# Debating on switching from II to RCI...



## 2rebecca (Sep 9, 2016)

I own a 2 bedroom week at Tahiti in Las Vegas.  They've been calling me for several years trying to get me to switch from II to RCI, but it all just sounds a little sketchy.  Has anyone done this?  How did it work out?  Is it easier/harder than exchanging through II?  

I'm skeptical of the point systems.  (With II I trade week for week.) They say I'll get 100,000+ points for my 2 bedroom unit, but what does that really mean?  I looked at RCI's website and nice beach front properties in Myrtle Beach are showing less than 1/2 that many points for prime weeks.  For example Wyndham Westwinds is only 68,000 points for a 2 bed/2 bath for peak season.  Can someone explain the catch here?  I know that a lot of owners at the beach use their weeks instead of banking with II or RCI, which makes it difficult to exchange into them, but I'm trying to get an idea of the value of 100k points.  When a nice beach resort is showing 68k points and they are offering to give me 100k points for Tahiti, it just doesn't sound right.  Is the 68k points at the beach a "per night value" and the 100k points in Las Vegas a "per week value"??? (They both say weekly but it makes me wonder!  LOL!)

This is my first post on TUG, so I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong forum...


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## tschwa2 (Sep 9, 2016)

100,000 RCI points is a decent amount as long as your MF is under $900-$1000.  A Myrtle beach front resort could range from 50,000-100,000 rci points in season for a 2 br.  

The catch you have is that they are going to make you pay to convert and that conversion is going to be $1500-$4000 for the week.

What they also don't tell you is then you RCI points membership is going to be in the $100-$120 per year range depending on how many years you buy at a time.  There is almost never a discount on that membership fee.  Next I believe your family of resorts won't allow you to combine with other RCI points, so if you buy another points week from another developer they would not combine and you would pay a second RCI points annual fee.  The exchange fee for a full week through RCI is $219 for weeks inventory (which more inventory actually is including most of the lower pointed beach weeks you probably have been looking at) or $99-$169 for points inventory depending on the number of nights.  Your family of resorts which I believe was once called something like Soleil management also has slightly different rules for how priority works.  So if you get general RCI points info it may not be applicable to your type of RCI points membership.  The rules are 95% the same but about 5% are different.


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## hjtug (Sep 9, 2016)

Check the differences in resort systems and locations with RCI vs II to see if one would meet your exchanging needs better than the other.  RCI has Disney, II has Marriott, etc, etc.


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## Marathoner (Sep 9, 2016)

Does anyone else feel the II's website is so much better than RCI's to such a degree that RCI is unuseable?

I really can't get used the RCI website because it feels so clunky and non-user friendly...


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## BJRSanDiego (Sep 9, 2016)

I own weeks at another Soleil resort.  I called RCI and from what I was told, it appears that I could join with my weeks.  That would be without paying the $2-5K conversion fee.  I encourage you to call them and see if this could be done for your TS too.

So, if this might still make sense, then you have to ask how much is the flexibility of points worth?  Do you stay in a timeshare for a week or something other than a week?  There are some hidden costs with points including reservation fees and housekeeping fees.  Also, about 1/3 of the RCI resorts are points.  So that would mean that if you wanted to exchange a property that was not converted to points, that it would be just like weeks - - 7 days - - period.  If you reserve for only a few days, you pay a housekeeping fee.  If you reserve for say 9 days, you are likely to have two exchange fees.  

BTW, I am skeptical of the number of points that you were quoted.  I recall reading that it was somewhere around 78K.  AKAIK, when you convert to points, you get kind of a blended value - - enough points to reserve a week at your home resort during average periods, but too few to reserve 7 days during peak times and have perhaps 8 or 9 days usage during low-demand periods.  So, maybe the points salesmen were referring to the peak points that you would NEED.  

BTW, I was told that if I converted to points with Soleil/CRM, that I would be signing a 3 year agreement wherein I could not use Interval.  RCI has more resorts, but they don't (in general) have Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt.  But they do have Worldmark and Disney.


