090 Our Pros and Cons of Owning a Timeshare
My husband Ward and I bought into a timeshare over a decade ago and have a lot of experience we’d like to share about all of the pros and cons we have discovered about owning a timeshare. We have tips for where to buy timeshare points (not directly from the timeshare company!) plus reasons why we think owning a timeshare was great when we had a young family, and a limited budget. We are open about all of the limitations timeshares we have discovered too.
Join Ward and Lisa for this fun and informative episode that we hope will inspire future family travels.
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“Owning timeshare points was great when we had young kids and a limited budget because it encouraged us to get out on vacation.”
There are many things to consider when thinking about buying into a timeshare. Here’s our list of pros and cons that we have gathered from over a decade of owning and using our Wyndham Timeshare Points.
Timeshare Pros
You have a budget set aside for vacation accommodations each year.
It encourages travel since you’ve already paid for the place to stay.
You will likely discover new destinations based on the locations of the timeshare resorts. We’ve stayed in our Wyndham timeshare in Washington D.C., Williamsburg, San Diego, San Fransisco, Oceanside, CA, Anaheim, Flagstaff, AZ, Sedona, AZ, Las Vegas, Pagosa Springs, CO, Manhattan.
The timeshares usually have prime locations in many of the biggest tourist cities in the US.
The units will vary but they always have a kitchen and living area. The number of bedrooms varies based on the resort. We love having a kitchen and separate spaces for bedrooms.
There are more amenities offered than at a regular hotel. Mini golf, basketball courts, pools, hot tubs, small movie theaters, pool tables, bingo nights, watermelon eating contests, pumpkin carving, and more.
Timeshare Cons
You need to plan far in advance if you want to stay in a specific unit at a specific location. Rooms do sell out.
They will not have a timeshare resort in every place where you want to vacation.
If you buy into the timeshare directly from the resort, it will be extremely expensive. Listen to the episode to hear about our story!
If you want timeshare points, we recommend checking out options on eBay. Read all of the details very carefully. This is where we bought our points and it was totally legit and it saved us many thousands of dollars.
Strict on the check-in and check-out times. You can’t get a late check-out.
When you check-in at the resort, they always try to sign you up to come to a sales meeting during your stay. They are very pushy about this. Tell them no firmly. You have no obligation to listen to their sales pitch. Do not be afraid to tell them no.
Sometimes you are limited on the number of nights you can book. Some resorts only let you book 3 or 5 or 7 night stays. Sometimes this is okay but other times it doesn’t fit our travel schedule.
Overall, we are very happy for all of the vacation opportunities that owning a timeshare has given us. We’ve traveled more because of our timeshare and are grateful for the memories we have made with our family.
Of course, this is just our opinion and we are not pursuing you to buy or not buy a timeshare. Please do your research and make a decision that is best for your family.
Have timeshare questions? Leave it in the comments and I’ll get right back to you!