# Combining Deposits with RCI



## Terry D (Dec 24, 2010)

In RCI you can combine points for $99, which can be a benefit with an expiring week because it extends it out another 2 years. I wonder how long you can keep extending? Here is an example. I have an expiring week of Dec/10 and combine it with another, so now my expiry date is Dec/12. Lets assume I now have 40 combined points. I don't use the points in those 2 years, so in Dec/12 can I recombine those 40 points with another week and extend them to Dec/14. In other words, the deposit will never expire as long as you have a week to combine and are willing to pay the $99 to extend?


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## bellesgirl (Dec 24, 2010)

In theory you can keep combining because a new "deposit" is created.  As of today that is.  But who knows what RCI will allow 2 years down the road.


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## cmh (Dec 27, 2010)

RCI may like the continual combination of deposits because each time it's done, RCI earns fees that they would not have earned in the past.


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## Tokyoite (Jan 19, 2011)

*Repeated Combining?*

Regarding the statement below, does this information come from RCI, or does the poster simply assume that you could keep combining. I need to know this, but I cannot find an answer to this question on RCI, and since I live in Asia I cannot ask anyone here either, because the RCI staff here knows less than I do about how RCI functions. Also, RCI U.S. will not speak to me because I am an RCI Asia member! Talk about an endless list of things RCI can do and not do to make your life easy and pleasant. 

In theory you can keep combining because a new "deposit" is created. As of today that is. But who knows what RCI will allow 2 years down the road.


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## Tommart (Jan 19, 2011)

*I Concur*



bellesgirl said:


> In theory you can keep combining because a new "deposit" is created.  As of today that is.  But who knows what RCI will allow 2 years down the road.



I concur with this response, even though I've not seen it in writing.

For what it worth, I shortened some of my deposits.  In December 2010, I combined  five deposits that ended August 2012, June 2013, or August 2013.  The new deposit that was created ends on December 2012.  I then made two reservations that were greater than any of my five original deposits, and one reservation that was 2 TPs less.

I think it will be rare when people use all their deposits.  I still have 26 TPs.  When I use these, I'm not going to look for only 26 TP exchanges.  

At some point, I will deposit something else and when I need to, I'll combine again.  There's no way telling if the 26 TP are from the deposit I made in early or late 2010.

And I agree in a couple years, RCI can change their rules -- again.  

But it's my guess one can combine forever.  If you got 18 TPs each year, after six years you would have over 100 TPs if you never exchanged, but you will need to pay about $297 to do this.  This is almost pure profit for RCI.


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## Tokyoite (Jan 19, 2011)

*Makes sense I guess*



Tommart said:


> I concur with this response, even though I've not seen it in writing.
> 
> For what it worth, I shortened some of my deposits.  In December 2010, I combined  five deposits that ended August 2012, June 2013, or August 2013.  The new deposit that was created ends on December 2012.  I then made two reservations that were greater than any of my five original deposits, and one reservation that was 2 TPs less.
> 
> ...



I guess it makes sense that you could keep combining, thereby extending your extending your time. Otherwise, for some of our scenarios it could get ridiculous for RCI to keep track of how 18 pts came from one deposit and 5 came from another one, etc. Also, I think most of us do want to take vacations and use our deposits, so theoretically a second combining of old and new points a couple years later should be the most a normal user would have to do. My concern was that like you the combination that I want to do will result in actually shortening the travel window of one of my weeks. I did not want to end up regretting that move.


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## MichaelColey (Jan 19, 2011)

Combined Deposits and Deposit Credits (the change we get back) are just like any "real" deposit.  They can be combined, extended, transferred, used for ongoing searches, used to hold a unit, used to exchange, etc.


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## Tokyoite (Jan 19, 2011)

*Sounds good*

Thanks Michael. That's good to know. As I originally wrote, I have trouble getting good info about RCI. To make it worse, RCI does not work exactly the same here in Japan. For example, the cancellation policy is different, we cannot buy exchange protection, we cannot do rentals, and the staff do not understand much about how things work. Fortunately, these changes that happened last fall regarding transparency on the site and combining trading power seem to be the same everywhere.


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## JanT (Jan 19, 2011)

Well, this is GREAT news!!  Thank you so much for asking the question because I hadn't really even thought about it.  There is potential that we will not be able to use our week for a couple of years and we have two weeks sitting in deposit already.  If I can combine all of those and extend their life that is wonderful!!!

