It’s official, the Abound program has officially launched! Both Marriott and Vistana owners are receiving notifications upon logging into their owner accounts showing that the Abound program has finally rolled out. Eligible Vistana owners should now be able to elect to receive Abound’s new Club Points that can be used at Marriott resorts. We hope you have an amazing time planning your first vacation at a Marriott resort!
Original Article: 9/15/2022
If you’re an existing or prospective Vistana (Westin, Starwood, or Sheraton) timeshare owner, this is article explains everything you need to know about the new Abound program. If you’re an existing or prospective Marriott timeshare owner you can get all the latest news at pertains to Marriott owners in our article here: Abound by Marriott Vacations: Owner Benefit & Exchange Program.
Some exciting new updates have been unveiled in the past few weeks regarding how Marriott’s new Abound exchange program will affect Vistana owners. News regarding the launch date of the program, new details about consolidating a la carte fees into one annual club fee, and which Vistana owners are eligible have been announced. Also, we’ve collected some crowd-sourced conversion rates that show how many Club Points Vistana owners will be able to convert their StarOptions into when booking reservations at Marriott resorts. We’ll be covering all that and more in this update. Read on to find out more!
Club Points, A New Vacation Currency
Club Points will be the new name for the vacation currency that is used to book vacations for Marriott Destinations Club points owners, as well as Vistana owners who are electing to use their weeks / points in the new Abound program. We will explore the conversion rates for Vistana owners to convert their StarOptions into Club Points later in this article.
When Will The Abound Program Become Available?
Vistana owners will be able to begin electing to receive Club Points to use within the Abound exchange program starting in October of 2022, with reservations starting for the 2023 calendar year.
Who Is Eligible?
Vistana owners who became owners prior to August 9th, 2022 will be eligible to use the Abound exchange program. Vistana owners will automatically be opted-in to the Abound program, if they are eligible.
Are Resale Ownerships Eligible For Abound?
Vistana owners who were enrolled in Vistana Signature Network prior to August 9th, 2022 will be able to elect to receive Club Points.
Abound Owner Benefit Levels
Vistana timeshare owners who are eligible for Abound, and do not opt-out, will receive new Ownership Benefit levels that are consistent with the existing Marriott Vacation Club Ownership Benefit Levels. The Ownership Benefit Level for Vistana owners will be determined in two ways. You can qualify based on your existing Elite level within the system, or the amount of Club Points that you are able to elect. The higher of the two factors will determine the owner’s Owner Benefit Level.
| Abound Benefit Level | Existing Elite Level |
|---|---|
| Executive | 3 Star Elite |
| Presidential | 4 Star Elite |
| Chairman’s Club | 5 Star Elite |
| Benefit Level | Electable Club Points |
|---|---|
| Owner | Up to 3,999 |
| Select | 4,000 to 6,999 |
| Executive | 7,000 to 9,999 |
| Presidential | 10,000 to 14,999 |
| Chairman’s Club | 15,000 or more |
Electing Club Points For Vistana Owners
For owners of one of the Flex timeshare products, you will be able to elect for Club Points in increments of 20,000 Home Options.
If you own any other Vistana timeshare product, owners must elect to receive Club Points for the entire ownership. You would not be able to elect for one side of a lock-off, or a portion of your StarOptions.
Point Charts For Vistana Properties
Marriott has also released points charts for the 2023 calendar year that show Marriott owners how many Club Points it will take to book at the various Vistana properties. We have compiled all of the points charts into one PDF below that shows the points values for each resort, time of year, view type and unit type.
Westin Sheraton PointsChartsNew Banking Rules For Vistana Owners Enrolled In Abound
Vistana owners who are enrolled in the Abound program will change the banking deadlines to June 30th of each year, and banked StarOptions will be good for as little as 1 additional calendar year for owners at lower membership levels, reduced from up to 2 calendar years under the previous rules. This adjustment brings the banking rules in line with the banking rules and restrictions for Marriott Vacation Club owners.
If you have a higher membership level, you can still bank for up to 2 years, but you would need to be able to elect up to 15,000 Club Points, or be 5 Star Elite under the current Vistana benefit levels.
| Benefit Level | Banking |
|---|---|
| Owner | 1 year |
| Select | 1 year |
| Executive | 1 year |
| Presidential | 18 months |
| Chairman’s Club | 2 years |
Vistana Fee Consolidation For Abound Members
When a Vistana owner joins the Abound program, they will begin paying the annual Club Fee that Marriott owners pay each year (based on membership level). By doing so, Vistana owners who are Abound members will no longer pay the following fees:
- VSN fees
- housekeeping fees
- fees for banking StarOptions
- exchange fees for Marriott, Westin or Sheraton properties
- fees for converting to Bonvoy Points
- guest certificate fees
- reservation cancellation fees
| Membership Level | Club Fee |
|---|---|
| Owners and Select Members | $230.00 |
| Executive and Presidential Members | $270.00 |
| Chairmans’ Club Members | $295.00 |
So even though the annual Club Fee will be higher than the existing VSN annual fee, many owners will save a lot of money on these a la carte fees, and can more accurately predict what their annual vacations will cost each year.
Opting-Out Of Abound For Vistana Owners
As we mentioned before, eligible owners will be automatically opted-in to the Abound Program. If an owner chooses to opt-out of the Abound program, many of these new rule changes will still apply, such as the new banking rules. Vistana owners will be opting-out of paying the annual Club Fee, and all a la carte fees will remain the same as they were before.
Interval International Restrictions
Once the Abound program launches, Vistana owners will no longer be allowed to use Club Points to make reservations at Marriott, Westin and Sheraton properties by exchanging through Interval International. Although you can accomplish booking these resorts using the new Abound program at no cost, the goal is to keep resort inventory within the Abound program.
StarOptions To Abound Club Points Conversion Rate
While there is no official word regarding how many Club Points Vistana owners can elect to receive, we do have access to some crowd-sourced information on the subject. Many owners have attended sales presentations since Abound has been announced, and they have been recording the number of Club Points the sales agents have been quoting them for their existing ownerships. Keep in mind, these numbers are not official yet, but it is interesting to see what owners have submitted so far.
Vistana_DC_ConversionRates - Sheet1Stay Tuned!
Stay tuned to the A Timeshare Broker blog to get all the latest developments. We will be updating this article with all the latest news on this subject so feel free to check back with us periodically to get the latest news.
