At first the concept of timeshare points and blocked weeks seems confusing, but actually the differences are very easy to explain.

Firstly, let’s start with blocked weeks. Blocked weeks are the timeshare model that is associated with the first kinds of timeshare products available when timeshare first began in the 80s. The concept of the blocked week timeshare is very straight forward. Divide the year into 52 weeks and give them a number 1-52, and you have your blocked week. When blocked weeks were popular, you could buy all kinds of options, from fixed week blocked weeks that meant you would always visit your resort during say, week 36 every year (unless you swapped) to flex weeks that could be reserved within a specified season or time span.

The advantage of blocked weeks were that you could purchase the holiday weeks or your birthday week and be guaranteed a spot at your favorite resort year after year, and that you would get to know your neighbors at the resort, who would come each year at the same time too. The downside to blocked weeks was that you were not able to split the week if you wished to just spend 4 days at your timeshare, nor could you extend your stay for say 10 days. The blocked week was more restrictive, although still a great vacation investment.

In order to resolve those issues, the timeshare points scheme was introduced in response to the more flexible nature of people’s vacation habits. Not everyone wants to take a vacation during the same weeks every year nor for the same amount of time. Timeshare points were introduced to give a points equivalent for each week, which meant that you could spend just over half of your points for a 4 day vacation break in summer and then the rest for a weekend in spring. Likewise, you could bank unused points for the following year so that you can spend a longer period at your timeshare or even use the saved points to upgrade your unit for a special occasion. Timeshare points revolutionized the industry making timeshare highly flexible.

Nowadays, timeshare points can be used for much more than your accommodations. You can also pay for all inclusive meal plans, spa services, special packages and even airport transfers. The great thing is that your points are never lost, and you can enjoy the luxury of ownership without any of the responsibilities.

I hope that covers timeshare points and blocked weeks for today. Any questions, comment below.