# Which exchange system do you like the best and why?



## Fredflintstone (Jul 20, 2018)

The main reason why I dumped my timeshares and now only rent is because of RCI.  In my opinion, their fees to do just any transaction is simply ridiculous. The icing on the cake for me was when they tripled the fees to keep your points if not used within a certain timeframe. Now weeks and points that you paid for through maintenance fees are being attacked through extension charges. In my experience, I had over 300 weeks points worth about 8 k taken from me because I forgot to extend and told they can never be recovered. My response was to dump RCI asap and the timeshares attached. 

Anyway, one day I may reconsider buying a timeshare resale again. I would like to learn from TUGGERS which exchange you like a why. I am especially curious on the reasonability of fees to exchange and any other charges. Quality and quantity of exchanges available would be awesome to know as well. Also, from your experience have fees stayed reasonable for a period of time?

Thank you all for your experienced and frank opinion. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## VacationForever (Jul 20, 2018)

We were RCI Weeks and then RCI Points members from 1997 to 2007 and switched to II.  We never look back.  II resort quality is superior to RCI's with exchange fees lower by about 20%.  We own quite alot of timeshare of value which enables us to reserve stays in their internal systems, skipping the need for external exchange companies fees, but we still find value in utilizing external exchange companies.


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## breezez (Jul 20, 2018)

Fredflintstone said:


> The main reason why I dumped my timeshares and now only rent is because of RCI.  In my opinion, their fees to do just any transaction is simply ridiculous. The icing on the cake for me was when they tripled the fees to keep your points if not used within a certain timeframe. Now weeks and points that you paid for through maintenance fees are being attacked through extension charges. In my experience, I had over 300 weeks points worth about 8 k taken from me because I forgot to extend and told they can never be recovered. My response was to dump RCI asap and the timeshares attached.
> 
> Anyway, one day I may reconsider buying a timeshare resale again. I would like to learn from TUGGERS which exchange you like a why. I am especially curious on the reasonability of fees to exchange and any other charges. Quality and quantity of exchanges available would be awesome to know as well. Also, from your experience have fees stayed reasonable for a period of time?
> 
> ...



RCI Weeks and Points are time sensative just like timeshare points/credits.    They are not going to hand hold you and tell you when your stuff is about to expire.   That is your responsibility to keep track of.   

An easy way to keep up on it is set reminders or alarms in your calendars a few days to a couple of weeks before they expire so you can do what you need to do to extend them.

I agree RCI fees are high.   But you can still get great deals.   I can’t speak to the weeks TPU side only to the points side.   When you get allotment of use year points they are good for 1 year automatically save over for another year.   You can then pay a fee to extend yet a 3rd year and if your platinum they extend 2 years vice 1 year for the extension fee.   If you can’t use them all in 3-4 years you probably have too much timeshare.

Getting good exchanges means creating ongoing searches, if your really specific your odds of being filled are diminished if your less specific your odds of getting filled go up.   The earlier you put an OGS request the more likely you will get filled.   

To many people decide today I want to take a trip to X for X days staying one of a few resorts and then look at what is available then.  They don’t see what they want and log out disgusted.   You will seldom find the more desirable stuff this way you must set up an OGS.  If you don’t want to pay in advance become a platinum RCI and OGS are free, you only pay once you accept the exchange.

On the RCI Points their is a couple disadvantage you can’t rent your unit unless you forgo your points and take home week.  Most resorts have fees in addition to exchange fees for stays less than week supposedly to offset additional housekeeping expense they will endure.   That said you can get a lot of stays on points especially when picking last minute inventory.

II is a bit cheaper on exchanges but not as many can join based on what they own.   But if you can join II with your home resort you can get some good exchanges at nice resorts and a lot of nice last minute deals.  Exchange fees are a bit less and they constantly give you certificates for free stays for just an exchange fee.


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## Luanne (Jul 20, 2018)

The one I like dealing with the best is Trading Places Maui.

Reasons I like them:
- No fee to belong since we own at Maui Hill
- No fee to request an ongoing search, don't pay until match is made
- Small company, so you actually know who you are talking to

We only use them for the specific purpose of trading our Maui Hill week for a week at a different time of year.


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## Panina (Jul 20, 2018)

If you get a resort in a high demand area with limited inventory and a desirable week, trading in interval produces great exchanges. The are many more higher end resorts in II versus RCI.  I always get matches to my ogs and my preferred trading company is II.

If you want to totally be away from a trading company, I like HGVC.  Being in HGVC I feel they treat their members the best and there are lots of choices to trade within the system.


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## WinniWoman (Jul 21, 2018)

I don't exchange anymore- or rarely. When I do I use the free memberships in the small independent exchange companies where I do not have to deposit first. If I see something- fine. If I don't- I just use my week at my home resort. Not so terrible. Really want to go somewhere else in addition to what I own? I rent from someone else or directly from the resort. Problem solved.


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## mdurette (Jul 21, 2018)

I use II and RCI - for different reasons.

II - I like the higher end resorts and use them pretty much for anywhere I have to fly to.

RCI Weeks - they have more options for where I frequently travel by car (New England)  I don't deposit with RCI anymore, I find the trips I take via RCI and easily obtained via their Extra Vacations and are VERY cost effective.  It makes no sense for me to give up TPUs and pay the exchange fee when I can just buy an EV for a couple hundred more.

IMO, timeshare exchanging is a game.  You need to learn the rules, practice and actually play to win.


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## heathpack (Jul 21, 2018)

mdurette said:


> IMO, timeshare exchanging is a game.  You need to learn the rules, practice and actually play to win.