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## 2rebecca (Sep 10, 2016)

BJRSanDiego said:


> BTW, I am skeptical of the number of points that you were quoted.  I recall reading that it was somewhere around 78K.  AKAIK, when you convert to points, you get kind of a blended value - - enough points to reserve a week at your home resort during average periods, but too few to reserve 7 days during peak times and have perhaps 8 or 9 days usage during low-demand periods.  So, maybe the points salesmen were referring to the peak points that you would NEED.



I'm skeptical too, which is why I was hoping to hear from some other owners to see what the real deal is. 

They did tell me about the 3 years clause, which I didn't care for, but if I liked enough other things it might not matter.  Consolidated Resorts and now Somerpointe are making it way more time consuming & complicated when depositing with II.  It takes a couple days for it to show up in my II account, which is the main reason I was even entertaining the idea to switch.

I might consider asking about switching with weeks.  I'm definitely not switching to points if I have to pay.  While II is far from perfect, I am able to use it for some nice trades, so no need to spend mor $$$.

Thanks for the advice.


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## 2rebecca (Sep 10, 2016)

Yes, Tahiti used to be a Solei resort, then Consolidated Resort and now a Somerpointe Resort.  I'll definitely ask about the type of points.  That 5% difference could bite me! 

On a side note, Does anyone know if email addresses on here are public? I just joined yesterday afternoon and may inbox has received upwards of 100 spam/junk emails. Ironically the post reply notifications go to my junk folder, but all the spam hits my inbox.


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## tschwa2 (Sep 10, 2016)

Do you have hotmail?  I think they are having problems keeping junk out today.  I have been on TUG for years so I don't think that is it but just since last night I started to get 10X's the normal junk.


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## DeniseM (Sep 10, 2016)

2rebecca said:


> On a side note, Does anyone know if email addresses on here are public? I just joined yesterday afternoon and may inbox has received upwards of 100 spam/junk emails. Ironically the post reply notifications go to my junk folder, but all the spam hits my inbox.



Your email address is private unless you post it or respond to someone by email.


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## dominidude (Sep 10, 2016)

Marathoner said:


> Does anyone else feel the II's website is so much better than RCI's to such a degree that RCI is unuseable?
> 
> I really can't get used the RCI website because it feels so clunky and non-user friendly...



I feel exactly the opposite,  I build/modify web sites and feel that II s website is more easily hackable and has fewer user friendly features than RCIs.

As far as the OPs question,  just try RCI weeks with your current week without having to pay for a conversion. 

If you like the number of TPUs and exchanges  that RCI weeks has to offer, then buy an already converted RCI points timeshare and take it from there. If it turns out you don't like RCI points,  then you could get rid of it in the bargains section of this Web site. 

Time sharing is an individual decision, you have to figure out what you like and then try and get something closely matching your desires.

Rci points is more expensive than II, but I feel is worth the price because I seem to get more exchanges to my liking through RCI. II seems like more work for me, because I'm constraint by the school schedule and my timeshares are not Marriott or Vistanas,  but,  others like it just fine.

Lastly I'll add that it rarely makes financial sense to pay to convert to RCI points. Better to buy a RESALE  timeshare already converted to RCI points.


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## tschwa2 (Sep 10, 2016)

For the OP, for those that use RCI weeks, does the resort let you reserve the week you deposit or do they pick the float week and you get whatever week they happen to assign which may be higher or lower tpu's.  I would imagine it would be a similar procedure in II, they either assign a week or let you pick and deposit.


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## 2rebecca (Sep 11, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> For the OP, for those that use RCI weeks, does the resort let you reserve the week you deposit or do they pick the float week and you get whatever week they happen to assign which may be higher or lower tpu's.  I would imagine it would be a similar procedure in II, they either assign a week or let you pick and deposit.



I'm not sure how it works with RCI, but I suspect the resort picks the week.  Years ago when I first bought at Tahiti the owners picked which week to reserve and deposit with II, but over the past few years they stopped doing that.  Now the resort picks the week and deposits to II.  

And, yes, my email is a hotmail account, so I guess the timing of all the spam email was just coincidental to my posting on this forum.


