# Dual Membership RCI and II? Worth it?



## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

I have been a member with II for over 15 years. I cannot say that I am very happy, but I'm ok with it. We have received some decent exchanges with lots of patience and flexibility on our part. Two of the three weeks I own are affiliated with RCI as well as II. I was contemplating enrolling in RCI to increase my exchange options. All weeks are deeded, fixed, annual. No points. 

Is it worth it to have two memberships? Does RCI offer more options than II?


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## DeniseM (May 5, 2013)

RCI has more availability & Disney.

II has higher quality resorts, like Marriott and Starwood.

Which works best for you depends on the trading value of your deposits, and where you want to go.


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## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

What about the Getaway inventory at RCI? 

I'd love to hear from someone who has both memberships and hear about their opinion how the two companies compare. Where have you gotten better exchanges? Where have you been able to exchange faster? Which one has the better/most options? Would you recommend dual membership? Is it worth it?


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## DeniseM (May 5, 2013)

RCI has lots of cheap Getaways, but mostly in areas where there is more supply than demand.

If by "better" exchanges, you mean higher rated resorts - that's II, because almost all the Marriott and Starwood resorts are with II.  Of course you have to have a strong trader to get those resorts.

One is not faster than the other - it all depends on how difficult your trade is.

As I already said, RCI has more exchanges, but II has higher quality exchanges because of Starwood and Marriott, which are affiliated with II.

Before you decide which exchange company works the best for you - YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

One is not innately superior to the other.

What resort do you have to deposit?


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## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

Well, my "where I want to go" change every season and every year. I cannot make this the main focus or reason. When the kids were little we used to exchange to Orlando and lots of beaches and such. Had great exchanges in beach front resorts and even Disney when they were still affiliated with II. Now we are looking for more adventure. This year, so far we have already had a nice exchange to Williamsburg for Spring Break, are go to Gattlingburg this summer. I have successflly traded for grown-up leisure travel to New Orleans, Las Vegas and Key West. Hoping to go to Sedona next Spring Break and  currently have requests in for San Fran and NY, but IDK if I will get these. You see, we are all over the place and there is no telling where I want to go next. 

After reading around a little on the message board, it seems that people are happier with II trades than RCI, in part of resort locations and quality. My biggest problem is that I am dependent on the kids' school schedule, and it appears that the problem of slim exchange opportunities during breaks is universal. I would like to maximize my exchange possibilities, but I don't want to waste my money either.


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## DeniseM (May 5, 2013)

What do you have to deposit?  The strength of your deposits has more bearing on the trades you can get, than the exchange company you use.


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## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

Neither of my units are affiliated with large companies. I have a 3BR lock-off summer week in Orlando (listed as gold crown with II and not affiliated with RCI), 2BR fall break week in NC mountains (RCI red, IDK points), and 1BR beach front mid summer in Panama City Beach (RCI red, 45,000 pts)

I cannot complain about the quality of units we have exchanged into. It appears that our summer beach front week has the most pull. We always use the request first feature for this one and so far have always gotten what we asked for in a very short period of time, compared to our other requests. The NC mountains unit has yielded nice results and so has the Orlando exchange, although we have to be more flexible and patient with those exchanges.


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## timeos2 (May 5, 2013)

Reduced to the absolute basics - which exchange company do I use the most, find the most resorts I want and the unit size / quality I want, at what price and what additional offers are out there for rentals - and RCI is the clear choice for us. We have been members of both almost since day 1 of our timeshare ownerships and both of our remaining resorts are dual affiliated. But we don't pay for an II membership. We dropped it over 8 years ago and didn't miss it at all. We regained access through the Corporate account we get as part of our DRI Club membership. 

II claims to have more quality resorts but we never found that to be the case. Yes they have some nice ones, but so does RCI. And the less than stellar resorts in RCI sem much better than those in II. RCI also seems to have less resorts with tiny units. Studio units are nothing more than a duded up hotel room and we hate those. They are not what timesharing is supposed to be about. II seems to have way too many of those and it's often all they seem to have for trades. 

When it comes down to it any exchange company is only as good as the resorts and the quantity of available units they offer. Thee RCI has always had the shear numbers advantage and therefore seems to work better. Of course trading now days is foolish as you seem to get far better choices in rentals without the overhead of maintenance fees and exchange fees.  Again, although it shouldn't be as they are supposed to be available as trades, the inventory that members can rent from RCI is much more comprehensive than we see in II. 