Yes I agree with this.  Exchanging can be one of your best travel hacks but it’s like playing the hotel points or airline miles game- it takes practice and staying on top of changes to maximize your return.

Owning a specific timeshare week may or may not be as cost effective, but the paradigm won’t change continuously.

That said, most of us here are “into” learning to play the game, exchanging is fun in a way.  Seeing what you can get, learning the system, finding all the leverage.

My favorite exchange company is II, mostly because the first TS I bought was a Hyatt and that’s where Hyatt trades.  My only RCI TS is Disney and I’d never exchange it for anything but Disney.  I have some luck with SFX but their basic format doesn’t work as well for me, so I’m not sure how much I’ll use them in the future.


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## John Cummings (Jul 21, 2018)

I far prefer SFX because we have always been able to get what we want, when we want it. Their fees are lower than RCI or II and they don't have all the restrictions. I have used SFX for 23 years. We were members of both RCI and II but dropped them.


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## VacationForever (Jul 21, 2018)

John Cummings said:


> I far prefer SEX because we have always been able to get what we want, when we want it. Their fees are lower than RCI or II and they don't have all the restrictions. I have used SEX for 23 years. We were members of both RCI and II but dropped them.


 I think this is a GENERAL OR PG-13 forum.


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## John Cummings (Jul 21, 2018)

That stupid auto-correct. It should be SFX  ( San Francisco Exchange). I corrected it.


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## Panina (Jul 21, 2018)

mdurette said:


> IMO, timeshare exchanging is a game.  You need to learn the rules, practice and actually play to win.



And when you do the payback is high.  Some will think I am nuts, but it can be alot of fun.

And I will add explore and visit timeshares because Winning can also be finding the place you want to go each year, and not having to trade.


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## heathpack (Jul 21, 2018)

John Cummings said:


> I far prefer SFX because we have always been able to get what we want, when we want it. Their fees are lower than RCI or II and they don't have all the restrictions. I have used SFX for 23 years. We were members of both RCI and II but dropped them.



My current experience with an SFX deposit is typical.

I want to go to Sedona over Thanksgiving, primarily to ride mtb.  This is a fairly low season for Sedona, so a realistic request given that I gave them a comparable season Hyatt deposit.  I research *all* resorts in Sedona, figure out which ones are near the trailheads, come up with my short list, put it in ranked order of preference and send the list to my email contact at SFX.  Most of them are of lesser resort quality than my deposit, but I’m ok with that.

My contact gets back to me immediately, he has a week at a different resort.  I research that.  No go from the trail perspective.  And it’s got a lot of “it’s shabby” type reviews on Trip Advisor.

So.  I have a request in.  No idea if it will match or if so when.  If it doesn’t match, I’ll be out a vacation because I won’t have time to book some other timeshare.  Plus I’ll be out this deposit, which I’ve already paid to extend once.

Meanwhile, I search II frequently.  I see a 2BR Hyatt Pinon Pointe.  Check in the Sat after Thanksgiving.  I think about that, figure it will cost me an extra vacation day but I’ll get a 10 day trip instead of seven.  I can make that work, so I book it.

Could SFX have gotten me the week after Thanksgiving?  Maybe, I could call them back to see.  But the ability to have other options drift by, to think it through on your own, and to grab that option just makes more sense to me.  It’s also nice that you can research or figure possible travel options not for *every* possible vacation option but just the options that are actually available.  For example, I want a week that starts the Sat before Thanksgiving. With the SFX model, I have to research every timeshare in Sedona to see what’s acceptable and also figure out the implications to my travel plans on checkin dates for anything near my desired date.  Vs with Interval, a week comes available, I can look at that specific resort and that specific date to see if it works.  Five minutes later, I figure out I can make it work and now the trip is booked an I can move on.

I had the same thing happen this past summer- wanted Park City, but in a request, then found and booked on II before SFX ever got back to me.

I understand that SFX works for some people but I think the bigger inventory works better for me.  I can set up OGS and also search on my own for alternate ideas.  Time is money so SFX may be cheaper for exchanges but it takes a lot of time to research.  If I was just wanting Grand Mayan every year, that would be a great use of SFX for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the people at SFX and think for the people in their niche, it can work well.  I just think I’m maybe not in their niche.


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## John Cummings (Jul 21, 2018)

I had no problem getting the resort I wanted in Sedona. I always request specific resorts. We have done several exchanges to Hawaii, New York City, Mexico, Las Vegas, etc, etc with no problems.


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## heathpack (Jul 21, 2018)

John Cummings said:


> I had no problem getting the resort I wanted in Sedona. I always request specific resorts. We have done several exchanges to Hawaii, New York City, Mexico, Las Vegas, etc, etc with no problems.



Well, lol, maybe you are a more favored customer than I am.  I deposited a very nice resort so I doubt that’s a limiter.

But in reality this decision to go to Sedona only came about a few weeks ago.  The difference for me between SFX and II is not so much in whether I could ultimately get what I want from SFX.  It’s more that when I’m seeking something very reasonable like a shoulder season, something that doesn’t really require an OGS in II, I never know if I’m going to get it through SFX or not.  And while I’m waiting, I invariably find it in II first.


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## John Cummings (Jul 21, 2018)

The reason why I switched from II in the first place is because I wanted an exchange to the HGVC Flamingo which was an RCI resort so II couldn't deliver. SFX did deliver as they have ever since.


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## rboesl (Jul 21, 2018)

heathpack said:


> My current experience with an SFX deposit is typical.
> 
> I want to go to Sedona over Thanksgiving, primarily to ride mtb.  This is a fairly low season for Sedona, so a realistic request given that I gave them a comparable season Hyatt deposit.  I research *all* resorts in Sedona, figure out which ones are near the trailheads, come up with my short list, put it in ranked order of preference and send the list to my email contact at SFX.  Most of them are of lesser resort quality than my deposit, but I’m ok with that.
> 
> ...



