# Exchanging in RCI



## Jimster (Feb 11, 2010)

Is it me or is there a virtual lack of much to trade for in RCI?  As I look at popular destinations, I find only a few places I'd consider trading into.  In fact, in most areas there are almost no viable resorts.  I have made many many trades in the past, but it seems that now RCI has little to offer.


----------



## Carolinian (Feb 11, 2010)

That is pretty much what I am seeing.  My summer UK tiger trader now sees much less in the UK than an Outer Banks blue week used to see 6 or 8 years ago, for example.


----------



## Judy (Feb 12, 2010)

Look in RCI's rentals aka "Extra Vacations".  You'll likely find most of the popular destinations there


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Feb 12, 2010)

RCI is the pits, unless you have a true tiger trader, and I haven't figured out what will work for trading, so I guess I am pretty much out of the weeks trading game.


----------



## riverside (Feb 12, 2010)

I can't believe how the trades have dried up.  I was always a staunch supporter of RCI but not so much anymore.  Extra Vacations seems to have tons available, but regular trades are almost nonexistant.


----------



## timeos2 (Feb 12, 2010)

*Who would give RCI Weeks any time of value at this point?*



riverside said:


> I can't believe how the trades have dried up.  I was always a staunch supporter of RCI but not so much anymore.  Extra Vacations seems to have tons available, but regular trades are almost nonexistant.



Now that the unfortunate end to the ill-conceived class action suit is a blanket permission for RCI to use virtually any deposit they wish for free inventory in their rental programs it is insane for anyone to deposit anything of any value into RCI weeks.  At least in RCI Points you get a known trade value but even that can be adversely impacted by too much draining of the best inventory from the pool.  So far RCI Points inventory has held up better as it is obviously the jewel in the eye of RCI right now.  They want happy members there so the move to rentals hasn't been as bad as weeks.  RCI Weeks, in my opinion, is dead. The class action just hastened it's demise as that was RCI goal all along once they made the transition to a points based model as their primary exchange system.  

Until the general population catches on to the farce that is now RCI Weeks for exchange we can expect to see a few middle value weeks sneak through. Or possibly grab a few gems if we can catch them during the short window when they are blocked from rental use until that short (2 year?) agreement period ends.  It doesn't look good for RCI Weeks in the long term.  I'd get out now if I were still a paying member. As Wyndham pays mine I remain in but I don't have to use it.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 12, 2010)

*How Do You Do RCI Points When Your Free Wyndham Membership Is Just RCI Weeks ?*




timeos2 said:


> It doesn't look good for RCI Weeks in the long term.  I'd get out now if I were still a paying member. As Wyndham pays mine I remain in but I don't have to use it.


There is much I do not comprehend about the interactions between Wyndham & RCI -- e.g., participation in Points when all you get via Wyndham is Weeks. 

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


----------



## talltraveler (Feb 12, 2010)

I have what has seemed to be a power trader in the Keys. I've been with RCI for many years and I've always got the trade I wanted (Hawaii, Tahoe, NYC, Captiva, Sanibel, Cape Cod) but I've only done it with ongoing searches. I've never seen anything I wanted on a direct search. The last RCI trade I got was in 2007 (summer in Cape Cod). As it has always been, I can only search for an exchange week if I have a week deposited. Otherwise it is just extra or last minute vacation weeks I see and not anything I want. Is RCI changing the policy so you can search for an exchange week to see what's available before you deposit your own week?
I'm thinking about depositing my week now with RCI and requesting a week on Sanibel/Captiva this summer by using an ongoing search (always got this trade in the past) but after reading this thread about RCI changes I'm not so sure I should do it.


