How do you keep track of your timeshares.

[talkamotta]

I've owned 7 weeks for years. I could keep track of each timeshare. When I paid the mfs and how I treated each timeshare. Did I use it, did I deposit it and which trading company did I use. Did I exchange it for another timeshare, where and what dates. This year I bought a wyndham timeshare and worldmark credits. Today I booked 3 vacations back to back. One wyndham, worldmark, and a timeshare using my tpus in rci. I had many screens up on my computer. I was a little overwhelmed and I need a better tracking system. I

I know many of you own more than I do...how do you keep track? I've never lost a week because it fell through the cracks and I don't want it to ever happen.

 

[DaveNV]

When I owned multiple weeks I just used Excel. Mapped what I owned, when and where I exchanged it, exchange dates, impression of the exchanged resort, and so forth. I even tracked future trip ideas, when and where we wanted to go. It was a manual process, but I could track the things I wanted to track. It worked well. I kept things in date order of when the exchange was made.

Now that I'm owning just WorldMark, it's simpler. I don't have the sense of control I used to have, but I also don't need to track things so specifically now.

Dave

 

[AwayWeGo]

It's lots simpler now that the only timeshare we have left is 1 triennial points unit.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[VacationForever]

I used to keep track on how I use each week on a spreadsheet and now I don't bother and keep them all in my head. My weeks are either sitting in the timeshare system accounts as points or/and weeks or deposited into II. I know I have 2 weeks in II that need to be re-traded as plans have changed and they need to be retraded out no later than May/June 2020 to avoid the dreaded 60 days in, and another 3 weeks in II that are untraded. With internal systems, I have a significant chunk of banked StarOptions in Vistana that expire Dec 2020 and another huge chunk of Marriott points sitting in the system with various expiration dates. I have to decide what to do with 2021 portfolio very soon.

The only thing I keep track is maintenance fee payment as I don't want to be late.

 

[SteelerGal]

I own a # of weeks as well. I access my main accounts once a week, while the others are once a month or qtrly. Since I am an advanced Planner, I book and then add to my Calendar. We are tied to a school calendar so it’s easier for me these days.

 

[vol_90]

We use excel to track the portfolio. We own multiple Marriott weeks (all are points enrolled) and both Marriott Destination and Asia Pacific points. We track point balances, calculate our average purchase cost per point and allocate maintenance / interval fees to each reservation.

I actually enjoy tracking the data (like a hobby) which goes back to 2007. We can also see how many resorts, how many times, how many nights we have stayed at each along with many other data points.

One thing that makes the portfolio easier to manage is always being in a borrowed point position so we are not pressed to use points before they expire at the end of a given year. We also like taking vacations before we have paid the maintenance fees.

 

[bogey21]

Back when I had six I kept them on individual 3x5 cards with the one needing most immediate action on top...

George

 

[Rolltydr]

One thing that makes the portfolio easier to manage is always being in a borrowed point position so we are not pressed to use points before they expire at the end of a given year.

I agree with this. We always try to end up borrowing a few points for our last reservation of the year.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Luvtoride]

We use excel to track the portfolio. We own multiple Marriott weeks (all are points enrolled) and both Marriott Destination and Asia Pacific points. We track point balances, calculate our average purchase cost per point and allocate maintenance / interval fees to each reservation.

I actually enjoy tracking the data (like a hobby) which goes back to 2007. We can also see how many resorts, how many times, how many nights we have stayed at each along with many other data points.

One thing that makes the portfolio easier to manage is always being in a borrowed point position so we are not pressed to use points before they expire at the end of a given year. We also like taking vacations before we have paid the maintenance fees.

I'm with you Vol_90, keeping an excel spreadsheet to track our units and points. I find this to be the most logical way to plan and elect my usage for the current and upcoming year. Every once in a while, when I call a Marriott VOA, I will confirm with them the number of available points for current and next year to make sure my spread sheet is up to date. This also helps to make sure we use the FIFO basis of using points so that we don't face points expiring (like some of our friends who are owners do) and having to frantically figure out what to do with 795 DC points expiring on 12/31/19.

This is a large financial commitment (not investment) in our vacation/ leisure time and we want to make the best use of it possible. It is certainly worth the little bit of extra time it takes to track this on a spreadsheet and roll it forward from year to year.

 

[talkamotta]

It's seems like when you are retired, the years roll into one another. I used to be able to keep many things in my head, I was a single mom of 5. Working, soccor, baseball, scouts, etc I was a multitasking queen. Now not so much. I'm married now and I was trying to remember which year I started dating my husband. I remembered that the first vacation we went on was welk, and he proposed to me at flagstaff. So now I have the timeline down. Thank you rci. That's rather sad or funny. Now I have to write things down.

 

[VacationForever]

Every once in a while, when I call a Marriott VOA, I will confirm with them the number of available points for current and next year to make sure my spread sheet is up to date.

