Buying Marriott Destinations points

cm277 wrote:

Don't buy squat! They raise the maintenance fees drastically, at least they did to us. We bought 1,500 points last year and the fees were $600. This year they're over $800, and we haven't even used any points yet!!! It sure feels like a scam, but now we're stuck with it unless we want to take a huge loss and sell it back!

amyh206 wrote:

We are currently legacy owners enrolled in the program and are looking to add 1500 points to our ownership to give us access to the trust inventory. Does anyone have experience doing this? What are the pros/cons? Also, should we look to buy from an individual or should we stick with a resale company?

There may be some misinformation being provided here or just an error. Marriott's maintenance fee cost per point in 2013 was .437 per point. For 2014, the cost maintenance fees per point is .45. This is what is reported by Marriott TUG members on timeshare users group. That would have maid your maintenance fees for 1500 points go from $655.50 in 2013 to $675 for 2014. I am not sure how you got the $800 unless you included the $175 program fee but that fee was there last year as well. Could you please explain your breakdown for us so we could better understand?

My guess is you paid pro-rested maintenance your first year. I assure you, maintenance remains the same...approx. $.42 per point. I am traveling, or I would look it for sure. Own points myself...no change from last year. However, not realistic to think it will never change!

Amy, The points are the future at Marriott. We own two units and 2500 pts. These total 7300 pts. It depends on when you bought your units as to the value/benefit and where they are located as to how many points you can trade them in for. I would not buy points directly from Marriott if I was going to buy more. You can get them here so much cheaper and pay the education fee ($300) and the Initiation Fee ($200 per every 250 points) and still blow away the cost of buying units. By paying the fees they have full rights.

I do not understand what you are saying I own 2 weeks every other year at Waiohai. Traded them in for points and got around 15,000 mvc points to use. I know you get alot for them because my partner used them for 4 nights in a one bedroom in palm springs and only used 600 points. I couldn't move them forward so I felt that they got a good deal by using them. I still don't know how to really use them. Furthermore, I know for sure that you cannot get any valuable weeks by using them. I tried two years in a row to get Christmas or New Year's week in Aruba to no avail. I'm very disappointed in the system because it seems that Marriott only has less desirable weeks available through their point system. What is your experience?

paulb575 wrote:

Amy, The points are the future at Marriott. We own two units and 2500 pts. These total 7300 pts. It depends on when you bought your units as to the value/benefit and where they are located as to how many points you can trade them in for. I would not buy points directly from Marriott if I was going to buy more. You can get them here so much cheaper and pay the education fee ($300) and the Initiation Fee ($200 per every 250 points) and still blow away the cost of buying units. By paying the fees they have full rights.

The key is to pick your weeks the morning they open. 13 months ahead if you want to get the premium spots/dates. We were able to get two in St. Thomas in peak this year by doing that. The problem is whether you can plan that far in advance

St Thomas is still not sold out. did you like it there. I went to the site and thought that the beach was not nice at all. What do you think?

Amy, we like Marriott Ocean Club Maui. We own one week on the resale market would like to add a couple of additional night ocean view. Went to the Marriott sales presentation that would've cost us about $16,000 which is too much. We always go to Hawaii the first week in January which is a very low man. What is the best way to get oceanfront or view for two additional nights in Maui for 1 bedroom in the first week in January?

Why wouldn't you buy directly from Marriott. If I pay $8500 on resale market plus $2000 transfer fee and $300 education fee, $10,800 versus $15,600 Marriott and get additional 7500 points, wouldn't I be ahead?

amyh206 wrote:

My recommendation is to buy a cheap lock off able week on the resale market. Many times you can find a week for under $1k. You can lock off, deposit with Interval, and have two vacation weeks every year. Keep in mind that you still have maint fees but for about a thousand dollars per year you get two 5 star vacations...DO NOT buy destination points as a first time owner!! Let me know if you need any more help.

jeffreyb83 wrote:

Amy, we like Marriott Ocean Club Maui. We own one week on the resale market would like to add a couple of additional night ocean view. Went to the Marriott sales presentation that would've cost us about $16,000 which is too much. We always go to Hawaii the first week in January which is a very low man. What is the best way to get oceanfront or view for two additional nights in Maui for 1 bedroom in the first week in January?

The best way would be to rent the points from a DC member who could make the reservation for the front end/back end or both for you.

jeffreyb83 wrote:

Why wouldn't you buy directly from Marriott. If I pay $8500 on resale market plus $2000 transfer fee and $300 education fee, $10,800 versus $15,600 Marriott and get additional 7500 points, wouldn't I be ahead?

I think you would still be $1500- $2000 ahead buying resale even with the bonus points and for some the ease and security of buying through Marriott is worth the extra.

Thank you!

amyh206 wrote:

We are currently legacy owners enrolled in the program and are looking to add 1500 points to our ownership to give us access to the trust inventory. Does anyone have experience doing this? What are the pros/cons? Also, should we look to buy from an individual or should we stick with a resale company?