----------



## timeos2 (Feb 12, 2010)

*Points don't travel to RCI from Wyndham - weeks do*



AwayWeGo said:


> There is much I do not comprehend about the interactions between Wyndham & RCI -- e.g., participation in Points when all you get via Wyndham is Weeks.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



As simple as possible when I deal with Wyndham I'm dealing in points. If I ask to have a trade/deposit with RCI then they take XXX points and turn them into a week for RCI.  The minimum is 28,000 points then it goes up from there. Plenty of times that 28,000 will get a two bedroom trade, slightly off season even though it only represents a couple days of actual Wyndham resort use if done through the points reservation system. It is one of the ways to really stretch points in Wyndham as my one week can generate 4 28K deposits = 4 full weeks of timeshare in RCI vs 1 week in Wyndham.  All for the exchange fees (1 for each 28K deposit).  

In addition you can do "request first" with RCI/Wyndham. You tell them "I want Cape Cod Summer 2 bedroom" and they say "SECURITY!" - I mean, "Sure, we have it at YYY Resort and it will cost you 156,000 Points for the week plus exchange fee".  If they don't have it you can place a request, just use your points in the Wyndham system or make a place and hope deposit (like the 28K above). Very flexible and easy to get exactly what you want. 

Plus Partners changes things but that only applies to retail sales, therefore isn't worth the $$.


----------



## timeos2 (Feb 12, 2010)

*RCI Request First for a short while*



talltraveler said:


> I have what has seemed to be a power trader in the Keys. I've been with RCI for many years and I've always got the trade I wanted (Hawaii, Tahoe, NYC, Captiva, Sanibel, Cape Cod) but I've only done it with ongoing searches. I've never seen anything I wanted on a direct search. The last RCI trade I got was in 2007 (summer in Cape Cod). As it has always been, I can only search for an exchange week if I have a week deposited. Otherwise it is just extra or last minute vacation weeks I see and not anything I want. Is RCI changing the policy so you can search for an exchange week to see what's available before you deposit your own week?
> I'm thinking about depositing my week now with RCI and requesting a week on Sanibel/Captiva this summer by using an ongoing search (always got this trade in the past) but after reading this thread about RCI changes I'm not so sure I should do it.



As part of the ill-fated class action suit settlement RCI has agreed to a type of "request first" for about 2 years. That should be available to all members for that time.  No idea how/when they are implementing it.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 12, 2010)

*Wyndham Points & RCI Weeks & RCI Points -- Oh My !*




timeos2 said:


> As simple as possible when I deal with Wyndham I'm dealing in points. If I ask to have a trade/deposit with RCI then they take XXX points and turn them into a week for RCI.  The minimum is 28,000 points then it goes up from there. Plenty of times that 28,000 will get a two bedroom trade, slightly off season even though it only represents a couple days of actual Wyndham resort use if done through the points reservation system. It is one of the ways to really stretch points in Wyndham as my one week can generate 4 28K deposits = 4 full weeks of timeshare in RCI vs 1 week in Wyndham.  All for the exchange fees (1 for each 28K deposit).
> 
> In addition you can do "request first" with RCI/Wyndham. You tell them "I want Cape Cod Summer 2 bedroom" and they say "SECURITY!" - I mean, "Sure, we have it at YYY Resort and it will cost you 156,000 Points for the week plus exchange fee".  If they don't have it you can place a request, just use your points in the Wyndham system or make a place and hope deposit (like the 28K above). Very flexible and easy to get exactly what you want.
> 
> Plus Partners changes things but that only applies to retail sales, therefore isn't worth the $$.


So if I'm in Wyndham, my included RCI membership is strictly RCI Weeks & if I happen also to have a non-Wyndham points timeshare it's up to me to spring for my own RCI Points membership, right ?

In that case, can I do _Points For Deposit_ with my Wyndham quasi-week deposits that I made by depositing Wyndham points ? 

Or is it strictly a matter of using Wyndham _points_ for RCI _weeks_ ? 

The "free" RCI Weeks membership that's included with membership in RCI Points sure looks superfluous & redundant for people in Wyndham who also get "free" RCI Weeks memberships that way. 

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


----------



## Aaron Kristen (Feb 13, 2010)

talk about trades drying up!!!
We have had an ongoing search for the Big island of Hawaii for april 2011. Was hoping to hit WKHV, but whatever. We were greedy, and kept passing on many trades. 
However now, trades into the Big island are gone. And i mean GONE.
brutal.


