The New Vacation Revolution

If you own a timeshare week and want to trade it, then you will likely need to use a timeshare exchange agency’s interval swapping system. This article will provide an introduction into how that works.

In simplest terms, spacebanking your timeshare week is the first and most important step required to exchange your timeshare week for the opportunity to stay at another fantastic resort. When you “spacebank” your week, you give up your right to use your particular timeshare week to an exchange company.

The exchange company, in turn, allows you to trade your week for the opportunity to stay at other resorts, take a cruise, etc. Upon spacebanking your week, the exchange company may allow other timeshare owners to exchange their week for your resort, or they may rent it out through a travel agent or as a vacation escape.

Once you have paid the maintenance fee and spacebanked your week, your responsibilities with regard to that particular vacation week no longer exist. You have handed off that vacation to someone else - in exchange for the opportunity to swap for something else as well.

Most timeshare resorts prefer that you contact them and let them know what you’re doing. They like to know if you intend on staying there or if you plan on exchanging your week.

However, you do not have to tell your home resort who will be staying there in your place. That is not your responsibility. These details are handled by the exchange company.

Of course, you can go ahead and visit your home resort every other year. You don’t give up complete ownership by spacebanking your interval. You just give up the right to that one particular vacation.

Even if you own a particular (fixed) week at a particular resort, you can exchange it for any time of year that you would like. For example, if you own a winter week at a ski resort but want to swap for a summer vacation, you can swap it no problem.

Most exchange companies do not charge you to spacebank your week. If, however, you spacebank your week and then decide you wish to actually stay at your resort, they might not be able to let you. This depends on the particular agency’s rules, but you may be unable to get your vacation back out of the system if someone else already booked your week and confirmed it as a vacation.

If you can remove your week from the spacebank, there may be a charge for the exchange company to remove it from their pool of available resorts.

You can only spacebank your week with one exchange company. After all, how would you feel if you arrived at the resort and found that someone else had already checked in to your suite?