (other than losing booking fee). Vistana is normally 60 days to avoid restrictions and cancellation fees. HGVC can be pretty harsh with the penalty for cancellations unless you purchase cancellation protection for your points when booking.

Borrowing: both systems allow you to borrow for free. Edge to HGVC since Vistana requires you to prepay the maintenance fees for the borrowed year and you can only borrow on the phone.

Saving/Banking: I’d give the edge here to Vistana. Your banking fee covers all points and the points are extended for two years - HGVC is only one year. HGVC is more generous with the deadlines to save though.

Booking: Edge to Vistana. There is no fee to book. HGVC also has a “feature” where you can “walk” your reservation to get the desired dates. While some like this - I’m not a fan and prefer Vistana’s approach which is first-come-first served for all when the booking window opens. In my view HGVC effectively lets some owners block others from certain bookings via walking.

Actually, there’s an easy work around to the cancelation within 30 days. You change the reservation so it’s beyond the 30 day mark and cancel. Since club bookings are free to change, it only costs you your club booking fee you paid when you made the reservation. The only time that doesn’t work is at the end of the year because you can’t move reservations across years.

 

[jabberwocky]

Actually, there’s an easy work around to the cancelation within 30 days. You change the reservation so it’s beyond the 30 day mark and cancel. Since club bookings are free to change, it only costs you your club booking fee you paid when you made the reservation. The only time that doesn’t work is at the end of the year because you can’t move reservations across years.

Thanks. That’s a great tip.

 

[R1964]

Like skimeup I like my Royal Holiday Club points. I have 185000 points and have never had issues making a reservation anywhere I've wanted to go. I aquired most of my points for little or no cost to myself by resale. They get a bad rep because people get sold points that aren't enoungh to make reservations at most resorts if you want something bigger than a studio unit. I agree that in order to take advantage of the Royal Holiday system a person needs at least 40000 points inorder to enjoy their membership. The other plus is after the RTU is up you can just walk away and have no need to find a buyer to take it off your hands. Another plus is there is no need to belong to RCI or II and have to pay additional fees to make trades because RHC is affiliated with over 180 resorts around the world. I have used DAE live a few times to make deposits for unused points that I converted to a confirmation and traded within their system for very little cost and they don't charge a membership fee.

 

[jim4529]

I'm curious which points system people recommend if you like locations in Hyatt, Wyndham, Vistana and HGVC. Which one is better for resale buyers?

• Constrained to school holidays but can book well in advance
• Prefer 2 BR or bigger units but 1 BR ok as well
• Flexibility for cancellations
• Value for money, paying more for better quality is fine, or paying less for lower quality
• Ease of buying/selling

1) Is there a vacation destination you wish to visit most of the time or on a regular basis? if so where?
Not interested in any single location regularly other than Disney Orlando and California. I would like points systems so I can go to various places in CA, AZ, UT, CO, FL, HI.

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?
Don't want a home resort.

3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
CA, AZ, UT, CO, FL, HI.

4) How many people do you usually travel with - total, including yourself?
4

5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
school schedule

6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
yes

7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
sometimes. Want to travel long weekends to stretch our vacation time. We can do a week in summer and a week for Xmas

8) What level of accommodations do you prefer on a scale of 1 to 5 stars?
3 and above

9) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
10k

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?
2k per week

11) Are you a detail oriented planner?
yes

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?
yes. I only want to buy stuff that would be easy to sell when I'm done.

We own Shell, which is now owned by Wyndham and is opening a lot of the Wyndham properties up to us now. We bought it resale so that we could spend long weekends in Anaheim, San Diego and San Francisco/Napa without having to book a whole week. We also bought it so we could go to various places in Hawaii for a week or two at a time, since we often have enough points to go for 10 days to 2 weeks if we only take 2 or 3 long weekend trips in a year. They have affiliations with some other companies that we have used in Europe and in FL (Disney). We are getting older and ready to retire, so we will be looking for a buyer of about half our points for about $2500 for 6000 points very soon. We have owned it for over 10 years. MF is about $1200 a year right now for AZ/CA properties, access to HI (we are going to Kauai in October if they ever lift the COVID quarantine by then). We have loved owning Shell.

 

[overthehill]

I am a VRBO/AirBnB landlord for a vacation rental. FYI...the fees to renters beyond the base rental can add up on these systems to more than one night. Cleaning, AirBnB Service Fee, Security, Travel Insurance. VRBOs also don't have the amenities of the timeshare resorts and may not have the best location on the beach. YMMV If you are planning short stays, these fees plus the rental may not be worth it. Compare pricing and amenities for your desired locations.

I agree with much of what you said. So far many of the resorts we have stayed at using Home Away are timeshare resorts where owners offered their time for rent. When searching for a rental, I always look at the breakdown of costs to rent and the amenities which suite my wife and me. Being in our 70's we don't care about offered activities and amenities many others might be looking for. It's all a matter of personal choice.

 

[hyperjewl]

i have a question fir my brother who’s a Hilton owner. He owns 7,000 platinum at sea world from the developer. I’ve introduced him to this site & forum. If a Hilton owner adds points through resale can they attain elite stays, or can those extra points only be purchased through the developer?
Thank you!

 

[dayooper]

i have a question fir my brother who’s a Hilton owner. He owns 7,000 platinum at sea world from the developer. I’ve introduced him to this site & forum. If a Hilton owner adds points through resale can they attain elite stays, or can those extra points only be purchased through the developer?
Thank you!

Only developer points count toward Elite, with one exception. You can purchase resale through the Craigenarroch sales office and they will count those purchases toward ELite status.

 

[PigsDad]

Only developer points count toward Elite, with one exception. You can purchase resale through the Craigenarroch sales office and they will count those purchases toward ELite status.

There are other exceptions. If you purchase through the resale agents of the SW Florida affiliate properties, those will also count toward Elite.

Kurt

 

[hyperjewl]

There are other exceptions. If you purchase through the resale agents of the SW Florida affiliate properties, those will also count toward Elite.

Kurt

Do you know which agents those are?
Thank you!

 

[PigsDad]

Do you know which agents those are?
Thank you!

Each SW Florida property has a resale agent. You can call the property for their contact information.

Kurt