----------



## Twinkstarr (Feb 13, 2010)

I'm a relative newbie to RCI, I've not done too bad with what I was told by someone else is a relatively good trader, I personally don't find the ability to see Orlando HGVC and Bonnet Creek 2brs in August a sign of a good trader.

I had an ongoing search for HHI summer 2011, but kept looking around for the fun of it. Stumbled upon a holiday ski week at Boyne MI, so I took that.

Even with II, if we do an onoing search, I probably have 2-3 other places that would work too. I really didn't like this past year waiting for II to match up a HI week to my Wyndham Kona Hawaiian trade, sort of took the excitement of the hunt out of it.


----------



## bnoble (Feb 13, 2010)

> Was hoping to hit WKHV


You are too early for Wyndhams in April '11.  Wyndham typically deposits about 7-9 months prior to use.


----------



## Aaron Kristen (Feb 13, 2010)

bnoble said:


> You are too early for Wyndhams in April '11.  Wyndham typically deposits about 7-9 months prior to use.



that is what I am hoping!!!
Never hurts to start early, but thanks for the heads up on timing!!
We were able 2 years ago to land 3 consec weeks on the big islan, hoping lightening can strike twice!!!


----------



## ausman (Feb 13, 2010)

AwayWeGo said:


> So if I'm in Wyndham, my included RCI membership is strictly RCI Weeks & if I happen also to have a non-Wyndham points timeshare it's up to me to spring for my own RCI Points membership, right ?
> 
> *Yes*
> 
> ...



xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx crazy error message satisified.?


----------



## Amy (Feb 13, 2010)

talltraveler said:


> I'm thinking about depositing my week now with RCI and requesting a week on Sanibel/Captiva this summer by using an ongoing search (always got this trade in the past) but after reading this thread about RCI changes I'm not so sure I should do it.



I still have good luck with ongoing searches.  I did one recently while also checking for availability multiple times a day in case my ongoing search didn't pick up.  The day that my search came through I had just checked multiple times within hours.  That tells me ongoing searches are still worthwhile as the system may in fact grab weeks that never become "visible" to a casual search for those already in line with sufficient power.


----------



## Amy (Feb 13, 2010)

Aaron Kristen said:


> talk about trades drying up!!!
> We have had an ongoing search for the Big island of Hawaii for april 2011. Was hoping to hit WKHV, but whatever. We were greedy, and kept passing on many trades.
> However now, trades into the Big island are gone. And i mean GONE.
> brutal.



There are still resorts in Hawaii that deposit a year out and many owners don't deposit anywhere near two years out; those who think they may want to use their weeks will hold off until months in advance.  I think it is too early to give up (unless you have a really weak trader to begin with).


----------



## brankatz (Feb 14, 2010)

Aaron Kristen said:


> talk about trades drying up!!!
> We have had an ongoing search for the Big island of Hawaii for april 2011. Was hoping to hit WKHV, but whatever. We were greedy, and kept passing on many trades.
> However now, trades into the Big island are gone. And i mean GONE.
> brutal.



I am showing a 2BR. Gold Crown on April 3 2011 on RCI on the Big Island so you may want to call RCI and see what the deal is.


----------



## rapmarks (Feb 14, 2010)

I have some luck with ongoing searches, but not when I look at what is available online.  I am shocked at how little is available with my week.


----------



## bzzybee13 (Feb 14, 2010)

In response to Away We Go, you can do points for deposit ONLY if your resort is not offered an RCI Points resort. For example, Bonnet Creek is a Points resort so I cannot do PFD with my ownership there.


----------



## Carolinian (Feb 14, 2010)

And of course the RCI Points class action is now working its way through the courts, too, addressing the impact of rentals on that program.  Frankly, one cannot trust RCI in any program these days.

What was ill-conceived was the sell out of their clients in the so-called ''settlement'' by the class action attorneys.  That was one of the reasons I always said that an AG action was the better way to go, as there were not the motivations or opportunities to sell out for self interest.

