Previously known as Fairfield Timeshares, the Wyndham system is one of the largest timeshare systems in the world.  They offer quality resorts all over the United States, as well as some affiliate resorts in foreign countries.

When the timeshare idea first began, companies sold fixed weeks.  This meant that you bought a week at a resort in a certain season and unit. There was almost no flexibility as far as trading.  However, over time, exchange companies were born and with the creation of RCI and II came the ability to exchange for different resorts, different seasons, different-sized units.

Wyndham also eventually created a point system for its more recent owners, which offered even more flexibility.  Fixed week owners were given the option to buy into the point system, but didn’t necessarily have to. Those who opted for the points program purchased deeded property, which can be passed on to someone else, just like the properties of the fixed week owners.

There are some major advantages to the Wyndham points system, a notable one being that you can go to any Wyndham resort, not just the one that you own.  Also, you do not have to go for a full week, but can divide your vacation time into smaller blocks of days if you desire.  The system requires you to use more points for weekend nights, so you may want to try to book trips on weekdays, instead.

If you are traveling alone, or with one other person, you might take advantage of a studio, or smaller unit, which requires less points. The season in which you travel also influences the number of points you will need to use.  Within a resort, certain units may require a greater amount of points, such as a Presidential Unit, an oceanfront unit, or a higher floor. Sometimes newer resorts, or resorts in high demand areas, like Hawaii, may require higher point values to stay.

Let’s look at the points chart for Wyndham Royal Vista in Pompano Beach, Florida, located right on the beach.  Let’s say you are planning a week’s trip for 3 adults during prime time, and you have decided that you would like a 2-bedroom villa. According to the chart, that will cost you 203,000 points. You really don’t want to spend quite that many, as you were hoping to save some for another trip.  So, back to the chart.  You decide that probably you could really get by with a 1-bedroom, as it has a king bed and a sleeper sofa.

The beach view would be nice, but since the resort is on the beach, and you’ll be there  for several days, you really don’t care too much about the view from your unit.  This resort offers a “point saver” option, which is basically a unit with an obstructed view, so you decide on that, instead.  And, if you move your trip back a week, it will put you in high time, instead of prime time, thus saving you more points.  Then, instead of booking Sunday to Sunday, you decide to leave on Saturday, which will save you an expensive weekend day.  So now, you’re looking at 90,000  points instead of 203,000 points.  You’ve saved so many points, you could go for almost two weeks!

By making some adjustments, you have saved 113,000 points! Of course, you might not want to make all these concessions, but the point is that if you examine the options carefully, you may be able to use less points.

You can also use your Wyndham points for trading into RCI. You call your Wyndham counselor, and deposit a designated number of points into the RCI system. They assign you a resort, unit size, and season for trading purposes and you use this deposit to search RCI’s inventory for your vacation. Often you can “trade up,” getting a larger unit, or a better season.  You can also trade back into Wyndham using fewer points, but you will have to pay the RCI exchange fee.

We have four other posts covering the Wyndham Timeshare System.  You might check these out for additional information:  An Overview of the Wyndham System, a Wyndham RCI system explanation, a Wyndham Wrap-up, and using the Wyndham Points Chart. Overall, the Wyndham points system offers a great deal of flexibility and allows you to plan some great vacations!

Are you a Wyndham timeshare points owner? Or are you thinking of buying some Wyndham timeshare points? Do you want to better understand the points system for Wyndham or other timeshares which operate using points?  If you answered yes to any of these questions then this post is for you.  We will try to get you up to speed on using the points system for your greatest benefit.

When timeshare shares were first sold, your only option was to buy a fixed week.   As most of you are probably aware, many timeshares have now gone over to some kind of points system. This was done to give owners greater flexibility in using their timeshare purchases.  The beauty of these systems is you use more points for larger and nicer units, for example, a three bedroom vs. a studio.  Also, you use more points for prime travel time vs. off seasons for a given area.  You can also go for part of a week using less of your points.  So with that background information, let’s take a look at the Wyndham point system.