Do you know you can see this information in the MVC online system? I hate talking to a VOA and only call when I have to cancel or shorten a reservation.

 

[Luvtoride]

Vacation Forever, Yes, I did know the website shows that now. Actually, I find it helpful to check in with them once in a while where we review my travel insurance status, any pending election dates as well as using points in the proper sequence. In fact, we're wait listed for a week in Aruba next summer and I will probably call to check on the status and possibly see if any other dates are available. My experience with the VOAs has been fairly positive.

 

[PigsDad]

All of mine are in a single mini-system, so management is easy via the system's portal.

Kurt

 

[sfwilshire]

Excel here too. I note that I used it or deposited it, and if deposited, with which company. I add notes about eplus and combining TPUs.

The only thing I don't do real well is keep track of my RCI Points balance and expiration dates, because I get a different accounting every time I speak to or exchange emails with one of their agents, it seems. I think I finally got a good accounting in writing from them that didn't screw up the expiration dates (I'm Platinum) so maybe I'll do better going forward with that.

Sheila

 

[aandmrun]

I'm a bit old fashioned and like to see things clearly, so I have 8"x 10" binder notebooks with clear sheet protectors where I keep all my exchange and use information. I have one notebook for each timeshare (we own 4). I am a visual person who likes to scrapbook so this is actually fun for me. We have been time sharing since 1994, so I also keep a word document in there for each timeshare indicating how it was used each year. I enjoy looking at the notebooks and reminiscing about all my trips. I also keep the maintenance fee information and receipts in the notebooks.

 

[alexadeparis]

I too use excel. One master sheet, one for each m8ni system and one for Rci and one for II to keep track of them all. I also use TripIt and put tentative future plans in there as a placeholder. Like, I name the trip “Use 84,000 Wyndham contract” for May 2020 and put a dummy location like Orlando, FL. That reminds me that I need to book a trip for May 2020 or thereabouts at some point. It also makes it easy to view my other reservations like airfare, car rental etc.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I have a spreadsheet with all of the timeshares listed in Column A and the MF's listed in columns by year, so I can see the increases. I also mark them as paid or not paid. 2020 looks like one of those years when a lot of the fees are going to be unpaid until later January.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Excel is your friend, and your calendar is the reminder of key dates.

I set up annual reminders for depositing left over points etc. I also set reminders for when I want to book stays, depending on when I need to make the booking (using HGVC speak, Home or Club season, but others systems have similar concepts but different terms and timeframes.

I know I want to book a July 4th week, and I want to book it at the 13 month mark, That reminder goes in my calendar with 3 days notice, so I can plan accordingly.

 

[Steve Fatula]

I use the Numbers app on IOS as I want it mobile and I don't use any laptop. That way, it's always with me, desktops are not good enough for me. I track not only any trades or how many points left, but, plans for the following few years if I learn about somewhere I want to go. I also have a list of common places open to reservation within 60 days (for MVCI discount purposes), total nights stayed, actual start and end dates for all trips, cheapest times for each resort in MVCI, would I go back there, what I liked and disliked about any given resort. It took a bit of effort to get this spreadsheet setup, but, once the data was there, it's maybe an hour a year.

For MF payments, etc, I use the app Due on IOS. I have around 100 things in Due that I need to do at least once a year, so, as I get older, I simply can't forget. Due is wonderful!

 

[suzannesimon]

I have 10 weeks at Marriott, Hyatt and Vistana. Four of them are fixed weeks and I usually reserve the same weeks for the others. I have my iPhone calendar set up to remind me of the first day to reserve each one. I rent what I don’t use so I have an Excel file for each resort. On one side I keep track of what I paid for each week plus the maintenance costs. On the other side I keep track of the rent I received or what I would have had to pay if I used it. I like to see when I’ve broken even on each week.

 

[TheHolleys87]

I have an Excel spreadsheet for each one (very rudimentary but does the arithmetic to track points & TPUs) and also put reminders in my iPhone and/or on my calendar for when I need to book something. Banking points is sort of rare for us (we're usually borrowed ahead) but I'll need to do it no later than April 2020, so I set a reminder for that too.

 

[Grammarhero]

Excel spreadsheets or iPhone notes app.

 

[pingpongdjh]

Excel spreadsheets or iPhone notes app.

 

[silentg]

I have color folders for each timeshare vacation, put all paperwork in and use it for that trip only.I get a new folder each time so I can keep track of everything involved in the trip. Driving directions, plane tickets resort confirmation and any coupons for thing to do in the area we are going.
Not that we don’t use computers, But I have done this so long this way it works for us.

 

[HenryT]

Definitely Excel (multiple worksheets linked together).

I own 12 timeshares in multiple systems (points and weeks), exchange through both RCI and II, and I rent out the units I don't use which requires me to keep track of my rental status.

I also plan out my vacation 3 years in advance (and update as required).

Lots of information to track but excel makes it easy.