I started looking for a 50-75 point HHI contract to match our Feb UY in 2010. I checked every day, got on mailing lists and waited...and waited...and waited
. Finally, in the last week of January 2011, I got sick of waiting. I called my guide and added on 50 points direct. I got our points that day and I banked them immediately...7 days before they expired
.
I paid $80/pt with no closing costs. I got the points immediately and I was able to bank them and use those 100 points to book a F&W trip for that October. *IF* a resale had come available and *IF* I paid $55/pt, my resale cost would have been $2750 + $450 in closing costs. Overall, I paid about $800 more by buying direct, but it was completely worth it. From a purely financial standpoint, buying resale is the way to go, but for me, the added expense to buy direct was worth it for the convenience. Would I buy 100 points direct? No way...but for a small contract, I consider the added expense a "convenience fee"
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