Example of point chart for Wyndham Nashville, Nashville, TN:

If you take a look at the point chart above, you can get an idea of how the system works.  You can see the weeks and the seasons along the left side of the chart, and if you look at the points you need, you can see how you can save points by traveling in off- seasons. Resorts have from one to four different levels of seasons.   Look at the above example to see the points needed for quiet, value, high and prime seasons.

Also, you can see the points needed for a Friday or Saturday stay, and the Sun-Thur nights.   Again, more points are needed for weekend days.  If you follow across the top you can see the room size and the point difference for the different sized units.  Some resorts will require different amounts of points based on the view.  You would need more points for an ocean view or for a high floor with an ocean view. In the example above, they have some presidential units which take more points.  You need to study the chart very closely for the resort you wish to travel to, and match what you want and need with the number of points you own or would like to buy.

Many people ask, “ how many points do I need?“  We suggest you start with around 105,000 to 154,000 points.  Use these for a couple of years to get an idea on how you like the system, and go on from there.  This number of points will not get you to some of the new higher points resorts, but it gives you a chance to get some nice timeshare vacations.

If you use the information on the chart, you can get more vacations for your points if you plan accordingly. Select the smallest unit you can for the number of people traveling, try to stay away from the weekends, and see if you can travel in one of the off- seasons.

Points chart using Wyndham points in RCI:

Season Demand Studio 1BR 2BR 3BR or more

RCI Red            Greater              70,000     105,000       154,000           254,000

RCI White        Average           42,000       77,000 128,000           189,000

RCI Blue           Lesser                 28,000      63,000         77,000             154,000

This chart shows how many Wyndham points you need to get an RCI unit to deposit into their system and use it to search for a vacation.

Another option you have with your Wyndham points is to take some points and make a deposit into the RCI System.  If you put them into RCI you can trade to resorts all over the United States and the world.  Also, when you deposit them, they will last for two years which gives  you a longer time to plan your vacation.  You can deposit a smaller amount, let’s say a studio in blue time, which only takes 28,000 points.  You can then search the RCI inventory and often get a 1 or 2 bedroom unit. You will need to pay the RCI exchange fee, but again you can get more vacation days for less Wyndham points. You can use these deposits with RCI to trade back into the Wyndham system, usually with far less points than if you would have booked directly with Wyndham.

This should give you a good overview of the Wyndham points system.  Keep reading this site as well as the Wyndham User Group site and enjoy many timeshare vacations.

From time to time we highlight different timeshare systems.  This week we are discussing another hotel-based system affiliated with Sheraton. Starwood Vacation Ownership offers a way to have your dream vacation both at home and around the world wherever and whenever your heart desires. Starwood is a resort and hotel development company with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. The vacation system is comprised of 850 luxury hotels and 2200 fantastic villas in 75 countries.

Basic membership begins with the purchase of a Home Resort Timeshare ranging in price from $6000 to $23,900. A Home Resort unit is for a specific size with a specified season for use on an annual or bi-annual basis for one week at a time. Usage is on a fixed or float week basis with reservations to be made 12 months in advance. Electing to use the float week option offers flexibility to enjoy your home resort during a different season of the year or to exchange your home resort for one in a different location and season.

This is a one-time purchase at a fixed price. Along with the purchase, there is a yearly fee of $99 which is paid to the Home Owners Association in your home resort location. This fee is paid along with your yearly maintenance fee.  This allows you to make internal exchanges  as well as gets you an account with II for additional trades. The goal of the Home Owners Association is to provide a community atmosphere by offering opportunities to get to know your neighbors. And, like all timeshares, there is a yearly maintenance fee.  Starwood’s tend to be on the higher side.

Older resorts were sold as fixed weeks and some are with RCI for trading. All newer resorts are sold as deeded property, but they work under a point- based system called Star Options points.  These points work much the same as other timeshare point systems–higher points for larger units or at the prime times of the year.