We just attended a presentation--ostensibly to "learn about how to maximize" our ownership. We turns out they wanted us to buy the points. We entered the Destinations Program several years ago and had to pay $1995 because one of our 3 weeks was an "external sales"--which it really wasn't. So we have 6,500 destination points--which they are now calling them "potential destination points"! I think they are trying just about everything and anything to scare us into buying these points! Has anyone heard this line??? I don't think they would have a leg to stand on if this went to court!

I believe you have possibly misunderstood something. If I am reading your email correctly, you already paid to have the option of using Destination points rather than your deeded fixed or floating weeks at your resort(s). If you have (up to) 6500 points depending upon your useage decisions, you have Premier status. This means you can book full weeks with points 12 months ahead, and "just days" 10 months ahead. You also get a discount on points useage if you book something last minute (under 60 days). I also own approx. same amount of points and will not buy more. Not because I am unhappy....I love the new program flexibility...I won't buy more because of my age...we are "60's " range....

A while back, I attended a presentation and got the full press to buy more points because I didn't have enough and because my enrolled weeks would preclude me from full participation in the glorious prospects of the point system. This was despite the fact that I own 8 weeks and points, which can yield nearly 24,000 vacation club points. They are nuts!

After nearly 10 years of Timeshares and points, I conclude there is nothing better than cash to acquire vacations. Afterall, cash is the universal currency, "not"points.

An example today: I want to go to Marriott Harbour Lakes in Orlando for Easter. I can rent the week for $1,700, no maintenance fees, etc. Or, I can spend 2,900 vacation club points which is an investment of $35,000 plus an annual maintenance fee of $1,300.

By the way, we do sometimes attend the presentations but only to protect our investment in the vacation product. It is too bad there isn't an easier way to get an update.

At every resort I have ever stayed at, they offer an owner's forum where you can ask questions and get an update. This has NOTHING to do with a sales presentation. There is no "incentive" given to attend.

Thanks to all of you who answered. Yes, we did a whopping $1995 to enter the Destinations Program--because they considered one of our three weeks an "external sale"--but it wasn't really as a relative deeded the property to us and charged us nothing. He just wasn't using it and he was paying a maintenance fee for no benefit. We do have exactly 6,500 points--so we were told we were Premier members. However, I think they are treating us like second class citizens because we haven't bought any of those outrageously expensive points! I went online and found a list of benefits for "premier" members--and turns out we don't get the full benefits. Did you know that these "full" members can exchange 65% of their Destination points for Marriott Reward Points? And they also claimed that when we exchange we can only draw from the pool of weeks owners (the "sold" inventory) an not the "unsold" inventory? I wonder how legal it is to have two sets of benefits for the same program? At the presentation they were calling our "Destination Club Points" "Potential" Destination Club Points"--meaning pay us another $13,000 to transform our "potential" points to these "Destination Points on Steroids"--their term! Like we haven't filled their pockets in the past! I really do question just how legal all of this is. I also think they are attempting to scare us into thinking our points as they are, are worthless.

The sales people may treat you like a second class citizen but no other department should. I treat the sales people like they have the plague personally and wouldn't go near them. You can get a better update on tugbbs or even here. Those benefits for trust points would still apply only to trust points. So even if you bought 1000 trust points for 12000 or so you would only be able to access the trust inventory directly with those 1000 points. The same applies to trust only owners, they can't directly reserve units in the marriott exchange company until inventory from the trust is moved into the exchange company. Inventory is always moving. Most trust only owners don't have enough points to reserve much.

Tracey - I question your comment re use of points. I have never had any problem in using points whether owned or from the deposit of enrolled weeks. "For use" points from both sources are combined and are used without distinction to the Marriott owner to acquire vacations.

On the side, Marriott is motivated to get weeks from owners and it would be to their disadvantage to cut off owners who provide inventory beyond the weeks owned by the trust. Were they to mess with owners by restricting use, the points program would be destitute for the best weeks at the best locations. Go back and look at the weeks that went into the trust at the beginning and remember that it was an inventory of unsold weeks - not the best weeks or locations. The trust needs me (with my owned weeks) more than I need the trust.

Tracey-- Neither have I ever had any reservation agent make ANY distinction of the "potential" destination points we own and the "trust destination points". I am just annoyed that they do treat us differently. The reservation agents are just fine--but the sales people are a whole different bred! It's interesting if you look at the website for the European owners--they seem to make no difference. I presume that is because all of those properties held out and they had to court them into the system. Go figure....

dennish, There are a few resorts that are way heavier in trust weeks than sold weeks- Chrystal Shores comes to mind. I agree that 99% of the time you are way better off with enrolled points but there are some units that are going to be offered to trust members first just as there are weeks that are deposited by enrolled members that go into that pot of inventory first. Legally there is a distinction but Marriott moves inventory around in and out of the exchange inventory that both legacy enrolled members and trust members can use that it is really hard to see a difference.

Kathrynm, Just avoid the sales people. They aren't there to update you. Marriott now uses the same kind of "updates" that other companies have used for years. They think by belittling you and insulting you that you will buy points from them because you want them to like you again.

So you don't get their gift. You also don't waste your time on an unpleasant experience. It's a win win.