# II vs RCI



## Mike S (Aug 8, 2005)

I own two timeshares, one, Shell Island Beach Club on Sanibel Island, week 6 Gold Crown, not 5 star, the other Longboat bay Club, Longboat Key. floating week, Gold Crown and 5 star. Both are 2 bed 2 bth.
I currently trade RCI, depost 1 year in advance and ask for 2 bed, 2 bath. I notice RCI doesn't have many of the newer chains, Marriot, Starwood, etc. I also seem to have a hard time exchanging. When I ask for certain searches I hear, Hawaii's tough, Cabo's tough, Palm Springs tough, etc. Do they rent out deposited weeks? Would II be a better exchange company for me? Would the fact that my Shell Island is not 5 star hurt my power with II? Any help would be appreciated.


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## Carolinian (Aug 8, 2005)

It sounds like your resorts would have a good chance of being accepted by www.sfx-resorts.com , which many Tuggers have used successfully.

Other good independents include www.htse.net , www.dialanexchange.us ,
www.tradingplaces.com , and www.platinuminterchange.com


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## rfb813 (Aug 8, 2005)

Either exchange your Shell Island through HGVC internal points system or II.  With II you will get an AC and Shell Island pulls high quality resorts including most Marriott's.  I just visited Shell Island at the beginning of July and the units look great and with what is underway with the grounds the resort will be top notch.


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## Dani (Aug 8, 2005)

I would definitely go with  II given the resorts that you own.  They are quality based and many resorts have a high quality rating within II although they are not a 5-Star resort.  Also, being a 5-star resort has very little to do with trade power ina nd of itself.    Give II a try.


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## timeos2 (Aug 8, 2005)

Go SFX as they assure you of an equal quality trade that II won't.  They offer access to all the best resorts - RCI & II. II claims a lot of the top names but the actual availability in high seasons is almost nil. If you don't mind off season they do seem to have those.


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## Dani (Aug 8, 2005)

More resorts, more lead time for exchanges...IMHO....go with II.  At the very least, do not deposit all of your units with SFX.  Not everyone is happy with them.  Dip your toes in if you must.  Maybe start with one deposit and see how you like it.


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## Steve (Aug 8, 2005)

*II is worth a try*

I agree with Dani...give II a try.  I have found that Sanibel weeks trade much better in II than in RCI.  In addition to my Hurricane House week, I used to own at Sanibel Beach Club II...which is non 5 star and right next to Shell Island Beach Club.  It's trade power was average in RCI...it was awesome in II.

With a Sanibel week, you'll find that II has great availability at lots of top resorts...including prime season.  I think your Longboat week will also do well in II.  Put in an on going search, and I think you'll really like the results.

Steve


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## Avery (Aug 8, 2005)

I can't speak to SFX, but I must say that as a member of both II and RCI, I would definitely go with II given your resorts. I think II will value your Sanibel week highly even if it's not 5 star; they have an internal "4 star" rating, you should see if your resort would qualify. I'm guessing it would. I am offered similar "4 star" resorts in exchange for my 5 star. I also find II much more "user friendly" and less mysterious in terms of trading power. They have more inventory, less frenzy, and a lot more available in a 12 month window than RCI. If you plan two years ahead, then maybe RCI would work, but I have lost a lot of exchange fees trying to plan that far in advance. My opinion could be somewhat colored by the fact that my II resort is top shelf and my RCI resort is in South Africa (SA), but my SA resort is GC, red peak, and I still get a very hard time maximizing it with RCI (though I have done much better with TUG's help!).


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## RayH (Aug 8, 2005)

How do you know if a resort is "4 star or 5 star" with Interval International? I don't see any ratings in the book or their website. RCI has the ratings in the book and the website.


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## SandraWorld (Aug 8, 2005)

msoriero said:
			
		

> Would II be a better exchange company for me? Would the fact that my Shell Island is not 5 star hurt my power with II? Any help would be appreciated.



Quite frankly I don't see how anyone's advice as to pick one exchange company over another here is really qualified advice. If you are requesting prime time in high demanded seasons, regardless of what exchange company you use the demand is always greater than supply industry wide. The places you mentioned are attainable with all the exchange companies mentioned. But there are variables that will affect your success or not, like the trading power of your unit, and regardless of it's trading power, availability on the other end where you want to go is the bottom line.

You might try I.I., and maybe at the time you try, nothing becomes available, but perhaps RCI or one of the independents would have matched you. It can be a crap shoot. Go with your gut feeling. There's no way of knowing which exchange company will or will not come through for you.


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## gmarine (Aug 8, 2005)

In my experience I think you will have a better chance with II. 

If you are flexible and deposit a high quality resort you have a very good chance of getting almost any request you make with II with the exception of certain holiday weeks which in some cases are never deposited with any excnage company. 

In 11 years with II I have always received the exchanges I requested. From Atlantis  to many Marriotts to DVC. Been to them all, some multiple times. 

I only lasted one year with RCI.


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## Marina_K (Aug 8, 2005)

RayH said:
			
		

> How do you know if a resort is "4 star or 5 star" with Interval International? I don't see any ratings in the book or their website. RCI has the ratings in the book and the website.



II actually has only 2 classes, standard or 5*.

Those members who own at least one 5* resort will receive the directory showing which resorts are 5*. Same with the online membership.

If you would like a 5* directory from 2004/2005, email or PM me.


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## maiwah (Aug 9, 2005)

*II is definitely better than RCI*

I am a member of both II and RCI.  If you have quality resort, II definitely has more quality resorts for you to exchange.  I will definitely go with II.