Owners also participate in a Starwood Preferred Guest Program and use Star Points. This works the same as most major hotel frequent stay programs.  You can exchange your timeshare points into the preferred guest program and stay at their hotels. Be careful of resale purchases because in some cases you can not participate in the hotel guest program or the Starwood internal exchange program.

Starwood properties in North America are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New York City, South Carolina and Hawaii. Other western hemisphere locations are found in Mexico, The Bahamas and St. John in the Virgin Islands.  Some of the resorts are affiliated with RCI and II, and some only with II.

Your Starwood Vacation Ownership includes membership in the Starwood Vacation Network, which offers countless ways to vacation in countries around the globe. The network is a points-based system that affords you the opportunity to exchange your week using the Star Option Plan. Under this plan, it is possible to visit non-time share locations around the world owned by the Starwood property system. Accommodation is offered on a daily or weekly basis. Points may also be used for airline miles, and car rental.

Starwood offers a user-friendly online directory listing locations and availability dates. Information is also provided regarding the number of units up for resale in a particular location, as well as the number of accommodations available on a daily or weekly basis.

Excellent customer service information is provided online listing telephone numbers, hours available and the name of the person in charge of sales, rental reservations, external exchange, owner services, association management and personal ownership account information.

We love to go on timesharing vacations.  When we tell folks that we own 11 or 12 timeshares and we use those to go on 18 weeks of timeshare vacations every year, they are surprised and always ask, “How do you do it?” In one of our recent posts, we had a reader ask the same question. so we will try to answer that question in this post.

If you own one or more timeshares, or if you are thinking of buying one, your goal should be to get the most out of your purchases. Carefully study the system you are buying into in order to determine how you can get more vacation days for your money.

You also should be searching the internet for help in using your timeshare.  There are some excellent groups out there that are more than willing to assist you.  We have made reference to a number of them like:  TUG, Wyndham user group, and the DVC section of Disboards.  I am sure there are others.  Also, when you travel, ask other folks at the resorts you stay at how they use their timeshares.

We thought it would be helpful to go through some of the ones we own and explain just how we try to use them to their maximum potential.  Let’s start with the Hilton Grand Vacation Club.  In the Hilton system you purchase points.  We own 7,000 points in Las Vegas, which is a two bedroom in red time.  So if you want to stay in a 2 bedroom during prime season, it will cost you 7,000 points.  But if you can go in one of the off seasons it costs you fewer points. Also, if you could stay in a studio or 1 bedroom, that will save points.

We sometimes only stay for part of a week, and if you can stay during the week rather than on the weekend, you use far less points. In addition, if you use your points to trade through RCI, it takes less points– only 4800 for a 2 bedroom in red time and 3400 for a 1 bedroom, as opposed to 7000 for a 2 bedroom or 4800 for a 1 bedroom in Hilton.

You can then use that RCI trade to book back into the Hilton system, if there is availability.  As you can see, we can use our one week of Hilton timeshare and end up getting two or more weeks of vacations.  Hilton currently charges $49 to make an internal reservation.  The RCI exchange fee of $189 would apply if you book through them.

The Disney Vacation Club works on the point system as well.  So again, travel off season and in small units and you can get more days of vacation.

Many timeshare people are into the RCI Points system, so let’s take a look at how to work that system to your benefit.  Because it is also a point system, the information above and the same ideas would apply.  Also you can get last minute vacations for 8,000 to 9,000 RCI points for any unit that is open in the 6o days or less window. So if you can travel on short notice, it is an excellent way to get more timeshare vacations for not many points.

The RCI Weeks system can also be used to your advantage.  They do have some last minute deals but they charge for these, and we have not had much luck finding anything we would be interested in. You can deposit your week into the system and quite often get a larger unit, or a unit in a better season than the one you are depositing.  So if you own a week in off season or in a small unit, give it a try and see what you can get.

