If you are a current Marriott Vacation Club owner, you’ll most likely plan at least one vacation each year. When employing a strategy to diligently spend your annual points, learning all the tricks you can to figure out how to save Marriott Vacation Club (MVC) points will help in maximizing the value you get out of your ownership.
In this article, we’ll be sharing some tips on how to use your Abound Club Points wisely when booking your next trip, whether it’s a quick getaway for two or a week-long escape for the whole family. Let’s dive right in!
Weighing The Savings Between Shoulder Season & Peak Season
Most existing Marriott owners will know that booking a vacation during a specific resort’s peak season can be much more expensive, in terms of points, than other times of the year. If you have wiggle room in your vacation schedule, and can move your trip a week or two forward or back, into what is referred to as “shoulder season”, you can usually get the same accommodations for a considerable points savings.
Shoulder season is simply a travel period between peak and off-peak seasons, so not quite the highest travel demand, but also not the lowest either.
Marriott Desert Springs Villas Points Chart 2024For example, if you take a look at the Desert Springs Villas points chart for 2024, we can see that the maximum number of points needed to book a week-long vacation in a 2 bedroom villa would be 4,225 Club Points. If you’re looking to take this vacation sometime in April, we can see that the first 11 days of the month would cost the maximum 4,225 Club Points, whereas moving the vacation to any time between April 12th and May 2nd would cost just 3,275 Club Points.
In this case, being flexible with your check-in date would save you 950 Club Points, which could be enough to book another small getaway in the current use year, or to bank the points and use them for a longer trip in the following use year.
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Marriott Desert Springs 1
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Palm Desert, CA |
Weighing The Savings Between Different View Types
Another way to spend a considerably lower number of points would be to book units with less expensive view types. For this example, we can take a look at the Maui Ocean Club points chart for 2024 and compare what different views would cost to reserve.
Marriott Maui Ocean Club Points Chart 2024If you were planning on reserving an Ocean Front 2 bedroom unit at this resort during peak season, it would cost you 7,800 Club Points, whereas that same unit size with a Mountain View, during the same date ranges, would cost just 5,675 Club Points. When you’re looking at spending an additional 2,125 Club Points for a nicer view, it’s advisable to at least consider whether you feel that is the best value for your needs and wants.
In some cases, a beautiful view from your private villa can really add to your vacation experience, but there are times where you may not be spending much time at all in your villa. Between spending time at the pool or beach, exploring the local attractions, or dining at some of the local restaurants, some folks love to stay busy with an action-packed itinerary that won’t afford much time to sit and take in the view.
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Marriott Maui Ocean Club
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Lahaina, HI |
Weighing The Savings Between Different Resorts
There are a few popular travel destinations where Marriott Vacation Club has built multiple resorts. Sometimes, these resorts can be quite close in proximity, but differ in the number of points required to book at the exact same times of the year. For this example, we can compare two nearby resorts such as Harbour Lake and Grande Vista, which are both in Orlando, Florida just 2.5 miles away from each other.
In this example, both resorts share identical travel periods. When comparing Harbour Lake with Grande Vista during any period of the year, you can save 225 Club Points per week at Harbour Lake if you’re booking a 2 bedroom, 100 to 200 points per week if your booking a 1 bedroom, and 75 to 175 points per week when booking a studio.
Of course, each of these resorts have their merit, and if you told me you preferred to spend a few more points and stay at Grande Vista, that’s completely fair. It is worth highlighting the fact that different resorts that are in close proximity to each other can cost a varying number of points during the same travel period. It’s always a good idea to double check if there is another Marriott Vacation Club resort nearby, and if you don’t mind booking the less expensive one, it’s an easy way to save yourself some Club Points.
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Marriott Grande Vista
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Orlando, FL |
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Marriott Harbour Lake
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Orlando, FL |
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are several ways that you can save Marriott Vacation Club Points when planning your next vacation. Depending on the time of year, view type and resort you choose, being mindful of each decision could potentially save hundreds or even thousands of points. We hope this article was helpful in understanding how to save Marriott Vacation Club points when planning your next vacation.
If you have any remaining questions about how Marriott points work, we have a vast back catalog of Marriott articles that cover a wide range of educational topics like advanced usage guides, the latest Marriott news, and expert buying or selling tips.
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