# Just got my RCI member ID...



## amstel78 (May 26, 2010)

...and it was for a Week's based account.  I am a new Wyndham VIP owner, and my RCI account was setup for me by Wyndham.  Should I have received a Points based RCI account instead?


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## RedDogSD (May 26, 2010)

amstel78 said:


> ...and it was for a Week's based account.  I am a new Wyndham VIP owner, and my RCI account was setup for me by Wyndham.  Should I have received a Points based RCI account instead?



I am not a Wyndham owner, so someone else may correct me....but if I am not mistaken, you are a weeks owner as far as RCI is concerned.  Basically, I think you take your Wyndham points and then Wyhdham deposits a unit into the weeks inventory.  It can be as low as 28,000 points for a Studio deposit, or a larger amount for a larger deposit.

RCI points accounts are only for those resorts that are RCI points resorts.  Those folks end up either using the week at their resort, or taking all of the RCI points in lieu of using their week and booking elsewhere with the RCI points.  

I think you can do both.  If you have a large amount of Wyhdham points (lets say 231,000), you can book a 1 bedroom at your home resort, and then also book a studio to deposit to RCI.  I THINK!  Like I said, I don't own Wyndham but I have read the Members's guide and have read lots of posts on this board.


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## alexadeparis (May 26, 2010)

*Reddog is right*

You should have an RCI weeks account. If you decide to use your Wyndham points to exchange within RCI, you must make a "generic" deposit of a set number of points. (There are also 'visibles' but these appear to be of dubious value). There is a lot to be learned with that process and many nuances, of which many threads will come up if you do a search; but the bottom line is this: if you want to exchange to an overbuilt area with a lot of inventory, a 28k deposit will usually get it. If you want assurance of red time, and you are looking for a medium area of availability, go for either the 70k or 105k red deposit. The consensus is the 154k deposit seems to be a waste of points and maintenance fees. If you are looking for a hot area with little availability, the wyndham, no matter the size deposit may not have enough trade power to pull the desired exchange due to the generic nature of the deposit. "Visibles" are a complete crap shoot: they run out early in the year, they are only for high point deposits, you have no control over what unit you get, and most of them turn out to be dog weeks with so-so trading power. The only real advantage is that you can use a visible to search RCI's online inventory.


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## vacationhopeful (May 26, 2010)

You will have access to the inventory in RCI Points via PLUS PARTNERS - a benefit of a Wyndham developer purchase.  Find your Wyndham Owner's Manual and look up Nightly Stays/Plus Partners. This is a slightly smaller subset of the RCI Points inventory.

Also read up on Reservation Transactions (RTs) - as a VIP owner (not a Gold or higher), you get free Housekeeping transactions (HKs), but NOT RTs.

And keep learning the ins and outs of Wyndham here ... there is a lot of experience here on these boards.


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## amstel78 (May 26, 2010)

quesera said:


> Were you told you were getting an RCI Points acct?  If you are a new Wyndham VIP owner with 308Kpoints, those are Wyndham points, not RCI points, they are not the same.  You have to devote certain thresholds of Wyndham points to get credit for the week in the RCI system,  There are very many games that can be played with this.  You've said you feel good about your purchase and not to put a damper on things...  I bought 450,000 MB Wyndham points for under $1000, the $41K difference will go a heck of a long way in making up for those forever changing VIP benefits that I'm not getting. 3% interest is $1240 per year and 10% interest that I can find on many stocks in today's market is $4100 per year.



Sorry if this post might come across as sounding rude, but I believe just about everyone has told me the same thing you've just done.  I'm new to this and obviously way past my rescind date, so you're not helping matters much by telling me how much I could have saved.


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## amstel78 (May 26, 2010)

alexadeparis said:


> You should have an RCI weeks account. If you decide to use your Wyndham points to exchange within RCI, you must make a "generic" deposit of a set number of points. (There are also 'visibles' but these appear to be of dubious value). There is a lot to be learned with that process and many nuances, of which many threads will come up if you do a search; but the bottom line is this: if you want to exchange to an overbuilt area with a lot of inventory, a 28k deposit will usually get it. If you want assurance of red time, and you are looking for a medium area of availability, go for either the 70k or 105k red deposit. The consensus is the 154k deposit seems to be a waste of points and maintenance fees. If you are looking for a hot area with little availability, the wyndham, no matter the size deposit may not have enough trade power to pull the desired exchange due to the generic nature of the deposit. "Visibles" are a complete crap shoot: they run out early in the year, they are only for high point deposits, you have no control over what unit you get, and most of them turn out to be dog weeks with so-so trading power. The only real advantage is that you can use a visible to search RCI's online inventory.



Thank you for the explanation; that really sorted out many lingering questions I had in my head.


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## alexadeparis (May 27, 2010)

No problem, glad to help. Wyndham points are kind of trial and error. I really like the flexibility and I think the quality of the resorts is great for the price, especially when you learn how to stretch the points using the deposits to RCI. If you do a search for some of my other posts by clicking on my username next to this post, there was one I did within the last few weeks detailing the exchanges I got with some of these smaller wyndham deposits into rci. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the thread, but reading thru that should help you get an even better understanding of the mechanics of how these wyndham deposits work. I own a ton of other timeshares, so I am not looking to "stretch" my points using rci deposits as my primary goal; although there are definitely those that really know how to work the system. I really just deposit whatever points are left over after I make a normal reservation within the wyndham system, because mentally I can't stand the thought of letting those points "expire". Good luck.


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## Goofyhobbie (May 27, 2010)

Hi Amstel78,

As you have been fortunate enough to discover, alexadeparis and vacationhopeful are both excellent sources of accurate informtion about Wyndham ownership.

As time goes by, you too will learn the system and reap the benefits.  

Keep those questions coming.

Meanwhile, as promised there will be some detailed articles published in the advice section of TUG once the editing is complete and everything passes the critique of my editors.  



> ...and it was for a Week's based account. I am a new Wyndham VIP owner, and my RCI account was setup for me by Wyndham. Should I have received a Points based RCI account instead?



As vacatonhopeful has suggested, carefully review page 314 of your Club Wyndham Plus Member's Directory and then get comfortable with the many resorts where you will have access to RCI "Nightly Stays" for a fee as outlined on page 314. 

Please note what vacationhopeful had to say regarding the limited access to the "RCI Points" inventory.  A Weeks RCI Member who is also a PlusPartners Member does not get access to every resort that is a Points resort; but you do get access to enough so that you should be able to enjoy many nightly stays over the years. 

Because you are a Wyndham points owner, and your resort is apparently affiliated with RCI, your Club Wyndham Plus program fee is paying for your RCI Weeks membership and your exchanges will be through that RCI Weeks Membership as opposed to Interval International (II) or Trading Places International (TPI).

As far as using your points to make an exchange through your RCI "Weeks" Membership, alexadeparis nailed it with the quote below:



> if you want to exchange to an overbuilt area with a lot of inventory, a 28k deposit will usually get it. If you want assurance of red time, and you are looking for a medium area of availability, go for either the 70k or 105k red deposit. The consensus is the 154k deposit seems to be a waste of points and maintenance fees. If you are looking for a hot area with little availability, the wyndham, no matter the size deposit may not have enough trade power to pull the desired exchange due to the generic nature of the deposit. "Visibles" are a complete crap shoot


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