# rci guest pass



## FlyKaesan (Apr 10, 2007)

I have just read about RCI guest pass.
Do you think owner gets different filtering compared to Guest Pass holder?

Is there anyone interested becoming guest or RCI owner who wants to share account?


----------



## jstapleton (Apr 11, 2007)

Can you or someone PLEASE tell me what this RCI Guest Pass thing is???  
Unfortunatley, I do not have a clue and also an RCI member  
I keep reading about it on here (along with something that is an AC???  ) and don't have any clue what either mean, although I know, well think I know, they are not the same thing  
Thanks so much!


----------



## philemer (Apr 11, 2007)

FlyKaesan said:


> I have just read about RCI guest pass.
> Do you think owner gets different filtering compared to Guest Pass holder?
> 
> Is there anyone interested becoming guest or RCI owner who wants to share account?



I thought you posted that you recently purchased a $60,000 timeshare? Can't you join RCI now?
http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44321


----------



## FlyKaesan (Apr 11, 2007)

I have joined II for 2 years.

5 years - RCI wanted $350 compared to $150 if I join with Guest Pass.  What would you pay?

RCI Guest Pass info is in the Sticky's.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Apr 11, 2007)

*Accommodation Certificate Must Be Some Kind Of I-I Thing.*




jstapleton said:


> Can you or someone PLEASE tell me what this RCI Guest Pass thing is???
> Unfortunatley, I do not have a clue and also an RCI member
> I keep reading about it on here (along with something that is an AC???  ) and don't have any clue what either mean, although I know, well think I know, they are not the same thing
> Thanks so much!


At least I think AC is strictly I-I -- some kind of fringe benefit I-I members get for depositing a Cadillac timeshare week while getting an exchange into a Chevrolet timeshare, or some such -- not that there's anything wrong with that.  It's just that The Chief Of Staff & I are strictly RCI, so we don't know from I-I & likewise we don't know from AC -- not that there's anything wrong with that either. 

Now, an RCI Guest Certificate by contrast is what it takes for somebody who's not you to use an RCI timeshare reservation that you have obtained via your own RCI account or your own RCI Points account.  _Mox nix_ whether it's a week-for-week exchange, points exchange, _Instant Exchange_, _Last Call_, or Extra Vacation -- if you make the reservation on your account but somebody else actually checks in using your reservation, the person checking in has to have an RCI Guest Certificate.  And naturally RCI collects a little something from you -- $59 or so, not sure because we never paid for 1 -- for issuing the RCI Guest Certificate.  So it goes. 

There is a way to get RCI Guest Certificates free.  On our RCI Points membership application, there was a space for listing up to 5 people as official _Additional Users_ on our RCI Points account, so we wrote in our 2 sons, our nephew, my brother, & The Chief Of Staff's sister.  We can get RCI Guest Certificates for our official _Additional Users_ at no charge.  So far we've done that twice -- once for our nephew & once for my brother, _Instant Exchange_ reservations both times, completely on the up & up. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## JT62 (Apr 12, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> There is a way to get RCI Guest Certificates free.  On our RCI Points membership application, there was a space for listing up to 5 people as official _Additional Users_ on our RCI Points account, so we wrote in our 2 sons, our nephew, my brother, & The Chief Of Staff's sister.  We can get RCI Guest Certificates for our official _Additional Users_ at no charge.  So far we've done that twice -- once for our nephew & once for my brother, _Instant Exchange_ reservations both times, completely on the up & up.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



Am I still able to add people on my account, or is it too late?

JT


----------



## AwayWeGo (Apr 12, 2007)

*Can't Hurt To Ask.*




JT62 said:


> Am I still able to add people on my account, or is it too late?


Don't know -- that is above my pay grade.  But I'm sure if you call up RCI Points, somebody answering the phone will know or will be able to find out. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## scooooter (Apr 12, 2007)

We get guest certificates quite frequently from RCI and recently we were informed from RCI that we are responsible for any kind of damage done to a room that is done by anyone on a guest certificate because they are going there on "our account" and it would be "our responsibility".

Now, obviously if family is going, no problem, but last November, we did it for several people who were a "friend of a friend".  We had no idea we had that kind of liability.  I've since stopped the practice of getting guest certificates for people that we don't know. Just thought I'd share this in case someone else did not know this.

Rhonda


----------



## barndweller (Apr 12, 2007)

FlyKaesan said:


> I have joined II for 2 years.
> 
> 5 years - RCI wanted $350 compared to $150 if I join with Guest Pass.  What would you pay?
> 
> RCI Guest Pass info is in the Sticky's.