TUGGERs are so great!!


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## patty5ia (Jan 19, 2011)

How do we know if our resort can be combined?  I emailed Feedback RCI and have not received a response.  Are all resorts allowed to be combined?  I have nothing on deposit, so I can't tell from my account.


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## MichaelColey (Jan 19, 2011)

The only thing I've heard of that can't be combined is Wyndham deposits.

Also, you can't combine a deposit that you're doing an ongoing search with, unless you cancel the ongoing search first.


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## BevL (Jan 19, 2011)

patty5ia said:


> How do we know if our resort can be combined?  I emailed Feedback RCI and have not received a response.  Are all resorts allowed to be combined?  I have nothing on deposit, so I can't tell from my account.



And when you have more than on deposit, it will show a list of deposits that can be combined, and then a separate list of deposits that can't be combined.  I had some sort of bonus week in my account was was not combineable - is that a word?

Bev


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## Tommart (Jan 21, 2011)

*Hate to Admit This*



BevL said:


> And when you have more than on deposit, it will show a list of deposits that can be combined, and then a separate list of deposits that can't be combined.  I had some sort of bonus week in my account was was not combineable - is that a word?
> 
> Bev



In December, I had five separate deposits with TPs, and three bonus week deposits.  Each showed as it's own deposit (line).  I combined the five with TPs, and then made three exchanges the same day.

I never thought about combining bonus weeks because they have no TP value.  I get two a year as a bonus from my initial TS purchase and have trouble finding time to use them.  One expires this month, but I have two more in 2011.  

There's no indication of what deposits are eligible.  However, there's no extra charge if you call RCI.  I combined online and had no problem.


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## dvcbwv (Jan 22, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> The only thing I've heard of that can't be combined is Wyndham deposits.
> 
> Also, you can't combine a deposit that you're doing an ongoing search with, unless you cancel the ongoing search first.



I combined my Wyndham deposits, so I believe your information is incorrect.  I had two expiring and wasn't pulling anything interesting, so I combined them to reach 27 TP and it went through just fine and extended out to 2012.

Tracy


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## Catira (Jan 22, 2011)

dvcbwv said:


> I combined my Wyndham deposits, so I believe your information is incorrect.  I had two expiring and wasn't pulling anything interesting, so I combined them to reach 27 TP and it went through just fine and extended out to 2012.
> 
> Tracy



Tracy.. what were your deposits worth before you combined them? Were they visible deposits? I ask because I have two deposits, a 28k and 70k, but they are both generic. Mine expire on Dec. 2011, and wish I could combine them now to be able to get a better trading number.


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## jtridle (Jan 23, 2011)

dvcbwv said:


> I combined my Wyndham deposits, so I believe your information is incorrect.  I had two expiring and wasn't pulling anything interesting, so I combined them to reach 27 TP and it went through just fine and extended out to 2012.
> 
> Tracy



My guess is that you were able to combine these because you had deposited them prior to the new rules going into effect and they were visible deposits (I've got one of those and they were assigned a TP).  Those I think you can combine.  Any other type of Wyndham situation you can't.  Anybody else want to chime in here?


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## bnoble (Jan 23, 2011)

That's correct.  Prior deposits that were *visible* are combinable.  Generics are not.  The new portal doesn't need a sense of "combining", because there are no week deposits, just points.  I don't know yet whether you can extend expiring points, though.


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## pranas (Jan 23, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> The only thing I've heard of that can't be combined is Wyndham deposits.
> 
> Also, you can't combine a deposit that you're doing an ongoing search with, unless you cancel the ongoing search first.



I cannot combine my Royal Holiday deposits even thought they are visible.  I did get leftover points from one exchange but do  not know if these can be combined wih anything.


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## riderj (Feb 16, 2011)

I have a 2012 and a 2013 week at the same resort. Is there any way to see what additional trades combining them will generate without actually combining them?


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## BevL (Feb 16, 2011)

riderj said:


> I have a 2012 and a 2013 week at the same resort. Is there any way to see what additional trades combining them will generate without actually combining them?



One of the new features with RCI is that you can see all inventory, not just what your existing deposit will pull.  

When you have the normal RCI search screen showing the world map, in the dark blue strip above that map where it says, "You are searching."  The default is to show you what your particular deposits will pull.