And as Denise hints at II tends to favor corporate members over the "mere" paying membership. If you aren't in as a preferred corporate account what you get is the dregs it seems. We'd never again pay to be an II member. If we can't be in under a corporate preference we don't want to be in at all. Years of direct comparisons ebtween II & RCI showed that without the preference II just doesn't deliver the trade value that RCI does. 

So if you have to choose only 1 I say go RCI. But if you can do both then be an RCI member, even if you have to pay, get an II membership through a preferred corporate account and you've got the best of both.


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## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

Great information. Thanks.

Unfortunately, the only option we have for membership is that we pay for it. I was not aware there are other ways to obtain membership and preferential treatment.

You bring up a good point with rentals. It's one of my issues. After adding up the membership fees and exchange fees, it seems there is no cost advantage. I kind of expected this to be the same issue at both exchanges.


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## sfwilshire (May 5, 2013)

I am a member of both RCI and II, but would drop II in a heartbeat were it not for my one resort that is not affiliated with RCI. I'd ditch that ownership, but we use it some years since it is week 52 in Orlando.

I find II much less useful for my desired locations and my travel patterns. Their procedures for extending deposits don't work for me at all and I always struggle to use my deposits with them. RCI is much more flexible for me.

Sheila


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## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

Sfwilshire, can you describe what you mean by "more flexible"?

PS: I just saw you are an owner at Tree Tops. We are traveling there in June. Any recommendations what to do? This will be our first time to Gattlinburg. IM me so to not hijack the thread?


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## VacationForever (May 5, 2013)

I was with RCI for about 10 years and switched to II after I was upset with RCI for unrelated reasons.  Since I had only a Starwood resort (not a corporate II account) back then and realized only after the switch about Starwood preference period, I regretted not having done it sooner.  II's membership and exchange fees are cheaper than RCI's.  Taking out the Starwood-Starwood, Marriott-Marriott  period, and the cheaper II fees, the quality of resorts in II are better than RCI.  I did find the availability in RCI including holiday weeks much better than II.


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## sfwilshire (May 5, 2013)

jmallder said:


> Sfwilshire, can you describe what you mean by "more flexible"?



When you extend a deposited week with RCI, it is extended. Now that you can combine deposits in Weeks and thereby extend the expiration, it is even better. 

When you extend a week with II, you are left with a deposit that can only be used in the 60 day last minute period. Since I am tied to school schedules, I always plan way in advance, so wind up using these II extended weeks as sort of throwaways. I tack on three or four days to other trips in places that are overrun with timeshares, such as Orlando or Williamsburg. I could probably rent cheaper than the fee to extend + the exchange fee, so my maintenance fee is a total loss in those cases.

Sheila


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## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

Interesting. I didn't know that the II extension is so limited. I thought it would continue on like a regular deposit.  I don't like that at all.


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## MichaelColey (May 5, 2013)

Most of the timeshares I own are dual-affiliated, and I have accounts with and exchange through II, RCI Weeks, and RCI Points.

First, I'll have to say that you have have to travel A LOT to fully utilize more than one exchange company.  With multiple annual fees and having your deposits spread among multiple exchange companies, it really complicates things.  It's kind of like owning two houses and spreading your belongings between them.  I travel about 20-30 weeks out of the year, and most of that is in timeshares, and sometimes I feel like my deposits are stretched thin.

For me personally, I find RCI Weeks most useful / economical, II to be second, and RCI Points to be least useful / economical.  I struggle to use my points effectively there.

While II does have an overall higher quality of resort, I've exchanged into many INCREDIBLE resorts through RCI and one real stinker through II, so it's not like all of the good ones are in II and all the bad ones are in RCI.  Both have good ones and bad ones.  An average II resort might be better than an average RCI one, but I feel like both companies have about the same number of high quality resorts.  RCI has considerably more middle of the road and lower quality ones, in most (but not all) areas.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  If you want to go to a certain place, would you rather have NO choices, or only middle of the road and poor choices?  I'll settle for a less than desirable resort if the only alternative is not getting a timeshare and having to stay in a hotel.

RCI Weeks also has the ability to get "change" (Deposit Credits) back from exchanges and combine deposits.  This lets you get multiple exchanges from a deposit, or combine to get something you normally wouldn't be able to get.  This is very obvious in Hawaii, for my deposits.  I can seldom see ANYTHING in Hawaii with II, but because I've combined deposits I can see plenty in RCI.

II is generally cheaper (both in annual dues and exchange fees).  Neither one is particularly cheap for extra vacations, IMHO.  RCI does have some good sales once in a while, but there are very few gems to find in those sales.

