# What is the difference between RCI an II? Newbie.



## booklvr (Jun 8, 2017)

Hi... I'm  a newbie to the exchange side of timeshares. We've owned at Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando for several years and we always go to our home resort.

We own a 2 bdrm lockoff and usually use 1 week at a time, back to back so we get 2 weeks straight. This year we couldn't do that and only used one week...meaning we still have a week in a 1 bdrm to use this year.

We're thinking of depositing the week to either RCI or II so we don't lose it. What is the difference between the two and so you have any recommendations for which to use?

If we continue to use the exchange and then next year deposit 2, one-bedroom units,  will that result in a decent exchange anywhere in California or British Columbia, CA?


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## WalnutBaron (Jun 8, 2017)

You own a good property for trading, as Vistana resorts carry high trade value. Others can comment if I am wrong on this, but I believe all Vistana resorts trade within the II system, so you will not have an option to deposit into RCI. That said, my personal preference is for II in any case. 

II and RCI are the two exchange behemoths in the industry, but they are a bit different. 

 RCI works with Hilton (one of the very high quality systems) and has a lot of international inventory. It was the very first exchange company, founded in 1974 as Resort Condominiums International. It claims to work with over 4,000 different resorts in more than 100 countries, so its international presence is the most extensive in the industry.

II is not as large, but still extensive--more than 2,500 resorts in 75 countries. My own subjective opinion is that the II resorts are of higher quality, not least because II works with Vistana, Hyatt, Marriott, and Disney and so has an extensive access to those resorts.

Regarding your question about exchanges to California or British Columbia, either system will do well for you--but remember that the key to getting what you want is advance planning and early reservations. The longer ahead you can plan your future vacation, the better chance you'll have of getting what you want.


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## MuranoJo (Jun 8, 2017)

Hi, WalnutBaron--isn't Disney still with RCI, or did I miss something when I was out a few weeks?

I know inventory has shrunk significantly (probably in part due to the skimming units for rental on eBay--against RCI rules--that was going on).


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## WalnutBaron (Jun 9, 2017)

Yes, you're correct. Thanks for the correction!


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## mdurette (Jun 9, 2017)

One question comes to mind about depositing your 1BR leftover week from this year.   Do you already have the week reserved to deposit?   If so and you are less than 2 months from that week that may make a difference.   I don't late deposit - so others that due please correct if I am wrong.

If you are less than 2 months out, II will restrict you to flex inventory
I believe RCI has some sort of deposit restore feature that will still give max TPUs


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## theo (Jun 9, 2017)

booklvr said:


> We're thinking of depositing the week to either RCI or II so we don't lose it. What is the difference between the two and do you have any recommendations for which to use?



We stopped playing the exchange game some years ago. Accordingly,  I am in no position to knowledgeably "rate" one over the other, but you have asked specifically about the *difference* between the two.

My recollection is that II allowed for "search first" (i.e., *before* deposit) whereas RCI did not (i.e., one can search only *after* depositing with RCI).
I do not see this difference pointed out above. If still accurate (can someone confirm?), that clear "difference" is at least worthy of mention.


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## chalee94 (Jun 9, 2017)

booklvr said:


> If we continue to use the exchange and then next year deposit 2, one-bedroom units,  will that result in a decent exchange anywhere in California or British Columbia, CA?



I prefer II.  Late deposit may hurt your trade power and options but generally, I think you'd get a better deal with II.  I think Starwood has a small preference with II if you are trying to trade for another Starwood resort but I'm not 100% sure.  Orlando weeks are not the strongest (but SVR is one of my favorite offsite resorts near Disney).

You would still have to keep expectations reasonable.  A summer or fall week in Whistler or possibly a Nov/Dec week at the Marriott Newport Coast...maybe better if you plan ahead and are flexible.


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## VegasBella (Jun 9, 2017)

theo said:


> My recollection is that II allowed for "search first" (i.e., *before* deposit) whereas RCI did not (i.e., one can search only *after* depositing with RCI).
> I do not see this difference pointed out above. If still accurate (can someone confirm?), that clear "difference" is at least worthy of mention.



I do not have an II account but I have an RCI account and yes, this is true, except for Extra Vacations and Last Calls, which are cash offers, not exchanges. 
Many of the smaller exchange companies allow you to search without depositing also. 

As far as I know, RCI has a larger inventory, period.


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## JohnPaul (Jun 15, 2017)

RCI Points lets you search at any time (I suppose since they already have your points).


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## rhonda (Jun 15, 2017)

theo said:


> My recollection is that II allowed for "search first" (i.e., *before* deposit) whereas RCI did not (i.e., one can search only *after* depositing with RCI).
> I do not see this difference pointed out above. If still accurate (can someone confirm?), that clear "difference" is at least worthy of mention.


It seems to depend on your timeshare's agreement/relationship with RCI.  I've had "Confirm First" with RCI for as long as I can recall with WM.  I'm pretty sure that was one of their sales hooks even back in 2000 which is when we first purchased.  However, it was 'Confirm First' not 'Search First' as I could open a search w/out having a deposit over the phone but couldn't view/search the inventory online until a later update to RCI's B2B connector was developed.