The best option is to move to an honest exchange company like one of the independents.  II has not been as bad with the rentals as RCI but given that they probably think they too now have a green light, I expect them to also get more heavily into this crap.





timeos2 said:


> Now that the unfortunate end to the ill-conceived class action suit is a blanket permission for RCI to use virtually any deposit they wish for free inventory in their rental programs it is insane for anyone to deposit anything of any value into RCI weeks.  At least in RCI Points you get a known trade value but even that can be adversely impacted by too much draining of the best inventory from the pool.  So far RCI Points inventory has held up better as it is obviously the jewel in the eye of RCI right now.  They want happy members there so the move to rentals hasn't been as bad as weeks.  RCI Weeks, in my opinion, is dead. The class action just hastened it's demise as that was RCI goal all along once they made the transition to a points based model as their primary exchange system.
> 
> Until the general population catches on to the farce that is now RCI Weeks for exchange we can expect to see a few middle value weeks sneak through. Or possibly grab a few gems if we can catch them during the short window when they are blocked from rental use until that short (2 year?) agreement period ends.  It doesn't look good for RCI Weeks in the long term.  I'd get out now if I were still a paying member. As Wyndham pays mine I remain in but I don't have to use it.


----------



## Judy (Feb 14, 2010)

rickandcindy23 said:


> RCI is the pits, unless you have a true tiger trader


It doesn't do much good to have a "true tiger trader" with RCI any more.  The good deposits go directly into the rental pool.  If they aren't available for exchange, you can't get them, no matter how powerful your deposit is :annoyed: 



			
				timeos2 said:
			
		

> As part of the ill-fated class action suit settlement RCI has agreed to a type of "request first" for about 2 years. That should be available to all members for that time. No idea how/when they are implementing it.


 Then the only way to get the exchange you want would be to put in an ongoing search.  That would be a chance at least, but I'll believe it when I see it.


----------



## Keep Traveling (Feb 14, 2010)

I know a lot of rentals are out there and some Tiger have been declawed.

But remember DVC has come over and are also taking a lot more of the deposits I am sure.  For Every DVC that comes in something went out.  Remember DVC selected in their view "prime resorts" for their members.  

KT


----------



## Craig (Feb 14, 2010)

*RCI very disappointing*

We will not be renewing our RCI membership. The past several years with them have been very disappointing (we've been trading with them for 20 years). We have had really good luck with II, however, and will be exchanging with them from now on.


----------



## brankatz (Feb 14, 2010)

You all keep killing RCI I just traded a nice week July Sanibel 2 Br. for a Christmas week 1 br DVC at Fort Wilderness put in my ongoing search less than 2 weeks ago and bam there it was yesterday A.M. perhaps you are just over esitmating trade Value.  I was getting worried based on many of the inputs about equal value but gave it a shot and I am more than satisfied with the results.  Don't give up hope if you really have value in your resort I believe you will get what you deserve but paying a 500 dollar MF at a resort in off season that no one wants should not warrant a good exchange. Sorry if the truth hurts.


----------



## bnoble (Feb 15, 2010)

> You all keep killing RCI


It has become quite fashionable amongst the timeshare literati to paint RCI as a poor choice in all situations.  Naturally, it's never that simple.  RCI did  significantly decrease the ability to trade up on 5/30, but good exchanges are still there to be had for even the not-quite-tiger deposit.

But, the choir signs so loudly that it's become nearly a waste of time to try to point this out.


----------



## sandkastle4966 (Feb 15, 2010)

ditto - 

I got 2 back to back weeks primo ski weeks for 2011 - of course I gave a lovely ocean front summer week in return......did not get it with my off-season week.

and I did not have to use an on-going search.


interesting post on DVC coming in - never thought about "the reverse" - great stuff came in, and of course they would get "great stuff" out !


----------



## timeos2 (Feb 15, 2010)

*The debate rages but has no basis as there is a clear leader*



bnoble said:


> It has become quite fashionable amongst the timeshare literati to paint RCI as a poor choice in all situations.  Naturally, it's never that simple.  RCI did  significantly decrease the ability to trade up on 5/30, but good exchanges are still there to be had for even the not-quite-tiger deposit.
> 
> But, the choir signs so loudly that it's become nearly a waste of time to try to point this out.



