Vistana timeshares are one of the most flexible vacation ownerships you can own. Between the ability to use StarOptions to travel to any of the Vistana Signature Network resorts, and using Interval International for exchanges, Vistana owners have access to over 3,000 resorts in some of the most desirable vacation destinations all across the globe.
Whether you’re an existing owner, or have just begun shopping to buy a Vistana resale, there’s a lot to know about exchanging a Vistana ownership. In this article, we will walk you through gaining access to the full Interval International (II) resort network, show you how to use II to prevent your StarOptions from expiring, and much more.
What Is Timeshare Exchange?
Exchanging your Vistana vacation ownership interest (VOI) through Interval grants you access to book over 3,000 additional resorts that are not a part of the Vistana Signature Network. You are effectively trading one year’s worth of your usage rights with an owner of another resort that is also affiliated with Interval International for one year of their usage rights.
Two Ways To Confirm Your Exchange
There are two options for locking in, or confirming, your exchange with Interval International:
Let’s take a deeper look at the benefits and downsides of each method.
Deposit First
This method of initiating an exchange involves assigning your Vistana vacation ownership interest (VOI), which can be done with Interval International directly (by phone or online), and then searching for your exchange. Owners should use this method when they know they will not be traveling to any Vistana Signature Network resorts within their use year.
Once you have assigned your VOI with Interval International, you can login to intervalworld.com to see your VOI’s home resort, villa type, use year, and expiration date of your assignment in your account.
There are a few key points to keep in mind with deposit first:
- Your deposit with II will not expire until Dec. 31st, two years after the use year of the VOI that you deposited
- If you would like to reverse the deposit, and restore your usage with Vistana, you must do so within the use year of the VOI you deposited, and the exchange can not already be confirmed by another Interval International member
As you can see, deposit first is great for preserving the useful life of your timeshare usage for another 2 years if your StarOptions are close to expiring. At the same time, with depositing first you do run the risk of not being able to reverse the transaction if another II member confirms your deposit.
Confirm First
With confirm first, Vistana owners can search for availability without the need to assign (deposit) their vacation ownership interest. This method offers a great degree of flexibility, and is great for situations where you are early in your use year, and have not decided whether you will want to exchange or not.
You can begin your search for reservations up to 12 month out, and you can you have until December 24th of your use year before you can no longer initiate an exchange. After December 24th of your use year, you can always deposit the VOI that year’s usage for the next 2 years.
Travel Demand Index
Interval International has a very clever system for determining the value of your exchange, and in turn the value of the reservation you wish to exchange for. They use a system called the Travel Demand Index.
The Travel Demand Index, also known as the TDI, helps Vistana owners understand how desirable a reservation is at a particular resort, during a particular time of the year. This applies to both what you are depositing into II, as well as the reservation you want to confirm.
You can review the Interval International Resort Directory that provides access to the Travel Demand Index for each resort to get a feel for the projected availability vs. demand for that particular region. We’ve added a sample chart of the Orlando and New York regions below so you can get a feel for how to read the chart.
As you can see in the charts above, the numbers of each week in the year are listed from the top down, and the Travel Demand Index is listed from left to right. Keep in mind, there are different charts for each region, and the Travel Demand Index number can be different from year to year.
Trading Power
Trading power describes the value, or desirability, of your VOI when it is deposited into II. Your deposit’s trading power ultimately determines the types of exchanges you can expect to receive. There are a few key factors that determine your trading power, and thus your ability to confirm highly desirable exchanges:
- Weekly demand, which is based off of the Travel Demand Index, for the deposited accommodations
- Whether or not the resort is classified as Elite, Premier or Select by Interval International (II has a rating system for every resort, and all Vistana resorts are rated the highest possible designation of Elite)
- Unit Attributes, things such as size or the presence of a kitchen, laundry facilities, complimentary wi-fi, etc.
- Amount of time before your use year ends, the earlier (farther away from the end of your use year) the VOI is deposited to Interval International, the higher your trading power
Lock-Off Units
If you own a lock-off unit, or have booked a lock-off unit to deposit, you do have the ability to lock-off the unit and deposit one or both sides of the unit. You can decide to use one side of the unit yourself and deposit the other as well if you’d prefer to do so.
Like For Like Exchanges
As with many things in life, you only get what you give, and timeshare exchange is no different. If you’re depositing a 1 bedroom, it will be much easier to confirm an exchange with another 1 bedroom unit. Likewise, if you are depositing a week that carries a high TDI, it will be much easier to confirm an exchange for a week that also carries a high TDI. This is an important concept to keep in mind when preparing to deposit your VOI in Interval International.
What Fees Are Involved In Exchanging Through Interval International?
There are a few costs that will be required each year to exchange your week with Interval International, and there are some optional fees that you can elect to pay, depending on what you are wanting to accomplish.
Required Fees To Exchange Your VOI
- Annual Maintenance Fee: At the time of depositing / requesting an exchange, all annual maintenance fees will need to be already paid to Vistana for your VOI.
- Interval International Membership Fee: If you’ve purchased from the developer, or purchased a mandatory resort on the resale market, your II membership is part of your VSN fees and will not cost you anything. If you purchased a voluntary resort on the resale market, II membership will cost about $99 per year. There are usually some specials where you can buy additional years upfront and get discounts, but without any special discounts it will cost $99 annually to be a member of Interval International.
- Exchange Fee: To confirm your exchange, you will be required to pay a $154 exchange fee. Keep in mind this exchange fee is per exchange, so if you’re locking off, and exchanging both weeks, you will need to budget for two exchange fees.
Optional Fees To Exchange Your VOI
- Upgrade Fee: With Interval International, you can pay $99 to upgrade to the next unit size up. This fee has to be paid for each step up to you take when upgrading. For example, if you want to turn a studio into a 2 bedroom, you will need to pay 2 upgrade fees.
- II Platinum Membership Fee: You can also pay $139 for a platinum membership, which you can use to get discounted upgrade fees (among other discounted fees and perks) of just $59. Depending on how you will use your membership, Platinum membership may end up paying for itself in the reduced fees.
Want To Know More About Vistana Timeshares?
If you’d like to continue learning about the wide world of Vistana timeshares, you can read through our extensive archives of Vistana timeshare articles that walk you through using your timeshare like a pro, understanding the finer points of the booking system, and keep you up to date with any new developments.
Our licensed timeshare resale agents can answer any other questions you may have about how Vistana timeshares work, what benefits transfer to the resale market, current resale pricing and much more. Feel free to contact us for more information Whether you’re a seasoned timeshare veteran or just beginning the process of finding the right timeshare for you, we’re here to help!
