When dealing with timeshares that feature points-based booking, the anniversary date, also known as award month or anniversary month, is the date on which the ownership is awarded its points, or usage, for the year.
Some clubs have a club-wide anniversary date, where all owners get their points at the beginning of the year. Other clubs, such as WorldMark by Wyndham, each account carries it’s own an anniversary (award) month. The account’s unique award month is based on when the ownership was originally purchased, and can be any month from January to December.
This means that when you’re going to purchase ownerships with unique anniversary months, the value of the ownership can fluctuate based on how soon the anniversary is. Assuming you’re looking at two ownerships that have the same amount of points available to be booked, the value of one ownership may be a bit higher if the account will be awarded its’ points soon. Whereas a listing that has just been awarded may have a lower value because you will have to pay maintenance for up to one year before being awarded more points. This is why understanding the concept of an anniversary month is an important consideration before purchasing a timeshare on the resale market.