I am curious. Why not just do an internal Hyatt exchange into Pinion Point? Would have been considerably cheaper than paying II's exchange fee.


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## rboesl (Jul 21, 2018)

I use RCI quite a bit. But, that's mainly because we own with Grandview and Vacation Village at Bonaventure. My account is affiliated with Vacation Village giving me reduced exchange rates with even further reductions if we book another Vacation Village resort. I do have an account with II too but only use it if we want to exchange our UVCI week.


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## heathpack (Jul 21, 2018)

P


rboesl said:


> I am curious. Why not just do an internal Hyatt exchange into Pinion Point? Would have been considerably cheaper than paying II's exchange fee.



Actually not cheaper.

I traded in using a 1BR SBP.  The trade cost me around $950 all in- factoring in purchase price ($0), MF, II membership, exchange fee, eplus and upgrade fee.

Using my Hyatt, the equivalent cost factoring in purchase price, MF, Hyatt reservation fee, would be more like $2000.

Besides, I don’t have any Hyatt points until next June.  I have an SBP deposit (which I used to book) in II, a prime Marriott reservation that could be an II deposit but a relative may want to rent, and an SFX deposit that’s due to expire soon.

I’d *really* like to use that SFX deposit which is why I’d love to be @johncummings right now.  It sounds like it if I were him, it would have happened already!


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## Vacationsarefun (Jul 26, 2018)

I only own one timeshare and have only had it for a couple of years so my only experiences are with RCI and SFX.

I have to agree with heathpack - SFX's format doesn't work so well for me. They did get me two nice exchanges in the past but this year they completely struck out. I realize that I was quite particular in my wishes - I gave them a very limited number of weeks and resorts. I am sure I looked like a very difficult customer. On the other hand I am not really wanting to give up my Southern California summer week for a third tier resort in Orlando at the end of August or a no name Spain resort in May.

With RCI I can see what is on offer and maybe something I haven't even thought about shows up. I can then check on travel options, research flights etc. E.g. if a week in Portugal showed up during school vacation time in May it might be of interest IF there are good flights available. But I can't ask SFX for everything that might work as there are just too many options.

The second advantage RCI has for me is that I can split my TPUs in several weeks. I just exchanged about one third of the TPUs I got for my week for a (last minute) DVC week. I am hoping to get a second one out of it. Alternatively, I could have gotten two weeks in a two bedroom at a second/third tier Orlando report during the time I plan to travel. With SFX I could probably have gotten one week AND would have likely had to pay an upgrade charge for the second bedroom.

I do still have my deposit with SFX and really hope I can get a decent exchange out of it next year before it expires.


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## hurnik (Jul 27, 2018)

As an HGVC (las vegas) owner, I only have access to RCI via HGVC (so no TPU's involved, no Platinum, etc.)
I really wish I had II access, but would have to buy another timeshare to do that.

I've used RCI successfully along with SFX.  For *me* SFX works out much better as generally we like to go someplace warm and tropical in the winter and Mexico fits the bill (too expensive to fly to Caribbean from ALB).  I've had many successful trades.  RCI has worked out as well when I've either needed multiple rooms and could only get X quantity via SFX, or it was a really tough place to get into (Key West).

Unfortunately RCI quality isn't there, IMO, a lot of times.  (Maui).
And their fees are atrocious.
I got a 3 BR Hacienda del mar via SFX for $100 cheaper than what a studio will run via RCI.  (again, keeping in mind I'm in RCI by virtue of HGVC so there's no "free" unit upgrades, etc.).  Oh, and that's WITH the 25% discount RCI exchange fee promo they're running.  I should also say I'm an SFX Diamond Lifetime member, so it's no charge for guest certs and free next size unit upgrades if available.

I have not used DAE or Trading Places yet, but I might.

If we traveled more to the Caribbean, then I think II would be a much better fit.  Especially with a Marriott membership.

Good thing is that there's lots of choices out there, IMO.  You have the two "big" guns: RCI and II, and then a lot of smaller ones: SFX, DAE, Trading Places (there's probably others).

I think "success" varies a lot by where you want to go, when you want to go, and what you want to stay in.  I don't do AI resorts as they tend to work out more expensive vs. booking directly with the resort.  RCI's non-gold crown resorts usually have horrendous reviews in TA (IMO).  And of course, we always want to travel during high season, so expecting readily-available stuff almost never happens (once I've found something in RCI, the rest of the time it's always had to be an OGS at least a year in advance).


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## coachBoris (Jul 28, 2018)

I guess I am not as familiar with the issues of RCI, I have a direct link through my HGVC ownership.  We have two properties which puts 15400 points in the RCI bank for use per year; since RCI allows booking up to two years we have 30800 points to use.  When we book with HGVC, the point used reduce what's in RCI.  I don't pay a membership for RCI but do pay an exchange fee.  Booked a 1 BR Divi Phoenix Beach Villas for a 6 days, cost 2720 points and 82.00. I thought that was a good deal. We have never had any issues getting what we want with an RCI exchange.

  We just bought a resale at the Marriott Surf Club and now exploring whether to purchase a II membership.  Any thoughts?


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## bizaro86 (Jul 28, 2018)

I've been surprisingly happy with RCI lately. Their fees are high, but I've gotten exactly the trades I wanted at some pretty specific places. The two weeks (one for us, one for grandparents) at HGVC Marbrisa (only resort with private legoland entrance) for the exact week I requested (my wife is a teacher, it's her spring break). 

