If you spend any time in the big Canary resorts, sooner or later someone will offer you a free scratchcard. Timeshare — buying the right to use a holiday apartment for a set week or points each year — has a long and often unhappy history in the islands, built on street touts, "guaranteed prizes" and marathon sales presentations. That's not the whole story: there are reputable, well-run resorts and genuinely happy owners. But the sharp end of the industry has caused enough misery that the EU and Spain now wrap timeshare sales in some of the strongest consumer protections in the world. This guide explains, neutrally and protectively, how the tours work, what your rights are, and the one rule that keeps you safe: you never have to sign anything on the day.

The single most important sentence on this page: no legitimate deal disappears if you sleep on it. Anyone insisting you must decide, pay or sign today is using pressure, not offering a bargain. Walk away and think it over — a genuine opportunity will still be there tomorrow.

How the street tours work

The classic approach starts with a friendly person on the promenade offering a free scratchcard, a "prize", or cut-price excursions and restaurant vouchers. You "win", of course — and to claim it you're invited to a short presentation at a nearby resort, often with free transport laid on. The "short" presentation can run for hours. You're shown a beautiful apartment, given hospitality, and worked by a succession of increasingly senior salespeople, each offering a better "today only" deal as you resist. The atmosphere is warm but relentless, and it's engineered to wear down your resolve and get a signature and a deposit before you leave. Knowing the choreography in advance is half the defence.

Whitewashed low-rise apartment blocks of the Anfi del Mar timeshare complex above the beach, Gran Canaria

Photo: Gfox228 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · scaled

Your legal protections (these are strong)

Timeshare in Spain and across the EU is tightly regulated, and the rules are firmly on the consumer's side. The headline protections:

Because deposits are banned during the cooling-off window, a simple test cuts through everything: if they want money now, something is wrong. A lawful seller will happily let you leave, take the paperwork home, and pay only after the 14 days if you still want to proceed.

The reputable end of the market

It would be unfair to paint every timeshare as a scam. The islands also have high-quality, long-established resorts with satisfied repeat owners who genuinely enjoy returning to the same place each year. On Gran Canaria, the well-known Anfi del Mar development is often cited as a premium example — a smart resort with clearer terms than the fly-by-night operators. The point isn't that such places are automatically a good buy for you (that depends entirely on your holiday habits and finances), but that "timeshare" spans everything from outright pressure-selling to reputable resorts operating within the law. Judge the specific offer, not the label.

Buying resale versus buying from the developer

Here's a fact the presentation won't dwell on: timeshares typically lose most of their value the moment they're sold new, much like a car driven off the forecourt. As a result, existing owners frequently sell their weeks on the resale market for a small fraction of the original developer price — sometimes for very little indeed — because supply of second-hand weeks far outstrips demand. If you're genuinely set on owning at a resort you love, buying resale from an existing owner can cost dramatically less than buying new from the developer, for essentially the same product. Never let a "today only" developer price convince you that resale isn't an option; it almost always is, and later.

Red flags to watch for

If you're tempted anyway

None of this means timeshare is always a mistake — for some people who holiday in the same spot every year, a well-chosen, honestly priced arrangement suits them fine. But treat it exactly as you would any significant financial commitment. Take the paperwork away, read every line (including the maintenance fees and how they can rise), sleep on it, and if the sums are large, get independent legal advice before you commit. Factor the ongoing annual costs into your thinking, not just the purchase price — see our costs and money guide for a sense of how holiday budgeting adds up. And remember the resale market before you ever pay a developer's premium.

Where to get impartial help

If you want the official position on your rights, or you feel a sale has broken the rules, the European Consumer Centre network provides free, independent advice on cross-border consumer issues including timeshare, and can point EU and UK travellers to the right complaints route. Knowing the law is on your side takes all the pressure out of that scratchcard.

The bottom line

Enjoy the promenade, take the free scratchcard if it amuses you, and feel free to look round a resort out of curiosity — but keep your wallet shut and your signature in your pocket. The law gives you 14 days to change your mind and forbids anyone taking your money during that window, so there is never a reason to commit on the spot. Say "I'll think about it and get back to you," and mean it. Then go and enjoy the beaches, the mountains and the food of Gran Canaria — which are, after all, why you came.