Deposit First vs. Request First

Once you deposit your week with Interval International, it is gone.  So if you choose Deposit First, you cannot stay at your home resort that year. Unless you choose Request First.  If you choose this option, Request First, you can still stay at your home resort if you don't receive the exchange confirmation you are looking for. 

That being said, when using Request First, the requested exchange must be prior to or the same as the dates of the week you are relinquishing (your home week). Because of this, you have a narrower window of time in which to take your vacation.  The Deposit First method offers the largest window for exchange.

While staying at Marriott Custom House this past summer, I went to an owner's only "seminar".  In my opinion, it was a Marriott Vacation Club Destinations sales presentation with "tips" throughout. The presenter recommends "Request First", suggesting that you will have more "trading power". However, when I called Interval International, they said this is not the case.  But you do retain the ability to stay at your home resort if you are unable to get confirmed in a place (or a date) that is acceptable to you.

In summary, Deposit First offers the most flexibility, and Request First offers the most security.

Note: If you choose Request First, and your exchange request is not confirmed, and you do not wish to stay at your home resort, you must DEPOSIT your week at least 60 days prior to the check-in date  to avoid a late-deposit restriction.

Deposit First:

Request First:

 

I realize this post is specific to Interval International members.  That will not always be the case on this blog.

If you are thinking of buying a timeshare...

There are many different ways to buy a timeshare. I remember that day when my husband and I decided to buy our timeshare.  This post if for those of you who do not currently own, but are considering buying a timeshare.  I want to share some things to consider...

1. The Maintenance Fee

This can change every year. More than likely it will increase.  Our maintenance fee when we purchased our timeshare in Orlando was $675. It is now $1197. Nearly an 80% increase.

2. Staying at Home Resort vs. Trading

If you really want to stay at your home resort every year, you do not have to pay for membership in an exchange company like RCI or II.  However, if you plan to repeatedly trade your week, you should realize your success with this will vary from year to year.  There is a lot of uncertainty when you make a trade request, and if you are accustomed to making plans well in advance of your travel dates, this might not work. 

That being said, if we get confirmed on a trade with only a few months notice, we tend to use our Capital One miles for flights, because usually flights cost more, the closer to the date of travel you buy them.

3. Housekeeping

This will be different than when you stay at a hotel.  There will not be housekeeping service everyday.  There may be an option to have daily housekeeping service, but for a fee. This was a surprise to us, as we were not told at the time of purchase.

4. Changes

The timeshare company can change the way they do business, and affect your ability to trade and exchange weeks. Recently Marriott Vacation Club stopped selling deeded weeks, and has gone to a points system (called Destinations Ownership Program). This is a radically different way of doing things, and will change the inventory available to those who do not convert or buy into the Destinations program.  We had no idea the company we bought our timeshare property from could make such a change.  We have decided to continue as a deeded weeks owner, but have concerns of how this will change our ability to successfully exchange through Interval International.

In summary...

If someone were to ask me if we are happy we became timeshare owners, or if we regret it, I would probably say we are split 50/50.  There are advantages and disadvantages.  Once we became accustomed to reserving, depositing, and exchanging our week, we have been pretty happy with our vacations.

Timeshare Trading Tips

I have traded my week every year through Interval International. I own in Orlando, and have traded for a better (in my opinion) property every time.  When I say better, I mean that the properties have a greater demand than the one I own.

 

For example, I own in Orlando, and have traded for beach properties and other highly desirable locations (Custom House in Boston, during peak summer season, for example).

Tips for trading:

1. Reserve the highest demand week at your home resort.  Research which week sells out and it the most popular week at your resort. This is the week you want to reserve.

2. As soon as you reserve, deposit your week (for example, if you are a member of Interval International, deposit your week as soon as you reserve it). 

3. Research and request as many properties that you would be comfortable staying at.  I made the mistake once of only requesting one resort and one week.  I will explain in a future post (this week) what happened with this strategy.

4. As soon as you are confirmed at a resort, research airfare/travel options. If affordable, then do nothing (and keep your week). But if you decide you do not want the resort/week you have been given, you have 24 hours to give it back, and your original request remains intact.

I recommend that you frequently check your mail at the email address you have provided to the trading organization (ex. Interval International).  You don’t want to miss a confirmation. 

Research

I recommend researching properties online, reading reviews, for example on a website such as Tripadvisor. Be careful though, because this can become very time consuming. Look for trends. A random negative review shouldn’t be a concern.  You can also ask questions of reviewers, if you don’t find the information you are looking for. And you can see actual photographs of the properties, taken by travelers and not professional photographers, which can sometimes be very informative.

“Trading Power”

I have heard this phrase from different people in reference to your ability to trade your week successfully.  Trading Power can be increased by depositing your week earlier, as well as depositing a more desirable week (for example, Christmas week in Orlando). People who own ocean front in Hawaii are going to have very good “Trading Power”. If you do not own somewhere like Hawaii, do everything you can to increase your “Trading Power” (deposit early, and reserve that highest demand week at your home resort).