Hard to beat that, and I still had TPU left over that I can combine later and use for something else.


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## Former Cruiser (Jul 28, 2018)

We are members of II. We own a Marriott at Myrtle Beach timeshare (Platinum season) and one at The Royal Sands through The Royal Resorts in Cancun. We bought the Myrtle Beach timeshare in 2009. Since then we have had trades to Marriott's St. Thomas timeshare, St. Kitts timeshare, Kauai timeshare, Aruba timeshare, Marco Island timeshare, Maui timeshare, West Palm Beach timeshare, and a non-Marriott in Cabo San Lucas. We actually went to Myrtle Beach last year. It's not our kind of place. We bought Myrtle Beach for the trades that we were promised, and they delivered. We've also gotten great II Getaways and Accommodation Certificates. We actually get more Accomodation Certificates then we can use. Right now we have 2 we can't use because of commitments.

We've traded our 2019 Myrtle Beach for a 14 day Scandinavian & Russia cruise. We checked prices on all cruise deal sites for the same cruise, but none could beat the $2000 discount II offered.  

We couldn't be more satisfied with II.


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## Panina (Jul 28, 2018)

bizaro86 said:


> I've been surprisingly happy with RCI lately. Their fees are high, but I've gotten exactly the trades I wanted at some pretty specific places. The two weeks (one for us, one for grandparents) at HGVC Marbrisa (only resort with private legoland entrance) for the exact week I requested (my wife is a teacher, it's her spring break).
> 
> Hard to beat that, and I still had TPU left over that I can combine later and use for something else.


Nice to hear RCI is working for you.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 28, 2018)

We use RCI via the HGVC portal. We've had a number of good OGS trades lately. Disneyland Christmas (peacock suites 2 bdrm), Key West Galleon Resort (2bdrm multiple winter weeks but could not use because of work schedule), Maui July 4 week (Maui Hill) plus Disney SSR 1 bdrm matchs (could not go).  Sure they are a step down (xDisney) from HGVC but it gets me where I want to go and we trade cheaper HGVC Vegas points.

Unless I need an extra vacation in Vegas where RCI has great deals, I find II has much nicer getaways for cash where we have seen Marriott ski weeks and Hyatt Key West but need more vacation time.

Haven't figured out how to use SFX or others yet.


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## bjkottwitz (Jul 28, 2018)

breezez said:


> RCI Weeks and Points are time sensative just like timeshare points/credits.    They are not going to hand hold you and tell you when your stuff is about to expire.   That is your responsibility to keep track of.
> 
> An easy way to keep up on it is set reminders or alarms in your calendars a few days to a couple of weeks before they expire so you can do what you need to do to extend them.
> 
> ...


I agree with most of the points that breezez makes.  I own an EOY HGVC (bought retail prior to finding TUG; ugh) that gives access to RCI, and 122,000 point Grandview (bought on ebay for $2,200 all in) also trading through RCI.  In the almost 4 years we bought we have taken(26) extra vacations with an average cost of $377/week (this includes a week at Pona Kai in Hawaii @ $1,531), and (29) exchange vacations that averaged 23,500 pts/week (there was/is obviously also an exchange fee associated with these stays).  My wife and I retired shortly before we purchased our timeshares so we have a lot of time to travel, can plan in advance, and don't mind travelling during shoulder or off season.   The value we get allows us to vacation many more weeks than we would have been able to is we had booked direct or through travel sites.  There isn't one of the resorts that we have visited that we wouldn't return to.  Some were better than others, but all have been at least acceptable, and most are very good to excellent (we stick with Gold Crowns whenever possible).

That being said, we would really like to get exposure to II resorts, especially the Marriot resorts.  I'd like some advice for getting access to II properties.  I'd initially like a low cost option to see how it works, what's available, and if it fits my needs.  Any suggestions?


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## overthehill (Jul 28, 2018)

Having been a t/s owner since 1985, my choice for exchanging has changed. For the longest time I used II over RCI as I was able to get the resorts I wanted. But over the past few years, II has not been able to confirm any exchanges I requested. Not one! During a recent conversation with one of their CSR's I was told that the resorts I wanted, i.e. Marriott, Hyatt, etc. were rarely available to non owners of those resorts because the resorts kept the inventory in house. He sited the number of exchanges made over the past year, almost none. I've made the decision to drop my membeship in II when it expires.
In the meantime, I've had better success with RCI but not as good as it once was. I typically begin my searches two years in advance but even that no longer ensures success. As we all know, exchanges happen becasue another owner has deposited their time with the exchange company. Unfortunately, many owners today are renting their time on Home Away or VRBO rather than deposting the time with an exchange company. This year I had to rent a week as I was unable to get the exchange I requested over 18 months ago. I believe this is becoming a trend which is not good for exchangers.


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## MrBill (Jul 28, 2018)

For those who are gun shy about owning with big corps like Diamond, etc look into independent time share groups where the members participate in a democratic method rather than the dictatorship of a for profit enterprise. I own 14 weeks with Royal Aloha Vacation Club, first joining in 1999 plus 2 weeks at Pine Acres Lodge in Pacific Grove, CA and 1 week at Nob Hill Inn in SF, Ca. These are sold out but you can find deals on the resale market like I did.
As for exchanging, my preference is Hawaii Time Share Exchange. I also use Platinum, Trading Places International, DAE, and Donita's. Since I use most of the RAVC weeks along with the PAL and NBI time I only trade 6 weeks or so per year and mostof that is in California. Was in RCI first year and did not like the stacked deck. Have belonged to II which I felt was better than RCI but it's been about 5 years since exchanging with them and I will be exiting soon. 
Given my age, to prevent getting stuck with memberships I will not longer be able to use, I will start phasing out of TS and doing VRBO or Air BNB.