This can be done online and it’s great fun to explore looking for new places to go or just to see what you can pull in the RCI Weeks system.  We do this using Wyndham points, which we explain in more detail in the next section.

The Wyndham system  is also a points system, so again, the explanation for using points would apply to their system as well. Wyndham lets you take small deposits from their inventory and turn it over to RCI—again, trying to get something better than what you give.  You can take a weeks’ worth of points in the Wyndham system and very easily turn it into four or five weeks of vacations from RCI.

Also, your Wyndham deposits have good pulling power in getting other Wyndham resorts, so you can trade back into a Wyndham resort with very few points.  You do have to pay the exchange fee, but you are getting more vacation days for your one week of Wyndham points.  Probably our best “deal” was trading 2 28k weeks back into Wyndham for 2 weeks at the Kona Hawaiian Village.  Had we gone with straight Wyndham points, it would have cost us 462,000 points instead of 56,000!

If you own enough points in the Wyndham system, you achieve one of three VIP levels (Platinum = 1,000,000 points; Gold = 500,000 points; VIP = 300,000 points). Then, you get a reduction in the number of points you need to book a resort within 60, 45 or 30 days of travel, depending on your VIP level.  Within the same window you can upgrade your reservation if they have units available.  So if you booked a 1 bedroom and they have a 2 bedroom unit, you get an upgrade.

So you can see how we can take a few weeks of timeshare we own and turn them into more days of vacations by using each system to our benefit.  Feel free to ask questions or relate some of your own experiences. Again, study the timeshares you own and work the system.  Enjoy!

Almost nothing can spark more controversy in the timeshare community than the 1 in 4 Rule. If you have never heard of this rule, then you are probably relatively new to timesharing.  In that case, this post will serve as an introduction for newbies, as well as a refresher for those who are familiar with it.

The 1 in 4 Rule refers to how often a non-owner can trade into a resort—in other words, once every 4 years. Not all resorts have this rule—in fact, only a fairly small percentage do.  There are various reasons for having this rule, and there is also a lot of conjecture about why this rule exists. Some feel that resorts adopt the rule to motivate you to buy at their resort—as a sales tactic.  Likewise, some feel that having a 1 in 4 Rule makes a resort more desirable and more difficult to trade into (perhaps this keeps the resale value higher?)

Some resorts that apply this rule include The Rushes, in Door County, Wisconsin, the Massanutten Resorts in Virginia, Rams Horn, in Estes Park, Colorado, and the Hilton Grand Vacation Club Resorts.  What can be confusing here is that some systems include all of their resorts in the 1 in 4 Rule (like Hilton), but others may apply the rule to only a few of their resorts.  An example would be the Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Village on the Big Island.  Most of the other Wyndhams do not fall under the rule.

What can also be confusing is that, generally speaking, if you own in the system, but not at the 1 in 4 resort, you are exempt from the rule.  We own several Wyndham points, but not at Kona, and we can stay there any time, even if we trade in through RCI.

Another aspect of this rule is the 1 in 4 (or 1 in 3) Area Rule. This has some different twists to it.  If you own a non-Disney resort in the Orlando area, you cannot use that resort to trade into a Disney resort more than once every 3 years, if it is within a 30 mile radius. This is just an example, and we could list others, but let’s move on.

Supposedly, the RCI Points Resorts have decided not to adopt the rule. (Our research included through 2009, so should be fairly accurate?)   However, if you are a points owner, and you book a weeks resort, the rule will apply. If you book a Last Call or Extra Vacations unit, it is up to the resort to enforce the rule.  Can this be any more confusing???

Are 1 in 4 Rule resorts better than those not having the rule? In our experience, no.  We have never been to a crummy 1 in 4 resort, and, in fact, all of them have been extremely nice.  But we have also been to many excellent resorts that don’t have the rule.