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## MuranoJo (Sep 12, 2016)

This is based on my own experience with RCI, as well as what I've read here over the years.  It's really a mixed bag.   IMO, with floating weeks, it never hurts to nicely ask your resort for a preferred time frame to deposit.


Some honor the week owned = week deposited.  
Some don't honor the week owned = week deposited.  (Some contracts don't guarantee the deposit of your exact week, should you decide to exchange.)
Some with floating weeks will honor the season owned = season deposited.
Some with floating weeks will let you select the week to deposit = week deposited.
Some with floating weeks will randomly assign the week deposited, regardless of your season or preference.


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## 2rebecca (Sep 12, 2016)

BJRSanDiego said:


> I own weeks at another Soleil resort.  I called RCI and from what I was told, it appears that I could join with my weeks.  That would be without paying the $2-5K conversion fee.  I encourage you to call them and see if this could be done for your TS too.
> 
> So, if this might still make sense, then you have to ask how much is the flexibility of points worth?  Do you stay in a timeshare for a week or something other than a week?  There are some hidden costs with points including reservation fees and housekeeping fees.  Also, about 1/3 of the RCI resorts are points.  So that would mean that if you wanted to exchange a property that was not converted to points, that it would be just like weeks - - 7 days - - period.  If you reserve for only a few days, you pay a housekeeping fee.  If you reserve for say 9 days, you are likely to have two exchange fees.
> 
> ...



It appears that you are correct.  When I emailed them for more info, the 100k points became 67k.  (Amazing how things change when you want it in writing.)  Based on the RCI points grid that would give me enough points to book a 2 bedroom @ Tahiti (what I already own) for 8 out of 52 weeks!  WHAT??  And, I get all that by paying an additional $3488!  WHAT??  Let me see....I give them more $ and they take away 85% of what I already own.  Yeah, I don't think so! I can take some sweet vacations for $3488 just using II's getaways or some of the travel sites.  Or, better yet I'll just save it to cover the next 5 years of maintenance fees.

If I get fed up with II, I might take your advice and look into joining RCI's weeks program, but for now I'll pass.  Although I have gotten frustrated with II in the past, I've been able to get some nice trades.

BTW, Does anyone know what Somerpointe really does at Tahiti?  I still login and pay maintenance fees through the Soleil Management website.  Tahiti was completely built out well over 10 years ago.  If the "developer" isn't managing or developing a property, why are they involved??


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## tschwa2 (Sep 12, 2016)

You might want to check periodically with both II and RCI to see if they have any 2 or 3 for 1 membership specials.  Typically when a resort becomes dual affiliated they are a little more likely to fight over you by offering you specials.  If you can get a 3 years for $89 (3 for 1) you might want to set up an RCI membership even if you don't deposit just to take a look at the extra vacation and last call rentals.


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## 2rebecca (Sep 12, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> You might want to check periodically with both II and RCI to see if they have any 2 or 3 for 1 membership specials.  Typically when a resort becomes dual affiliated they are a little more likely to fight over you by offering you specials.  If you can get a 3 years for $89 (3 for 1) you might want to set up an RCI membership even if you don't deposit just to take a look at the extra vacation and last call rentals.


Good to know.  I'll keep that in mind before I renew w/ II.  

When you have RCI points is the pool of available resorts you can exchange into limited to the other RCI Points resorts, or can you exchange into the others if you stay an entire week?  One of the reasons I was entertaining the idea is I'd like to trade for Bent Creek in Gatlinburg, TN, but it isn't a points resort.    

What if I were to join w/ my week instead of points (assuming they would let me)?  Would I be limited to the week resorts, or could I exchange for resorts that are points based?


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## tschwa2 (Sep 12, 2016)

RCI points members have access to both weeks and points inventory.  Weeks members only have access to weeks inventory.   

Developers like DVC, Hilton, Wyndham, etc make deposits into both Weeks and Points inventory.  When DVC deposits into points inventory it is still for the full week only most of the time.  The exchange fee into points inventory is slightly lower than  when confirming into weeks inventory.  