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## RayH (Aug 9, 2005)

Thanks Marina, I sent you an e-mail.


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## scooooter (Aug 9, 2005)

hmmm.....I was under the understanding that a resort chose to trade with one or the other, either II or RCI as an example.  Is that not true?  So, for the timeshare I own right now, I can become a member of II  and exchange with them??

Does anyone know what the membership fees are with II compared with RCI?

Thanks!
Rhonda


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## Dani (Aug 9, 2005)

scooooter said:
			
		

> hmmm.....I was under the understanding that a resort chose to trade with one or the other, either II or RCI as an example.  Is that not true?  So, for the timeshare I own right now, I can become a member of II  and exchange with them??
> 
> Does anyone know what the membership fees are with II compared with RCI?
> 
> ...



  Hi Rhonda,

  A resort can choose to affiliate with either RCI or II or both.  Many resorts are dual affiliated.  You can take a look at the on-line directories of both RCI and II and determine if your resort is dual affiliated with either.

   The membership fees for RCI and II are essentially the same.  It's the exchange fees that are different.  RCI's exchange fees are higher than II's. Here are the membership fees for both RCI and II:

 Here is RCI's fee schedule:

 1 year = $89 USD  
2 years = $149 USD  
3 years = $219 USD  
4 years = $279 USD 
5 years = $339 USD 


 Here is II's fee membership fee schedule:

All prices are shown in US DOLLARS  

 5 years $339 - $81 discount  
 3 years $215 - $37 discount  
 2 years $158 - $10 discount  
 1 year $84


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## Dani (Aug 9, 2005)

SandraWorld said:
			
		

> There's no way of knowing which exchange company will or will not come through for you.



   There's know way of knowing for sure, but many of us have now spent years making observations about just these things.  In fact, we have an ENTIRE board dedicated to the issue    The fact is, we can make an educated guess.


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## 4dabirds (Aug 9, 2005)

Dani said:
			
		

> The membership fees for RCI and II are essentially the same.  It's the exchange fees that are different.  RCI's exchange fees are higher than II's. Here are the membership fees for both RCI and II:
> 
> Here is RCI's fee schedule:
> 
> ...



Often though II will send you a code for "2 years for the price of 1" with no restrictions as to how many times you can pay for a year and get 2... essentially cutting their membership fees in half.

Kim


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## 4dabirds (Aug 9, 2005)

SandraWorld said:
			
		

> There's no way of knowing which exchange company will or will not come through for you.





			
				Dani said:
			
		

> There's know way of knowing for sure, but many of us have now spent years making observations about just these things.  In fact, we have an ENTIRE board dedicated to the issue    The fact is, we can make an educated guess.



Thank you Dani! I thought I was the only one thinking this...

Even an astrophysicist can't tell you everything there is to know about astrophysics, but many are still considered experts. When I want to know about Disney I go to Carol... Atlantis, Dani  about RCI Points raiding weeks, Carolinian - most people here have a special interest that they have spent countless hours researching and I feel very comfortable taking what they say and factoring it into the equation as it is accurate and duplicatable.

Kim


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## Avery (Aug 9, 2005)

Ray and Marina,

While it is true that II doesn't publish any 4* ratings, they have an internal system to help ensure similar resort quality matches even if not 5*. For example, in trying to fumble my way through the new II system, I got a match for a resort that I know is not 5*. I called II and asked them if it was comparable to my 5* Marriott, I was told that it was 4* and that it scored an 86 based on the feedback ratings that II collects from members after they stay. The 5* resort that matched for the same area got a 92, so it was a bit higher. 

Avery


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## spiceycat (Aug 9, 2005)

my landmark trades with both. I had heard from this site that RCI did not value it much.

II definitely does. I got a DVC and a AC (bonus week) that my friends are using and are staying at Marriott.

I would give II a try.

the Landmark is not a gold crown or a 5 star - but it is nice resort (nice not great) on the beach. I think II is finally starting to value beach locations as much as high quality.

I also have a SA and it gets me what I want? Of course I don't travel out of the South.


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## scooooter (Aug 9, 2005)

I have been trying to get on II's website for a couple of hours now with "failure to connect" message.  Does anyone have a phone number for them?  I need to find out if they handle my 2 timeshares.  We are currently with RCI and are considering changing.

Rhonda


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## spiceycat (Aug 9, 2005)

II is changing their website and they are having problems.

try 1-800-843-8843 this should be membership services


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## Marina_K (Aug 9, 2005)

Avery said:
			
		

> While it is true that II doesn't publish any 4* ratings, they have an internal system to help ensure similar resort quality matches even if not 5*...  I was told that it was 4* and that it scored an 86 based on the feedback ratings ... The 5* resort that matched for the same area got a 92, so it was a bit higher.



Thanks Avery. I knew about the numbers but didn't realise they used the term 4*. So, are there 3*, 2*, etc.?


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## scooooter (Aug 9, 2005)

ok, thanks for the information!

Rhonda


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## Avery (Aug 10, 2005)

Marina,

I d/n ask about 3*, 2*, etc., but I'm hoping if they do, they wouldn't match my 5* to anything less than a 4*. I do find the numerical ratings helpful in trying to decide on an exchange in the absence of recent TUG reviews, etc. I just thought that since the OP had a strong property even though not 5*, it might still trade well w/II and it'd be worth finding out what the internal ratings are for it.

Avery


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