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## rosco1e (Jul 28, 2018)

At one point I owned 33 timeshares. I was using them to retire (most all in a row at same resort). Many were with Interval, most with RCI. I'm down to 5 now of which only 1 do I always use. They're RCI. I found many (but not most) of Interval units were way better (Marriott's, Westin, etc). Many were only so so. RCI didn't have the cream units but most were pretty good. RCI's fees are outrageous. Intervals are too high also. But what I really feel is the big insult, RCI CLEARLY takes the good units and rents them themselves for $$$$. Members don't get a fair shot at them. I owned Paris and if I banked it, it would NEVER appear. It was always up for rent. That's why most units on RCI (and likely Interval too) are crap. They appear to skim the good ones for themselves to rent.  (I wonder if that would be a good class action lawsuit?)

Personally...I've found that Royal-Holiday points work best for us. I have 4 contracts of these. They expire (a monster plus because at the end they just end and you don't have to fight to get out), there's no fee at all to use your points or push them forward one year, maintenance fees are reasonable (not low but ok), and they have hotels and apartment hotels in cities that don't have timeshares at all (like Rome, NYC, etc), and they have many of the same timeshares that appear on RCI.  But their not technically a timeshare company although they work almost identically.


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## DAKOTATEX (Jul 28, 2018)

How do the exchange companies compare for using points for cruises??  I have found HGVC to have better cruise exchanges (points) than SFX.  Not familiar with any other like II.  (Yes, I do know you take a bit of a loss on fees)


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## skimeup (Jul 28, 2018)

heathpack said:


> P
> 
> 
> Actually not cheaper.
> ...


New Hyatt owner here.  I was told that I couldn't trade back into a Hyatt and couldn't see Hyatt availability on II.  How did that happen?  Using a different TS deposit and different membership?


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## silentg (Jul 28, 2018)

We started out with II, then RCI. Also used Trading Places, DAE, and back to RCI. We have had good luck lately exchanging with TUG. Best possible exchanges. Deal with good people, no money involved, great places too.
We are trying to use RCI less. Membership expires in 2020. Have not decided to renew yet?
We have all vacations booked for the rest of 2018 and  2019. Hopefully, no glitches (Knock wood).
Silentg


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 28, 2018)

DAKOTATEX said:


> How do the exchange companies compare for using points for cruises??  I have found HGVC to have better cruise exchanges (points) than SFX.  Not familiar with any other like II.  (Yes, I do know you take a bit of a loss on fees)


SFX for cruises?  I wouldn't do that.  SFX is not what I had hoped, but some of the people there are awesome and do their best. 

I have quite a few SFX deposits that I have yet to use.  I wouldn't try a cruise because I am 100% sure it would net very little toward a cruise.  

I keep trying to get things for the kids and grandkids, and there have been a few matches this year for me, including Hilton's Kohala Suites earlier this month, which our kids couldn't use because SFX couldn't get me a second week, and none were available on II or RCI either.  And our son was also worried that the vocanic gases would be dangerous for their 14-month-old anyway.  I don't think it would have been an issue, but they worry.  He is almost 40, so that baby girl is precious.  

And while I am on SFX, I will say that they did get me 12/1-12/8 at Hilton's SeaWorld.  That was nice because they were able to get two units for the same date, and both are 2 bedrooms.  The thing is, I could have gotten anything I wanted in II and RCI, so SFX did come through, but these dates were just sitting online, for months, while I waited for SFX.  Hilton SeaWorld is okay, but it's not I-Drive or Parc Soleil, and it's not Marriott.  We just stayed there in May, we had three units, and the carpet was absolutely filthy.  Our grandbaby was running around with her cousins, and her feet were black in 15 minutes.  And during full clean for the second week, I was in the unit, and the lady didn't vacuum anything.  No vacuuming for two weeks.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 28, 2018)

The key with exchanging is in taking advantage of ongoing searches.  Let the system work for you, but if you don't have the quality of resorts to match Marriott and Hyatt, you aren't going to get those.  I know because I used to hope for something like that with an ordinary resort.  Then I found Foxrun, and then Sheraton's Broadway Plantation, and Blue Ridge Village, and now I match every search in II, just about.  I love II. It's $199 to exchange, unless you are exchanging into your own system, like Marriott and Vistana.   

With RCI, you can only do as many ongoing searches as you have deposits, and I have combined my deposits to the point where I have about 450 TPU's, and I can only do the one search.  Sure, you can add additional areas and dates to that one search, but when something matches, you are back to square one with those remaining TPU's.  You have to set the ongoing searches again and again and you end up at the bottom of the barrel because now your search is not as old, hasn't got that wonderful patina, as everyone else.  

With RCI Points, you can have 40 ongoing searches with one batch of points.  It's better.  But the fees are crazy. 

I have TPU's that are expiring at the end of this month, 3 days from now.  There is nothing I can do about it.  They won't let me extend the points.  What a waste, and shame on RCI for making me believe my weeks will never expire, as long as I keep combining.  

I stopped depositing to RCI weeks.  I am using the old stuff I have.  I plan to stop RCI weeks altogether after I use up those TPU's.  I just decided that this minute.


