First, there’s no question that on a pure cost consideration, buying resale wins hands down every time. As of September 10, 2015, a new points package was priced from $13/point. On the resale market, packages can be bought for as low as $3/point, and still pass Marriott’s right of first refusal. For a 3,500 points package, that’s a savings of $35,000! But let’s consider the 300k Marriott Rewards points and the price discount as well. According to a leading rewards travel site, Marriott Rewards points are valued at $.07/mile, so 300k points could be worth $21,000 in travel credit. Add on the $6,790 discount currently being offered, and the value of incentives being offered climbs to almost $28,000. Assuming full price of a 3,500 points package is 13x3,500 = $45,500, the net price is $17,500 after the value of the incentives are subtracted. That’s still considerably higher than a resale points package that could probably pass the right-of-first-refusal in the $11,000 - $15,000.
So the short answer is that even with the discount and the 300k Marriott Rewards points, it’s still a better deal to purchase a points package on the resales market. And in case you’re curious what 300k Marriott Rewards points could get you, try 7 nights at a Category 9 property like the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel, or 40 nights at a Category 1 property like the Fairfield Inn in Modesto, CA.
Contact us today if you’re interested in purchasing a Marriott Vacation Club Points package on the resale market.