When you first get into the second exchange company, that can be pretty pricey.  I remember the sticker shock when I first added II.  I signed up for 5 years (several hundred dollars) and set up three ongoing searches.  So I was out something like $800 before I ever saw my first exchange.

If you own enough timeshares that you have plenty of deposits to spread around, and you travel enough that a few hundred dollars a year is worth the extra flexibility that you'll get, it's certainly worth trying out.


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## chriskre (May 5, 2013)

jmallder said:


> What about the Getaway inventory at RCI?
> 
> I'd love to hear from someone who has both memberships and hear about their opinion how the two companies compare. Where have you gotten better exchanges? Where have you been able to exchange faster? Which one has the better/most options? Would you recommend dual membership? Is it worth it?



I agree with Michael that if you don't do alot of exchanges then you probably don't really need more than one paid exchange company.   I recently rented a unit almost a year before check in thru RCI for $269 that just didn't make sense to exchange for 15 TPU's.  

I do about 10-15 exchanges a year so I feel that I get my money's worth out of both companies.   Lately I am getting better value thru II because I'm using alot of Marriotts & a Wyndham that doesn't trade in RCI regularly, but there are some resorts that I love that only trade thru RCI so I really can't just choose one over the other for my needs.  

If you want to go to Orlando or any of the overbuilt areas regularly then either company will do with nice resorts available quite easily with proper planning.  

Have you thought about possibly alternating years?  
One or two years with RCI, the next cycle with II.  

I also suggest that you explore the free exchange companies for cheap rental options.  SFX-resorts, Trading Places International, Platinum Interchange and DAElive all allow you to window shop their rental options for free.   I've seen really cheap rentals for less than $99 a week in SFX & DAE.  It's worth a look and costs you nothing.


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## LLW (May 5, 2013)

jmallder said:


> I have *been a member with II for over 15 years*. I cannot say that I am very happy, but I'm ok with it. We have received some decent exchanges with lots of patience and flexibility on our part. Two of the three weeks I own are affiliated with RCI as well as II. I was *contemplating enrolling in RCI to increase my exchange options*. All weeks are deeded, fixed, annual. No points.
> 
> Is it worth it to have two memberships? Does RCI offer more options than II?





jmallder said:


> Well, my "where I want to go" change every season and every year. I cannot make this the main focus or reason. When the kids were little we used to exchange to Orlando and lots of beaches and such. Had great exchanges in beach front resorts and even Disney when they were still affiliated with II. Now we are looking for more adventure. This year, so far we have already had a nice exchange to Williamsburg for Spring Break, are go to Gattlingburg this summer. I have successflly traded for grown-up leisure travel to New Orleans, Las Vegas and Key West. Hoping to go to Sedona next Spring Break and  currently have requests in for San Fran and NY, but IDK if I will get these. You see, we are all over the place and there is no telling where I want to go next.
> 
> After reading around a little on the message board, it seems that people are happier with II trades than RCI, in part of resort locations and quality. My biggest problem is that I am *dependent on the kids' school schedule*, and it appears that the problem of slim exchange opportunities during breaks is universal. I would like to maximize my exchange possibilities, but I don't want to waste my money either.





jmallder said:


> Neither of my units are affiliated with large companies. *I have a 3BR lock-off summer week in Orlando (listed as gold crown with II and not affiliated with RCI), 2BR fall break week in NC mountains (RCI red, IDK points), and 1BR beach front mid summer in Panama City Beach (RCI red, 45,000 pts)*
> 
> I cannot complain about the quality of units we have exchanged into. It appears that *our summer beach front week has the most pull. We always use the request first feature for this one and so far have always gotten what we asked for in a very short period of time, compared to our other requests. The NC mountains unit has yielded nice results and so has the Orlando exchange, although we have to be more flexible and patient with those exchanges*.



Sounds like you are already a member at RCI??

If you are tied to kids' school schedule, exchanging into great resorts is not easy (as you have observed). Your summer beachfront week has had great luck with RCI because RCI places a lot of power into summer beachfront weeks. If you switch that to II you might be more frustrated if you want to get into top resorts (Marriotts, Westins, Four Seasons, Hyatts). For that reason I recommend you stay with RCI.

Should you do dual RCI/II memberships? That depends. If you are looking for more adventures, you need to look at the RCI resort directory, to see if that will keep you happy. If not, you need to add another exchange company.

