Newbie Newbie Newbie

[jjgfromnj]

Hi, I (and my wife) purchased HGVC at Elara Las Vegas in July 2017. It was a naive, rash decision, without know anything about timesharing - so please, spare the "you shoulda/coulda" comments - I know, you are right. I undoubtedly overpaid. I also realize that I'm well past the ability to rescind. Kudos to the salesman . And, besides anything financial, the primary reason this was probably not a great idea is that we are generally not very planful - we tend to make relatively last minute vacation decisions. But still, I've got what I've got.

With that said, what we purchased was: a Studio, Week 8, Annual Unit Week, Platinum (that's what i says in the legal description in the deed). It earns 2200 HGVC points per year, and it came with 7000 bonus points (of which 6000 still remain). All my kids are grown so it's rare that I'd be traveling with them, though they might "borrow" a stay here and there.

We have not used a single part of this, other than transferring some bonus points to HH for a specific stay where there were no HGVC or RCI properties, and transferring (at some cost) the 2017 points to RCI to extend their validity. I just had to pay to reinstate the bonus points because I didn't realize they were expiring, if I can't do anything with them I'll change them to HH points in October.

If you couldn't tell, I'm clueless. It seems that unless you are willing/able to commit many months in advance, you're unlikely to be able to use HGVC points directly. I can easily navigate the site, but I've never been able to find anything that works for me "near in" (or nearish). I got close on RCI once . Both my wife and I are not retired, so we don't have unlimited vacation time.

A few general questions:
1) Is it possible to sell current year points on the secondary market? How does this usually work?
2) It seems that for cruises, HGVC have pretty low value - the dollar to point rate is pretty skewed. Is this accurate?
3) Are there any other notable uses of HGVC points that I should know about?
4) Is there someone who can point me at a tutorial (not from HGVC, but rather a sophisticated user), or would be willing to spend some time communicating with me to provide some overall guidance and "tips and tricks"? I'm not convinced that this was a bad purchase (other than financially), but at this point I feel like someone who has bought an expensive car and has left it parked in the driveway.

Thanks for any help here.

 

[brp]

Welcome. You may want to look at tis very recent thread right on the front page where basically the same question was asked and a bunch of good advice already given. May make sense to simply add your details and ask your question there to keep things consolidated.

https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/need-help-understanding-hgvc.293858/

Cheers.

 

[JIMinNC]

On the planning or lack thereof, is the issue that your job(s) are such that you can't plan in advance, or is it that you've just never been inclined to plan, even if your jobs allow?

If it's the former, there's not much you can do to plan better since the jobs impose the limitation, but I'm sure some others here who are used to traveling more last minute can offer some advice. Often availability does pop up at the last minute due to cancellations, and your 2200 points would be a good amount to use for 3-4 night long weekends, if you can do that. The 2200 points is not a lot of points in the HGVC system for consistent seven night stays, except for maybe off-season studios.

If the issue is the latter - you just don't like to plan - we used to be sort of the same way, but then over the years timesharing taught us how to plan, and it's been so empowering for us to know what our plans are nine to twelve months out, or more. For us, it helps in looking at the big picture, helps in planning how we want to space the trips to aid in budgeting/cash flow, and causes us to think strategically about where we want to go and when. We've even used that newfound planning aptitude to schedule some non-timeshare things even farther out - we already have a deposit down on a Greek Isles cruise for the fall of 2021.

 

[CPNY]

I can only speak to what I own, but it seems vistana is similar to HGVC in that we can book 8 months in advance, similar to your 9 mo mark at other locations in network. I’ve seen availability open up sometimes a month or two before. I added three nights to my existing Labor Day weekend trip two days ago in the Bahamas. Just because you don’t plan in advance, doesn’t mean you can’t make what you own for you. You just want to be involved and keep checking.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

A few general questions:
1) Is it possible to sell current year points on the secondary market? How does this usually work?
2) It seems that for cruises, HGVC have pretty low value - the dollar to point rate is pretty skewed. Is this accurate?
3) Are there any other notable uses of HGVC points that I should know about?
4) Is there someone who can point me at a tutorial (not from HGVC, but rather a sophisticated user), or would be willing to spend some time communicating with me to provide some overall guidance and "tips and tricks"? I'm not convinced that this was a bad purchase (other than financially), but at this point I feel like someone who has bought an expensive car and has left it parked in the driveway.

Thanks for any help here.