Who enforces the rule? Well. . . no one really seems to be sure. In some cases  it is the resort’s  responsibility, in some cases it is RCI’s.  There are horror stories about families traveling hundreds of miles and showing up to check in at the resort only to be told that they’re in violation of the 1 in 4 Rule, and can’t stay there.  Also, there is confusion about when the rule is enforced. Hopefully, it would come to light earlier than in the above example.  Would that be at the time of booking?  Or 2 weeks before your trip?  There don’t seem to be any sure answers.

We once booked a week’s stay at the Marcus Vacation Club in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (now an Orange Lake property). We traded in, and had stayed there 2 years previously.  We knew they had a 1 in 4 Rule, but decided to say nothing and see what happened.  Our week unfolded without a hitch, and sometime in the middle of it, we decided to ask the desk people about their 1 in 4 rule.  They had never heard of it, and had no idea what we were talking about!

So, how do you deal with this rule?

Obviously, this rule has a lot of problems, and we’re not even sure who can fix them! The best advice we can give is to communicate with the RCI counselor if you are booking via telephone, and read everything over carefully if you are booking online. The Rule should be in the Urgent Information section when you book.   We always call the resort about a week before a trip to make sure they have our reservation and that everything is in order.  This is also a good time to make requests if you want a high floor or a room by the pool, or whatever.  Often things are already set in stone, but our requests have been honored about 75% of the time.

If you go to the Timeshare User Group (Tug) website, and do a Google search for the 1 in 4 Exchange Rule, many informative posts will come up. This post is meant to give basic information and a cautionary warning to be aware of the rule. The 1 in 4 Rule can be somewhat annoying, but it shouldn’t stop you from having some great timeshare vacations!

The Disney Vacation Club is another one of the timeshare systems that gets a lot of attention.  We thought we would take a quick look at some of the ins and outs of this system.

We have stayed at the Disney Animal Kingdom Villas, visited two other Disney timeshare locations, and have attended two Disney timeshare sales presentations over the years.  One recent action was a switch by Disney to move to the RCI trading company from II.  The talk from the Disney sales staff was they made the switch because RCI would let you make nightly bookings and not hold you to a full week as II does. All of our current timeshares are in the RCI system,  so we are happy they came over to RCI.

Generally, in the timeshare world, the Disney timeshares are considered the Cadillac of timeshares.  All the Disney resorts get top rating in the rating system at TUG-the Timeshare User Group.  You can see the ratings and read reviews of the Disney timeshares at the TUG site and we suggest you take a look.  Just click here to go to the TUG site.

The Disney system consists of 10 resorts.  Most are on the Disney World property in Orlando, Florida.  They also have resorts in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Vero Beach, Florida, a new property at Disneyland in California, and one on the drawing board for Oahu in Hawaii.  All resorts are top of the line with wonderful accommodations, typical Disney staff people, great amenities and excellent activities, especially for kids.

They operate on the points system.  You buy so many points into the system and then use those points to book your stays. As usual, more points for larger units, fewer points for smaller units. They have units from studio size up to 3 bedroom villas which sleep up to 12 people.  At some resorts you need more points for a better view.  As with most point systems, more points are needed for certain times of the year– they have five levels for different times of the year.  You can book less than a weeks stay, with more points needed for the weekend.

The Disney system is a ” right- to- use” for a certain number of years. You do receive a deed, but that deed expires after so many years.  Most of the older resorts can be used until 2042 and the newer ones will expire in 2054 or 2060.  This might be a concern if you are younger, or if you want to pass on the timeshare to your children.  You need to work this into the cost of ownership, knowing that your use will end at a given date.

Another unique feature in the Disney timeshare system is that if you want to sell, they have the right of first refusal.  That means that if you sell or buy a Disney timeshare other than  from Disney directly,  Disney will look at the offer and if they feel that the price is too low, they will buy the deed.  Then they will resell the points through the Disney sales system.  This keeps the price on the resale market higher than most other timeshares.

You do buy points at a given resort, and this gives you priority booking at that resort over other Disney owners.  They also allow you to use your points to exchange into the RCI system, as well as for Disney cruises, Disney hotels, and other adventures.