A points resort just means that there is at least one owner who has converted to points.  It doesn't mean that every deposit will be in points.  For older resorts, there are usually far more weeks owners who do not convert, then points deposits.  Brand new resorts that were sold as points only may have very limited or no weeks inventory.  There are very few resorts that fall into that category.  Many of the newer resorts fall under the category where they have there own points program like the developers above and the developer makes the call as to how the inventory is deposited.  

The NY Hiltons and a The Crane in Barbados come to mind as places that are more likely to have points inventory and weeks inventory is few and far between.  In general there are probably at least 3 times as many weeks owners vs rci points owners.


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## JudyS (Sep 12, 2016)

2rebecca said:


> I own a 2 bedroom week at Tahiti in Las Vegas.  They've been calling me for several years trying to get me to switch from II to RCI, but it all just sounds a little sketchy.  Has anyone done this?  How did it work out?  Is it easier/harder than exchanging through II?  ...


Isn't the resort going to charge you a huge fee to "convert" your week to RCI Points? If so, DON'T DO IT! The resort is, in effect, asking you to buy your week all over again. Then in a few years, they'll probably have some "new, improved" points system that they'll want another huge fee for. Resorts do this all the time. (Example: Sheraton FlexOptions.) 




Marathoner said:


> Does anyone else feel the II's website is so much better than RCI's to such a degree that RCI is unuseable?...


Pretty much, yes. RCI's website is horrible. And, it used to be far worse. Ah, the bad ol' days when first you had to search in RCI Weeks, then search a second time in "the points side of RCI Points" and then search a third time in "the weeks side of RCI Points." Anyone remember having to do that?

I use both RCI and II, though, because their inventory is so different.


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## theo (Sep 14, 2016)

Marathoner said:


> Does anyone else feel the II's website is so much better than RCI's to such a degree that RCI is unuseable?
> 
> I really can't get used the RCI website because it feels so clunky and non-user friendly...



The grade school children in Carmel, Indiana who have apparently created and  worked on the RCI web site for some years now as part of the school system's "Introduction to Computers and Web Sites" class might be hurt by this (generally accurate) assessment.


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## tschwa2 (Sep 14, 2016)

I use multi exchange companies.  I probably prefer RCI for the depth of exchange inventory in the places I like to travel.  I also like that you can have favorite searches saved (and sometimes it actually works) and can filter out things you don't want (like mandatory AI's or certain locations).

II annoys me that they have improved searching for Getaways and will send you texts when there is new inventory in a certain location but they haven't offered the same improvements with exchanges.  I can't save favorite searches.  Using a certificate requires jumping through ridiculous hoops to search all inventory (must search at least 3 but no more than 6 location/month combo's).  Why not just show all available inventory locations and let me click on the areas of interest without starting the process over and over again.   Why not let me filter out mandatory AI's if I don't care to see them.  

SFX doesn't have a lot of online inventory but if I could just filter out the AI inventory and see everything else I could actually take a look and scan through the options in less than 2 minutes instead of the looking at 5 AI's for every 1 non.  I would also be happy just to filter out Mexico and see everything except Mexico.  Instead the last time I actually had a deposit, I either had to look at everything or click on each area of the US, many of which had no deposits.  The same with the rest of the world.  

DAE lets me look at all of the US for the whole year and it is easy to scroll to the months and so little inventory to check it can be done very quickly.


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## 2rebecca (Sep 15, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> RCI points members have access to both weeks and points inventory.  Weeks members only have access to weeks inventory.
> 
> A points resort just means that there is at least one owner who has converted to points.  It doesn't mean that every deposit will be in points.  For older resorts, there are usually far more weeks owners who do not convert, then points deposits.



Thank you for the explanation.  I think I'll do as someone suggested and see if I can join RCI's week program.  That would give me the flexibility of using RCI or II depending on where I want to go.  Right?

Also, do you have any idea how frequently a 2-bedroom at Bent Creek becomes available for exchange?  It is listed as an II resort, but in the 13+ years I've been exchanging I've never seen anything available.  I suppose it could get taken in the requests, since I'm only looking at the "left overs" after the requests have been filled, but when I called II it sounded like they rarely get deposits from there. (They don't actually say that, but they highly  encourage adding other resorts to my request. With the exception of Westgate Smoky Mountian Resort, the other resorts in Gatlinburg don't look nearly as nice.)


