# RCI Points at Home Resort



## Mary Jo (Aug 7, 2010)

Daughter has a TS at Summer Bay Isle I Condo...3 Bedroom Lockout. Flex Week 37 (E) Deeded in 2006..(Used it once the first year and hasn't done a thing with it since then, but pay the annual M/F and her annual RCI points bill for the 100,500 points the TS was assigned to it)I have read the purchase agreement over and over..watched the DVD's that came with it. Daughter even called SB and still came away with no understandable answers to her questions which seems fairly simple to me. She paid a good amount for this TS..maintained the M/F and keeps the RCI program..(the 100,500) are good for 2 years..then she was told you use them or lose them.

So our questions are:
1. If she called SB tomorrow, to reserve her TS for her week in 2012,that she paid for, does she give up all of her RCI points, thus not be able to go anywhere else for the next 2 years as her Max RCI points were used up to get her own TS for one week

2. OR is it that she has to choose not to go to her home resort (SB) and use her 100,500 points for other trips in the 2 year period alloted. 

3. Is purchasing a Home Resort that came with the RCI points one in the same or is it 2 separate entites..Time Share one entity and the RCI Points Program another?

4. If she dropped the RCI program (she doesn't plan to) she would have no RCI points to pay for her Deeded TS..(I get the impression she has to pay for her TS by using all of her RCI points) then what, no RCI points so she can't use the TS..?

Sorry, but this this TS thing is so confusing to us..

Bottom line is that I thought she could book her Home Resort every other year..as she paid for it and has a deed to it. No points needed.
By her keeping and paying the annual fee for the RCI program, that was extra for her to use to go on other vacations at other places during the allotted time for those points (2 years). But from what I have read so far, I have a feeling I'm wrong..She must choose between her Deeded TS over the use of her RCI points..is this correct?


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 7, 2010)

Mary Jo-
Has your daughter set up and signed on to her RCI Points account? There are two RCI accounts she owns: WEEKS and POINTS.

Getting onto the RCI POINTS account will help see what total number of points she has and she can do searches for vacations. This is a very user friendly site.  She can also extend the life of points which may be about to expire (saving those points which she had paid MFs on). She should be able to book her HOME WEEK at her HOME RESORT via the web site.

Stay in RCI POINTS. I have RCI Points, RCI Weeks (TS), II (TS), Wyndham Fixed Weeks, and Wyndham Points. RCI POINTS is one of the easier programs (I am sure that seems very funny to you), but I have found searching online to be easy and with lots of possibilities.

As for the resort "helping you" or "explaining" what they sold you, is like asking the sales staff at the car dealer why your 2006 car is not running - because you need a NEW car is their only answer.  It is much worse with the smoke and mirrors that TS sales persons present from their "memorized sales script" - half truths, twisted concepts (either their personal impressions or the scripts), downright lies. They only want to SELL you something so as to receive a commission check.

All is my personal opinion. Read and ask questions. It will become clearer. Get online with the RCI Points account.

And Welcome to TUG!


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## tschwa2 (Aug 7, 2010)

Hi Mary Jo

If your daughter reserves her unit in her season 13-12 months prior then she forgoes getting points.  She needs to keep the RCI points account because if she fails to renew it, her contract will revert to a deeded week with no points.  This would probably make it harder to sell when the time comes to sell.  (Note at this point in time it will still be hard to sell it/give it away even if it is already converted to points)  If she is happy going their every other year, she can still use RCI for Extra Vacations.  They recently had a $279 Orlando sale and a $199 sale for various inventory.

If she wants to use the points she would give up the use of her deeded week by not making a reservation 12 months prior.  She would then have the points to make reservations elsewhere.  She could also reserve a smaller unit in Summer Bay if she wanted to and have some points left over to use else where.

You should encourage your daughter to come to TUG and learn how she can make the most of what she bought.


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## Mary Jo (Aug 7, 2010)

Thank you for your replies vacationhopeful & tschwa2.

The reason I'm here asking these questions is she's pretty much given up as she doesn't understand how this TS works at all and so frustrated about it she could scream..She and her then boyfriend were 20 years old when they were pressured into to this thing..they were sold something they did not need..and at an interest rate that was outrageous.With that being said, she is the sole owner of it now, and I'm just trying to understand how this works so I can tell here what she can and can't do with ths timeshare.

She just renewed her RCI points (100,500) and they are good for 2 years (nothing is ever said about rolling over or banked etc)...if not used by 2012 she loses them ...and if I'm reading your replies correctly she does have to use all of her points if she wants to stay at her (SB) Home Resort Condo. So basically she paid a mortgage on a Home Resort just to get the most RCI points.It sounds like she should just forget she has a the "Home Resort" and think of her RCI points as her investment, to vacation at other places for the next 2 years and so on.