All in all, they are excellent timeshares that will allow  you to enjoy numerous years of great vacations, but be aware that maintenance fees are on the high side and that your deed will expire after a certain number of years.

If you are staying home this winter and dealing with ice and snow, probably about now you’re ready to insure that NEXT winter you can travel somewhere nice and warm, or at least someplace not freezing.  If your circumstances allow and you want to do it, NOW is the time to start planning for a nice 2, 3, 4 or more week getaway.

“Yikes!  Isn’t that kind of complicated?” you say.  Actually, it’s not, but it does take a little bit of work, and it takes a good understanding of your timeshare systems.   We’ll be using our recent Florida trip to illustrate what we did to plan a timeshare vacation.

First, you need to block out your time parameters.  Decide when and for how long you can be gone, keeping in mind how long you would LIKE to be gone.  Our max is usually 3 weeks at a time, and 2 is probably more average for us.  Those are just our preferences—we’d rather go more often, but not stay as long as some people might.  Be sure you take into account your mode of transportation, as driving might add extra days to your itinerary.

Now you are ready to decide where to travel—or maybe you already know.  Sometimes choosing a general area is good, because then you can research in your timeshare books and on the internet to narrow things down.  We’ve often used Las Vegas as a hub, spending some time there and then driving to other places like San Diego, Sedona, Phoenix, and the National Parks in Utah.  If this is a longer trip, you might want to leave some of the time open until you can find out what’s available.

One you decide on an area, it’s generally best to book the “hardest to get” week first.  When we decided on Florida, we knew that we wanted a week on Sanibel or Marco Island, and we knew that both places are tough to get.  So we relied on our Hilton timeshare, called at the exact time 9 months out, and managed to snag the Charter Club.  Nothing was available on Sanibel.

We were pretty happy about that, and began searching RCI for the Sarasota area the week before and after Marco.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t pop up very often, and we were getting discouraged.Then one day we noticed a spacebanking for the Wyndham resorts in Panama City Beach and Destin.  We had had to cancel a trip there back in 2004 when a hurricane came through, and had always wanted to go there.  Yes, it would be cooler, but not as cool as Michigan—and it’s an 8.5 hour drive from PCB to Marco, but we decided to book it!

A week or so later we were searching RCI Points online when Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas came up.  We’d been looking for a week after Marco, and it seemed like Orlando was about the only area coming up anyway.  It took us about 2 minutes to decide that, yes, we would love to stay at a Disney Resort, especially if we could have a savannah view!

Bingo!!   Florida vacation planned!  EXCEPT for a few details.  Having just flown in November (one of us is really not fond of flying), we decided to drive. Because of this, we had to book motels for 2 nights on the road—one going and one coming back.  We also had a night between Marco and the Animal Kingdom where we would have to sleep on the beach or the savannah.  So we needed 3 nights of what some timeshare people call “tweeners,” meaning you are in-between residences.

If you travel frequently, you might want to consider The Hilton Honors program.  When we charge on their American Express card we accumulate points that can be used for Hilton family hotel stays.  Usually we choose Hamptons, because they offer free breakfast and require the least number of points.  Marriott has a similar program and there may be others.   We have not paid for a hotel room in a very long time. 

So two of our ‘tweeners were spent at Hamptons, and we didn’t really sleep on the beach or the savannah!  That night was spent at Bonnet Creek, using Wyndham points.  Watch for trip reports on this trip and other timeshare vacations!

Let’s take a look at some of the issues that come to mind when we talk about timeshare weeks.

First let’s look at some of the history.  When timesharing began, you bought a given week at a given resort in a given unit.  You had to use that week at that resort every year.  To many people, this got old real fast and did not provide much flexibility in vacationing, and so timeshare trading companies were born.  Companies like RCI, Interval International and others were used to assist people to exchange a timeshare week for another week at a different resort or at a different time of the year.

