# RCI offering to merge 2 separate accounts



## VanX (Apr 30, 2019)

Hi,

We have 2 separate RCI accounts for 2 timeshares and RCI has always said we could not combine them, when I asked previously.  Now they are offering to combine them but are adamant that one specific one has to be collapsed.  

In my opinion the one they want to collapse is the more valuable of the two since we can use up to 250,000 RCI points on “Points partners travel”.   The other RCI Membership is limited to 60,000 points for Points partners travel.

The point value when used as cash is about $0.007 but we’ve done it a couple times now to fully pay for a hotel we wanted and it simply cost us $25 for 4 nights and a bunch of points.

Wondering if the annual savings of reducing to one RCI membership at the lower Points Partner program of 60K is worth giving up the more valuable Points partner program at 250K?

Appreciate any insights folks might have or opinions on RCI willingness / cold call offer to reduce our memberships.

@TUGBrian  - hoping you might have some experience with the older RCI accounts benefits /options (higher points % permitted for partners program) vs the newer ones?   

Thanks in advance.


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## breezez (May 1, 2019)

VanX said:


> Hi,
> 
> We have 2 separate RCI accounts for 2 timeshares and RCI has always said we could not combine them, when I asked previously.  Now they are offering to combine them but are adamant that one specific one has to be collapsed.
> 
> ...



Not sure I quite understand your question.    But say you have 2 RCI Points account one with 250,000 RCI Points and one with 60,000 RCI Points.    If you move the 250K account into the 60K account you would then have 310K points I am assuming per year...    I would think then you would be allowed half this amount as RCI Plus partners if you are platinum.  

If combining I would make sure I get credit for any annual fees you have already paid on the dissolving account and upgrade credits like platinum.

Personally RCI is a bit wishy washy I would want email confirmation or form stating what would result out of a combine.   I would never do it over the phone and trust I would get the result I was expecting.    Another thing to consider would be just sell off the 60K account or give away and keep the larger account.


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## VanX (May 1, 2019)

breezez said:


> Not sure I quite understand your question.    But say you have 2 RCI Points account one with 250,000 RCI Points and one with 60,000 RCI Points.    If you move the 250K account into the 60K account you would then have 310K points I am assuming per year...    I would think then you would be allowed half this amount as RCI Plus partners if you are platinum.
> 
> If combining I would make sure I get credit for any annual fees you have already paid on the dissolving account and upgrade credits like platinum.
> 
> Personally RCI is a bit wishy washy I would want email confirmation or form stating what would result out of a combine.   I would never do it over the phone and trust I would get the result I was expecting.    Another thing to consider would be just sell off the 60K account or give away and keep the larger account.



Thanks for your reply and I do apologize for being unclear.    Further clarification below: 
With our 2 separate resort memberships each has its own RCI account, as previously required by RCI. 

The first has annual points assigned at 200K each January and 62.5% of points can be used with external points partners like car rentals, any hotel, cruises etc.   The 2nd has points assigned at 240K each January but is limited to 25% of points being used for the external points partner program.  

They would like me to merge accounts so we still get 440K points per year but collapse the first account and be limited to 25% of points being usable in the external points partner program.   In effect diluting our ability to spend points outside of RCI resort bookings.  

Our 2 resort memberships are really awesome and are RTU in Mexico with discounted nights as the main value at resorts that we do visit at least twice a year and can also send friends using bonus weeks, referrals, and earning free nights & weeks.  So we won’t plan to sell the resort memberships themselves and can find ways to use up the 440K RCI points each year, especially if we can spend points on rental cars, other hotels,  or even cruises. 

Only savings if we did collapse one account would be reduced annual RCI costs down to one account but I’m wondering if we stand to lose more features than the 62.5% external points program with this older RCI account.

Thanks for the excellent advice about getting credit for RCI annual membership payments in both and having all in writing for their proposal to collapse the one account.    I’ve asked them to leave us with the better of the two RCI accounts but they won’t budge.  

Not sure if one of the two RCI accounts has any other superior features too so that is where I hope that others with awareness may have some additional insights.  

I am however very tempted to jut keep both RCI accounts and pay the extra annual fee to enjoy the added external points partner program.    No rush right now for me to change what we have.   

Cheers !


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## breezez (May 1, 2019)

VanX said:


> Thanks for your reply and I do apologize for being unclear.    Further clarification below:
> With our 2 separate resort memberships each has its own RCI account, as previously required by RCI.
> 
> The first has annual points assigned at 200K each January and 62.5% of points can be used with external points partners like car rentals, any hotel, cruises etc.   The 2nd has points assigned at 240K each January but is limited to 25% of points being used for the external points partner program.
> ...


Thanks for the clarification.    The first account with 62.5% of your points able to be used for Plus Partners is a good deal, and must be something that was special with the ownership you have that account connected to.....    Since it is a special arrangement this is probably why they are not willing to let you move the other one to this account, and will only allow you to dissolve this one to the other account.   Not sure what you are paying MF per point.   Typically 1 cent or less is okay, and 0.008 per point our less is awesome.     I have never used them for hotels, and understand I can, but I have enough free nights that I have not had to take this route.  I have used may points for rental cars.   And find I can typically get around .008 to 1 cent value used this way.   So while this is not a great perk it is definitely a way to burn up extra points you might have.    I have mixed feelings about using them for Cruises the value you get for them is pretty low..   The one thing I don't like about all the plus partner programs is they are all final..   If your plans change or something comes up last minute and you can't make it, you are just SOL....     

The account you have that you can only use 25% for plus partners can be increase to 50% by paying to be platinum.   But you would have to decide if the additional premium you would pay makes sense to benefits you would be getting.   If you moved both to this account and paid to be platinum you would be able to use 50% of your annual allotment towards plus partners.   So you would lose the extra 12.5% you are able to use on the other account now.   But not having to pay fee's for two accounts may make more sense to do this.    But I would make sure some of those other benefits you mentioned are not tied to your 62.5% account that you could loose.

Best of luck...


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## VanX (May 1, 2019)

Thanks.

I checked and they actually won’t allow either of our accounts to be platinum.  Not sure how hey determine that but I did get it in writing.    Funny though because they keep sending us the general advertisements to upgrade to Platinum.    So no chance to get that 25% up to 50%.

Ok so our maintenance fees are unlike any I’ve read about here.   We pay $524 per year on each membership but its actually just an advance credit that keeps the membership current and it then forms part of our reservation bookings.   

Purchase price of the original contracts likely was where the cost for points was but we bought resale and have broke even on savings already. 

Basically free to us going forwards now as long as we keep traveling to the home resorts, and the credits accrue over the years if unused.

Yes I saw the low values people get for cruises and so have focused our points on exchanges and regular hotel bookings.     I agree the inability to cancel or change is not cool but it can be used at the last minute for any hotel so it helps reduce the risk of losing the points value of not able to stay during the booking. 

Thanks again. 

Cheers !


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