Should that additional exchange company be II? Not necessarily. With the Orlando week, and the NC week, you should look into smaller, independent exchange companies. Look in the Exchange forum stickies for other exchange companies.

However, if you want to get into the II panel of resorts, i.e. Marriotts, Westins, Four Seasons, Hyatts, you need to get onto the II bandwagon. Since you are tied to school schedules, and those top brands give preference to their own members, you will need to be very patient and flexible with your vacation scheduling (e.g. vacation in early June and late August or September if your kids are in college, spring breaks, long weekends + a couple of out of schools, have back-up plans but look for last-minute cancellations, etc.)

Another option is to buy a low-cost trader in Marriott/Westin/Hyatt, and utilize the brand preference periods for school holidays. Note that exchange preferences may shift, and the week should be one that you would be happy to vacation at if you can't exchange effectively with it anymore.

Read the Exchange forum to get more knowledge and ideas. There is a lot to learn.


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## jmallder (May 5, 2013)

LLW said:


> Sounds like you are already a member at RCI??



I am an II member. I pulled the RCI exchange information from the RCI resort directory. I am contemplating an RCI membership. 

Michael, your information was most useful. You are a treasure trove of time share knowledge!!  First of all, WOW good for you to be able to travel that much. This is when time sharing really comes in handy. We own three weeks. One of the weeks is a lock-off, so some years we exchange in smaller units and get four weeks back. As it stands, we have a hard time going on vacation enough to use all the units/time.
Thank you for your opinion on being member in two exchange companies. I see now that I will likely encounter the same problems with RCI that I have with II, mainly availability at high demand times in high demand areas. I guess my desire to get an RCI membership was rooted in thinking the grass is greener on the other side. 

I had not heard about the alternative exchange/rental companies. I will definitely check them out. Thank you for the suggestions.


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## MichaelColey (May 6, 2013)

chriskre said:


> Have you thought about possibly alternating years?
> One or two years with RCI, the next cycle with II.


I normally agree with everything you say, but I have to strongly disagree with this idea.  You can't just jump into a new exchange company.  It takes time.  Some of the best exchanges take 1-2 years advance planning, so you have to have that membership active for at least a couple years and deposits in there, working for you.

Switching back and forth would be kind of like park hopping at Disney.  You'll lose the advantage of having FastPasses, and waste a lot of time with transportation.  Sure, you can visit 4 parks in a day, but you won't be able to do much at any one park.  (Had to come up with an analogy you would appreciate!)


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## sfwilshire (May 6, 2013)

Michael reminded me of the other thing I don't like about II. I don't do ongoing searches with II because their policies are not as good as RCI's. It is a pain to set up a search if you want a very specific check-in date range. They always default to a Thursday start for a search and you have to call them to change it. They also autoconfirm any exchanges and you only have 24 hours to cancel. If you miss the deadline, you're stuck with the exchange. RCI usually only autoconfirms if you check that box when creating the search. They email you when they have a match and give you a couple of days to decide. If you take no action, the hold just expires and you wait for the next match. If they confirm an exact match and mail you a confirmation, you can call them and tell them you don't want it with no penalty. Much better than II.

Sheila


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## lindner (May 6, 2013)

*Pi, dae, sfx*

I used to just use II or RCI, but have seen the light and supplement these networks with Platinum Interchange, DAE and SFX.  They are free to join with no annual fees, their exchange fees are much less; their staff are incredibly friendly; and best of all, you can get two weeks of exchange for one deposit.  Their inventory is small, and each specializes.  Platinum Interchange is US oriented, and are great for popular areas like Orlando, Branson, Williamsburg.  DAE.  DAE is great for overseas travel.  SFX is great for high end travel (they may not take your resort unless it is high end).  You do yourself a disservice not to at least learn more about them (see the TUG threads).


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## MichaelColey (May 6, 2013)

I've wanted to look at the smaller exchange companies, and really appreciate their much lower exchange fees and general lack of annual fees, but with such a limited inventory and spreading my deposits out even more, it just hasn't been worth it to me.  I don't mind paying a bit more to have access to considerably more inventory.


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## jmallder (May 6, 2013)

lindner said:


> Platinum Interchange is US oriented, and are great for popular areas like Orlando, Branson, Williamsburg.



I noticed that II usually has an abundance of high quality exchange opportunities in exactly those areas. So what would be the advantage? 
I'm just trying to figure out if additional memberships are worth the additional time involved to research and any cost, when in the end I am getting exactly what I already have?