You can join RCI for 1 year for $89. Then you can access the Last Call & Extra Vacations. During that year you can see if you think it is worth belonging to RCI for those perks. You don't have to deposit your timeshare, you just have to own one that is affiliated with them. 

I joined to use the Last Call & Extra Vacations but have never used RCI for exchanging. I've also never found anything I wanted in LC or EV so I'm not going to renew my membership.

I don't think you will find anyone here who would put a stranger on their account.


----------



## bluehende (Apr 12, 2007)

barndweller said:


> You can join RCI for 1 year for $89. Then you can access the Last Call & Extra Vacations. During that year you can see if you think it is worth belonging to RCI for those perks. You don't have to deposit your timeshare, you just have to own one that is affiliated with them.
> 
> I joined to use the Last Call & Extra Vacations but have never used RCI for exchanging. I've also never found anything I wanted in LC or EV so I'm not going to renew my membership.
> 
> I don't think you will find anyone here who would put a stranger on their account.



I have been thinking of joining RCI  just for the last calls.  I would love anybody else's comments on the utility of last call.  I will be retiring (I hope)  in 2 weeks and therefore would be very flexible on time.   I am also not hard to please so any resort in an area I want to go would do.   So, for some very specific questions.

1.   Is there anything available right now for the east coast in the next 45 days?

2.  If anybody knows, was there any New England ski weeks available this year  2007?

3.  What is the normal availability in sep to oct for last call?

Thanks
Wayne


----------



## barndweller (Apr 12, 2007)

Right now there are 43 listings for April for inland New England, nothing coastal. There seems to be plenty in Florida. There are some for Bahamas, Puerto Vallarta, Canada, Texas, Colorado & Spain.

I live in California. I have NEVER seen anything within 600 miles of my home. And nothing EVER in Hawaii or Baja Calif. So LC has been worthless for me. Extra Vacations is a joke. Anything in the west costs twice as much as I can rent direct from an owner easily. Since you are in the east, it may be of more value to you, especially if you want to go to Florida in the summer or Michigan in the winter 

Some of the rentals on the independent sights like TPI & HTSE are a better deal for me.


----------



## FlyKaesan (Apr 12, 2007)

Ok.  So you are telling me if I rent a timeshare or rent illegally through Last calls/Ext Vac, I can steal everything inside the condo and I won't be charged a thing?  Only the owner will be responsible?
I am sure I can rent a Marriott timeshare and steal everything and sell it for a profit.

Can you let me know who this Honest RCI rep was?  I am planning to go on a Last Call rental in few weeks and I want to try it and see what the RCI rep said was true.   Or maybe not.



scooooter said:


> We get guest certificates quite frequently from RCI and recently we were informed from RCI that we are responsible for any kind of damage done to a room that is done by anyone on a guest certificate because they are going there on "our account" and it would be "our responsibility".
> 
> Now, obviously if family is going, no problem, but last November, we did it for several people who were a "friend of a friend".  We had no idea we had that kind of liability.  I've since stopped the practice of getting guest certificates for people that we don't know. Just thought I'd share this in case someone else did not know this.
> 
> Rhonda


----------



## geekette (Apr 12, 2007)

I have seen Hawaii on Last Call, but not frequently, and it doesn't last long.


----------



## Bill4728 (Apr 12, 2007)

FlyKaesan said:


> Ok.  So you are telling me if I rent a timeshare or rent illegally through Last calls/Ext Vac, I can steal everything inside the condo and I won't be charged a thing?  Only the owner will be responsible?



No one is saying anything like that. The person checking in would have to give a cc on checkin as a damage deposit ect. But what if this person was a total crook? 

RCI guest passes are designed for people who allow their close friends and family to use their TS and RCI accounts for exchanges, last call ect. I know of no one who would buy a guest pass for a unknown person. The liability to the owner would be small but there would be some liability if the renter turned out to be a total fraud. There are some people who find it uncomfortable to let the kids use their TS when the kids bring along friends. Because the owner would not only have to trust their kid but also all his friends.


----------



## scooooter (Apr 12, 2007)

Yeah, I honestly do not know the limitations of your liability as the RCI member. I didn't ask any further questions because it was enough for me to hear to know that I only plan on doing it for very close family & friends.  I didn't see any harm in doing it last November when we had 34 people coming to OLCC with us and some of them had a couple of friends who wanted to go. I was able to get a few 2 bedrooms for $499 for the week. It never occurred to me that if something happened with these people, I may be liable.  So, now I know and I will definitely be selective.


