Timeshare Points vs. Weeks

Just read the posts in the forums and you will see a lot of people disatisfied with their system. Many have had the number of points required for a reservation raised beyond what they purchased to make a booking. That is not what they agreed to. Now they have to purchase more points and pay higher maintenance fees. Others have been hit with huge assessments to pay for water intrussion and other expenses. Yes that happens in weeks also but atleast in weeks you have a home reosrt that you purchased and hopefully use. I am sure there are thousands of satisfied points owners but the problem is that there is no exit plan for the disatisfied owners. I know that some timeshares like Marriott and Wyndham are highly regarded and have excellent reviews but there are many out there that are just in it to sell more points than there is openings for reservations and that has to be addressed. I own a week and I have a unit that I can go to every year and I don't need to worry that next year they raise the point value and I have to spend more money that I originally agrreed to when I purchased it.

This forum is for the purpose of expressing your views and opinions and I enjoy reading both sides. Hopefully it will help people become better informed and educate them before they sign on the dotted line.

donp196 Many have had the number of points required for a reservation raised beyond what they purchased to make a booking.

When you purchase your points from a specific resort, the number of points required for a booking at that resort, in existing properties can never increase. When new resorts come on line in any specific points system, the # of points required for a stay in those resorts is often higher than what you would have paid for at your home resort. This only makes sense as newer units have higher construction costs and usually have nicer amenities than older resorts. If you always go back to the resort where you purchased your points, the numer of points required for a specific stay will never increase.

Others have been hit with huge assessments to pay for water intrussion and other expenses. Yes that happens in weeks also but atleast in weeks you have a home reosrt that you purchased and hopefully use.

Special assessments happen all the time in any common use facility. Even when it is your principle residence if you live in a condo. The vast majority of points systems give you a home resort also, and allow you to book a stay at your home resort before others have access to booking privleges.

I am sure there are thousands of satisfied points owners but the problem is that there is no exit plan for the disatisfied owners.

No tim share comes with an exit plan. In fact the only timeshare where you have a decent opportunity to recoup your capital investment, if not even make a profit when you sell is a points system. Disney points.

I know that some timeshares like Marriott and Wyndham are highly regarded and have excellent reviews but there are many out there that are just in it to sell more points than there is openings for reservations and that has to be addressed.

A resort cannot sell more points than are available for use at their resort. Te reason some owners have trouble making reservations is that they wait too long to make their reservations, and everyone tries to book the most popular weeks at the most popular resorts.

I own a week and I have a unit that I can go to every year and I don't need to worry that next year they raise the point value and I have to spend more money that I originally agrreed to when I purchased it.

However I bet that your maintenance fees go up every year.

This forum is for the purpose of expressing your views and opinions and I enjoy reading both sides. Hopefully it will help people become better informed and educate them before they sign on the dotted line.

I agree with you here, but I do not agree with most of your opinions. You seem to be providing information that I do not believe to be true and therfore is not helpful to most timeshare users.

While your experience with points may have served you well, have you tried to get out of the points system. My experience is that you will pay maintenance fees on those points until you die. There is no way out!! Where as you can generally sell your week - you may have to sell it for $1.00 but you at least you have a way out. With points you are stuck forever.

jeffr92 wrote:

I am a points type owner with Fairfield and yet I am an RCI weeks member. Points are always going to be much more flexible. For instance, although I like extended vacations, sometimes I just want to go for the weekend. I can do this with points. A misconception people have about points is that you don't have a deeded property. This is not true. With Fairfield I have what is called an undivided interest which means I share the overall property with everyone else who owns at my resort, not just a particular unit in that resort. If you own a particular unit, you share ownership with everyone who has every other week in that year for that unit only. So, an undivided interest is the same except on a broader scale. Follow me? Now to get down to how those points play out each year......... Say a one bedroom takes 100,000 each week ( 12,000 each weeknight and 20,000 each weekend night). A two bedroom takes 140,000 for the week (18,000 each weeknight and 25,000 for each weekend night). I have a choice how many points I purchase but they will only go so far in this type of system. But, if I own 280,000 points, I can get two whole weeks in a two bedroom each year. Or, I can get a one bedroom for a week, plus two 5 day excursions taking only weekdays in a one bedroom, plus have 60,000 points still left over for a weekend and another night. Now if I go during less than peak times, my points go even further because the same units go for far less points per night. Flexibility is the name of the game with points. Where it gets sweet is if you own in a large network such as Fairfield that lets you use those points at all their resorts with no exchange fee. The possibilities are endless because by time you check out most of those resorts, they will have added several more. It just keeps getting better and better!!!!!!