This evolved into many resorts developing a point system, where you bought so many points to use each year.  You used more points for resorts that were in higher demand, more points for a larger size unit, and more points for a high demand time of the year. You could also change from going for a full week, to using any number of days you wanted to for your vacation. Also, large timeshare companies came into being and expanded in the number of resorts they owned.  This opened up lots of vacation locations and possibilities when you bought into their systems. These are companies like Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Wyndham and others.

It became necessary to set up a calendar so everyone in the timeshare world knew which week you were talking about. So, a calendar was developed showing weeks 1-52 and what dates those would be for the entire year.  This changes from year to year, but keeps everybody on the same page about which dates you are talking about.  A current sample of this calendar can be found at TUG a timeshare user group.

Several timeshare users groups developed on the internet to help people with  timeshare issues. The largest and one of the most complete is TUG.  Others, like Red Week, Timeshare Forums, Wyndham Resorts Forums and others are very active and provide excellent opportunities to discuss timeshare ideas, as well as areas for trading, selling, renting, and buying timeshares.  Be sure to check some of these out.

Many people enjoyed timesharing so much that they ended up purchasing more than one week of timeshare.  Some bought more weeks at the same resort or within the same timeshare system.  Other bought into different systems completely.  It seems like each system has some advantages and disadvantages, and by owning in the different timeshare systems, it gives you the ability to put together vacations all over the world. For example, it is hard to get into a timeshare on Sanibel Island without owning there.  Hilton has several associate resorts on Sanibel, Captiva and Marco Island, and none of our other timeshare weeks will pull them, except Hilton.   So when people ask us why we own timeshares in 5 different systems, we cite this example.

Because we own a number of timeshare weeks, we usually try to put together at least two or more weeks in a given area of the country.  This saves on transportation costs of getting to and from the area.  We learned this after returning from Gatlinburg one month, only to head out for Myrtle Beach 3 weeks later–Duh!  Not good planning.

We hope that this information is helpful as you work with your timeshares to get the most out of your vacations.  Enjoy!

The dreaded moment has arrived. The timeshare tour “hooker person” has given the spiel and is waiting for your answer–and in his mind, it’s a matter of “when” you’ll take the tour, not “if.”  You look to your spouse/significant other/friend for moral support–no help there!  So you politely take the plunge and say, “no thank you.”

EGAD!!!  Did you really think saying “no” one time would be enough!?? Now, if you happen to be at a kiosk on the street or at a mall, and you can walk away at the same time, you might actually be okay.  But if you are at the “parking pass desk,” forget it!  It is now time to do battle! Here are some ideas that sometimes (the key operative word here is “sometimes,”) work if you honestly do not want to do a tour:

• “We’ll think it over.  Why don’t you give us a call tomorrow once we’ve had some rest?”  If you do this, make sure you unplug all your unit phones, for several days.
• “Oh, we were just at Wyndham Branson only a few weeks ago!”  They will sometimes assume you did a tour there, but if they specifically ask, you’ll have to decide whether to lie or not.
• “We have guests coming, and don’t know our schedule, yet.”  Unfortunately, they sometimes still want to “pencil you in.”
• “We have no intention of buying and don’t want to waste the time.”  (They will probably counter with, “Oh, it’s just a short survey that will give us your input–it only takes 30 minutes.)

As you can see, these strategies don’t always work, but they’re the best excuses we have to try to keep things on a friendly keel.  Remember, these people often do not understand the timeshare system, the high developer prices or what actually transpires during the tour.  Their job (and salary) depends on whether or not they get you to sign up. We have often had to say “no” five or six times and endure belittling looks that indicated we must be crazy not to fall for this really good deal. We have also been asked, “why not?”  (I really flipped out over that one.  My answer was, “I don’t have to give you my reasons!”)  If things get to that point, all you can do is repeat “NO,” try to refrain from sarcasm, and leave with some bad feelings to start your vacation.