Welcome to TUG. Many of us purchased initially from the developer so don't kick yourself. You are doing the right thing by trying to use "that expensive car parked in the driveway." HGVC is a great system if you know how to use it and make the most of it.

re: your questions:

1) You cannot rent out points but you can rent your studio home week but it is hard to rent out a week in Vegas. You would need to find a major conference week. But you said you are not a planner. Renting out takes a lot of planning.

It might be easier to bank your points so they can be used next year if you don't use them this year. If you bank, you will have up to 6600 points available to you (2019 banked, 2020, 2021 borrowed.) You will need to call and pay a $99 fee to bank. You have until the end of this year to bank them so if you might use them this year, don't bank unless you need to.

Where do you want to go? You need to reserve/plan now for next year. You can always change the reservation later if your situation changes up to 30 days prior.

2) Cruises are low value. Best to use TS points for TS. Last minute Open Season cash reservations can stretch your ownership. Hit the "open season" button on the HGVC reservation system to see what's available.

3) You can bank your expiring HGVC points for RCI and those expire in 2 years. You need to set up ongoing searches. Again, depends on where you want to go. RCI has great options in Cabo for low points. Also Tradewinds cruises.

4) Read the stickies at the top of the HGVC forum and then ask questions here on the forum.

Now let's get that car out of park. Good luck!

 

[jjgfromnj]

Welcome to TUG. Many of us purchased initially from the developer so don't kick yourself. You are doing the right thing by trying to use "that expensive car parked in the driveway." HGVC is a great system if you know how to use it and make the most of it.

re: your questions:

1) You cannot rent out points but you can rent your studio home week but it is hard to rent out a week in Vegas. You would need to find a major conference week. But you said you are not a planner. Renting out takes a lot of planning.

It might be easier to bank your points so they can be used next year if you don't use them this year. If you bank, you will have up to 6600 points available to you (2019 banked, 2020, 2021 borrowed.) You will need to call and pay a $99 fee to bank. You have until the end of this year to bank them so if you might use them this year, don't bank unless you need to.

Where do you want to go? You need to reserve/plan now for next year. You can always change the reservation later if your situation changes up to 30 days prior.

2) Cruises are low value. Best to use TS points for TS.

3) You can bank your expiring HGVC points for RCI and those expire in 2 years. You need to set up ongoing searches. Again, depends on where you want to go. RCI has great options in Cabo for low points. Also Tradewinds cruises.

4) Read the stickies at the top of the HGVC forum and then ask questions here on the forum.

Good luck!

This was a helpful reply, I really appreciate it. I have banked points, though I admit I feel a bit like throwing good money after bad for paying for that. But I guess it's better than losing them entirelyl.

With regard to renting the current year points, in the TUG forum I see a lot of people offering rentals. Are those all for home weeks? Do I have to reserve it and then put it up for rent?

 

[jjgfromnj]

Welcome. You may want to look at tis very recent thread right on the front page where basically the same question was asked and a bunch of good advice already given. May make sense to simply add your details and ask your question there to keep things consolidated.

https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/need-help-understanding-hgvc.293858/

Cheers.

I saw that post, but it has devolved into a points discussion, and I don't think my question(s) would get the needed exposure as part of that thread. Thanks for trying.

 

[jjgfromnj]

On the planning or lack thereof, is the issue that your job(s) are such that you can't plan in advance, or is it that you've just never been inclined to plan, even if your jobs allow?

If it's the former, there's not much you can do to plan better since the jobs impose the limitation, but I'm sure some others here who are used to traveling more last minute can offer some advice. Often availability does pop up at the last minute due to cancellations, and your 2200 points would be a good amount to use for 3-4 night long weekends, if you can do that. The 2200 points is not a lot of points in the HGVC system for consistent seven night stays, except for maybe off-season studios.

If the issue is the latter - you just don't like to plan - we used to be sort of the same way, but then over the years timesharing taught us how to plan, and it's been so empowering for us to know what our plans are nine to twelve months out, or more. For us, it helps in looking at the big picture, helps in planning how we want to space the trips to aid in budgeting/cash flow, and causes us to think strategically about where we want to go and when. We've even used that newfound planning aptitude to schedule some non-timeshare things even farther out - we already have a deposit down on a Greek Isles cruise for the fall of 2021.

Thanks for this, we had kind of hoped that having this "prespent vacation expense" would force us to do a better job of preplanning, but life events have gotten in the way (we married off 3 children this year). Your perspective is one I'll share with my wife.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Yes and Yes.