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## 2rebecca (Sep 15, 2016)

JudyS said:


> Isn't the resort going to charge you a huge fee to "convert" your week to RCI Points? If so, DON'T DO IT! The resort is, in effect, asking you to buy your week all over again. Then in a few years, they'll probably have some "new, improved" points system that they'll want another huge fee for. Resorts do this all the time. (Example: Sheraton FlexOptions.)



Yes, that minor fee that would "pay for itself in benefits" turned out to be over $3400!  No thanks!  I have much better things to spend $3400 on besides repurchasing a timeshare I already own!?  LOL!


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## 2rebecca (Sep 15, 2016)

TSCHWA2, I noticed you're listing Sandals Ochi as one of your resorts.  Is that Sandals in Ocho Rios?  Are they a timeshare now?  If so, I stayed there twice 10 years ago, but didn't think they had timeshares.


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## hjtug (Sep 15, 2016)

tschwa2 said:


> I can't save favorite searches.



I can do this on II.  Not to say that it is a well-designed system for saving searches.


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## Theousaf (Sep 15, 2016)

*Before switching, you might want to read this....*

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/rci.html


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## 2rebecca (Sep 15, 2016)

Theousaf said:


> https://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/rci.html



Maybe I'm confused, but isn't RCI just a timeshare EXCHANGE company?  It looks like most of the complaints are from folks saying they bought a timeshare through RCI. Are the folks writing the reviews confused or am I?  (Not saying that their reviews should be ignored, I'm glad you shared them; Now I'm just questioning whether RCI is what I thought it was.  KWIM?)  Are they not similar to II?  Either way I'm not switching to the RCI points system, but I was entertaining the idea of joining their weeks program if they would allow it.

For the record, my parents had a bad experience with RCI when they first purchased their timeshare.  However, looking back I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that RCI and the developer were doing automatic deposits.  This hurt them because they wanted to stay at their home resort and couldn't book what they owned because RCI exhanged it with others.  They own a week in a cabin and there are only 4 cabins at the resort--not many to go around.  Anyway, I think a lot of the issue had to do with their inexperience with the system and the fact that they didn't need to join RCI  at all since they didn't want to exchange.


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## sue1947 (Sep 15, 2016)

2rebecca said:


> Maybe I'm confused, but isn't RCI just a timeshare EXCHANGE company?  It looks like most of the complaints are from folks saying they bought a timeshare through RCI. Are the folks writing the reviews confused or am I?  (Not saying that their reviews should be ignored, I'm glad you shared them; Now I'm just questioning whether RCI is what I thought it was.  KWIM?)  Are they not similar to II?  Either way I'm not switching to the RCI points system, but I was entertaining the idea of joining their weeks program if they would allow it.
> 
> For the record, my parents had a bad experience with RCI when they first purchased their timeshare.  However, looking back I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that RCI and the developer were doing automatic deposits.  This hurt them because they wanted to stay at their home resort and couldn't book what they owned because RCI exhanged it with others.  They own a week in a cabin and there are only 4 cabins at the resort--not many to go around.  Anyway, I think a lot of the issue had to do with their inexperience with the system and the fact that they didn't need to join RCI  at all since they didn't want to exchange.



You are correct on everything.  Those reviews are by people who don't know what they own or how to use it.  
RCI is just like II with different resorts and different rules to learn.  I have both RCI and II and mostly use II.  I have RCI because there were some resorts with RCI I wanted and RCI gave me a deal to join.  The decision about which exchange company to join boils down to who has the resorts you want. 

Sue


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## rmapes (Sep 17, 2016)

Marathoner said:


> Does anyone else feel the II's website is so much better than RCI's to such a degree that RCI is unuseable?
> 
> I really can't get used the RCI website because it feels so clunky and non-user friendly...



Yes, I find that the II website is much better than RCI not only for booking a vacation but looking at history of your exchanges.


