Purchasing club membership for RCI membership

[m2736185]

I have read through many discussions on here. There seems to be so many different options and products for timeshares its difficult to really understand what you are buying. From what I have read, one of the advantages of a timeshare is being able to purchase last minute bookings on the RCI or other exchange networks. Would it be beneficial in purchasing the cheapest timeshare membership available so you can have access to this network? From my understanding the Sapphire club membership would be the best one because you are not buying ownership and there is no deed so transfer would be quick and cheap correct?

 

[DeniseM]

The last minute exchange company rentals are usually leftover inventory that no one exchanged for - there isn't wide availability at the top resorts. I would not buy a timeshare just to have access to RCI rentals.

 

[m2736185]

how terrible is the availability? Would I be better off booking through airbnb or Hotwire?

 

[DeniseM]

The availability is mostly off-season, and resorts with more supply than demand, so you choices are very limited.

 

[theo]

From what I have read, one of the advantages of a timeshare is being able to purchase last minute bookings on the RCI or other exchange networks. Would it be beneficial in purchasing the cheapest timeshare membership available so you can have access to this network? From my understanding the Sapphire club membership would be the best one because you are not buying ownership and there is no deed so transfer would be quick and cheap correct?

Not necessarily. A "club membership" (whether Sapphire or any other) will still involve annual fees, despite the fact that you own nothing.
Why do you believe that Sapphire would somehow be "best"?

Yes, RCI membership (a separate annual cost in and of itself, btw) will indeed give you access to purchase RCI Last Calls and Extra Vacations, but as Denise has astutely noted above, there may very well be no offerings among those "unclaimed leftovers" in which you have even the slightest interest.

Consider renting a timeshare week exactly where and when you want to go as a viable alternative to either timeshare ownership or club membership.
That way, you can go precisely where and when you want to travel, rather than be limited to picking through unclaimed leftovers. Your money, your choice.

 

[DeniseM]

On TUG - we have 2 different areas where you can rent timeshares directly from owners - you may want to take a look:

Marketplace: https://tug2.com/timeshare-marketplace.aspx

Last Minute Rental Forum ($100 per night): http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?forums/rentals-offered.45/

 

[m2736185]

I mentioned sapphire because of their low maintenance fees of 250 and then I believe RCI is 100 a year. So you are saying this would only be a viable strategy off season?

 

[DeniseM]

Yes - the rentals are the leftovers - not the popular resorts during high season.

 

[presley]

how terrible is the availability? Would I be better off booking through airbnb or Hotwire?

You are much better off renting through airbnb and hotwire or renting from an owner if you are particular about where you want to stay and when. RCI Last Calls are what is leftover that nobody else wanted to exchange. I have been a member for 5 or 6 years and have never seen anything in last call that I would use. Other do find things, but it really depends on where you want to stay and when.

 

[Jan M.]

How much does it cost to just join? $224 and the annual membership fee? I just renewed for three years and paid $327 vs paying $124 for a single year for the annual fee. If it would give you access to the sale weeks that need no points or tpu's then it could definitely be worth the money to belong. It really depends on how much you vacation and where and when you want to go.

This year alone I have booked five of those sale weeks and paid $203-$230 per week. I pay the extra for the platinum benefits so I get a 10% discount.

March - Vacation Village at Parkway in a one bedroom with a full kitchen. I think a two bedroom might have been available but didn't see the point of paying a little more for it as we wouldn't have used the second unit. The two bedroom units at this resort are two bedroom lock off units so a whole second unit.

April - Wyndham Fairfield Bay for 2 weeks in a two bedroom. My husband was working in Arkansas and needed that area but I saw several resorts in Hot Springs available too. We had beautiful weather! I didn't have to pay more to get the two bedroom unit than I would have for a one bedroom unit. My husband was up and out the door very early, even working the one weekend, so although we didn't need it we appreciated having the second bedroom and bathroom for him to get ready in and not wake me up. We could have booked this with our Wyndham points but by booking the sale weeks he had a receipt he could submit on his expense account to get reimbursed.

May - Vacation Village at Parkway for 2 weeks in a one bedroom with a full kitchen

There are always multiple resorts to choose from in Orlando on the sale weeks but our 5 year old granddaughter who was with us likes Vacation Village at Parkway because they have great activities for kids and adults too for that matter. Last year we stayed at Wyndham Star Island in Orlando on a sale week. We own Wyndham points and it was cheaper to book a sale week than to use our points!

I know you can find sale weeks for Las Vegas and usually at the resorts in Weston, FL which is down here by us. Sorry I know there is availability with the sale weeks in a lot of other places, these are just the ones I've booked or looked at.

 

[m2736185]

Can you explain the sale weeks? Do you ever get access to locations in the Caribbean or europe with these sale weeks?

 

[theo]

If you go through GCG outlet and transfer They are the best its RCI Platinum I tranferred my deed to them so I would not have maintnece fees or exchanges fees and its great it did cost me 7 grand but my 1200. year transfer fees plus exchange fees will be way more than that in ten years plus ive book 4 vacations was easy a must do trust me.

Not for one moment do I trust you or believe the content of your marginally coherent, punctuation-challenged post, highlighted and quoted above.

In your very first minutes of TUG registration, you sing praises for "GCG Outlet" (whatever that may be) in three separate posts.

We've seen this "Shill" movie played many times before in these TUG discussion forums; it is neither interesting nor at all credible.

Your three semi-literate shill posts today will likely disappear soon with moderator assistance, so please allow me to bid you farewell.