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What is a Timeshare?

A "Timeshare" is basically where you buy a property (usually vacation) but only for a certain amount of time per year. For example- you can buy a timeshare in an orlando resort for a 2 bedroom villa for 2 weeks per year. You pay for the actual sale plus a management fee per year. This gives you the right to use this property usually for any 2 weeks during the year as long as it is available and you are considered an "owner". It is made for people who vacation alot in certain areas and enjoy certain properties. Some companies have a few different properties in different vacation spot and "owners can choose to use their timeshare in whichever one they want this gives them flexibility to vacation in different spots every year.

What you are probably hearing about is not what I just explained i.e. actually buying a timeshare, just a timeshare promotion. What it is basically is that properties are always trying to get people to buy timeshares and in order to do so they offer amazing deals to come spend time at their properties (alot of properties are also Hotels and resorts that sell parts off as timeshares) in exchange for a 90 minute sales seminar or a tour of the property which tend to be very aggressive and persuasive.
They may offer a deal to come for a few nights all inclusive for $99 in a hotel that would usually be a few hundred a night or other great deals to entice you to come check them out. Their seminars/sales pitches can actually be very convincing and almost make sense for an uninformed consumer. The key is the fine print where all the management fees come in etc...

What Dan is probably referring to above is to find out how much the timeshares are selling in the secondary market (there is a big market for this as people eventually realize they cant afford it or no longer want to use it etc... and they try to flip their timeshares) that way when they try their salespitch you would have an easy out by telling them how much you can buy one for less than they are asking and you wont need to sit through any further harassment.

I have spoken to people who have had great experiences doing these promotions and had a great vacation for very cheap. The main thing was to get the seminar out of the way and know how to deal with the selling tactics. Others have said it might not have been worth it.

try doing a google search for timeshare promotions or something like that. here is one site i just pulled up;
http://www.vacationtimesharerentals.com/timeshare-promotions-city.asp
You might have to sort through actual timeshare sale promotions and vacation deals to find what you want.
Make sure to read the requirements to qualify. I have heard of situations where people signed up and when it came to the seminar and it was realized that they didnt qualify they were told they would need to pay full price. I dont remember if they were successful in fighting it or not....

How much does the cheapest basic retail option cost, what does it include, and how are the payments made?

This is the basic gist of it: The lowest option is paying about 8k for 50 years. You have to put down 10% deposit and the rest you can pay up over 7 years about. Besides, each year there's a maintenance fee of $800. You receive about 40k points a year for this which you can use for vacation stays all over the world. For the cheapest option it's worth about 3-4 weeks free hotel stay. You can also use this towards air fare, car rental etc.... If you don't use all your points one year you can carry it over for the next year...

This is DDF. Is there a “hack” to get it for cheaper than retail, preferably with extra perks?

If you pay retail they are not worth it at all but you can literally get some for almost free on the secondary market.  You can check out places at www.redweek.com.  I would never have bought one but my mom got one that I have taken over from her (ie. we pay the annual dues of about $700) and it has been the best investment ever for us because it enables me to buy "getaway" weeks which are excess weeks at ridiculously low prices.  Because my kids day school has "off" vacation times I'm not fighting for peak times.  I just spent last week in Orlando at a gorgeous Marriott resort in a huge 2Br unit with a laundry and full kitchen for $550 for the whole WEEK!  I have booked a week in Vail for next summer for $250 for the whole week and then I used my points to get a week in Breckenridge over July 4th.  I've been to Ft. Lauderdale, S. California (Newport Beach and near San Diego), Phoenix and a bunch of other places in nice resorts like Marriotts and Westins and have definitely gotten great use out of ours.  IF you buy on the secondary market, don't want to travel in peak times AND you are willing to plan far ahead they can be amazing deals (especially since I really prefer to have full kitchens and hate staying in hotel rooms with my kids unless there is great kosher food availability near by).