FWIW...planning and dreaming about the trip is half the fun for me.

 

[jjgfromnj]

Yes and Yes.

FWIW...planning and dreaming about the trip is half the fun for me.

Why does it have to be a home week? Am I not allowed to reserve anywhere in the system that my points will take me, and then rent that out?

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Why does it have to be a home week? Am I not allowed to reserve anywhere in the system that my points will take me, and then rent that out?

Because that is what you purchased and own. If everyone could rent out club points, there would be no Hawaii or ski week availability left for members to reserve. Also those owners pay more MF and paid more to buy so why would it be fair to rent out units where they are paying the freight so others paying lower MF can profit?

 

[jjgfromnj]

Because that is what you purchased and own. If everyone could rent out club points, there would be no Hawaii or ski week availability left for members to reserve. Also those owners pay more MF and paid more to buy so why would it be fair to rent out units where they are paying the freight so others paying lower MF can profit?

Ah, good points. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

BTW...Elara is a nice property to own and your MFs are pretty low at about $650.

Although more points would have been better, you could have done a lot worse such as buying at a property with high MF such as Las Palmeras, Kalia, Trump etc.

 

[alwysonvac]

A few general questions:
1) Is it possible to sell current year points on the secondary market? How does this usually work?

There was a thread about point transfers but I haven’t tried with it.
I’ve completed transfers with my other timeshares over the years (Disney & WorldMark) but not HGVC.

TUG member Cyberc described his experience in this thread - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/transferring-points-from-one-member-to-another.272340/

 

[PigsDad]

I would also add that one of your first priorities is to figure out what you want to do with those 6000 bonus points you have, since they are expiring. You get the most value for them by using them for a HGVC reservation, but if you really can't find / plan anything before they expire, they can also be used to pay your maintenance fees @ $0.10/point (so $600 value). You paid for those points (by purchasing direct), so definitely use them.

Kurt

 

[alwysonvac]

4) Is there someone who can point me at a tutorial (not from HGVC, but rather a sophisticated user), or would be willing to spend some time communicating with me to provide some overall guidance and "tips and tricks"? I'm not convinced that this was a bad purchase (other than financially), but at this point I feel like someone who has bought an expensive car and has left it parked in the driveway.

Thanks for any help here.

TUG HGVC Article - https://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/hilton-grand-vacation-club-timeshare-information.html

Basic Tips:

• Points required for Club reservations are based on resort, season, unit size/type and day of week. See sample point chart below.
• The larger the unit the more points you’ll need. All resorts don’t have studios.
  
• You can save the most points by staying in smaller unit, in a lower season and/or avoiding weekends stays.
  
• Point requirements vary across resorts in the same destination. Some resorts may have lower point requirements than their newer peers in the same destination so it’s best to compare resorts if you’re looking to save/stretch points.
• Weeknight stays (Monday thru Thursday) cost half as many points as weekend stays (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
• Peak periods (Platinum season) will require more points than non-peak periods (Gold, Silver & Bronze Season)
  • Locations with all 4 seasons: Colorado, Scotland (all except Craigendarroch Suites), Mexico (some Fiesta Americana resorts)
  • Locations with 3 seasons: Utah, South Carolina, South Florida affiliates, Las Vegas (Flamingo & Paradise only), Orlando (SeaWorld only), Scotland (Craigendarroch Suites only), Mexico (the remaining resorts), Portugal
  • Locations with 2 seasons: Las Vegas (the remaining resorts), Orlando (the remaining resorts), South Beach, New York, D.C., Italy, Hawaii, California, Scotland (Craigendarroch Suites only), and Kanagawa, Japan
• Destinations with multiple resorts such as Vegas, Orlando, Oahu and the Big Island May provide opportunities to stay more nights via cash open season rates.

2019 Club Reference Guide contains all of the HGVC point charts and Open Season Cash Rental rates for each HGVC resort.
https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?attachments/2019-hgv-points-open-chart-pdf.9813/

 

[CalGalTraveler]

RCI points and weeks are different inventory pools. In addition to setting up an on-going search for weeks. You need to login frequently to RCI via the HGVC portal and search for points reservations where you want to visit. This can get you shorter stays that require fewer points and the exchange fee is lower. (It took me almost 2 years to learn this one - I thought OGS covered it all)

 

[Denise L]

BTW...Elara is a nice property to own and your MFs are pretty low at about $650.

Although more points would have been better, you could have done a lot worse such as buying at a property with high MF such as Las Palmeras, Kalia, Trump etc.