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## breezez (Jul 28, 2018)

bjkottwitz said:


> I agree with most of the points that breezez makes.  I own an EOY HGVC (bought retail prior to finding TUG; ugh) that gives access to RCI, and 122,000 point Grandview (bought on ebay for $2,200 all in) also trading through RCI.  In the almost 4 years we bought we have taken(26) extra vacations with an average cost of $377/week (this includes a week at Pona Kai in Hawaii @ $1,531), and (29) exchange vacations that averaged 23,500 pts/week (there was/is obviously also an exchange fee associated with these stays).  My wife and I retired shortly before we purchased our timeshares so we have a lot of time to travel, can plan in advance, and don't mind travelling during shoulder or off season.   The value we get allows us to vacation many more weeks than we would have been able to is we had booked direct or through travel sites.  There isn't one of the resorts that we have visited that we wouldn't return to.  Some were better than others, but all have been at least acceptable, and most are very good to excellent (we stick with Gold Crowns whenever possible).
> 
> That being said, we would really like to get exposure to II resorts, especially the Marriot resorts.  I'd like some advice for getting access to II properties.  I'd initially like a low cost option to see how it works, what's available, and if it fits my needs.  Any suggestions?


You will find several people giving away Sheraton Broadway Plantation or Desert Oasis.  Either of these will give you a week and access to II.   But their MF’s are a little pricey and generally at or slightly higher than people rent them for.  Another way to get II Access is a small WorldMark account, they will trade in both RCI an II and are generally a strong trader pulling Marriotts and Hyatt’s.  The smaller contracts in WM have higher per credit fees but are a cheap way to get access to II


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## breezez (Jul 28, 2018)

rickandcindy23 said:


> With RCI Points, you can have 40 ongoing searches with one batch of points.  It's better.  But the fees are crazy.



Actually RCI point exchanges and fees are lower when staying weeks or longer, some resorts will tack on fees when staying less than full week to offset additional housekeeping costs.   A lot of RCI resorts started adding fees to all trades points or weeks such as amenity fees, resort fees, activity fees blah, blah, blah.   My understanding is RCI has been encouraging resorts to tack these fees on as another revenue source.  Kind of BS when original TS owner MFs already covered most of this.

What I like better about II is most resorts don’t add a crap load of other fees.


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## bjkottwitz (Jul 28, 2018)

breezez said:


> You will find several people giving away Sheraton Broadway Plantation or Desert Oasis.  Either of these will give you a week and access to II.   But their MF’s are a little pricey and generally at or slightly higher than people rent them for.  Another way to get II Access is a small WorldMark account, they will trade in both RCI an II and are generally a strong trader pulling Marriotts and Hyatt’s.  The smaller contracts in WM have higher per credit fees but are a cheap way to get access to II


Thanks breezez.   I've stayed at Sheraton Broadway Plantation and Desert Oasis and both were very nice.  I've also stayed at a number of WorldMark's as well and haven't been disappointed.  I'll see what's available on the TUG marketplace.


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## breezez (Jul 28, 2018)

bjkottwitz said:


> Thanks breezez.   I've stayed at Sheraton Broadway Plantation and Desert Oasis and both were very nice.  I've also stayed at a number of WorldMark's as well and haven't been disappointed.  I'll see what's available on the TUG marketplace.


If looking for a WM you will find an entire exchange with them being sold buy owners at wmowners.com


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 28, 2018)

A 2 bed at SBP is about $966 in MF's.  A lockoff is about $1,200 in MF's, and that gives you two exchanges.  I have a small side of the lockoff, so a small 1 bed, smallest they have, and that has fees of about $430 and it's exchanging very well.  I love the exchanging game.  Our kids don't travel much, which is how we were at their ages, but I am hoping they all step up their vacationing at some point.  I have some amazing weeks for them to use.  

A Marriott's Willow Ridge in Branson is about $1,179 in fees for a 2 bedroom.  You can turn that into a lockoff for a measly $80 and have two deposits.  Those are great traders, if you buy Platinum season.  

Most of what we own we rent out.


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## dukebigtom (Jul 28, 2018)

The continual increase in RCI are ridiculous and frustrating. But, for some things works better than II depending on where you want to go.  

I've had a little experience with DAE and had a hard time finding much good inventory.  

II is my favorite.  Higher end resorts and lower fees than RCI, but also limited in some areas.  

BigRom


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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 28, 2018)

Not sure if this counts, but I like exchanging via internal systems best. (e.g. HGVC, Vistana Starpoints) More than RCI or II because it is free, easy, and the exchange properties are uniformly high quality. Unlike RCI and II reservations that lock you in for a year or more, with HGVC you can cancel penalty-free anytime up to 31 days.  A downside is that there are limited locations.

I do prefer RCI and II for cash getaways as the last minute cash open season in HGVC is not a good deal anymore.


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## Trudyt623 (Jul 28, 2018)

I have access to RCI through my Disney ts and find the resorts to not be as nice as II resorts.  Also, I just returned from a Hilton Head trip through RCI and they wanted to charge me a $75 early check out fee because I did not book a full week.  I balked to both the resort and Disney and finally the manager said she will remove the charge.  How does this cost them extra housekeeping fees?   It's cleaned after we leave and if it sits vacant for 2 days they won't have to reclean it.  Also, if the rent it for those 2 days the rental price will cover the housekeeping.  I hope Disney moves back to II.  I have had excellent trades with II using my Marriott weeks.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 28, 2018)

Trudyt623 said:


> I have access to RCI through my Disney ts and find the resorts to not be as nice as II resorts.  Also, I just returned from a Hilton Head trip through RCI and they wanted to charge me a $75 early check out fee because I did not book a full week.  I balked to both the resort and Disney and finally the manager said she will remove the charge.  How does this cost them extra housekeeping fees?   It's cleaned after we leave and if it sits vacant for 2 days they won't have to reclean it.  Also, if the rent it for those 2 days the rental price will cover the housekeeping.  I hope Disney moves back to II.  I have had excellent trades with II using my Marriott weeks.