While they do have the all the Hilton timeshare properties in their network, I think that the programs that are part of Interval International are in general far superior and also Interval just has much better search tools and other things I like.  I have used RCI once to trade my dad's timeshare and I have access to their website to get extra weeks but I always end up going back to use the II options because I think they are so much better.  If you want to get one, I'd buy one on the secondary market that gets you access to II.

 It's called Festiva it's kind of irrelevant as I've never once stayed within their system.  The most important thing is that whatever you buy gives you good access and trading power with Interval International, so buy something in the secondary market on the beach, in The Rockies or the winter in AZ. Do NOT ever buy one in Vegas or Orlando as there is a huge glut there and they won't trade well (you can always buy a getaway week of you wanna go there).


Is this the laziest wiki ever created?

Nope. This is.
« Last edited by S209 on February 08, 2021, 11:22:24 PM »

Author Topic: Timeshare Master Thread  (Read 16201 times)

Offline Emkay

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Re: Time share
« Reply #40 on: January 25, 2017, 11:07:24 AM »
However you can't use the "I can't afford it" because they ask income before selling the vacation package.
You need to officially make 50K a year. No reason for them to think more.

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Re: Time share
« Reply #41 on: January 25, 2017, 11:07:25 AM »
yes. you just need to stand your ground when it comes to the aggressive sales pitch in the timeshare presentation which theyll make you sit through
I always downplay the amount of times I go on a vacation.

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Re: Time share
« Reply #42 on: January 25, 2017, 11:20:12 AM »
You need to officially make 50K a year. No reason for them to think more.
Your right. My expenses isn't their concern

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Time share
« Reply #43 on: May 24, 2017, 12:37:54 AM »
I know I am not the first person asking and there is probably a thread answering all my questions but I just called ihg and was transferred to holiday Inn vacation resorts and gave me offer 3 nights for just a deposit and  the resort fees when I get there? Was it stupid to agree to it ? Anyone done it b4?
I get this every time I make a reservation. Anyone have any experience?

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Re: Time share
« Reply #44 on: May 24, 2017, 12:55:39 AM »
I get this every time I make a reservation. Anyone have any experience?
You will always pay resort fees.

 The real question is what they offered​ you in regards to location, which hotels you will stay in, car rentals, park Tickets, and sometimes airfare.

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Re: Time share
« Reply #45 on: May 24, 2017, 12:56:16 AM »
You will always pay resort fees.

 The real question is what they offered​ you in regards to location, which hotels you will stay in, car rentals, park Tickets, and sometimes airfare.
They are only offering hotel stay in Orlando.

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Re: Time share
« Reply #46 on: May 24, 2017, 12:56:44 AM »
Is there a issue if they say you need to be 23 and I'm 22? What will they do?

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Re: Time share
« Reply #47 on: May 24, 2017, 01:05:04 AM »
Is there a issue if they say you need to be 23 and I'm 22? What will they do?
Dunno

But they will check your ID when you arrive.

Offline yitzgar

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Re: Time share
« Reply #48 on: May 24, 2017, 01:37:47 AM »
I get this every time I make a reservation. Anyone have any experience?
I did it with IHG. They offered 3 nights for free, then added $100 voucher when I pushed. I was allowed to choose between 6 different locations, a few in Florida. I would say the sales pitch was medium pressure, not terrible, but kind of annoying. Just keep in mind that they sometimes put you up in a different hotel than the resort they show you. It might not be as nice, and you'll have to make your way there

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Re: Time share
« Reply #49 on: May 24, 2017, 01:48:30 AM »
Is there a issue if they say you need to be 23 and I'm 22? What will they do?
I reminded myself that I had that with a place that I needed to be 30, they told me that I would be charged the full price opon arrival if I wasn't 30.

.Just keep in mind that they sometimes put you up in a different hotel than the resort they show you. It might not be as nice, and you'll have to make your way there

But they provide you with a list of the hotels that you can stay in

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Re: Time share
« Reply #50 on: May 24, 2017, 01:51:15 AM »
They are only offering hotel stay in Orlando.
Most of the time you can book it and change it to any of their other locations after.

