Owning a timeshare is an investment in vacation experiences. But what if you could expand those experiences beyond your home resort? Enter Interval International, a platform that allows timeshare owners to exchange their weeks or points for stays at other resorts worldwide. This guide will help you navigate the inner workings of Interval International, from understanding the basics to mastering the exchange process.
What Is Interval International?
Interval International is one of the world’s leading timeshare exchange companies. Founded in 1976, it offers its members the ability to trade their timeshare for time at one of over 3,200 resorts in more than 80 countries.
The company operates on a membership basis. Once you join, you can deposit your owned timeshare week or points into the system, and then exchange them for stays at other participating resorts.
Interval International Timeshare Brands
Interval International partners with some of the most prestigious timeshare brands globally. These include:
Resorts
- Westgate Resorts
- Four Seasons Residence Clubs
- St. Regis Residence Club
- Divi Vacation Club
- Aquarius Vacation Club
- Royal Holiday Vacation Club
- California Vacation Club
- InnSeason Resorts
- Snowdance Vacation Club
- Many, many more!
Owning a timeshare within these brands can sometimes come with automatic membership to Interval International that is paid for by your normal annual dues, while some others can cost a yearly membership fee to be able to start exchanging. Later in the article, we will cover the costs involved in exchanging with Interval International.
How Timeshare Exchange Works for Weeks-Based Timeshares
If you own a weeks-based timeshare, the exchange process is straightforward. You deposit your owned week into the Interval International system. In return, you receive a week at another resort available in the Interval International network. The key here is understanding that all weeks are not created equal. Peak season weeks, popular locations, and high-demand resorts will have higher trading power. We will cover trading power more in-depth later in the article.
How Timeshare Exchange Works for Points-Based Timeshares
Points-based timeshares offer even more flexibility. If your timeshare operates on a points system, you can deposit those points into the Interval International system. You can then use your deposit to book stays at other resorts that are associated with Interval International. The number of points required will vary depending on factors like the resort’s popularity, location, size of accommodation, and time of year.
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 depositing your week or points first, 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 their home resort, or resorts within their developer’s network, within their use year.
Once you have assigned your vacation time with Interval International, you can login to intervalworld.com to see the applicable attributes of your deposit in your account such as points deposited, home resort, villa type, use year, expiration date and more.
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 week or points that you deposited
- If you would like to reverse the deposit, and restore your usage with your developer, some developers allow this, but there are time limits, and your deposited 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 week or points 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.
Depositing early in your use year can help your chances of securing your own exchange as well, so it’s a smart move to deposit as early as possible if you are confident you will want to exchange your vacation time using Interval International.
Confirm First
With confirm first, owners with some developers / timeshare brands 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 generally begin your search for reservations up to 12 month out, and for some brands, you can you have until December 24th of your use year before you can no longer initiate an exchange using the confirm first method of exchanging.
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 timeshare 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 week or points when they are 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)
- 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 vacation time is deposited to Interval International, the higher your trading power
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.
- Interval International Membership Fee: If you’ve purchased a timeshare that includes an Interval International membership as part of your annual dues, you will not have to pay for membership directly. If you purchased a timeshare that does not include this feature, and wish to purchase the membership directly, 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
- 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.
Most Popular Interval International Resorts
Some of the most sought-after Interval International exchange destinations include:
Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club
Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas
Harborside Resort at Atlantis
Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort
Sheraton Vistana Resort
Disney’s Grand Californian
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
Disney’s Grand Floridian
Whether you’re looking for a beachfront oasis, a mountain retreat, a theme park extravaganza, or a city escape, there’s likely an Interval International resort that fits the bill.
In conclusion, Interval International can open up a world of travel opportunities for timeshare owners. By understanding how the system works and the brands and resorts available, you can maximize your timeshare ownership and enjoy new vacation experiences each year.
Learn More About Timeshare Resale
If you are looking into buying a timeshare on the secondary market, or selling your ownership, feel free to fill in a contact form today. Our team of licensed agents have years of specializing in all the name-brand timeshare developers, and will offer a free consultation to answer any questions you may have about the process.
