Timeshare programs (Marriott Club® points included) often gets a bad rep in the hospitality industries. With a simple Google search, you’ll see countless articles claiming it’s a ripoff, scam, and simply not worth it. To a degree, there’s a truth to that misconception. Countless sale executives pitching you a hard sell to spend an obscene amount of money in its convoluted programs? Sounds shady enough to me.
To give you a little history in 2007, Miki & Paul courageously attended one in Orlando, Florida to score some Disney World Park Hopper tickets for pennies on the dollar. It was a rewarding yet traumatic experience saying “NO” a million times to spending $20,000+ USD on a timeshare program.
Please excuse Paul’s horrendous taste in fashion with his retro-baggy pants…. I have no idea how Miki found him attractive.
That being said, I noticed years later that their bad reputations stems only from the lack of understanding in its program(s). To this day, most owners still don’t know how to put their timeshares to good use, which is why “buyers remorse” happens so often. Thus, I tell people this long-term lifestyle investment is only worth it if you buy smart AND know how to maximize its perks.
Since I’m fascinated with these things, I enjoy spending hours analyzing and meeting with Marriott sales executives in learning how our new BONVOY program affects Marriott Timeshares today. For those not interested, you can stop reading here.
For those curious and/or as passionate as me, read on!
Welcome to the most complicated rewards program in the world.
Marriott Timeshare Programs are split between two main ownership categories.
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Deed owners to one specific property (ex. JW Marriott Phuket)
- For owners prior to 2010
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Collective Destination Program using “Club Points” to redeem in any Marriott resort properties in the world.
- For new owners or current owners after 2010
If you’re in category 1 where you purchased a deed prior to 2010, here are your annual options that you are grandfathered in.
If you’re in category 2 where you purchased club points for collective ownership, here are your annual options.
For simplicity, we’ll just focus today using “Club Points” for your annual options. For category 1, let’s just say your week deed is worth 4000 Club Points. Once converted, you can combine it with your other club points you purchased after 2010 (in category 2) to redeem for Marriott resort properties around the world.
Like the new Bonvoy program, prices varies depending on “low” “medium” or “high” season. For instance, here’s a Marriott Resort property in France.
Here are the dynamic prices ranging from a studio to a 3-bedroom. As you can see, prices on Fridays and Saturdays tends to double compared to Monday-Thursdays. While not as dramatic, the new Bonvoy program that went into effect this month will soon follow this seasonal trend.
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting.
In Marriott timeshare programs, there are statuses that are tiered depending on how many club points you have annually. Prior to 2019, if you had “Presidential” or “Chairman’s Club” ownership, you were automatically granted Marriott Rewards Platinum.
The catch-22 was that you needed at least 10,000+ Club Points annually for that status, which meant you were required to have $120,000 USD (assuming $12-$14 USD = 1 Club Point) commitment to the program.
With the new symbiotic program of Bonvoy, it is now a LOT easier (and thankfully cheaper) to achieve this coveted status. Effective this year, attaining “Select” and/or “Executive” ownership now automatically matches to Marriott Rewards Platinum status! On top of that, “Presidential” and “Chairman’s Club” are granted Titanium status (aka Platinum Premier).
So now your 4000 points in Club Points gives you Marriott Platinum instead of Gold!
In a way, this is a “travel hack” in attaining Lifetime Platinum Status without ever setting foot in a Marriott hotel effectively skipping the 600+ nights and 10+ years requirement in the program.
Believe it or not, we only glossed the surface of how Marriott Vacation Club works. Overall, timeshares are a long-term lifestyle investment that is not for everyone.
If you’re on the other side of the boat & is currently stuck with owning a timeshare, hopefully this article helps you realize that your ownership is now a lot more attractive with the new Bonvoy program in effect.
Once again, I understand that most timeshare ownership information(s) can be quite overwhelming. So if you want more assistance, just send me an inquiry and we’ll be more than happy to help.
Chai Bear World 