Timeshares are a brilliant way of having great, affordable holidays, but after a while it can get a bit repetitive visiting the same place every year. One way of mixing things up a bit is to exchange your timeshare for another one. That way, you get to try something new without having to spend too much extra cash. But there are a few things to remember before committing to anything, so here are our top tips for timeshare exchange.
Timeshare Exchange Scheme
Timeshare owners can exchange both the location and weeks of their timeshares via a timeshare exchange scheme. They can also exchange their timeshare utilisation rights with other timeshare owners.
Importantly, through a timeshare exchange scheme your current timeshare doesn’t have to wait for someone else to take their weeks before they can exchange. If your timeshare is in high demand, either due to a popular location or time of year, exchange schemes will let you exchange your timeshare without having to find someone to take it straight away because they are confident that someone will take it eventually.
Red Season
If you can, be sure to exchange your timeshare for one which ticks one of the following boxes:
A location/resort which is sure to be popular for years to come.
A timeshare with falls inside the Red Season
Red Season is timeshare jargon for peak-season, Easter, Christmas, etc. So, if you can exchange your timeshare for another which fall inside the Red Season, you can be comfortable in the knowledge that, if you want to exchange again in a few years, it’ll be easy to exchange and you’ll be more likely to get another equally good timeshare in return.
The same applies for the location; it’s vital that your new timeshare is in a location that other people will want to exchange for. Otherwise, you could be stuck with it forever.
Keep an eye on maintenance fees
One thing that you need to very aware of is the maintenance fees that your exchanged timeshare is going to leave you with. If you’re not careful, you could end up with a new timeshare which ends up costing you far more in annual fees than your old. This could, potentially, result in a timeshare that causes you financial stress. In addition, a timeshare with high maintenance costs will also be much harder to exchange in the future.
Choose a dependent and verified scheme
If you can, exchange your timeshare directly with the resort; they are often hassle-free and trustworthy. If that’s not an option, be sure to research thoroughly and find a timeshare exchange scheme that has a good reputation.
When completing the exchange deal, insist on receiving everything in writing. This includes the exact terms and conditions of use from the exchange scheme as well as the seller and resort management. This is only way to ensure that there are no nasty surprises further down the road.