# Help with RCI's TPU and trade power calculator



## josta4ever (Jul 14, 2011)

I own 1 BR unit in Myrtle Beach with floating week that can be used anytime throughout the entire year. 
We want to deposit our week but have concerns with the trade power calculator on RCI's website.  

What does the start date represent on this calculator?

We put a start date of today(thinking that this means I am depositing today) and my trading power is max 24/ current 11.
I change this to October 16 and my current increases to 22. 
If I use December as a start date, the current goes back to 11. 

Does this mean that I should wait until October to call and make deposit.  This confuses me since I thought that the value should decrease as we get closer to the end of the year which is when my week expires if not deposited.

Can anyone help me figure this out?

Thank you!


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## BevL (Jul 14, 2011)

The start date is the check in date of the week you want to deposit.  The calculator will automatically calculate what your TPUs will be if you deposit that unit today.

Unfortunately there is no way to know whether the number will go up or down if you wait.  Presumably it should go down closer to the check in date.  

Bev


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## josta4ever (Jul 14, 2011)

We do not have a check in date.  Our week can be used any time that is available before the end of the year.  Our unit is deeded for week 31 but it is a floating week.  We also can not deposit directly into RCI ourselves.  We have to call our home resort/Starwood to make our deposit.


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## Ridewithme38 (Jul 14, 2011)

josta4ever said:


> We do not have a check in date.  Our week can be used any time that is available before the end of the year.  Our unit is deeded for week 31 but it is a floating week.  We also can not deposit directly into RCI ourselves.  We have to call our home resort/Starwood to make our deposit.



some floating weeks, you call the resort and reserve a week and deposit that week with RCI...others you contact the resort and they pick the week and deposit it with RCI...

I don't know which one you have...but a good guestimate would be to use week 31 in the TPU Calculator


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## DavidnJudy (Jul 15, 2011)

If you can request the week, you can use the Calculator to determine the best week to deposit.  The reason you are seeing 2 different values is because the closer to the checkin date of your week the more the value drops. (They call it Adjustment Schedule - it is right there on the screen the %).

Max is what you would have got had you deposited 276+ days out (like a year out). Current is what you get right now for depositing. If you deposit something over a year out you will get the most TPU.

RCI is encouraging you to deposit your unit EARLY by giving you more TPU if you do.

I don't know if you have deposit 2011 yet?  But if you haven't I would request one of the following to get 22 Points (that's the best you can get - I am assuming you are talking about Sheraton Broadway Plantation - Starwood):

Week 47 (Thanksgiving)
Week 43
Week 42

There are other weeks that will get you 19 in 2011.

If you are looking at depositing 2012, most weeks in the summer will get you a 24 (including 4th of July).  Even your week 31 will get you 24 points.  So you can ask for any week from 18 - 42.  They are all 24 points in 2012.

(I noticed that about the Sheraton resorts they are more equitable with their points - it seems the same at Vistana.  So if you own week 42 in October it gets the same points as 4th of July - and we know at the beach of 4th of July is much more popular.)

Anyway - Good luck.  Maybe if you still owe the 2011 MF they can deposit a 2012 week so you get your 24 points - otherwise go for the weeks listed above.

Of course you might not be able to choose.  If they do deposit something that only gets you 11 or 13, I would call and ask them to adjust your week to something else since SO many of the weeks get 24 points.



Good luck.


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## josta4ever (Jul 15, 2011)

We have deposited this week many times and I haven't ever had to reserve a week beforehand.  Our home resort is the Sheraton's Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach.  We have always traded week to week and this will be our first deposit using the TPU.  Is it possible to request a week when I call Starwood to make the deposit or will they be able to look and see where I can get the most trading power?  It was my understanding that the earlier you deposited, the more it was worth.  That is why I am confused that a start date in Dec. was worth less than a start date in Oct.

Thanks so much the help in understanding the new RCI system.  I tried the online chat with RCI last night and it was no help at all.  Only pointed me to a page of info of things I already understood.  I'm just confused about when is going to be the best time to call and make my deposit.  I don't want to do it today, when the calculator has an Oct. start date as double the current points from the start date of today.  Does this really have anything to do with the day I deposit it or the day the week is used???