You need to join Mouseowners or some other site and rent your DVC points then pay cash for whatever vacation you want.  You should be able to get at least $14 to $16 per point.  This is with minimal work.  You just tell people on that site that you have extra Disney points, and then have them pay with Paypal. 

If you advertise Aulani, you can rent the studios for $16 per point pretty easily.  

If you don't want to do either of those things, you should go to David's Rentals and rent them.  All you have to do is book what they already check inventory for, then add the guest names they tell you.  The only thing I thought was a bit inconvenient was adding the Magical Express and Magic Band choices, but I made money, so I was okay with it.


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 28, 2018)

breezez said:


> Actually RCI point exchanges and fees are lower when staying weeks or longer, some resorts will tack on fees when staying less than full week to offset additional housekeeping costs.   A lot of RCI resorts started adding fees to all trades points or weeks such as amenity fees, resort fees, activity fees blah, blah, blah.   My understanding is RCI has been encouraging resorts to tack these fees on as another revenue source.  Kind of BS when original TS owner MFs already covered most of this.
> 
> What I like better about II is most resorts don’t add a crap load of other fees.


I agree!  I love II.


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## DeniseM (Jul 28, 2018)

The 2 most important factors in choosing an exchange  company are:
1) where you want to go?
2) what you have to deposit?

If the resort you_ want_, and the resort you _own_ are not affiliated with the exchange company you want to use -  no can do.


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## terces (Jul 28, 2018)

We have owned at a Sandos Resort in Mexico for a number of years.  It’s an AI and we feel it gives us good value if used in the shoulder season, but it also gives us a decent amount of RCI points and an RCI account.  We were really unsure about expanding our timeshare experience, but sold our Motorhome last year and decided to give it a try so we acquired 400,000 points and proceeded to book a total of 14 weeks - all RCI Gold Crown. What we found was most of them were a bit tired; when you walk through the door your nose wrinkles a bit but they grow on you and we have had some good vacations. We found that RCI does permit deeded owners to post reviews of their own properties and in some cases they are very fake reviews so this to us is a distinct negative with RCI. The other thing is the booking fee of $299 US which equals about $430 CDN.  Adding up the cost of points, whether it is from the cost of your MF’s or buying points, plus the “other fees” some resorts charge, they are still pretty good deals in our mind. HOWEVER, if you cancel, the entire fee is lost along with the cost of point insurance.  So for that reason we want to steer clear of RCI as much as possible.  Through our research we either stayed at or visited 6 different HGVC resorts and ended up buying 2 x 7000 HGVC points (resale) with MF’s if approx $850 x 2 = $1700 which should give us at least 4 weeks of shoulder season in a 1bdrm.  Our intention is to only use these points within the HGVC system.  They now have over 60 resorts and are growing rapidly.  Booking fees are about $60 and there are no additional “cleaning fees” or “resort fees” and you can cancel 30 days prior with no penalty and then a reduced penalty.  They have a slick booking system and we just love the high quality resort feel of the HGVC properties


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## heathpack (Jul 29, 2018)

skimeup said:


> New Hyatt owner here.  I was told that I couldn't trade back into a Hyatt and couldn't see Hyatt availability on II.  How did that happen?  Using a different TS deposit and different membership?



As I said in the post I used a Sheraton Broadway Plantation to trade into Piñon Pointe.  That is not a Hyatt TS.


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## VacationForever (Jul 29, 2018)

Former Cruiser said:


> We are members of II. We own a Marriott at Myrtle Beach timeshare (Platinum season) and one at The Royal Sands through The Royal Resorts in Cancun. We bought the Myrtle Beach timeshare in 2009. Since then we have had trades to Marriott's St. Thomas timeshare, St. Kitts timeshare, Kauai timeshare, Aruba timeshare, Marco Island timeshare, Maui timeshare, West Palm Beach timeshare, and a non-Marriott in Cabo San Lucas. We actually went to Myrtle Beach last year. It's not our kind of place. We bought Myrtle Beach for the trades that we were promised, and they delivered. We've also gotten great II Getaways and Accommodation Certificates. We actually get more Accomodation Certificates then we can use. Right now we have 2 we can't use because of commitments.
> 
> We've traded our 2019 Myrtle Beach for a 14 day Scandinavian & Russia cruise. We checked prices on all cruise deal sites for the same cruise, but none could beat the $2000 discount II offered.
> 
> We couldn't be more satisfied with II.


Did you trying using a 3rd party travel agency to compare?  Many offer about 8% of the cost back to you in the form of refundable onboard credits or cash card.


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## hurnik (Jul 29, 2018)

DAKOTATEX said:


> How do the exchange companies compare for using points for cruises??  I have found HGVC to have better cruise exchanges (points) than SFX.  Not familiar with any other like II.  (Yes, I do know you take a bit of a loss on fees)



Either one is a bad deal, IMO.

With HGVC they partnered with Cruises Only and it's a "flat" value (near as I can tell).  I wanna say last time I looked, 7000 points equated to about a $500-600 discount.  Horrible, IMO.  7000 points at best is around $1,000 in MF and club dues, so you're better off just paying cash, IMO.

SFX (actually via their Travel Store/ICE), it's not that great, but it's difficult to figure out because it varies on how much discount you get.  They do or did, however, extend the discount to up to 4 cabins (last time I looked).  So if you "saved", say, $200 on a cabin and were booking 4 cabins, you'd save like $800.

The downside with the SFX Travel store is that you cannot combine any of that with any other cruise discounts (ie, past guest savings, etc.)  Rarely they will let you combine with select NCL discounts.


