September 30th is the deadline to elect your ownership weeks for Vacation Club points. Even if you are enrolled in the Destinations program, this is not your only option for exchanging. Do not forget about trading within Interval International (II).
When you enrolled in the Destinations program, you were given a FREE Interval account. You do not have to pay membership dues to II nor do you have to pay exchange fees.You may be confused as to which exchange program is best to trade through: Interval or Marriott Vacation Club. MVCI will tell you to trade with your Vacation Points. Interval International will tell you it is best to deposit your week and trade through their system. I am here to tell you that the best option all depends on where you want to go and when you want to go.Consider the following factors when making your decision:
- How many Destination Points is your ownership week(s) worth?
- How many points will it require to vacation at your desired property?
- Is the time of year you want to travel peak season (holidays or school break times)? Or is it mid-season (spring or fall) or even low season?
- Do I need to be confirmed into my desired resort quickly or can I wait it out for awhile?
Your answer to each one of these questions will help you decide which exchange program will maximize your trading options.
To trade internally through MVCI, you need to compare the number of Vacation Club points needed to go to your desired destination vs. what your ownership week is worth in points. For example, if your Canyon Villas ownership week converts to 2,975 Vacation Club points but the resort you want to visit for 7 nights requires 4,175 points then it may be best to trade through Interval. But if your desired destination only requires 2,500 points then MVCI would be best.
If you wish to travel to a popular Marriott resort during high season, you may find the inventory is limited in Interval but plentiful in MVCI. Some properties are worth a large amount of Vacation Club points so owners are reluctant to give their weeks up to Interval since they have the potential to trade for more than 7 days at a time with Marriott. (Interval trades are still a week for a week). This could mean that the Interval inventory will be low and it could be difficult for you to be confirmed on a trade. On the other hand, there are fewer Marriott owners on the wait list for these properties thus reducing the competition for these coveted weeks. Resorts during mid and low season are often available with Interval.
If you need to be confirmed “now” into your desired destination in order to book airline tickets or plan with friends and family, then trading with your Vacation Club points will be your fastest method as quite often your trade can be confirmed on a single phone call. If you can wait to be confirmed, you may be surprised at how well trading can work with Interval. I am having excellent success trading into these popular resorts with Interval, even during peak season:
- Canyon Villas – Phoenix – February and March
- Waiohai Beach Club – Kauai – all year
- KoOlina Beach Club – Oahu – all year
On the other hand, Maui Ocean Club in the Lahaina/Napili Villas and Aruba properties in the winter months rarely become available through Interval.
There is no crystal ball to predict the best program to use for a trade but you do want to consider all of your options. We help over 250 Marriott owners trade every day and from our experience, we know the method that works best for each owner’s unique needs. Our clients are vacationing regularly with their MVCI ownership to their desired properties without frustration and hassle.