Thanks again..now to sort this thing out.For now since she's 24 years of age, I don't see her using her Home Resort as it's more of a Family Resort..and since she is single with a boyfriend she'd probably be better off using her RCI points to go to more,what can I say, exciting places...LOL

Oh Vactionhopeful, as I understand it she only has RCI POINTS program..not WEEKS. Also has a program she pays annually on that is called Summer Bay SRI Vacation Program..for another 140.00 a year..geesh this is confusing & expensive..I need to find out and get the information on what the heck that is for..LOL Thank goodness this place is here to help me understand things. You are all the best.


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 7, 2010)

She has both accounts - all RCI Points owners have both (Points and Weeks). Not a major issue in the grand scheme of things, at this point of time.

Again, *HAVE you been online with the points account*?  

The amount of points she has is a large number - she could get multiple weeks of vacations. She could "give" a vacation to you and a Guest Certificate is brought which allows you to checkin.  I am using RCI Points to go to New York City (Manhatten Club) next month and staying for a week in a 1 bdr for 84,000 RCI points and $139 exchange fee. I found this exchange via a Sightings Post here on TUG.

I also have RCI Points reservations back into my HOME RESORT in Ft Lauderdale in March 2011 in 1 bdr - I own a 2bdr lockout using less points than I own there. I believe that is one of the many Spring Break weeks - so nice to be warm in March.

On another thread, someone had answer you regarding 6500-9000 point Last Call discounted vacations. These are great bargains and are found online in *RCI Points under the "WEEKS" section of the Reservation Page*. These are scattered among much higher points weeks as the checkin date is less than 45 days from the day you are looking. These are great - not too much longterm planning for young people, such as your daughter and her new BF.

She get 100,500 points every year? Timeshare owners are always planning the _NEXT_ vacation along with the 2-6 vacations already booked. Many TUGGERS here are working on their 2012 Winter and Spring travels. RCI Points earliest HOME WEEK is 13 months before checkin. HOME RESORT advantage is 12 month before checkin. My HOME WEEK is a free reservation (but still done ONLINE using the RCI POints account). My HOME GROUP booking is $40 fee. Any other booking is $139 reservation fee. 

Keep reading. Get online.


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## Mary Jo (Aug 7, 2010)

WOW! Vacationhopeful...I THINK I GOT IT with your last post..Thank you SO much. I know that when she paid this years RCI bill, they had a special of somekind..that if she paid 3 years in advance the price was discounted so she went ahead an paid something just over $300.00. We were under the impression and according to her RCI statement(in the mail) that she got her 100,500 points every 2 years not every year...and knew nothing about "weeks".She is a Deputy Sheriff so she works 14 days a month..so she can always use her vacation time to take off 2 work days during midweek which gives her a full week off..which is great for trips away from home. Also, the only issue with her Home Resort is that SB is only 1 1/2 hours from her home..She's past the Disney stage and would like to go other places like Snow Skiing etc. She's only seen snow once in her life and that was just flurries..so with this new information that I finally understand LOL, I think she will be very pleased on how to use this RCI program..Still cost her an arm and a leg, but at least she can now take advantage of it, as she has done nothing but pay the bills,(MF,RCI annual bill and the SB SRI Vacation Club) and hasn't done a thing in the past 3 years with it. Again, thanks for the help.


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 7, 2010)

She may only get 100,500 points every other year - IF that is what her contract was for.  But that is still a decent amount of points. That would be about 5 or more week long stays somewheres ... and FL is loaded with timeshares.

Get online and start learning. Poking around is one of the best ways to understand this stuff. Plus, as every reservations costs some $, it is hard to do something drasitic without enter credit card info ...


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## Mary Jo (Aug 8, 2010)

Took your advise to poke around..I can't believe how difficult it is to do anything concerning a TS..geesh..Keep in mind my daughter has never been to the websites, Summer Bay Resorts,RCI.com or her other program she pays for called Summer Bay RSI Vacation Club, which I found by doing more reading is summerbayvacations....RCI.com is down for maintanence tonight and the other 2 websites show no place to register..just log in information (Username & Password). How can an owner log on without registering..this is pure craziness..Guess I'll have to call Summer Bay tomorrow or Monday and see how to register her on their sites. I have never in my life ever dealt with anything so confusing and frustrating then this TS experience. 

From what I have read about using RCI points for Cruises etc. they don't seem to be a big benefit..So her best option here is to use her RCI points and pay the reservation fee for her stays at different resorts. I also think that what you have done is a good choice for her..to use the one side of her lock off using 40,000 points if she wants to go to her Home Resort and use the other 60,500 for another week or 2 somewhere else. Totally doable.


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## Jennie (Sep 15, 2010)

Mary Jo said:


> Took your advise to poke around..I can't believe how difficult it is to do anything concerning a TS..geesh..



Unfortunately there are many timeshare owners in the same predicament as your daughter. And many have no one like you to help them sort it out. She owes YOU a good vacation in the future. 

Hang in there. It is very complicated in the beginning. But it becomes much easier with a bit of reading and research. And then when you and DD master it, you will be way ahead of the other owners who remain clueless. You'll be able to exchange into a lot of nice places that are in RCI's inventory because of owners who never reserved their home week, nor used their points. 

Good luck!


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