----------



## barndweller (Apr 13, 2007)

> You would not have online access for security reasons.



This is an additional bit of info about the Guest Pass Program at RCI that Madge posted. I hadn't noticed this before. My guest pass members not being able to view availability online makes this program a lot less appealing to me. I'm sure my friends or family would ask me to look on-line for availability before they would actually just call to check. In that case the program wouldn't really be of much use to me & certainly wouldn't be worth the cost. How much is a guest certificate at RCI? Does anyone feel this program saves them any money? Do your guest members use the system without involving you? What is the point of spending the approx. $30 a year to list your guests? I guess maybe I just don't use guest passes very often.

Of course this program would be very valuable to people who rent a lot of Last Calls & then get guest certs. at this big discount. But then, that's against the rules so of course no one does that. And RCI is vigilant in keeping people from doing that.


----------



## eduam99 (Apr 13, 2007)

I just bought a guest pass this morning...my in-laws have owned a FL TS with RCI for 25ish years but health issues have meant they have deposited their 2 weeks for the past 3 years.  My BIL just exchanged one week, and we are exchanging another in June.  

I definitely would like to take advantage of the Extra Vacations and Last Calls, and I anticipate we might be using an exchange week here and there.  For me, the guest pass will pay for itself before the 5 years is up for sure.  

I double-checked with the RCI rep, and even though you get separate mailings etc..., the guest pass holder can only do online transactions through the TS owner's account.  This is no problem in my case, since they needed our help to set up the online account anyway, but I would be hesitant otherwise.  As I understand it, I can now make bookings by phone without having to go via my in-laws though, so you wouldn't need to make those phone calls on behalf of the guest pass holder.

Another drag is that the owner's membership has to be paid through the time frame you are vacation planning, so while I might be looking ahead at summer 2008, I can't get that far because RCI dues have only been paid through 2007.

Personally, it's a low-commitment way for me to get to know TSing inside out before taking the plunge...


----------



## Mel (Apr 14, 2007)

barndweller said:


> This is an additional bit of info about the Guest Pass Program at RCI that Madge posted. I hadn't noticed this before. My guest pass members not being able to view availability online makes this program a lot less appealing to me. I'm sure my friends or family would ask me to look on-line for availability before they would actually just call to check. In that case the program wouldn't really be of much use to me & certainly wouldn't be worth the cost. How much is a guest certificate at RCI? Does anyone feel this program saves them any money? Do your guest members use the system without involving you? What is the point of spending the approx. $30 a year to list your guests? I guess maybe I just don't use guest passes very often.


IF you have friends or family who you send on vacation on a regular basis, it would be worth it.  Guest Certificates are I think $59, so $30 per year is one exchange every other year.  Since we sent my inlaws on 2 Last Calls last year, it probably would have been worth it.  It would be nice if they could search online too, but not a deal-killer.  This is meant for those who send a particular friend regularly


> Of course this program would be very valuable to people who rent a lot of Last Calls & then get guest certs. at this big discount. But then, that's against the rules so of course no one does that. And RCI is vigilant in keeping people from doing that.


No it would not, and that is why RCI designed it this way.  They used to offer free guest certificates for Escapes booked online, but they probably did have people abusing the system.  So instead, they are offering a benefit to those who share with the same friends regularly - and maybe to placate those who would otherwise like to add family members to their account, but can't.  Probably for the majority of RCI member, online booking is still only a novelty, so having to call is no big deal.  They just want to save the money from all those guest certificates.  On RCI's part, it may save them some money as well since they no longer have to process the guest certificates.

Bill - are you sure you know of noone who would buy a guest certificate for an unknown person?  There are plenty here on TUG who have complained about not being allowed to rent exchanges - some of those same people HAVE bought guest cretificates for unknowns.


----------



## SBK (Apr 14, 2007)

The person that you buy the Guest Pass for can have access to on-line searching and booking.  All you have to do is trust them enough to give them your password.


----------



## FlyKaesan (Apr 15, 2007)

SBK, you are from Alexandria!  I work there!

Anyways, can you teach me about TS and RCI.  I think I am getting exhausted of reading and trying to learn how to use it well.


----------



## chefmom (Apr 15, 2007)

Mel said:


> They just want to save the money from all those guest certificates.  On RCI's part, it may save them some money as well since they no longer have to process the guest certificates.



I have a guest pass under my sister's account. I just booked an extra vacation. They still process the guest certificates because I will still need one to register when I get to the resort. It just didn't cost me the $59.00.:whoopie:


----------

