SFX Timeshare Exchange Process

A correctly submitted request for your vacation exchange should have at least three alternative travel dates (weeks). It should also if possible have three alternative locations. The idea being if one choice is completely booked, another choice may be available for your vacation. If you submit just one location, and/or just one week for travel, and perhaps name just one resort only that you will accept when there may be four or five equally beautiful resorts in the same area, we consider those as Member imposed restrictions which may hamper your ability to be confirmed for a great vacation.

Another factor is timing. If you wish to travel in prime time, which is prime demand when most people want to travel, if possible try and have your request placed at least 9-12 months in advance. As with hotels or airlines, the further ahead you book, the more likely space may be available.

Sometimes when you place your request the space will be immediately available and we will book you. On other occasions your request may not be immediately available and we need to start a “search” for the week you are requesting. Every day, space is continuously being deposited by various sources, including Members just like you and various other suppliers into the Vacation Bank. Our computers are continually searching the Vacation Bank looking for a “Match” to your request. Our goal is to send you on a great vacation, so if there is not a perfect match to your request, our agents may offer you a “near match”.

What is a “near match”? It could be the week before or after you were requesting. It may be a larger or small unit than you were requesting. It may be a different but equally as beautiful location. You may or decline the offer. If you decline a “near match” there are no penalties.

Some Helpful Vacation Exchange Terminology…

Home Resort… Is the resort where you own your time. You deposit your week from your home resort and request an exchange to use another Member’s week while another guest will use yours.

Deposit your week (Bank your week)… To receive an exchange at another resort you relinquish your occupancy rights to the week you own in a particular year to SFX, who will then assign your unit to another guest for their vacation. In return you may request a week at another members resort. You will have from the day we receive your deposit and up to two years past the check-in date of the week you deposited.

Place a request… Means you are requesting SFX to search for a week at a different resort to where you own for a vacation exchange. We need to know several items including … Where you would like to travel, when you would like to travel and how many people in your party. All space is Subject to availability.

Search… This means what you are requesting isn’t immediately available and we start a search to locate what you are requesting for your exchange.

Match… A match means our computers have matched a week deposited to your vacation request criteria by dates, location etc. If we find an exact match for what you asked us to find for you, an exchange fee is due and payable for services rendered.

Near match… Means we have located and offered you a week that is close to what you requested, but not exact. It may be slightly different dates, and/or location, and/or unit size. In many instances Members accept near matches because they are great resorts in great locations and they can look forward to a great vacation and move forward with their airline tickets if flying.

Membership… You must be a Member to use our services. There are two Memberships; Gold and Platinum.

Gold Membership - is free (No annual fees to pay, just an exchange fee).

Platinum Membership - has a nominal annual fee, but the exchange fee is less and there are far more benefits that outweigh the cost.

Exchange fee… is a fee charged when we confirm you for your exchange. You only pay for results. There are no exchange fees paid in advance as with other exchange companies.

Guest name… is the name that will be on the confirmation. It may be you the Member, or another party you are sending as your Guest. You must inform us if another party will be using the exchange. If we are advised of their names at the time the request is placed, there is no additional charge. If you advise us after the week has been booked and a name change is needed, there will be an additional fee.

Understanding Exchanges

• How does timeshare exchange work?
  One benefit of owning timeshare is the ability to "trade" a week in your home location for another owner's week at a different resort, giving you the opportunity to travel and experience exciting locations throughout the world. To facilitate this exchange, timeshare owners employ the services of an exchange company like SFX Preferred Resorts. With SFX, members "deposit" their week into the "Vacation Bank". Members then request an exchange from the pool of space that other members have deposited into this bank. If the accommodations are available, an exchange is made. If the dates and locations are not available, a search is then started on the constant flow of additional space from members and resort developers depositing their weeks. When a matching week comes in, the exchange is made.
  
  Timeshare Exchange is often confused with a direct booking service like those you would find with a hotel. There are significant differences. Unlike a booking service that has direct access to the accommodations and books them to the general public at the market rate, the majority of space available to exchange company comes from other members depositing their timeshare weeks into the company's "bank". Exchange companies monitor the space deposited into the system and charge a small fee to facilitate an exchange.
  
  Exchange companies typically employ a valuation system to assign "Trading Power" to each deposit. Trading Power establishes priority in the exchange process in cases where there are multiple requests for the same accommodations. Some of the items that determine Trading Power are: How far in advance you deposit your week, Seasonality, Unit Size, Amenities, Supply vs. Demand for your resort and location.
• Why choose SFX Preferred Resorts?
  SFX Preferred Resorts is a specialty Boutique exchange service. SFX is the only exchange company that specializes in both Crown and 5 Star rated timeshare resorts, creating a resort network of the highest consistency of quality in the most sought after locations. SFX members understand the importance of quality.
• Glossary of Useful Terms.

  Some Helpful Vacation Exchange Terminology…

  Home Resort… Is the resort where you own your time. You deposit your week from your home resort and request an exchange to use another Member’s week while another guest will use yours.

  Deposit your week (Bank your week)… To receive an exchange at another resort you relinquish your occupancy rights to the week you own in a particular year to SFX, who will then assign your unit to another guest for their vacation. In return you may request a week at another members resort. You will have from the day we receive your deposit and up to two years past the check-in date of the week you deposited.

  Place a request… Means you are requesting SFX to search for a week at a different resort to where you own for a vacation exchange. We need to know several items including … Where you would like to travel, when you would like to travel and how many people in your party. All space is Subject to availability.

  Search… This means what you are requesting isn’t immediately available and we start a search to locate what you are requesting for your exchange.

  Match… A match means our computers have matched a week deposited to your vacation request criteria by dates, location etc. If we find an exact match for what you asked us to find for you, an exchange fee is due and payable for services rendered.