I guess this is why we no longer feel guilty if we decide to do a timeshare tour just to receive the gifts.  Numerous times we have stated that we had no interest in buying, and we were still hounded to “take the survey.”  We have even discussed this with timeshare salesmen, suggesting that they cut out the gifts and lower the prices so that their product is more affordable. Unfortunately, the way the industry is now, 50% of timeshare company budgets go toward the promotions that lure people in.

Whether you admit to buying resale or not is your call. Some companies will penalize or restrict your use of your timeshare.  We’ve heard of people going on timeshare tours that state their resale history up front or even wear t-shirts that say “only buy resale.”  We try to low key it, realizing that being a timeshare salesman is not a great job and we’d rather not rub his face in the dirt.  Also, we usually go into the presention hoping to learn more and possibly (though not probably) consider a future purchase.

Someone once posted online that they actually thought they had to do the updates when staying at a resort!  Know that you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. Also know that if you get talked into buying, you have so many days (depending on what state you’re in) to rescind the offer.  Timeshare tours and promotions generally give timesharing a bad rep–and that’s too bad, because the product is fantastic!

Wyndham Resorts is the largest timeshare company, offering resorts all over the world  It can be a very flexible system, but one that is somewhat difficult to understand. We have written two previous posts about the Wyndham system.  The first was an overview and focused on using your Wyndham week or points to plan vacations in that system.  In the second post, we looked at using your timeshare to trade into the RCI system.  In this post we want to look at the Plus Partners points, the timetable for using the different options of the system, the VIP programs, and  a few other aspects of the system with some helpful hints.

Let’s take a quick look at the Plus Partners program. To be part of this program, you need to have purchased points from Wyndham since 2001.  You can use those points for several different options, such as, hotel stays, rental car, air travel, cruises, RCI nightly stays, and some other travel expenses.  There are fees associated with using your points in this program.  This idea may be attractive for some, but usually is not a very cost effective way to use your points. It might appeal to some if they have too many points that they can’t use or that are about to expire.

Timetable for using the system

Advanced reservations: making a reservation at Wyndham Resorts at your home resort: 13 months before travel

Standard reservations: making a reservation at any Wyndham Resort 10 months before travel

Express reservations: making a reservation at any Wyndham Resort less than 90 days before travel

Depositing  points into the RCI system: anytime that you have current Wyndham points.

The VIP program is a benefit for owners who have at least 300,000 points that were purchased directly from Wyndham.  Resale points do not count. They have three levels based on number of points, and benefits increase as you move up in levels. Some of the benefits are:  point discounts when you book within 60 days of check-in, unit size upgrades when available, free reservation transactions, some advance reservation priority, free USA Today newspaper, and some other miscellaneous items. If you are VIP, be sure to check the Members’ Directory for a complete outline of all VIP levels and benefits.  Most people feel it is not worth buying directly from Wyndham (versus buying resale) to obtain VIP status.

A few Wyndham tidbit reminders

A Reservation Transaction is a fee that you are charged for making reservations and is $25.00 for each one that you make.  You receive one free transaction for every 77,000 points that you own. You will be charged for anything over that.

Housekeeping credits are also based on the number of points you own.  Usually you do not need additional credits, but if you are making express reservations and need some extra housekeeping points,  you will be charged.

The Wyndham system takes time to learn.  You can’t know it all in the first day or even the first week. If you don’t have a Wyndham Members’  Directory, it is available online here.    Also, consider joining the Wyndham Resorts Forums group (there is no cost,  but you must register).  Another good source of information is TUG, which stands for Timeshare User Group.  There is a Wyndham section on their bulletin board, which can be accessed for free. (To access all of their site is $15 per year, which would be money well-spent.)

Plan ahead.  Timesharing is generally not a last minute thing.

Keep in mind that the system will probably NOT work as smoothly as the salesperson indicated to you when you bought your timeshare (if you bought directly from Wyndham).  You need to keep trying, keep learning, and use the system to your advantage to get the most out of your timeshare vacations.