MARRIOTT POINTS SYSTEM IS A JOKE No matter how you look at using the points they are more expensive than just your annual maintenance fees, not even counting the costs of purchasing your points. This whole program is a joke and a probably fraud. I have looked at 15 different possibilities of usage for points in the Marriott system and every one has a lower market price than just your annual maintenance fee for the equivalent points. They will tell you you no longer have fees, but try to book a cruise and the port charges and fees came to $900 when I tried to use 3,850 points. The exact same trip could be booked for $1,500 at an online site. This means that the points value is $600/3,850=.156 per point, when your maintenance fees alone cost you .43 per point. You would be crazy to use points.

Your real annual cost per point is about $1.44 using 25 year amortization of purchase (.37), annual maintenance fee (.43)and 7% cost of money (.65).

Use some due dilligence before you perchase any points from Marriott. JUST DOES NOT ADD UP.

I have owned a timeshare week, but moved from the area and have NEVER been able to make a decent exchange for another resort. Ski areas in July, yes, but not during ski season. I am not using the place, just paying maintenance fees. They seem unable to rent my unused week for anywhere near the cost of the annual fees. I have now been offered a chance to convert to "points." Should I? Will I have any better luck at getting exchanges? Through Interval International;?? (I am not with a big operation - it has only one resort) Frankly, I'd like to get rid of the thing.

AMEN!

Marriott points work if you want something other than a week at another Marriott. They are deflated....meaning you cannot get into your home resort with the same amount of points that they give you. When we bought into Marriott we were told you could change for any other Marriott. That simply does not hold true with their Destinations program. You can only trade into another Marriott if you have enough points. they've changed the playing field....in their favor.

Not to be combative, but: What did you expect...exchanging anywhere irrespective of season, view, demand, etc? You indeed CAN trade for any other MVC resort, as well as Ritz-Carlton Clubs (yes, you need enough points). Consider renting more points as necessary I find points very valuable for getting the exact unit size, view, etc. Especially attractive is the ability to check in any day of the week, and the better value for midweek stays. YMMV :)

joolvera wrote:

Marriott points work if you want something other than a week at another Marriott. They are deflated....meaning you cannot get into your home resort with the same amount of points that they give you. When we bought into Marriott we were told you could change for any other Marriott. That simply does not hold true with their Destinations program. You can only trade into another Marriott if you have enough points. they've changed the playing field....in their favor.

I prefer Marriott's traditional weeks program, however the Destination Points program does offer much more flexibility. Also, if you are short points you can easily rent them from another owner in order to obtain your desired reservation. Renting points is a nice feature for many people if they don't like being tied into traditional weeks.

I wish we had been more persistent. They told us that because we do hotel stays so often that it would work out great for us. They even went so far as to ask which cities we visit most and assured us that it would be great for us. We have yet to be able to stay when or where we want.

dennish144 wrote:

donp196 wrote:

I've always said that in my opinion points are a ponzi scheme. Nobody but the seller knows how many points are sold. They set the number of points needed to book a reservation and they can change that number at their will. They own it all and set the rules. When they decide they need more money the demand an assessment be paid for their benefit. It's just another example of corporate greed.

You may not like the points programs, but you should read up on these programs before writing such nonsense. I know the Marriott points program differs from what you have written.

Internal point systems and RCI points are 2 different things. i.e. Resorts that have their own points system. If we talk only about resorts selling RCI points - then your comments are off track. In order for a resort to sell points - it must be backed with "real inventory". When the points are deposited into your account, the inventory associated with those points is deposited by the resort into RCI which is what allows other points members to visit your resort. Furthermore, the resort has no say whatsoever in the number of points associated to the inventory. (at a resort that has its own internal form of points - it is the resort that sets the value, and can change that value at their discretion). Resorts cannot change RCI points. RCI points are assessed exactly the same way that your trading power was assessed when you were a weeks member. The only time that RCI re-assesses a resorts points (up or down) is if something changes at your home resort that would significantly and most importantly - consistently - effect the overall vacation experience of an inbound RCI exchange guest. Exactly the same way your trading power would have been effected in the weeks system. Bear in mind that RCI has no vested interest in changing the point values. For RCI - increasing the number of points needed to achieve exchanges would result in fewer exchanges, not more exchanges. Exchange fees are RCI's bread and butter. For resorts that have their own internal form of points, should the developer decide to increase the number of points you need to get, say a 2 bedroom in July, what is your remedy if you wish to continue doing so? Buy more points from the developer. For me - I would steer clear of internal points programs.

I want to purchase a time share and after reading so many comments and suggestions from people, which I truly thank, I know to buy resale. I understand that owning a week vs points has different pluses and negatives, but what I have a question on is the RCI and II. I attended a time share meeting with global exchange in san dimas. They said I get 10,000.00 point (which seemed so little) and with those points I could stay anywhere for 1 week for an additional 199.99. The bonus is that I get 3 more 1 week vacations for 499.99 each and I could get extra rooms for my friends and family for the same time at the same price. I also get the option to stay at a resort for a one night free of 70.00. They were affiliated with RCI so I am assuming that this is offered through RCI? My representative didn't say much except that reservations are real time!! now!! and that there is never a black out period. Does anyone know what he is talking about with all this extra stuff?

