First, don't buy from the developer unless you are also looking to travel to Club Pass locations or get VIP benefits. IMHO, neither are worth tens of thousands of dollars. I would recommend eBay, or one of the freebies offered here. I have points in the Wyndham System. The number of points you need for a two week stay varies from location to location, based on the type or room, location, and time of year you are vacationing. The same as it would be for any hotel you may be paying cash for. For example, I have enough points for a two week stay in a one bedroom in Williamsburg. However, I would need more points, or add my future points to the credit pool, to get enough points for the same stay in Bonnet Creek, which is one of their most in demand resorts, depending on the time of year. Either way, your points can be used at any Wyndham resort, at anytime of year. Think of them like currency. You need 424k points for a one week stay, in a 4 bedroom presidential suite at Bonnet Creek over Christmas. A one bedroom deluxe at that resort, at the same time, is 166k points. You can get more points if you "bank" up to two years future points in the credit pool if you need more points. Think of it like borrowing against future paychecks. There are rules regarding credit pool pools, but that might be too much discussion here. Wyndham is great if you don't want to exchange for another week at another resort. The points work the same at all locations, but like hotels, the prices (or points) vary year round based on the resort and season.
If you want to go to Club pass locations, you'd be better paying cash for those locations, rather then fork out thousands of dollars for the privilege. Buying resale will be the cheapest option and you will get more bang for your buck so to speak. I just bought 308k points on ebay for $1. Between the points I already have, and that contract I just bought, I will have more then enough for that 4 bedroom presidential suite during Christmas. Assuming I could actually get it. Like I said, they are in high demand. Most tuggers will tell you to stick with resale. I wish I would have learned about Tug, before I bought retail. That was an expensive lesson learned. With that said, there are reasons to choose a specific location as your home resort. If you know you will want Florida over Christmas every year or two, you might to buy a resale contract for a home resort in Florida, so you can book earlier and have a better chance of getting the room you want. There is Club Wyndham Access, but there are pros and cons to that system. I am not part of that program, so I cannot speak to those. I am sure someone here will.
Oh, and anyone can pay cash to stay at the resorts. I think Tripadvisor can give you the current rates. You don't need to buy any Wyndham points for that.