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## Beefnot (May 6, 2013)

Although I have never deposited with them, I am familiar with Platinum Interchange because I traveled with my family to our first timeshare on an exchange my father got for me with his timeshare.  It was actually through the process of booking this exchange that I had started researching timeshares for myself.  Their customer service is top notch, though from what I've seen, their inventory is limited and lacking the top brands.

I recently completed an exchange with SFX, and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I could see using them again, although with RCI and II, their systems allow for multiple vacations and uptrades from the same deposit, at seemingly lower average cost to accomplish this.


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## Beefnot (May 6, 2013)

jmallder said:


> I noticed that II usually has an abundance of high quality exchange opportunities in exactly those areas. So what would be the advantage?
> I'm just trying to figure out if additional memberships are worth the additional time involved to research and any cost, when in the end I am getting exactly what I already have?


 
Platinum also offers up to 3-for-1 exchanges and has no membership fee.  They publish their current inventory without putting up an exchange.  They may have more availability at certain properties that II may not have.  Maybe there are other advantages.  Personally, I am satisfied with II thus far, and do not yet see a need for them yet, other than the 3-for-1 offerings.  I cannot even avail myself of II's XYZ program.  If I was retired and/or could travel more, I might more seriously look at Platinum Interchange.


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## jmallder (May 6, 2013)

What is II's XYZ program?


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## deannak (May 6, 2013)

jmallder said:


> What about the Getaway inventory at RCI?
> 
> I'd love to hear from someone who has both memberships and hear about their opinion how the two companies compare. Where have you gotten better exchanges? Where have you been able to exchange faster? Which one has the better/most options? Would you recommend dual membership? Is it worth it?



We have both RCI and II, and I was actually doing some comparison shopping on their getaway inventory recently.

Looking at one particular resort that appeared on both systems, it showed more available check-in dates on II than RCI, but booking a 2BR at that resort on RCI was significantly cheaper than booking the same size unit, same date on II.

I was surprised how much of a difference there was. Booking it on RCI rather than II would more than cover the extra membership fee.


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## PassionForTravel (May 6, 2013)

"What is II's XYZ program?"
It's an II program where you can get an extra exchange for just the exchange fee, for areas they are oversupplied. Since you only travel at school holidays you would most likely be locked out as I am because all holidays (even minor ones) are blocked.

If you want more infor there is a thread inside the sightings forum but you need to be a Tug member to see that forum. 

I'm in both and while I've only been doing exchanges for less than a year. I have 4 exchanges with RCI (Hawaii) and 2 with II (continental US). The reason is that from what I've seen RCI has more availability in Hawaii, which is our primary exchange destination.

Ian


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## jmallder (May 6, 2013)

PassionForTravel said:


> "What is II's XYZ program?"
> It's an II program where you can get an extra exchange for just the exchange fee, for areas they are oversupplied. Since you only travel at school holidays you would most likely be locked out as I am because all holidays (even minor ones) are blocked.
> 
> If you want more infor there is a thread inside the sightings forum but you need to be a Tug member to see that forum.



Ian, thank you for that explanation. I am familiar with the program (now that you say it), just didn't know it was called XYZ. Some years we get an extra week just for depositing our week, but found the use of the certificate limited. We actually had several expire because we weren't able to use them. Again, the problem is that we are only able to travel during high demand time when supply is slim.


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## ronparise (May 6, 2013)

sfwilshire said:


> I am a member of both RCI and II, but would drop II in a heartbeat were it not for my one resort that is not affiliated with RCI. I'd ditch that ownership, but we use it some years since it is week 52 in Orlando.
> 
> I find II much less useful for my desired locations and my travel patterns. Their procedures for extending deposits don't work for me at all and I always struggle to use my deposits with them. RCI is much more flexible for me.
> 
> Sheila



This is the only reason I belong to II. One resort I own two weeks is not RCI. 

I probably should dump the weeks but one of these days I hope to go to SanAntonio


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## Beefnot (May 6, 2013)

deannak said:


> We have both RCI and II, and I was actually doing some comparison shopping on their getaway inventory recently.
> 
> Looking at one particular resort that appeared on both systems, it showed more available check-in dates on II than RCI, but booking a 2BR at that resort on RCI was significantly cheaper than booking the same size unit, same date on II.
> 
> I was surprised how much of a difference there was. Booking it on RCI rather than II would more than cover the extra membership fee.


 
I was just looking up something for a friend in Aruba yesterday and I found the same exact week on II was $100+ cheaper on II than RCI.  Perhaps it varies by resort.