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## TravelinGuy (Jul 29, 2018)

Has anyone used RCI Points (especially soon-to-expire ones), for car rentals, flights, restaurants, hotel stays, etc?   If so, what's your impression -- were they a good value?


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## Former Cruiser (Jul 30, 2018)

VacationForever said:


> Did you trying using a 3rd party travel agency to compare?  Many offer about 8% of the cost back to you in the form of refundable onboard credits or cash card.



Thought we pretty much exhausted all sites. Two thousand off a $7,000 cruise is over 25% discount.


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## VacationForever (Jul 30, 2018)

Former Cruiser said:


> Thought we pretty much exhausted all sites. Two thousand off a $7,000 cruise is over 25% discount.


As long as your Myrtle Beach week MF + ~$600 (kickbacks by travel agencies) + II exchange fee for cruise < $2000, then you got a decent deal.  I have done the cruise exchange in II before, it was pretty much a wash after adding the MF + exchange fee.  Those were the days before we learned of perks from travel agencies.  II offered a free specialty dining as perk for us.


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## PamMo (Jul 30, 2018)

The best value exchange "system" is doing direct trades with other TUG members for free!

A problem I have is that some of my timeshares are simply too expensive to use as traders in Interval (it makes more sense to rent them out when we don't use them), but I enjoy staying in comparable resorts. Happily, I've been able to work out a couple of private exchanges with Tuggers to get exactly what we wanted. A great bonus with an owner-to-owner exchange is you can get owner privileges like fixed units, fixed views, no resort fees, etc. I'd love to see more Tuggers participate in the Marketplace Exchange!


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## eschjw (Jul 30, 2018)

PamMo said:


> The best value exchange "system" is doing direct trades with other TUG members for free!


A TUG Marketplace Exchange is certainly the best value if you can find something that works for both parties.

I just completed my half of an exchange with TUG member Lorrie. She owns a couple of July weeks at the New Smyrna Beach, Florida Coconut Palms I Resort. It is a nice cozy Silver Crown resort with a very good location. I reserved a week for her at my Silver Crown resort near Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. Lorrie has an active July 2019 exchange ad for this resort.

Be sure to check out the Marketplace before depositing your week with an exchange company. Joe


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## phyllispsu (Jul 31, 2018)

Fredflintstone said:


> The main reason why I dumped my timeshares and now only rent is because of RCI.  In my opinion, their fees to do just any transaction is simply ridiculous. The icing on the cake for me was when they tripled the fees to keep your points if not used within a certain timeframe. Now weeks and points that you paid for through maintenance fees are being attacked through extension charges. In my experience, I had over 300 weeks points worth about 8 k taken from me because I forgot to extend and told they can never be recovered. My response was to dump RCI asap and the timeshares attached.
> 
> Anyway, one day I may reconsider buying a timeshare resale again. I would like to learn from TUGGERS which exchange you like a why. I am especially curious on the reasonability of fees to exchange and any other charges. Quality and quantity of exchanges available would be awesome to know as well. Also, from your experience have fees stayed reasonable for a period of time?
> 
> ...




I've never tried RCI but II is been great to use . I own in Orlando and my husband loves Florida so I use my timeshare almost every year sometimes I go to Orlando twice by using a AC or get away. I have also found weeks for as low as $100 -$200 through  Timeshareaid.net or Daelive.com  they both are free to sign up .


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## Fredflintstone (Jul 31, 2018)

coachBoris said:


> I guess I am not as familiar with the issues of RCI, I have a direct link through my HGVC ownership.  We have two properties which puts 15400 points in the RCI bank for use per year; since RCI allows booking up to two years we have 30800 points to use.  When we book with HGVC, the point used reduce what's in RCI.  I don't pay a membership for RCI but do pay an exchange fee.  Booked a 1 BR Divi Phoenix Beach Villas for a 6 days, cost 2720 points and 82.00. I thought that was a good deal. We have never had any issues getting what we want with an RCI exchange.
> 
> We just bought a resale at the Marriott Surf Club and now exploring whether to purchase a II membership.  Any thoughts?



Based on what I have read from other TUGGERS II is a very good exchange company. So, based on that, it won’t hurt to try II. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Mike S (Jul 31, 2018)

Ther


rosco1e said:


> At one point I owned 33 timeshares. I was using them to retire (most all in a row at same resort). Many were with Interval, most with RCI. I'm down to 5 now of which only 1 do I always use. They're RCI. I found many (but not most) of Interval units were way better (Marriott's, Westin, etc). Many were only so so. RCI didn't have the cream units but most were pretty good. RCI's fees are outrageous. Intervals are too high also. But what I really feel is the big insult, RCI CLEARLY takes the good units and rents them themselves for $$$$. Members don't get a fair shot at them. I owned Paris and if I banked it, it would NEVER appear. It was always up for rent. That's why most units on RCI (and likely Interval too) are crap. They appear to skim the good ones for themselves to rent.  (I wonder if that would be a good class action lawsuit?)
> 
> Personally...I've found that Royal-Holiday points work best for us. I have 4 contracts of these. They expire (a monster plus because at the end they just end and you don't have to fight to get out), there's no fee at all to use your points or push them forward one year, maintenance fees are reasonable (not low but ok), and they have hotels and apartment hotels in cities that don't have timeshares at all (like Rome, NYC, etc), and they have many of the same timeshares that appear on RCI.  But their not technically a timeshare company although they work almost identically.


There was a class action lawsuit against rci for doing exactly what you stated years ago.
Unfortunately the lawyers got most of the settlement 
I switched to II and I’m very happy


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