Get the most out of your timeshare

1. Request as early as you can at your home resort.

Your resort will operate a request system to allow you to place a request as far into the future as you like. Your request will generally be confirmed 32 weeks (approximately 8mths) in advance. (Check your Resorts pooling agreement). By getting in early you can usually secure one of the most popular rooms with a view at your home resort.

When more than one owner has requested a particular date and apartment the resort will conduct a ballot. This allows you plenty of time to organise flights and leave from work. It also allows you to make an alternative suitable request or choose a different apartment for those dates if you are not successful .

2. Place multiple requests if you need school holidays - for spacebanks and/or home resort.

Limited space is given to the exchange companies over the school holidays as most resorts like to make this time available to their Owners. It pays to secure a school holiday week at your home resort each year and place a request with one of the exchange companies. Most resorts will allow you to cancel up until 3 months prior to arrival so if you secure a school holiday exchange elsewhere you can cancel your home resort booking. (Check your Resorts cancellation policy).

3. Book more than three months and/or spacebank before September each year.

Timeshares need to run full to capacity and each time a room is left vacant the associated entitlement is lost.

Resorts will give the bulk of space to exchange companies a year out and will then top up with extra space depending on demand from their owners.

Your resort cannot create extra space, so make sure you book your week or spacebank by September so you don't miss out on a resort booking or exchange bank of your choice.

4. Choose an exchange company that operates in a way that works for you.

Most exchange companies offered in New Zealand are owned by the same parent company but the brands are positioned differently.

Breakdown on the different brands

Click here to learn more.

Your resort will send space well in advance based on historic usage, so when you contact your resort or exchange company to "spacebank your week" it will be allocated to a previously created week.

Many owners belong to more than one exchange company so demand can vary from year to year. It pays to make up your mid by the middle of the year to give you choice of exchange company as once the Resort is full, extra spacebanks cannot be created.

All exchange companies are funded by the exchange fees they charge.

5. Make use of bonus weeks and resort rentals.

If an exchange company or resort has rooms that are likely to remain vacant they may offer them up as a "bonus" week .

Bonus weeks are often last minute or off peak and offer a cheap extra holiday without using your entitlement. Prices are generally $280-$500.

Your Resort may offer rentals to the open market but may also have member specials that are much cheaper. Check out their website.