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## overthehill (Sep 17, 2016)

*We have used both RCI and II for years for exchanging*

We own WorldMark (considered a 'weeks' owner) and have no RCI points. We belong to both exchange companies so we can use access resorts the other one doesn't have, search for units at a resort both of them have in their network in hopes of landing a reservation quicker and use last minute bookings through both, each with different booking windows. II exchange fees are less than RCI as RCI keeps on boosting their fees more often and , as another poster said, II has a better on-line record of our exchange history. Our RCI history is missing over 10 exchanges done since 1998 whereas II history appears correct.
Recently I found that t/s resorts that I used to pull up on RCI are no longer accessible. I wonder if Wyndham/WorldMark is limiting access in hopes that I will buy additional WM credits directly from them to gain access to other resorts. Good luck! Why pay their developer price (over $3) when I can buy them on ebay for 30 to 35 cents per?
Selecting an exchange company is a matter of choice as there are others beside II and RCI, each with their own membership requirement and or fee arrangement. We have only used RCI and II so cannot comment about other companies.


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## kim007foo (Sep 17, 2016)

Hello
We are Worldmark by Wyndham owners and frequently use both RCI and ii.  You asked about which is better.  Today I booked two vacations, one on each.

In our opinion, RCI provides a similar selection but its top resorts tend to be different than ii.  Today we booked Four Seasons in SoCal (RCI) and also Hilton Grand Vacations in Las Vegas (ii).  The online transaction fees were similar, $169 and $179.  

It boils down to this:  one is a chinese restraurant and the other is Black Angus.  Similar in having large selections of foods everyone wants but different choices.  

As far as 5 star resorts, the RCI offers Four Seasons and Disney Orlando from time to time but not often.   ii offers Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt.  Again not often. Both resorts offer no name resorts with excellent reviews.  

We hope this helps in discriminating between the two brands.


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## karibkeith (Sep 17, 2016)

*So much in this thread for comments*

Wow! This is the thread I have ever seen on TUG.  There is a lot to comment upon.
I have memberships in RCI Weeks, RCI Points and II but so far I have only exchange with RCI and II Week for Week exchanges. Years ago when we owned a RTU property, we were forced into listening to the annual pitch on converting to RCI Points. We never did. We would have to pay a huge sum to convert. We would then have to give 13 months notice to use our own property or else it becomes an automatic deposit versus automatic use for RCI Weeks.  One so-called advantage was getting days rather than whole weeks and then to find out that some resorts have a minimum stay requirement.  Also points could be used for rental cars and airplanes but I cannot find the link on the RCI Points site although I have not looked that hard. Another advantage is access to both RCI Weeks and RCI Points resorts in the RCI Points system whereas the RCI Weeks system is RCI Weeks resort only. We acquired a bargain RCI Points resort so we could deposit a RCI Weeks timeshare and then try out the RCI Points system which we have not yet done. We have never used any of the smaller exchange companies. One of the more compelling reasons to maintain a membership is the ability to deposit up to a few weeks before the start date of an owned week.  To me, this is a valuable insurance policy. 
I am amazed at comments on TUG and elsewhere that imply that RCI is a developer or an operator of resorts or seller of timeshare.  RCI is an exchange company although it is owned by Wyndham which also owns three timeshare networks (latest being Shell acquired a year or so ago).
I am also surprised that no-one in this thread has commented on the Trading Value Points (TVPs) that RCI introduced into their Weeks system. Having failed miserably to convert all RCI Weeks users into the RCI Points system, RCI introduced TVPs. For years, RCI and II have talked about early deposits to increase trading value without defining values.  Also, Week for week exchanged for years were inequitable.  People bought dog properties to exchange into first class properties and people with good properties found the exchanged into a property of far less value. I think that II is still Weeks for Weeks although they may have some points that I do not understand. I am not that familiar with II except that a membership is provided if you own with Diamond and you can escape losing unused Diamond points by depositing them with II before expiry and then have an extended period to use the II deposit. I am very familiar with TVPs: at last trading value is defined and values assigned.  They can be grouped or can be used for multiple exchanges with fees applying. In my view this is a huge improvement over the RCI Weeks for Weeks systems. Depositing a RCI Weeks week into the RCI Points system is possible only as long as the RCI Weeks resorts stays in that category and does not change to RCI Points.
Although it is an absolute pain, to go from RCI Weeks to RCI Points, I have yet to figure out whether I get a better bargain using TPVs or RCI Points but I am continuing the research. A particularly good week we own fetches about two and a half weeks in Florida in February. Now we can deposit it into RCI Points and get points to be used for the same exchange. When trying for this exchange in the future, I will investigate which is the best route to go.  Extending by a few days, may give the advantage to RCI Points. Also, I will be comparing exchange fees. I notice that there are time periods for advantageous booking with the RCI Points system for booking into the home resort, home chain, others, etc.
I have yet to find out if the points required for any resort goes up while the points assigned for the owned property stay stagnant or decline.
By the way, RCI screwed me out of a bargain for paying for multi-years in the RCI Weeks system.  They forced me into the more expensive RCI Points membership at full cost while refunding my unused discounted RCI Weeks fees.
I have not used the II website that often but do not like having to go to a geographical location first. (in some cases, guessing which location is the one to hit).  The RCI website is a real pig but getting better. I hate getting their e-mails and clicking on a link, then having to sign in and hunt for the information the link promised. Also, not being able to search on a period of time rather than a specific time frame is just plain annoying.  Plus the “Available Units” link often does not work. I use the right click and open in a new tab on many websites to avoid having to go back to the key page but guess what, it does not work in RCI for the Available Units link. Does anyone from RCI read these posts?
It appears that more and more resorts are affiliating with both RCI and II.  The RTU timeshare we formally owned started with II, then went to RCI Weeks, then went to RCI Points and now I see from the e-mails they still send me that they are affiliating again with II.  Shell, which a friend owns, went from RCI to II before being acquired by Wyndham.  I told my friend to watch out for being switched back to RCI owned by Wyndham.
 I was interested in the comments on depositing a floating week, I do not own one but I always thought you had to firm up a week before depositing.