But if you click on the "click to change" on the right hand side, then click the circle in front of "Show all available RCI vacations" in the upper right, you will see everything in the spacebank.  YOu could then decide if you wanted to combine to get something a single deposit won't pull.

Hope that's a clear step by step.  Next to actually revealing "trade power" of a unit, it's the biggest step RCI made in the latest rollout, IMHO.


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## Carolinian (Feb 16, 2011)

The system generates more $$$$$ for RCI, while it gives members a bit of a tradeoff, higher cost vs. extending weeks and increasing the number of points lite you can use for an exchange.  It is not cost effective on low season weeks, as members will come out better renting from RCI than combining weeks with low points lite and then exchanging.  Some will still probably do it initially until they figure out that rentals save them money.

Where combining weeks will tend to be cost effective for members is with mid-value weeks.  The impact of this will be to increase the competition for the high value weeks, especially those which are seriously underpointed in the new system.  Eventually, the high value weeks owners will come to find that what is availible for them to exchange into of equal value will be greatly diminished from what was there in the old system due to this new competition.  Then they will flee RCI, some who can to II, but I suspect many to SFX which has the platform for the high value weeks.  RCI will be left sucking eggs on the high value deposits, and it serves them right!


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## ran-ran (Feb 16, 2011)

*Combining left over combined TPU's*

I have a question and I think I know the answer but here it is.

For example, if you combine two weeks, pay the $99.00 and have left over TPU's in your account from this combination transaction.

You do the same thing again, combine two different weeks, pay the $99.00 and after using to make a reservation you have another set of left over TPU's.

Now I have to sets of left over TPU's that I have already paid the $99.00 combining fee for, would I have to pay an additional $99.00 to combine the left over TPU's that I already paid a fee for?

This scenario only applies to combining already paid for left over TPU's from previous paid combinations. Thoughts?


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## jlwquilter (Feb 16, 2011)

Each combining is a one time transaction. You do it, it's done and that is that.

Any future actions to combine, exchange, have left overs, etc. are their own seperate action and have no relation to any previous actions that may or may not have happened.

So, in a nut shell, no, you don't get any 'carry forward' benefit from having done a combo other than the grouping and extending life of TPUs combined. You don't get a 'reduced rate price' to do another combo on left over TPUs from a  previous combo.


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## riderj (Feb 16, 2011)

BevL said:


> One of the new features with RCI is that you can see all inventory, not just what your existing deposit will pull.  QUOTE]
> 
> Thank you for the great explanation. Yes, this is a step forward for RCI.


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## BevL (Feb 16, 2011)

ran-ran said:


> I have a question and I think I know the answer but here it is.
> 
> For example, if you combine two weeks, pay the $99.00 and have left over TPU's in your account from this combination transaction.
> 
> ...



I haven't really done enough exchanging to be an expert, but I expect I will try to do some exchanges and leave some stragglers so that I can combine the leftovers from three weeks or so into something useable.  But then again, and I'm not being snotty when I say this, I have a few weeks that get pretty decent TPUs, so I've been able to exchange with "change" left over.

It's a useful tool for the exchanger but sure is a cash cow for RCI, $116 CDN to combine weeks - and our dollar is at par - but that's another thread.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 16, 2011)

If the change is good long enough, just leave it sitting there until you have some bigger deposits that you want to combine and include it then.  Combining just to save a few units usually isn't worth it.

This is one of the big advantages of combining into larger deposits.  If you have a 100 trading power monster and you typically trade into places that take trading power of 15-20, you should be able to get 5-6 exchanges before you're left with a credit that's too small to use.  If you combine into 50, you'll just get 2-3 before you need to exchange again.

Of course you have to balance it with the number of concurrent ongoing searches that you need and other factors, as well.


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## EAM (Feb 16, 2011)

So we can combine as many deposits as we want in one $99 transaction and the deposit will expire two years from the date the combined deposit was created?  Then every time we make an exchange from the combined deposit we pay for an exchange fee and the value of the deposit goes down.  And if we combine in another deposit, the expiration date becomes two years after the new combined deposit was created?


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## MichaelColey (Feb 16, 2011)

Yep, that's almost exactly how it works.  Technically, when you make an exchange your "change back" becomes a new deposit (with everything but the trading power the same) rather than just reducing the trading power on your existing deposit, but in essence it's the same thing.