Yup, what you said. It is beating your head against the wall to try to point out that using the same weeks with II and RCI over a decade RCI, and SFX in selected cases, have consistently come through with good to great trades I wanted while II failed miserably and ended up yielding resorts / times I never would have accepted and didn't request but took to simply avoid losing the deposit (when I was silly enough to use place and hope with II - learned my lesson on that even before I finally came to my senses and dropped paid membership with II altogether).  

The pattern continues today despite a drastic reduction in my already limited trade requests. The few I do make are still easily satisfied by RCI. That is all I ask and until it changes I'm using RCI. Mostly RCI Points but with my Wyndham I get plenty of useful time from inexpensive 28K deposits that stretch that value as well. If it stops then I'll rent or simply stick to using my ownerships but I'd never go back to paying II. It just isn't a value.  

I just hate to see the uninitiated come here asking about "RCI or II" and get told they are both reasonable options or no different. Having believed that and after spending far too much effort and time to try to make it true II simply isn't in the same league. That goes double for those who don't want to become timeshare guru's or live for the find and simply want to give up a week or some points and get what they can use back. The chances of that happening are high in RCI and virtually non-existent for II. But you'd never know it to read the II cheer leading that goes on here. You do find out it ISN'T true when you find the all too common post from those non-gurus who report back after frustrating experience that II has come through with junk and now they are nearly out of use time. THAT is the II story in a nutshell.  Why II is defended here so strongly is a mystery but it does happen all the time. They are a second rate operation and I guess its far easier to bash the big guy. 

If I had my choice there would be a truly independent stock market like exchange that required no affiliations and offered every resort and system. It doesn't exist (yet) and for now RCI - especially RCI Points - is as close as we have. If everyone else wants to hassle with II and the multiple priorities and other games they play then I guess that just leaves more for the unwashed  at RCI.  Request, give up the points and travel is the answer for me.  RCI does it, II doesn't. YMMV.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 15, 2010)

*Mox Nix.*




bnoble said:


> But, the choir signs so loudly that it's become nearly a waste of time to try to point this out.


As long as it works the way you want & gets you the results you want, it makes no difference whether people in the Peanut Gallery hiss & boo or clap & cheer. 

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


----------



## AwayWeGo (Feb 15, 2010)

*My Dog Is Better Than Your Dog.*




timeos2 said:


> Why II is defended here so strongly is a mystery but it does happen all the time. They are a second rate operation and I guess its far easier to bash the big guy.


I think that's right -- that, plus lots of Ford-Chevy & Coke-Pepsi & Honda-Toyota & Cowboys-Redskins & Yankees-Red Sox cheerleading, seasoned by I-I's marketing tool of claiming that they've got all the prestige, upscale timeshares while RCI has only the dogs & cats. 

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


----------



## Judy (Feb 15, 2010)

When I said, "It doesn't do much good to have a 'true tiger trader' with RCI any more. The good deposits go directly into the rental pool. If they aren't available for exchange, you can't get them, no matter how powerful your deposit is", I wasn't over-estimating my trading value and I wasn't using a "declawed" tiger to search.  
I know, from personal experience, that good deposits go directly into the rental pool.  My deposit of a high summer ocean-front beach week went directly into RCI's rental pool.  I'm not guessing here.  I verified it.
I'm not claiming that all good deposits go directly into the rental pool.  Those of you lucky enough to have snagged good trades have proved that some desirable weeks are available.


----------



## talltraveler (Mar 15, 2010)

Just letting you all know what happened. I bit the bullet and I deposited my FL Keys July 2010 week on Feb. 20, 2010 and started on ongoing search with RCI for Sanibel/Captiva. I got an exchange on Sanibel for June 2010 after 3 weeks of an ongoing search.