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## TimeShareTalk (Sep 18, 2016)

I have RCIi weeks, points and II. I did an experiment to book something in Aruba before the end of the year. RCI points? Not much. RCI weeks? A few more. II? Twice the inventory available. Its been my experience that II has better resorts and more availability.

Another issue: my week is worth 14 points but I wanted a week worth 25 points. Out of luck with RCI. With II, week for a week, I got that resort.

My opinion, get a week with each company. High trade resorts may be better with RCI. Lower trade power maybe better with II


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## WinniWoman (Sep 19, 2016)

All I can say is I am glad I don't have to deal with any of this anymore as we love to go to our home resorts every year.

Use the independents occasionally to exchange - week for week-blind trades- and rent also to go elsewhere. No RCI or II memberships.Obsessing and spending time on how to trade and paying high exchange fees or any of that.

Simplicity.


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## gerena (Sep 19, 2016)

Marathoner said:


> Does anyone else feel the II's website is so much better than RCI's to such a degree that RCI is unuseable?
> 
> I really can't get used the RCI website because it feels so clunky and non-user friendly...



I much prefer RCI to II.  For ex.  On all inclusive weeks, it is very easy to find the charges on RCI, but I still have difficulty on II.  RCI lets one search for more opportunities than II.  Putting in a search is easier on RCI, also.  Sometimes, I wish I didn't have II, but they have different choices at times.  The reviews seem more complete on RCI.  When I open up RCI,I can immediately access my page; on II I have to go through the hoops to find get away or exchange.R

RCI calls you if they find a match on a search.  II automatically books it.  I would rather be called unless I have called RCI and told them to auto book it.  You have no choice with II.

Since our original ILX unit was purchased by Diamond, we have less exchange power also, so have to deal with II on this and they transfer me to Diamond.  A pain.


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## Perrygirl (Sep 19, 2016)

*II vs RCi*

There are advantages to both. Like someone else said it depends on where you want to go. I like the II resorts in Palm Desert and we live in Southern Cal. But if someone has points with RCI it is so much more flexible with weekends et. 
II has short stays but there are very few Resorts that work with the short stay.

I hope this helps.


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