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## Carolinian (Feb 17, 2011)

The real kicker is that one of the changes which RCI made was to give priority on requests to the biggest points lite number rather than the oldest request with sufficient TP, as it used to be.  This is a big incentive to pay RCI extra money to combine weeks, which was apparently the intent, but it means that someone with several average weeks who does this is going to outrank the member with one great week.  The guy with one great week is going to find that the universe he can realistically trade into has grown smaller due to the competition from those combining average weeks.  That suddenly becomes a huge disincentive for him to continue using RCI, and as people figure this out should be a great boon to SFX, which is now the perfect fit for those owning one outstanding week and wanting to at least sometimes trade.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 17, 2011)

Carolinian said:


> The real kicker is that one of the changes which RCI made was to give priority on requests to the biggest points lite number rather than the oldest request with sufficient TP, as it used to be.


Have you confirmed that anywhere?  I recently talked with a Vacation Guide who indicated that the oldest request still has the top priority for ongoing searches.

It would be fairly easy for someone to test:

1) Find something that's not currently available but likely will be.

2) Set up an ongoing search on the smaller of two deposits.

3) The next day, set up an identical ongoing search with a larger deposit.

4) Wait to see which ongoing search matches.


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## Carolinian (Feb 17, 2011)

Just from what has been reported on t/s boards, and as I recall that bit of info was told by an RCI employee directly to the poster.





MichaelColey said:


> Have you confirmed that anywhere?  I recently talked with a Vacation Guide who indicated that the oldest request still has the top priority for ongoing searches.
> 
> It would be fairly easy for someone to test:
> 
> ...


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## MichaelColey (Feb 17, 2011)

Carolinian said:


> Just from what has been reported on t/s boards, and as I recall that bit of info was told by an RCI employee directly to the poster.


I think you may have misinterpreted this post:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1017390#post1017390


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## Tokyoite (May 1, 2013)

*Redepositing Part of a Combined Deposit*



MichaelColey said:


> I think you may have misinterpreted this post:
> 
> http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1017390#post1017390



I cannot find an answer to this scenario: I had a combined weeks deposit with a trading power of about 80. If a made and then now want to cancel an exchange that used trading power of 16, will the re-instated deposit credits be "orphaned," or will they get put back with the combined trading power where they originated?


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## MichaelColey (May 1, 2013)

Tokyoite said:


> I cannot find an answer to this scenario: I had a combined weeks deposit with a trading power of about 80. If a made and then now want to cancel an exchange that used trading power of 16, will the re-instated deposit credits be "orphaned," or will they get put back with the combined trading power where they originated?


I'm not positive, but I think if all the "parts" are still there, they will be recombined.

If they don't automatically recombine, I bet you could pretty easily convince a VG to recombine them for you for free.


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## Tokyoite (May 1, 2013)

MichaelColey said:


> I'm not positive, but I think if all the "parts" are still there, they will be recombined.
> 
> If they don't automatically recombine, I bet you could pretty easily convince a VG to recombine them for you for free.



Thanks a lot Michael. Either way, I guess I will be needing to cancel my exchange, so whether it recombines or not, I will cancel it.


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## MichaelColey (May 1, 2013)

Report back and let us know which way it works!


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## Tokyoite (May 2, 2013)

MichaelColey said:


> Report back and let us know which way it works!



Will do Michael, but I will probably be waiting a little while before canceling.


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## Tokyoite (Jun 18, 2013)

*Recombining*



Tokyoite said:


> Will do Michael, but I will probably be waiting a little while before canceling.



Michael,

I wrote to RCI and they said the trading power would be recombined; however, that did not happen after I canceled the exchange. I then contacted them and they were very quick to recombine the trading power manually. This is what happened to me; however, I am on the RCI Asia system, although I don't know whether that matters.


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## FlaKmunKy (Jun 25, 2013)

It goes in order of whomever put the ongoing search.  I am almost %100 sure.  As long as you have sufficient TP in the deposit you are using to search that is the case.


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## newman (Jul 8, 2014)

*Would madly combining all weeks be a viable strategy?*

What about combining all your deposits, fractional and whole week ones, every two years?

It costs $99 once to get one with a monster TP.  Chip away at it for two years.  Rinse and repeat.

What are the down sides?  You can have only one on-going search at a time, and perhaps you don't want to include ones that won't expire for three years.  Anything else?
I currently have combinable deposits with the following values and (expiration years):
1 (2014)
1 (2014)
7 (2014)
12 (2014)
16 (2015)
16 (2015)
...for a total of 53 TPs.


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