Editing Timeshare (section)

==Methods of use==
Owners can:{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

* Use their usage time
* [[Timeshare#Timeshare rentals|Rent out]] their owned usage
* Give it as a gift
* [[Timeshare#Donate timeshare to charity|Donate]] it to a charity (should the charity choose to accept the burden of the associated maintenance payments)
* Exchange internally within the same resort or resort group
* Exchange externally into thousands of other resorts
* [[Timeshare#Timeshare resales|Sell it]] either through traditional or online advertising, or by using a licensed broker. Timeshare contracts allow transfer through sale, but it is rarely accomplished. According to the EU Directive, Long-term holiday ownership products in the EU, which includes timeshare fixed weeks, points and fractional ownerships cannot be sold as resellable assets.

Recently, with most [[#Points programs|point systems]]<!-- Like Fairfield, Worldmark, Disney, RCI point resort -->, owners may elect to:{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

* Assign their usage time to the point system to be exchanged for airline tickets, hotels, travel packages, cruises, amusement park tickets
* Instead of renting all their actual usage time, rent part of their points without actually getting any usage time and use the rest of the points
* Rent more points from either the internal exchange entity or another owner to get a larger unit, more vacation time, or to a better location
* Save or move points from one year to another

Some developers, however, may limit which of these options are available at their respective properties.

Owners can elect to stay at their resort during the prescribed period, which varies depending on the nature of their ownership. In many resorts, they can rent out their week or give it as a gift to friends and family.

=== Exchanging timeshares ===
Used as the basis for attracting mass appeal to purchasing a timeshare, is the idea of owners exchanging their week, either independently or through exchange agencies.<ref>Dana Dratch [http://www.bankrate.com/dls/news/real-estate/20040816a1.asp Trading spaces: buying a time share for travel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819060610/http://www.bankrate.com/dls/news/real-estate/20040816a1.asp |date=August 19, 2009 }} Bankrate.com</ref> The two largest—often mentioned in media—are [[RCI (company)|RCI]] and [[Interval International]] (II), which combined, have over 7,000 resorts. They have resort affiliate programs, and members can only exchange with affiliated resorts. It is most common for a resort to be affiliated with only one of the larger exchange agencies, although resorts with dual affiliations are not uncommon. The timeshare resort one purchases determines which of the exchange companies can be used to make exchanges. RCI and II charge a yearly membership fee, and additional fees for when they find an exchange for a requesting member, and bar members from renting weeks for which they already have exchanged.

Owners can also exchange their weeks or points through independent exchange companies. Owners can exchange without needing the resort to have a formal affiliation agreement with the companies, if the resort of ownership agrees to such arrangements in the original contract.

Due to the promise of exchange, timeshares often sell regardless of the location of their deeded resort. What is not often disclosed is the difference in [[Bargaining power|trading power]] depending on the location, and season of the ownership. If a resort is in a prime vacation region, it will exchange extremely well depending on the season and week that is assigned to the particular unit trying to make an exchange. However, timeshares in highly desirable locations and '''high season''' time slots are the most expensive in the world, subject to demand typical of any heavily trafficked vacation area. An individual who owns a timeshare in the American desert community of [[Palm Springs, California]], in the middle of July or August will possess a much reduced ability to exchange time, because fewer come to a resort at a time when the temperatures are in excess of {{Convert|110|F|}}.