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I.I. Club Interval Gold (CIG) points question.

kwelty

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A few months back, I bought into Interval International's Club Interval Gold (CIG) points and am pleased with what I am seeing for availability, specifically Marriotts in Hilton Head. As I plan vacations for this coming year, I am keeping an eye on when the points required is reduced during a sale. Since joining, I saw one sale starting 11/1/18 where the number of points required was reduced 25% and later on 11/28/18 it was reduced to 50%. I think I.I. calls it a "Power Point" sale.

Does anyone familiar with CIG know how often and when the points required are reduced?

I had searched the forums to see if this might have already been answered (it hadn't) and while looking, saw a lot of negativism toward resorts selling CIG and the program itself. Let me tell what my resort is doing. Harbor Ridge on Mt Desert Island, think Bar Harbor, is offering this program for $500 plus they threw in 35,000 Points, a $189 value, to get me started. This resort is the most owner friendly resort I've seen and I've owned seven timeshares and spent over a hundred weeks timesharing. I can't say enough good things about the resort and the people working there. While there are probably a good many fast talking salespersons pushing CIG for thousands of dollars, this isn't the case for me and I am looking forward to taking advantage of low cost weeks during the off season.
 

tschwa2

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Was the sale for bookings specifically within flex period or did you need to book by a certain date and all dates or a subset of dates (but still greater than flex) available. II has a lot of promotions to get rid of excess inventory. I wouldn't expect sales to happen during any high season.
 

kwelty

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I didn't have any specific dates for traveling, I just wanted to get the max value for my points by using them when the number required is discounted. I'm retired and travel often but almost always when there is some kind of promotion. Hopefully I can find out how often II reduces their CIG points needed and if it is routinely done.
 
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From my experience of three years, I put a week into II and I get two, week long stay certificates in exchange (Welk=Elite "blue icon"). I'm not seeing anything on their site about direct point exchanges.... Are you talking about the Getaways? If so, those fluctuate seemingly weekly.
 

kwelty

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From my experience of three years, I put a week into II and I get two, week long stay certificates in exchange (Welk=Elite "blue icon"). I'm not seeing anything on their site about direct point exchanges.... Are you talking about the Getaways? If so, those fluctuate seemingly weekly.
What I was looking for was when II reduces the number of Club Interval Gold (CIG) points required for an exchange. CIG does not have a lot of people, I believe, in the program and they do not promote it very well.
 

dougp26364

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What I was looking for was when II reduces the number of Club Interval Gold (CIG) points required for an exchange. CIG does not have a lot of people, I believe, in the program and they do not promote it very well.

Part of the problem with CIG is it's value. We have access to CIG thru one of our ownerships but, after looking it over, I have little to no interest in using it. The value just isn't there compared to direct week to week exchange. For that matter, over the last 10 years the value of any exchange thru I.I. has declined to a point we'll allow our personal membership to expire. Additional fee's, decreasing availability of instant online exchanges and ever increasing fee's of all sorts has put us off using either I.I. or RCI. Over the last few years we've shifted our attention to either owning timeshares we'll stay at every year or, belonging to clubs/systems that allow us to go to the destinations we enjoy.

I miss the days where I could deposit a studio unit, sit on it and search online for someplace we hadn't been before AND move up in size from a studio to a one bedroom (or larger) unit with NO extra fee's. Today, the best I can usually see for instant online exchanges are other studio's in the same old, worn out, over developed tourist locations, often in shoulder season. It's to the point it's just not worth the effort, time or money anymore.

I suspect, based on our experiences of nearly 20 years of ownership and exchanging, you'll find the "discounts" to desirable locations in desirable resorts few and far between. When you do, it will be to late to get decent airfare, so you may be tied to locations within driving distance, which may or may not be an issue for you (it is for us unless we always want to go to Branson in shoulder or off season). Add to this the CIG has never really taken off so, your observation about limited membership may complicate usage even further.

I don't know of a lot of members on TUG who have spoken about CIG. Whether it's because it's just not a good enough deal or because to gain access to the program, you almost always have to make a developer purchase I don't know. But there really doesn't seem to be any big push by I.I. to expand this program or recruit/convert existing timeshare owners into this program.

I'm sorry because I know this doesn't directly address your questions but, I believe you'll find that even at regular points prices, you may find your options limited. Salesmen do a magnificent job of selling the sizzle of a steak more so than selling the actual steak. You may find there's not as much meat to your purchase as what you were sold.
 

kwelty

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It seems to me that that CIG was created to be II's version of RCI's points program (the original one), but was only a half hearted effort and never really promoted. When I was researching it, I could find very little information about it. But it was only $500 to join and I got almost $200 in points to start me off. Figuring I didn't have a whole lot to lose, I joined and am pleased with what I see so far.
We go to Hilton Head a good bit and enjoy being there during the winter months. During II's "Power Point Sale" we can get a two bedroom Marriott there for $304-cost of points and exchange fee. Even without a sale the cost is a little less than $400.
We are just trying to stretch our points by trying to find out when these "Power Point" sales are likely to be.
 

Theiggy

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It’s weird that there is no info whatsoever on this on the II website. You have to buy into it through a developer?


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kwelty

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It’s weird that there is no info whatsoever on this on the II website. You have to buy into it through a developer?


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I bought in though the HOA, that's why it was only $500 instead of the thousands that a developer would charge. II does have a brochure but it is a sales tool and you don't really get the nitty gritty information like if it works as promised or not.
https://www.intervalworld.com/iimedia/pdf/iw/cig-mem-broruchre-us.pdf

Other information about CIG:

Winning the Timeshare Game
https://timesharegame.com/all-about-interval-international-points/

Inside the Gate
https://www.insidethegate.com/2011/11/club-interval-gold-points-to-increased-sales/
 

Theiggy

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Thanks for the info. I will check it out. I know it wasn’t much out of pocket for you so it makes sense, but aren’t the Getaways just as cheap in the off season? I see HHI in January for around $300 with my II platinum membership.


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kwelty

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Harbor Ridge MDI ME
Tree Tops Gatlinburg
The cheapest Getaway for HHI I see for a two bedroom, I'm at the gold level, is $352. For Marriotts, where we like to stay, it is $392. There is a tax on Getaways of about 10% while exchanges are not taxed. The cheapest way is with the $229 AC but we go more than we get AC's for.
 
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