Interval International Review – My Timeshare Trade Experiences

Exchanging timeshare weeks will be difficult. Swapping out weeks generally is a course of I discover myself wishing I may keep away from. I seemed into Interval International, which is meant to simplify the holiday alternate course of and permit my spouse and I entry to almost 3,200 resorts in over 80 totally different nations.

Signing Up Online

My on-line signal-up course of was a bit rocky. While you do have to be a timeshare proprietor with proof of possession, the preliminary signal-up course of appears to be a bit outdated and has a variety of additional steps. I personal a timeshare at Laguna Surf in Laguna Beach, CA, and if you enroll, they ship your info to the resort for verification that you just do personal there.

Typically, the night time charges for Laguna Surf are $350 per night time in the summertime, so I figured that Interval International can be an incredible place to see if we may get some good trades to make use of throughout ski season, or to discover different locations.

Unfortunately, I obtained an error message on the final step of my on-line signal-up. It learn:

“Error detected. We apologize for the inconvenience. We were unable to process your request at this time. Please try again or contact Customer Service for further assistance.”

Not solely had I simply wasted 10-quarter-hour of my time, however there was no e mail or telephone quantity listed for Customer Service for me to go forward and make contact with about this error message. I made a decision to go to the house web page in hopes that my login info had gone via anyway and tried to log in, however with no luck.

Customer Service

I lastly tracked down an e mail handle for customer support and despatched them an e mail. They responded to my request in lower than 24 hours, which was appreciated, but it surely merely advised me to name their 800 quantity.

I known as and spoke with Elle, who was very useful. She needed to begin over from the start and acquire all my info once more, together with my handle, member quantity, and so forth. She wasn’t positive what the issue was with the net signal-up, or why it had given me the error message.

About midway via the decision, she put me on maintain, and I by chance was transferred to a different customer support agent who was extraordinarily confused as to the place my name originated from and why I used to be despatched to her. However, she continued with my signal-up info, and ultimately, we completed that course of.

Fees

After the signal-up, the brand new customer support agent defined that there’s a $99 annual price, which was a little bit surprising to me since there isn’t a details about annual charges on the Interval International web site, or through the signal-up course of.

They have a silver and platinum membership stage above the $99 base price, however that gave the impression of advertising and marketing fluff to me. Those plans give reductions on numerous providers, however they didn’t appear to profit my spouse and me. I paid the $99 price hoping to get some worth out of the Interval International world. I additionally knew that the $99 wasn’t an exorbitant quantity for a trip alternate service, primarily based on what I’d learn on-line.

Later I spotted that the upgraded memberships would have saved me a bundle on Getaway pricing.

Finishing the Sign-Up Process

The Laguna Surf, whereas it’s an oceanfront resort, is a 3.5-star seaside property. Typically, it rents for $220 per night time in the summertime on the resale rental market, and $350 per night time direct from the resort. I hoped that whereas it’s not a model-title resort, it will maintain some good worth for alternate.

I requested if I may add my different weeks from different timeshares I buy sooner or later. I additionally needed to verify if there’s a $39 price to do that. Right at that second, the telephone name was lower off.

Overall, my Interval International overview is that their web site has many technical issues for signing up, which is a disgrace for these excited by becoming a member of this alternate service. Not solely was my signal-up expertise on-line lower than passable, however their very own customer support brokers had technical points with getting my info within the system, and I needed to communicate with two totally different individuals due to their telephone system.

Next Steps

After a number of days, I obtained an e mail that Laguna Surf had confirmed my possession and that I used to be now a member with Interval International. I logged in utilizing my member quantity, and it turned out to be right.

First Impressions

Upon logging in, there are a number of choices to start out. The Getaways are discounted weeks, often used through the off-season. The Exchanges allow you to commerce your week with different timeshares.

I made a decision to start out with Getaways and looked for Park City, UT through the summer time months, as it is a drivable vacation spot for us. I put in “Summer 2019” and obtained an inventory of some implausible offers on the Marriott Summit Watch. I’ve all the time heard nice issues about this resort, together with plenty of children’ actions, proximity to downtown, a pool, no resort charges, and no parking charges.

Right away, I despatched my spouse a textual content message and requested her if she needed to go to Park City in late August for under $440 for your complete week. She agreed instantly! Marriott Summit Watch is an Interval International Elite Resort with nice facilities priced lower than a per-night time fee at a Motel 6. As with most timeshares, it additionally features a full kitchen the place we will prepare dinner and get monetary savings.

My first log in to Interval International instantly satisfied me to spend $440. I’m undecided if having a membership is an efficient factor if I’m spending cash in simply the primary couple of minutes of viewing their web site!

My Next Experience with Interval International

After getting the hold of utilizing the system, Interval International is popping out to be a really good expertise. I logged in once more a number of months after my first login and tried extra choices. Some suggestions I’ve realized all through my logins and trip bookings embody:

• The greatest timeshare to make use of for factors is Hyatt Residence.
• Marriott and Hyatt timeshare house owners get an Interval International signal-up mechanically.
• Be conscious of charges! Exchanges will price you $199.
• Make plenty of requests, as these will higher your odds.
• Be on high of the timing. There are a variety of expiration dates for possession factors and weeks, and also you want to pay attention to these dates to maximise your worth.

As I proceed to make use of Interval International, I’ve booked extra holidays than I can use with their system. I brooked one other $350 getaway to Breckinridge, CO for the entire week, so we want to go to there on the finish of the yr.

I exchanged some Hyatt Residence Club factors in Interval International for a “stay-cation” domestically right here in Scottsdale, AZ, and I nonetheless have fairly a number of factors left. Interval International even emailed me a free week, and I may select from a whole lot of areas. I actually ended up with extra factors and weeks than I can use for journeys.

Final Impressions

Overall, Interval International is a superb website to make use of to search out journeys. I’ve many mates that aren’t timeshare house owners who’re asking me tips on how to get complete weeks at elite resorts for under $400. The secret is to have the ability to journey through the off-season and realizing tips on how to navigate the Interval International web site.

Other Member Reviews

While many individuals are proud of Interval International’s alternate course of, others discover the $199 alternate price to be fairly dear. The alternate charges, coupled with the annual membership price, does find yourself turning into an funding.

For Hyatt and Marriott timeshare house owners, they benefit from the free included use of Interval International however must maintain a detailed eye on expiring factors as these can solely be used as much as two years after an alternate.