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Timeshare Promotions
« Reply #51 on: July 13, 2018, 10:35:19 AM »
It didn't look like there was a thread on this.

Got a call from Exploria Resorts for a timeshare promo. They have an A- from BBB and seem legit. Does anyone have experience with this company? They have offered programs in Orlando, Smokey Mountains, and Poconos.

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Re: Timeshare Promotions
« Reply #52 on: July 30, 2018, 01:36:35 PM »
I went there 4 years ago when they were called "Treetop Villas" - it's a pleasant area; you have to bring your own food though; and it was only about $30 for 3 days/2 nights.
All you had to do was sit in on the timeshare meeting for 90 minutes, but we were done in 15.

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Re: Timeshare Promotions
« Reply #53 on: September 19, 2019, 07:46:03 PM »
I recently got the 200$ Hilton timeshare promotion package posted on DDMS. We stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek and it was great. We also got 150$ park credits and 100$ for a future Hilton stay.
Today I got a call from RCI who are part of Hilton's timeshare program, offering me a 4 night package in the Villa del palmar, Cancun, for 649$. After some negotiating, they gave it to me for 449$. It's good for 30 months with no blackout dates.
Is this a good deal? Does anyone have experience with them? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

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Re: Timeshare Promotions
« Reply #54 on: September 19, 2019, 11:02:33 PM »


I recently got the 200$ Hilton timeshare promotion package posted on DDMS. We stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek and it was great. We also got 150$ park credits and 100$ for a future Hilton stay.
Today I got a call from RCI who are part of Hilton's timeshare program, offering me a 4 night package in the Villa del palmar, Cancun, for 649$. After some negotiating, they gave it to me for 449$. It's good for 30 months with no blackout dates.
Is this a good deal? Does anyone have experience with them? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

RCI is one of the 2 companies that control most ( if not all ) of the Timeshares.


However be advised that many companies "claim" to be the RCI but really are some Mexican companies that may not be around in a few months

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Re: Timeshare Promotions
« Reply #55 on: September 19, 2019, 11:24:48 PM »

RCI is one of the 2 companies that control most ( if not all ) of the Timeshares.


However be advised that many companies "claim" to be the RCI but really are some Mexican companies that may not be around in a few months
Thanks. Are you saying it's a scam? They had all the information about my Hilton stay. The email I got was from Pro Vacations, a travel agency based in Orlando

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Re: Timeshare Promotions
« Reply #56 on: September 20, 2019, 12:36:23 AM »
Thanks. Are you saying it's a scam? They had all the information about my Hilton stay. The email I got was from Pro Vacations, a travel agency based in Orlando
Not all are a scam. But there companies come and go. As you just stated now the company is called Pro Vacations...it's not the RCI.


I would recommend only going with the big brands. ( Whyndam Hilton etc.)

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Time Shares
« Reply #57 on: February 08, 2021, 08:11:23 PM »
Someone offered a time share switch for sukkos so it made me think. Are any time shares worth it?

 I listen to Dave Ramsey and he curses them because he says they are never available when you want to use it and your stuck forever paying annual fees. (Let's not makes this a Dave Ramsey discussion, we have a thread for that.)
#TYH

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Re: Time Shares
« Reply #58 on: February 08, 2021, 10:43:48 PM »
Are any time shares worth it?

Almost never. Anything that needs such high pressure sales tactics to sell...

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Re: TIMESHARE
« Reply #59 on: February 08, 2021, 10:56:28 PM »
Someone offered a time share switch for sukkos so it made me think. Are any time shares worth it?

 I listen to Dave Ramsey and he curses them because he says they are never available when you want to use it and your stuck forever paying annual fees. (Let's not makes this a Dave Ramsey discussion, we have a thread for that.)
Merged 6 existing time share topics together. Hope it helps ;)

Someone can make a wiki of helpful posts.
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