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## VacationForever (Jun 15, 2017)

mdurette said:


> One question comes to mind about depositing your 1BR leftover week from this year.   Do you already have the week reserved to deposit?   If so and you are less than 2 months from that week that may make a difference.   I don't late deposit - so others that due please correct if I am wrong.
> 
> If you are less than 2 months out, II will restrict you to flex inventory
> I believe RCI has some sort of deposit restore feature that will still give max TPUs


With Vistana, you do not reserve a week to deposit into II.  With a lockout, I suspect OP owns Lakes or Cascade phase, which means it floats 1-52.  OP simply contacts either II or Vistana to deposit the week.  There is no late deposit here..


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## TUGBrian (Jun 17, 2017)

http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/RCIvsIIexchangecomparison.html


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## Passepartout (Jun 17, 2017)

Is it possible for the OP to simply exchange internally (Sheraton or whatever it is now) and bypass the exchange companies altogether?


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## VacationForever (Jun 17, 2017)

Passepartout said:


> Is it possible for the OP to simply exchange internally (Sheraton or whatever it is now) and bypass the exchange companies altogether?


Only if it comes with Star Options, i.e. developer bought or mandatory resort.  There is also a limited set of resale SVRs out there, non-Cascades and non-Lakes phases, that carried SOs where the owner on record at the time the special assessments for refurbishments were made back in around 2007 when they were allowed into the internal trading system, i.e., given SOs.  The reason Lakes and Cascades were excluded was that Starwood had taken over as the developer when these 2 final phases were sold.


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## chcail (Jun 17, 2017)

What's the membership fees for II?


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## Larry M (Jun 17, 2017)

WalnutBaron said:


> You own a good property for trading, as Vistana resorts carry high trade value. Others can comment if I am wrong on this, but I believe all Vistana resorts trade within the II system, so you will not have an option to deposit into RCI. That said, my personal preference is for II in any case.
> 
> II and RCI are the two exchange behemoths in the industry, but they are a bit different.


What about DAE as an option?


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## rfc0001 (Jun 17, 2017)

It really comes down to what you want to exchange into.  RCI has all DVC and HGVC resorts and some Wyndham.  Everything else is (mostly) fair to midland.  II has MVCI, some Wyndham, and many others.  Taking a specific example like Hawaii, II has better options on Maui, Kauai, and Oahu (Ko Olina) via Marriott.  RCI has better options in Oahu (Waikiki) and Big Island (Waikoloa) via HGVC.  Taking another example like Orlando, RCI has DVC (which is really limited to Saratoga Springs), Wyndham Bonnett Creek, and HGVC Parc Soleil -- all top notch.  Not sure what the II options are, which I'm sure are excellent as well -- just different.


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## sue1947 (Jun 17, 2017)

rfc0001 said:


> II has MVCI, most Wyndham, and many others.



Actually, most Wyndham are in RCI.  II has Marriott, Vistana (was Westin/Sheraton), Four Seasons and a variety of others.  

Sue


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## Coach Boon (Jun 18, 2017)

To complicate matters, we're with RCI and we traded into SVR just this past April. We have also traded into Sheraton Desert Oasis in Scottsdale.

These choices are limited though and as previous comments state, II has smaller but higher quality resorts overall. 

To add to the complication RCI has deeded weeks (ours) and points. The points appear to me to be higher quality and we can't acess them.


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## pianoetudes (Jun 19, 2017)

are you aware of the third exchange company: SFX resorts? Membership is free and exchange fee is cheaper than RCI or II.


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## rhonda (Jun 19, 2017)

TUGBrian said:


> http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/RCIvsIIexchangecomparison.html


Brian -- 

Two requests:
a) Could we be sure that every article carries a date stamp?  Something near the top that indicated "Last Updated:  <date>"?  I wouldn't even bother reading the linked article w/out checking for "freshness."

b) Could we build a comparison table for exchange companies?
Candidate Exchange company columns:  RCI, II, SFX, DAE, GPX, and <??>
Candiate Row headings:

Current Annual Fee
Current Exchange Fee/s
Other fees: phone rep fee; exchange company imposed housekeeping fees; ...?
Deposit duration, standard
Deposit duration, extensions
Weeks, Points, <other>?
Number of destinations (or, more specifically, "number of affiliated resort properties")
Target regions? (Does the exchange company have strength in specific areas?)
Exclusive relationships (i.e., RCI has DVC)
Search methods supported:  Confirm First, Deposit First ...
Online searching, matching and booking supported?
...

Thank you!


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## TUGBrian (Jun 19, 2017)

date stamps are usually at the bottom (as in with that page).

we most certainly could create a page like that similar to the points comparison chart yes.  might want to start a separate post on it.


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## rhonda (Jun 19, 2017)

TUGBrian said:


> date stamps are usually at the bottom (as in with that page).
> 
> we most certainly could create a page like that similar to the points comparison chart yes.  might want to start a separate post on it.


The very bottom of the page is too far from the content; as such, it appears to be the date the "format" was last updated rather than the content.  If relating to the content, it should be immediately adjacent to either the beginning or end of the article.  I vote strongly for placing it above the content.


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## chalee94 (Jun 19, 2017)

chcail said:


> What's the membership fees for II?



$89 for 1 year, with discounts typically available if you join for 3 or 5 years (my recent 5 year re-up cost $311).


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