----------



## JudyS (Mar 16, 2010)

AwayWeGo said:


> ...
> The "free" RCI Weeks membership that's included with membership in RCI Points sure looks superfluous & redundant for people in Wyndham who also get "free" RCI Weeks memberships that way.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


I'm no Wyndham expert, but that's my impression, yes. Wyndham's Points system and RCI Points may have  a number of similarities in how they work, and be run by the same parent company, but they are really competing systems, rather than systems that work together.


----------



## MuranoJo (Mar 16, 2010)

talltraveler said:


> Just letting you all know what happened. I bit the bullet and I deposited my FL Keys July 2010 week on Feb. 20, 2010 and started on ongoing search with RCI for Sanibel/Captiva. I got an exchange on Sanibel for June 2010 after 3 weeks of an ongoing search.



Just curious if you saw what happened to your deposit?  Did it show up as an exchange option (if only for a moment as it wouldn't last long), or did you see it in the rental pool?


----------



## talltraveler (Mar 19, 2010)

muranojo said:


> Just curious if you saw what happened to your deposit?  Did it show up as an exchange option (if only for a moment as it wouldn't last long), or did you see it in the rental pool?



I didn't check to see what happened to it.


----------



## Carolinian (Mar 21, 2010)

brankatz said:


> You all keep killing RCI I just traded a nice week July Sanibel 2 Br. for a Christmas week 1 br DVC at Fort Wilderness put in my ongoing search less than 2 weeks ago and bam there it was yesterday A.M. perhaps you are just over esitmating trade Value.  I was getting worried based on many of the inputs about equal value but gave it a shot and I am more than satisfied with the results.  Don't give up hope if you really have value in your resort I believe you will get what you deserve but paying a 500 dollar MF at a resort in off season that no one wants should not warrant a good exchange. Sorry if the truth hurts.



Hmmm! And you think giving up very  high demand and low supply Sanibel for overbuilt Orlando, even if it is Disney, is a good trade??????  I just dont see why people for ga-ga for Disney.  DAE offered me a Disney week one time, in Hilton Head, and once I saw its poor location, where one had to drive to the beach, I quickly said "no thanks" and did an RCI trade to an unrated resort in walking distance of the beach instead.


----------



## Carolinian (Mar 21, 2010)

Judy said:


> When I said, "It doesn't do much good to have a 'true tiger trader' with RCI any more. The good deposits go directly into the rental pool. If they aren't available for exchange, you can't get them, no matter how powerful your deposit is", I wasn't over-estimating my trading value and I wasn't using a "declawed" tiger to search.
> I know, from personal experience, that good deposits go directly into the rental pool.  My deposit of a high summer ocean-front beach week went directly into RCI's rental pool.  I'm not guessing here.  I verified it.
> I'm not claiming that all good deposits go directly into the rental pool.  Those of you lucky enough to have snagged good trades have proved that some desirable weeks are available.



There are some good weeks occaisionally at RCI, but you really have to get lucky.  A summer UK week these days does not see what a blue OBX week used to see 6 or 7 years ago, or anything even close.  I have given my summer UK week to DAE more recently, and am buying another to try out SFX.  As to trade power, my resort rarely shows up as availible for exchange even in the off season with RCI, so it is clearly a tiger on supply / demand


----------



## Judy (Mar 21, 2010)

Carolinian said:


> Hmmm! And you think giving up very  high demand and low supply Sanibel for overbuilt Orlando, even if it is Disney, is a good trade??????


If that's what you want


----------



## bnoble (Mar 21, 2010)

As Judy says, it is if that is what you want.  Renting that week from Disney would run over $5K, though they'll probably discount a little.  Renting from an owner would be, minimum, $2200, and probably more if you're getting into Christmas proper.  Chances are good that the overall cost of exchange (MF+fees) was lower.  The other way to go about it---renting what you own, and using the proceeds to rent from some other owner---may or may not have covered it.  I'm not sure what Sanibel is getting in July, but a quick skim of Redweek suggests you'd come up short.

At the end of the day, desirability is in the eye of the beholder, but rental rates give you a cold hard way to keep score.  And, I'm guessing brankatz feels okay about that exchange on this metric.


----------