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## DavidnJudy (Jul 15, 2011)

The reason December has lower points value is because RCI (and Starwood) rate Decemember lower than the Summer weeks 16-43.  Weeks 44 - 15 are the winter in Myrtle Beach so they don't rate as high (exception is Thanksgiving which gets 24).

They give you 24 TPU for summer and 13 TPU for winter.  The good news is they have allocated ALOT of weeks to that summer rate (more summer weeks (27 ish) than winter (25 ish)).  So just make sure they depsit a summer week for you.  If they don't for some reason I would call back Starwood and ask them to deposit a summer week.  They are all 24 points.  They should be able to deposit week 31 for you, or at least week 37 which is shoulder! Especially since you own a week 31 which is a valuable summer week in MB.

Call the resort and see what they will deposit, my hunch is that it will be a shoulder summer week which will get you the max - 24 points.  And 24 points will get you pretty good trades (13 will be much tougher to trade but doable.)

Good luck


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## DavidnJudy (Jul 15, 2011)

josta4ever said:


> Does this really have anything to do with the day I deposit it or the day the week is used???



It has nothing to do with wheter you are depositing today.  It has to do with the START DATE of the vacation week you deposit.  So if the vacation week Starwood deposits for you has a start date of 

July 16th, 2011 (tomorrow) which it won't by the way - then you lose 55% of the deposit value because it is within 14 days of checkin - thus giving you 11 TPU.

If the vacation were to start on October 8th, then you lose 20% of the deposit (5 points), because it is a checkin date that is 30-90 days away. Since it started at 24 you get 19 points.

If the vacation were to start on December 17th, then you lose 10% of the seposit (1 point), because it is 91-180 days away. Since the MAX for this day is 11 TPU you get 10 TPU.

The MAX is the original value for the check in date.  Obviously they give more points to July 16th and October 8th - because they are "summer"  (I call October shoulder - but they give it summer points) than they do to December 17th - because it is "winter".

BUT since July 16th is so CLOSE they reduce the points you get for it.

I don't think starwood will deposit something so close, BUT if they have to deposit a 2011 then it will lose some power because they are all within 180 days.  That's why I suggested you request Week 42 - at least you will get 19. Of course if you are talking 2012 just make sure you get a summer week - all you need to worry about is the MAX then because there will be no "penalty" for late deposit.

Make sense?


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## e.bram (Jul 15, 2011)

Owning week thirty one in floating week set up does not give you the absolute right to use week 31(you share with all of the float week owners). The resort should give the best(summer weeks) to owner users. Do not mention trading!


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## DavidnJudy (Jul 15, 2011)

e.bram said:


> Owning week thirty one in floating week set up does not give you the absolute right to use week 31(you share with all of the float week owners). The resort should give the best(summer weeks) to owner users. Do not mention trading!



Huh?  If you pay your fee far enough in advance that some summer weeks are still available at the resort, then they should deposit with RCI for you. You paid the same as another owner, and requested first, what you do with the week - stay there or trade it is irrelevant in my eyes.  You requested and paid first.

Not sure if you are saying that owners who use the weeks at the resort should get summer?  I think owners who request first (and pay their MFs) should get their choice of what week to have for trading or use.

I agree with floating everyone shares the weeks, so at this point if all week 31 are gone then yes the poster should request another summer week and if available it should be given to them.  But to save off summer weeks for owners who haven't paid or requested yet seems crazy to me.

JMHO


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 15, 2011)

I also own SBP.  You need to call Starwood and tell them you are going to assign a week to RCI and hope you get a good week assignment.  That is how it works for SBP.  You have no choice for deposit, but you can complain if your week gives you a lousy # of TPU's.  

I would never give RCI an SBP week for that reason, but I love the new RCI system, so I am not complaining about RCI.  I will ALWAYS trade my SBP weeks with II.  I get great trades internally into the Starwood resorts, and it's a huge plus for me.


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