Tell him to put everything he said in writing and watch him back out or try something else. I like my timeshare but they lie. When I got my timeshare I told him I want to go to Italy I told him all the popular places in Italy. All they told me I have to bank my week for this and next year and it will only cost you 199.99 for the exchange fee. When you try and by a timeshare they are not affiliated with RCI so they can say what they want and not get in trouble. Once they suckered you into whatever timeshare company you bought from. You have to be member of RCI to exchange your week for something else. Guest what you are not going to get an exchange for any popular city of Italy. RCI rent them out to make money they rather rent a 3 bedroom in Rome for 1,600.00 then get an exchange fee. If I had knew this I would have never bought a timeshare in Weston Fla . I would buy a popular Europe timeshare and rent it out. I can never rent my unit out you can do an exchange on my unit in fla you don't even need to bank the week. They have this extra vacation special every month for maybe a little over the exchange rate fee. Write everything you want out of a timeshare, location,price for a week, and have them sign it. This is probably the fastest way to get of a timeshare presentation before two hours. They will show you an RCI book with all resorts but most if not all are available during peak time or just rented out on RCI and all of the online vacation sites. The thousand you prepaid would be better to do it online or go to this new BNB site that will get so popular they will start cutting into RCI fraud.

I reread your post (affiliated with RCI) the magic word to keep them out of legal problem. Your buying from Global Exchange is this a timeshare resale company or do that Sell Timeshare? If they are a timeshare resale they can say anything they want because they are not RCI. san dimas what company owns and sell this timeshare?

christines176 wrote:

I want to purchase a time share and after reading so many comments and suggestions from people, which I truly thank, I know to buy resale. I understand that owning a week vs points has different pluses and negatives, but what I have a question on is the RCI and II. I attended a time share meeting with global exchange in san dimas. They said I get 10,000.00 point (which seemed so little) and with those points I could stay anywhere for 1 week for an additional 199.99. The bonus is that I get 3 more 1 week vacations for 499.99 each and I could get extra rooms for my friends and family for the same time at the same price. I also get the option to stay at a resort for a one night free of 70.00. They were affiliated with RCI so I am assuming that this is offered through RCI? My representative didn't say much except that reservations are real time!! now!! and that there is never a black out period. Does anyone know what he is talking about with all this extra stuff?

RCI is a timeshare exchange company, period, they do not make offers of ownership. Also, it's not a given that anyone will get the exchange they desire .... it's all about supply and demand.

If I were you I would research timeshare ownership backwards and forwards and inside and out before even thinking of buying.

I Agree with jay jay. But Jay look up Rome Italy on RCI the supply and there. They rather rent and get more money. The time share pushers don't tell you this.

I cannot possibly understand why after spending a large amount of money to purchase a timeshare week, one would want to spend more money to convert to points. I have been to several Marriott presentations and just don't understand why I would pay for twice for the same thing. I own Marriott properties and if I convert to the equivalent points, I cannot stay in the same property in the platinum season for 7 nights like I can now. Just does NOT make sense. On the other hand, if you are purchasing for the first time, many companies only sell points now. As mentioned before, every company has many rules and all are different. Do your homework we'll and don't buy in haste.

buyer beware! Marriott Destination points, while they are offering more flexibility, aren't as good as weeks. This is a play to make everyone convert to weeks. That way they can say, "we only have points week left in our inventory". Scam. Just another way for Marriott to make money even though they promised us the world when we bought in on the original program. They are playing a shell game.

My comments below relate to the Marriott program:

I happen to think legacy owners who enrolled their weeks are in the best position, especially if you own better locations during the platinum season. For example, I deposit my 4th of July week at Newport for 5,300 points and just spent 3,450 points for two 2 bdrm weeks in Orlando in early May. Another example, I add a Wednesday and Thursday night before my Boston owned week and fly mid-week for lower airline fares or extend a few days. I think I paid $650 to enroll all of our weeks and it was worth it.

Rather than complain, we work the program with plenty of help from great owner services personnel. We also make reservations 13 mos in advance and even stack weeks to get the reservations we want. You can probably do all of the things the sales personnel told you if you listen and work at it "and" make reservations early.

We own weeks and points acquired thru Marriott at their premium prices. However, the best deal for us has been the Newport Platinum wks acquired privately at under $9,000 which, of course, are not eligible for VCP's or M Rewards pts. If you don't like the point system, buy in the aftermarket. All you give up are the point conversion options.

We choose to be happy with what we have and we make it work. This does not mean it is easy.

We are considering purchasing some extra Destination Points outside Marriott. Does anyone know if they are completely transferrable? Or if they have any penalties or transfer fees? Are their any limitations or costs transferring to a new owner on the Deed?