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Why timeshare presentations are worth it
FREE STUFF! Hello! We’ve all been offered some sort of deal for a timeshare presentation and thought twice about it. Most people I know don’t do them because they don’t want to be pressured. Grow some backbone deal seeker – there are free points and discounted stays to be had! Just keep shaking your head no, No, NO and you’ll be done in a flash. Or sit back and learn about the program…it might actually make sense for you. Points, discounted nights, free food, but most importantly THE FREE POINTS are the main reasons why timeshare presentations are worth it.
The Marriott Grande Lakes…a great timeshare near Disney World
Ok, they’re not exactly free because you’re spending your time there, but you don’t have to buy whatever it is that they’re selling.
I’ll say it again – YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY WHAT THEY’RE SELLING. There are a lot of articles written about being pressured into buying, and they do offer you some pretty sweet deals, and I will warn you that you’ll be tempted to buy, but you absolutely don’t have to splurge. They aren’t going to lock the door or forbid you from using the bathroom until the dotted line has your John Hancock. They WILL offer you low financing, bonus points, elite status, etc for buying. (This is fodder for another post because I, contrary to a lot of bloggers, think timeshares provide a lot of value and can be worth purchasing. )
Here’s a look at what you’ll see in a Marriott Vacation Club Presentation
I’ve been to several presentations myself, my parents go ALL THE TIME, and if you’re firm that you aren’t going to buy…you’re done in a couple hours. What’s even better…you can do them annually. ( or more often – again, another post)
My folks went to one a couple months ago while they were in Phoenix for a wedding. They were in and out in less than 2 hours. They learned some new things about the Marriott Vacation Club program, and netted 25k points. Hot diggity…that’s the equivalent of a Category 5 hotel!
Want to see all the Marriott Category 5 hotels…Go here
Hyatt has offers all the time for their residence club. Sedona is often featured with $99 rates and bonus points. I’ve even had outstanding offers to Hawaii
The worst case scenario is you go to Sedona for a couple nights, stay for a cheap rate, earn some bonus points and stay firm on saying no if you don’t want to buy.
I used to receive offers every few months from Hyatt when I carried their Chase credit card. Now…not so often. If you’d like to see the public offers for Hyatt go here. Those 10,000 bonus points would score me two free nights at the Hyatt House Colorado Springs. I just stayed there over the weekend for a BoardingArea blogger conference. Rates were $200 plus.
Everyone values their time differently, but if I can score a good deal on a stay, some bonus points, and information for a couple hours of my time. I’m in. Done Deal.
If you end up purchasing a through Marriott Vacation Club you can use your points to stay at Mandapa, A Ritz Carlton Reserve property and the featured image. Read here for more info.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.