Hi, My name is David Van Norman. I’m a licensed agent with Selling Timeshares, Inc. and today I’ll be walking you through the world of timeshare points and why they’re a great way to vacation. So let’s get started…
What Are Timeshare Points?
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Points can be thought of as virtual currency that you can redeem for vacations throughout the year. This is different from week-based timeshares in that..
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You won’t be limited to one resort or location, in many cases points can be used at a network of resorts within you vacation club allowing unparalleled flexibility in planning your trips
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Also, you won’t need to worry about buying a certain week number or bedroom size, you just have to make sure you have enough points to book the reservations you want
How Does It Work?
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Each developer runs their program differently, this means one club may use hundreds of points and another may use thousands of points so they are almost never directly comparable from product to product
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The number of points a certain reservation will cost you is determined by the size of the room, resort location, and time of the year. Developers will have online points charts that you can reference before buying to get a feel for the amount of points you will need each year
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Trading is still available to you, but you may find yourself just skipping the trading fees and just traveling to resorts within your network.
Using Your Points
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You will receive a certain amount of points every year to vacation with, so instead of buying a one bedroom at one particular resort,you will buy a number of points that you will be awarded each year.
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You’ll have the flexibility to book long or short trips. You can choose to book a full week, or multiple shorter trips, if that fits your personal travel style better.
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If you find that you can’t use your points, you can usually bank them to use in another year but again all clubs treat this situation differently so be sure to do your research on your clubs guidelines for banking.
What’s the Benefit of Points?
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Points will enable you to travel to many different resorts within your club. Before points-based reservation systems, you would be deeded for only one resort. This added flexibility can be great for people wanting a new vacation experience every year
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Because you aren’t assigned a week number, you can travel at many times of the year so you can take a christmas ski trip one year and enjoy the summer weather on a Hawaiian beach the next.
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Because points can be more flexible for the exchange company, allowing them to book many different resorts at many different times, exchange companies will encourage you to trade into their system and can value points over weeks in some cases
Special Considerations
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In some clubs, you’re assigned a home resort that you’ll get booking priority with, which means you’ll be able to book your home resort farther in advance than others. When using clubs that don’t have a home resort, such as WorldMark by Wyndham, you’ll have the an equal booking window with all other owners.
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Reservations are based on availability, so if you are trying to book Hawaii for next week, you probably won’t be able to get availability. Many clubs let you book as far as 13 months in advance so if you are booking very popular areas at peak times, make sure to plan ahead.
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Maintenance costs can sometimes be averaged across all owners or specific to your home resort, so do your research to find out what makes sense for you. If you’re maintenance is based on your home resort, you may choose a location with a lower maintenance fee to minimize costs.
Contact Us
In conclusion, timeshare points systems are a fun and easy way to use your timeshare, once you get past the initial learning curve. And they can offer flexibility that just isn’t available with week-based ownerships.
If you have any remaining questions about points-based ownerships or would like to get a free consultation with one of our licensed agents what club will work best for you, feel free to give us a call or fill in a contact form at www.sellingtimeshares.net/contact.
Thanks so much for listening and Happy Traveling!