  Near match… Means we have located and offered you a week that is close to what you requested, but not exact. It may be slightly different dates, and/or location, and/or unit size. In many instances Members accept near matches because they are great resorts in great locations and they can look forward to a great vacation and move forward with their airline tickets if flying.

  Membership… You must be a Member to use our services. There are two Memberships; Gold and Platinum.

  Gold Membership - is free (No annual fees to pay, just an exchange fee).

  Platinum Membership – has a nominal annual fee, but the exchange fee is less and there are far more benefits that outweigh the cost.

  Exchange fee… is a fee charged when we confirm you for your exchange. You only pay for results. There are no exchange fees paid in advance as with other exchange companies.

  Guest name… is the name that will be on the confirmation. It may be you the Member, or another party you are sending as your Guest. You must inform us if another party will be using the exchange. If we are advised of their names at the time the request is placed, there is no additional charge. If you advise us of a name change after the week has been booked, there will be an additional fee.

• How Do I Apply for Membership?
  Before you start the exchange process, you must have an account with SFX Preferred Resorts. Signing up is easy. Simply fill out our online Membership Application. Once your application is approved, you can start the exchange process immediately.
  
  Important: A large portion of our member correspondence is done via email. Please make sure that "accounts@sfx-resorts.com" and "vacations@sfx-resorts.com" is in your trusted senders list.

• How Do I Deposit My Week?
  To deposit your week simply click the link below and follow the simple instructions.
  
  Deposit my week
• When Should I Deposit My Week?
  We recommend you deposit your week as close to a year in advance as possible. The sooner you deposit your week the sooner you can make an exchange request. Banking early increases your "Trading Power" and also qualifies you for SFX special promotions.
  
  We do not accept deposit within 6 weeks of the check-in date of the unit.
• Can I Request A Vacation First Without a Deposit?
  Gold members must deposit their week with SFX before making an exchange request.
  
  An added benefit of our Platinum Membership Plan is the ability to make a request before depositing your week. Platinum members can "Request First" and will not need to deposit their week with SFX unless you are confirmed first for an exchange.
  
  Please note: Request First basis has a lower priority for exchanges than those who Deposit their week first. Also, Request first transactions do not qualify for any special deposit promotions.

• Be Flexible with your travel dates and locations.
  Members that have the least success are those who only give one specific date, one resort, or a single location. Those who have the best results are flexible on travel dates and/or location. By limiting your choices you are also severely reducing the odds of being confirmed. Remember that vacation exchange is different from direct booking services. Inventory is based on deposits into our space banks from other members and resort developers.
  
  Flexibility and timely placement are extremely important for results.
  
  

  An Example of a Correctly placed request will include the following:
  	1.	Alternative travel weeks.
  	2.	Alternative locations.
  	3.	Be open to any Crown or 5 Star property in the area requested.
  	4.	Placed well in advance.

  
  

  An Example of an Incorrectly placed request will include:
  	1.	One specific travel week.
  	2.	One specific location.
  	3.	Will only be open to a specific resort.
  	4.	Placed less than 9 months in advance. (For Prime Season)

  
  
  Being flexible does not put you at risk of an inferior vacation experience. SFX Preferred Resorts deals exclusively with the timeshare industry's highest rated resorts in the world's most sought after locations.
  
  We do understand that circumstances do not always permit the flexibility that is strongly recommended for an exchange. Although an "Incorrectly Placed" request is not conducive to positive results, we will do all possible to seek out the requested space.
• Place your request 9 to 12 months in advance.
  For prime time and prime quality resorts, (which is typically Jan. through April and June through August), you should have your request in nine to twelve months in advance, if you can. You can place a request in much less time, but obviously the further ahead you place your request, the higher priority you will have. If you prefer to travel in the lesser demanded times, then we recommend getting your request in at least three to six months in advance.
• Try to avoid major Holiday Weeks.
  Major Holiday Weeks are in the highest demand and have the least amount of availability, which lessens the chances or a successful exchange.
• Can we request special units, like an Ocean View?
  Unfortunately no. Exchange companies have no control over what unit/view you will be placed in. The resort typically assigns your unit at the time of Check-In. If you are not completely satisfied with your assigned unit, you can request a different unit with the front desk of the resort. If they have availability, they are usually accommodating.
• Can I request multiple units or consecutive weeks?
  As a general rule no. However, there may be odd exceptions. Because demand is generally greater than supply, most resorts will not allow you to have more than one unit because they want as many different families to experience the resort.

• When will I be contacted regarding the status of my request?
  An agent will only call you if we have a week to offer you. This is a general rule of exchange companies. It does not mean that we are ignoring you or have forgotten. It simply means the week you're searching for has not yet become available.
  
  We politely request that you refrain from repeated phone calls inquiring about the status of your existing requests. You can always view and edit your active requests online by logging onto your online Member Account. While you have a search in progress, we will communicate with you via an update emailed to you on a monthly basis.
• When should I expect to be confirmed?
  It is difficult to predict when you can be confirmed as the flow of inventory and supply & demand factors are constantly changing. If there is a match, we will contact you immediately. If an SFX agent has not contacted you, it means we are still aggressively searching for a match to your request.
  
  There may be times when the accommodations you are requesting are fully booked and we will not be able to confirm an exchange. In this instance, we will gladly offer you great alternatives, providing you and your family with a great vacation.
• I checked with the resort and they have availability. Why can't I get my exchange?
  There is a chance that the resort you would like to visit has accommodations available, but this inventory is not part of our exchange bank of member deposits. These are rental units that the resort is holding and booking to visitors at market rate (typically $300-$500 per night) and is not part of exchange inventory.