I totally agree, you could have done a lot worse. HGVC is actually a pretty easy system to use, and we find ourselves needing more points and being in constant borrowing mode. We own at Elara (bought for the points to use elsewhere so haven't been there yet) and I hear it is really nice and everyone loves it. Do you want to go back there? Where would you like to travel? Some places must have interested you and your wife when you bought. What locations did you dream about when you purchased? Hawaii? New York? Orlando?

I'm sure we can help you figure out how to use them, especially your bonus points. Do you have vacation time left this year? Long weekends? Vacation planning is pure fun for most of us . And you are someone with points to spend, wow! You can be like kids in a candy shop. Lucky! I've used up all of my 2019 points and borrowed most of my 2020 points already. And we, like a lot of owners here, bought our first timeshare at full price (Starwood, now Vistana), then bought Disney Vacation Club (DVC), then Hyatt, then more DVC, then Sheraton (now Vistana), and more DVC, and most recently, two HGVC weeks. Before I bought the HGVC weeks, I used my sister's HGVC account to find RCI nights and even book some New York stays. Loved it so much, we had to get our own.

I predict you can become addicted too, just like the rest of us .

 

[taffy19]

I totally agree, you could have done a lot worse. HGVC is actually a pretty easy system to use, and we find ourselves needing more points and being in constant borrowing mode. We own at Elara (bought for the points to use elsewhere so haven't been there yet) and I hear it is really nice and everyone loves it. Do you want to go back there? Where would you like to travel? Some places must have interested you and your wife when you bought. What locations did you dream about when you purchased? Hawaii? New York? Orlando?

I'm sure we can help you figure out how to use them, especially your bonus points. Do you have vacation time left this year? Long weekends? Vacation planning is pure fun for most of us . And you are someone with points to spend, wow! You can be like kids in a candy shop. Lucky! I've used up all of my 2019 points and borrowed most of my 2020 points already. And we, like a lot of owners here, bought our first timeshare at full price (Starwood, now Vistana), then bought Disney Vacation Club (DVC), then Hyatt, then more DVC, then Sheraton (now Vistana), and more DVC, and most recently, two HGVC weeks. Before I bought the HGVC weeks, I used my sister's HGVC account to find RCI nights and even book some New York stays. Loved it so much, we had to get our own.

I predict you can become addicted too, just like the rest of us .

Like for enjoying your stays in NYC and take advantage of the shows and music performances in walking distance.

 

[GT75]

I agree with others, let's help you figure out how to use those bonus points. You may also have saved points that are about to expire. Where do you live (driving distance to any HGVC/bHC such as Vegas, NY, Chicago, Myrle Beach, Southern California, Florida)? I would have previously recommended Los Cabos, but that well has dried up.

I think that bonus points, can be also converted to HH points besides used for paying MFs. Both are not the best use of those points but better than throwing them away.

 

[Tamaradarann]

Why does it have to be a home week? Am I not allowed to reserve anywhere in the system that my points will take me, and then rent that out?

You seem to be looking to do everything with your points but use them in the HGVC Resort System which is the primary reason you should have bought them. Therefore, instead of answering your questions about how you can use your points for OTHER REASONS, I want to concentrate on using them for the main intended purpose.

You bought the 2200 points in the Elara to take vacations so tell us; WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO? Also, someone earlier asked do you do things last minute because of you jobs, or because you don't have personal discipline to plan? If it is your job are there periods of time when you can make vacation plans?

 

[Tamaradarann]

Thanks for this, we had kind of hoped that having this "prespent vacation expense" would force us to do a better job of preplanning, but life events have gotten in the way (we married off 3 children this year). Your perspective is one I'll share with my wife.

QUOTE="PigsDad, post: 2321540, member:

15164"]I would also add that one of your first priorities is to figure out what you want to do with those 6000 bonus points you have, since they are expiring. You get the most value for them by using them for a HGVC reservation, but if you really can't find / plan anything before they expire, they can also be used to pay your maintenance fees @ $0.10/point (so $600 value). You paid for those points (by purchasing direct), so definitely use them.

Kurt[/QUOTE]

Your comment about marrying off 3 children this year sounds like you are in a financial situation that you can't take any vacations for awhile. If this is the case then the advice given here by Kurt to use your BONUS POINTS to pay your maintenance may be the best advice for the immediate situation. Then with that off your mind and the maintenance bill payed, look at what I earlier suggested, "Where do you want to go with the 2200 annual points that you have"