I'm located outside USA

Just note that you pay that each year, but you only get a week there every other year (i.e. even numbered years.) So the cost is actually double that annual fee. :eek:

NOTE: The unit is EOY. The MF are $551 every year - but you only get the unit every other year. So, technically the MFs are $1102 for the one week of ownership.

I'm in the USA, and my MileagePlus bonus hasn't posted yet.

Friends in Toronto that I talked into this, have received their bonus!

Got it. I just figured there'd also be some kind of $199 "processing fee" for the trade or whatnot.

That I *didn't* pick up on. I read it as fixed in Week 11 one year, and then some kind of floating Week 10 through 19 the other year. (All of which are pretty lousy weeks to go to the Ozarks if you want to be on the lake.)

Oh, there are def. transaction "fees". I thought you were referring to the fact that you might be charged fees that applied to the location you would be using.

I know that there are other timeshare owners here (I recognize their screen names from TUG and I see their posts periodically), but let me give you some clues about how this game is played. Timesharing is a game, there is a learning curve, and it takes some time and effort to learn it and play it well. I think you make an investment when you buy a timeshare, and you want to maximize the value of that investment.

In addition to your annual maintenance fee, you would need to join a timeshare exchange company if you intend to trade a timeshare week rather than use the week yourself. So you'd have an annual fee for the exchange company. I don't have my notes in front of me, but figure in the range of $89 per year as a reasonable guess.

Next, you'd need to reserve your week. Let's say it's a week 10-19. Look at this page and click the link for "Travel Demand Index" on the right side of the page: https://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1503&resortCode=MHB&parentResortCode=MHB#.WFH hedIrL4Y
You see a chart. Notice the numbers at the very bottom (from 50 to 150). The TDI (Travel Demand Index) tells you how much demand there is for particular timeshare weeks. So you will notice that weeks 10-19 are on the mid-range side. The highest demand weeks in Branson are weeks 23-29. So weeks 10-19 are not the worst, but they are not the best. Your "trading power" (your ability to make a successful and desirable timeshare trade) correlates with the TDI.

So now you've reserved a week for trading (rather than your personal use), you have deposited it to your exchange company, and you make a trade. You will pay a trading fee, which is currently about $129 per trade if you are trading to a Marriott resort and $189 if trading to a non-Marriott. This fee unfortunately tends to rise every year or two (as does your annual maintenance fee, by the way). You also may have to pay an upgrade fee if you trade your 2BR unit for a 3BR or 4BR unit (if, for example, you have a really large family and want to invite everyone along).

So I'll admit that I own a Marriott timeshare. My wife and I have had some wonderful vacations using our timeshare (including Marriott travel packages, which is after all the subject of this thread). We sometimes stay in our home resort but we often trade. I also often will build major (3-4 week) international vacations that include one timeshare week. When trading, we often stay at Marriott timeshare properties because the units are generally high quality. But I admit that all these fees do add up, and my cost for fees has risen slowly and steadily since I bought the timeshare unit in 2004. I don't regret the purchase because it led me into the world of Marriott Reward points and from there I found my way to FlyerTalk. I have learned a lot from you people here on FT and we now take fabulous vacations for a very reasonable overall cost by using our travel reward points. But I confess that the timeshare fees, and the slow and steady rise in those fees, are a pain in the A.

I agree completely. We own two MVCI weeks-Aruba SC and Phuket Thailand. Wonderful locations. When purchased, the MF's were reasonable. Now, they equal or exceed what I can rent a week through Redweek or Tug. We use them and love them, but would not invest more.

Is anyone still waiting for their 20K mile bonus from UA? I haven't received mine yet, and now have started second guessing myself as to whether I registered or not (after telling all my friends to make sure they register before doing the transfer)!

Did my travel package on Nov. 22 and have not received my bonus miles yet.

One more data point: 20K UNited bonus miles for 7-night Travel Package posted .

The miles for my travel package posted on 11/30/16 dated 11/29/16 and my 20k bonus has been received. Not sure if there is some other order they process in, but mine would be just about as late as you could be and still make it under the threshold.

My Travel Package miles posted on 11/11, and I have not yet received the bonus.

My transfer wasn't until Nov 30, and I definitely registered for the promotion. In fact, I did so twice, as the fact that they don't email a confirmation bothered me. I haven't received the 20k.