Da5id

A 5 star elite means you're either retired or you get a lot of vacation and actually get to use it!

emuyshondt

Or you are very generous and take family and friends with you when you go.

SFOAmdam

If you go on one of these packages do you get the nights credited toward elite status? I might be interested but need to continue hitting the nights as I am addicted to the platinum status.

emuyshondt

I'm not sure about the credit, but if you go on one of these and just buy 4 weeks in a 2 bedroom lockoff in Hawaii you'd be platinum permanently and wouldn't have to worry about it anymore!

dujvari

Yes, that's what we do. Thank you for calling us very generous. We like to think of it as making a fair trade for company we value highly.

adamak

When you buy into SVO, can you pay with Starwood AE? I don't mean financing thru credit card, I mean if I already have the lump sum $$, can I have SVO charges 2 different payments in 2 months time?

dujvari

Sure, you can pay with Starwood AMEX. You pay a downpayment when you sign the deal. The balance is written up as a 12% (yikes!) loan with no pre-payment penalties. You can pay that off with AMEX too... up to your credit limit.

It's a good way to maximize points.

chuckroby

We just bought into the Maui SVO on Wednesday (we were on a preview package at Mission Hills) and they helped us sign up for the SPG AE card (to pay for the timeshare) on the spot and thus we received 10k additional SPG points. If you have the card already, you could get one in your spouse's name to get the 10k points if you wanted them.

gregorygrady

Geez, everybody's buying these things........I must be missing something.

emuyshondt

This is not a traditional timeshare program since it includes the ability to use any Starwood hotel (although the real value is if you go to a vacation property). A two bedroom lockoff in effect gives you two weeks of vacation time that can be used on two separate occasions. I only know about MAui, but from what my real estate friends tell me, you can probably recover 50-75% of the purchase price so you are not giving away the full price. For me it works. I did make a commitment up front, but once I did I get very nice accommodation at a lower price that if I just rented a couple of hotel rooms. In addition, having prepaid at a time when I know my finances allowed it, I tend to use the vacation time more than if I have to think about the money every time I consider a vacation. The amount I've spent is less than buying a vacation home somewhere and with a lot more flexibility. The plan is definitely not a real investment in that you can expect to get all your money back, but it is buying vacation time at wholesale prices.

With respect to the AmEx, you can defintely use it to pay for the purchase. You can even pay in a couple of installments if there is not enough credit limit on the card. What also works is to pay with the AmEx and then find another card with a 12 month no interest balance transfer and not pay for anything for a year while your money earns interest elsewhere.

gregorygrady

I took an SPG timeshare tour for the 10K SPG pts a few months ago. From my number crunching during the tour, it seemed like I wouldn't even get an equivalent number of SPG points if I cashed in and did the Starpoint option (using the 2 cents per SPG pt that I value them at) as I would have to pay for the annual maintenance fee. So to me it was basically pay a huge amount upfront and then pay in annual maintenance fees (which increase every year) an amount that I WOULD pay for my vacation. Just seemed like a waste to me, but I guess obviously others have different opinions..........Especially since I found FT, I feel like I almost have more points and miles than I know what to do with. Seems much easier to earn them via Ameritrade signups and/or the SPG Amex.

Da5id

What we did was call ahead to AMEX to get a one time approval to extend our credit line. Then we put our entire SVO Bill on our AMEX and then paid it off when the bill came. No interest was accrued.

We did the same with our last car. That's one way to rack up points quick.

dujvari

You're not missing anything. Timeshare does NOT save anyone any money. I challenge anyone to prove it. The math-magic they use in the presentations is laughable.

But, to me, it's not about fiscal sensibility. I own because it's the best quality time I can buy for my family. I'm away from them so often it makes the time I have with them incredibly valuable to me. I simply will not risk a bad experience. I'll pay to guarantee the quality.

Timeshare makes no more sense than owning an $80K car when a $40K car gets everyone around in comfort. ...no more sense than having a $80K built-in pool when a $10K above ground pool is just as wet and satisfying on a hot day. ...a large home... the "right" neighborhood... the "right" college... having a boat... having a plane... etc, etc, etc...

We make decisions to upgrade, or not, almost everyday of our lives. Some of us need the upgraded vacation, others don't.

Hey, we've got great friends who love to camp. They've got this $100K+ stainless steel bus looking thing that has sides which move out like it's some Transformer toy. What the heck is up with that?!

It's all in the eye of the beholder. What is a waste to some is invaluable to others.

stevens397

That was the most profound and concise (and correct!) treatise on time-sharing I've read since I joined up here two years ago. I know some of my friends think we're crazy (then again, my wife does too!), but it works for us.

Well said.

gregorygrady

I must admit those were some good reasons for buying a timeshare. I've never thought of it like that before either, but it did make sense and I guess I can see why one would want a timeshare now............