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## chriskre (May 6, 2013)

MichaelColey said:


> I normally agree with everything you say, but I have to strongly disagree with this idea.  You can't just jump into a new exchange company.  It takes time.  Some of the best exchanges take 1-2 years advance planning, so you have to have that membership active for at least a couple years and deposits in there, working for you.
> 
> Switching back and forth would be kind of like park hopping at Disney.  You'll lose the advantage of having FastPasses, and waste a lot of time with transportation.  Sure, you can visit 4 parks in a day, but you won't be able to do much at any one park.  (Had to come up with an analogy you would appreciate!)



Thanks for the Disney analogy.  
Yes I agree with you and personally the $89 a year is a mute point when you do as many exchanges as we both do, but for someone counting pennies they may be happier working with alternating or the alternative free exchange companies.


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## chriskre (May 6, 2013)

jmallder said:


> Ian, thank you for that explanation. I am familiar with the program (now that you say it), just didn't know it was called XYZ. Some years we get an extra week just for depositing our week, but found the use of the certificate limited. We actually had several expire because we weren't able to use them. Again, the problem is that we are only able to travel during high demand time when supply is slim.



This is not XYZ that you are referring to, that's an AC = Accommodation certificate.   Join TUG and you can read all about it in the private forum.


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## chriskre (May 6, 2013)

ronparise said:


> This is the only reason I belong to II. One resort I own two weeks is not RCI.
> 
> I probably should dump the weeks but one of these days I hope to go to SanAntonio



Wyndham has two great resorts in San Antonio.
You don't need II.  

My points are deeded at Las Cascadas.


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## deannak (May 7, 2013)

Beefnot said:


> I was just looking up something for a friend in Aruba yesterday and I found the same exact week on II was $100+ cheaper on II than RCI.  Perhaps it varies by resort.



Interesting!  So either of them could have the better prices, depending on where you're going. As long as we're paying for both memberships anyway, I'll definitely be shopping around...


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## JudyS (May 7, 2013)

jmallder said:


> Neither of my units are affiliated with large companies. I have a 3BR lock-off summer week in Orlando (listed as gold crown with II and not affiliated with RCI), 2BR fall break week in NC mountains (RCI red, IDK points), and 1BR beach front mid summer in Panama City Beach (RCI red, 45,000 pts)...


Jmallder, if you provide the exact name of your resorts, someone here can tell you how many "exchange credits" they would be worth in RCI Weeks. (The RCI Points value really says very little about what a week is worth in RCI Weeks.) 

(Unless maybe requests for exchange credit/TPU values can only be made on the sightings board? Either way, I suggest spending the $15 to join TUG, Jmallder.)


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## lprstn (May 7, 2013)

I have both RCI and II access and I can honestly say I've only used II about 5 % of the time. Most all of my trades come from RCI. Now if II was able to coerce Disney into going back then it would be worth it to me to stay.


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## buzglyd (May 7, 2013)

I've been watching this thread with interest.

Right now, I have an RCI membership via HGVC.

My Gaslamp Plaza Suites exchanges with RCI or II. I'm assuming to exchange in RCI I'd have to pay for a standard RCI membership?

It sounds like if I paid for an II membership I wouldn't get the good exchanges with my week because it's not Starwood or Marriott. It is a VRI resort.

I have a free Diamond membership with SFX good until May of 2015 so I think that's the best place to put this for now.


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## tashamen (May 7, 2013)

buzglyd said:


> It sounds like if I paid for an II membership I wouldn't get the good exchanges with my week because it's not Starwood or Marriott.



I don't have a Starwood or Marriott either, but am very happy with the good exchanges I've gotten from II.


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## hjtug (May 7, 2013)

buzglyd said:


> It sounds like if I paid for an II membership I wouldn't get the good exchanges with my week because it's not Starwood or Marriott. It is a VRI resort.



Not necessarily.  We own Wyndham points and are one of the few Wyndham owners that trade through II.  II works well for us.  Just saying that there are non-Marriot and non-Starwood owners that are pleased with II.


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## buzglyd (May 7, 2013)

hjtug said:


> Not necessarily.  We own Wyndham points and are one of the few Wyndham owners that trade through II.  II works well for us.  Just saying that there are non-Marriot and non-Starwood owners that are pleased with II.



Good to know from both of you.

Since my RCI is included in my HGVC and my SFX is free for a couple more years, I'll ride the free wave for now.

I feel like I have more vacations than I can use at the moment anyway.


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## MichaelColey (May 7, 2013)

I don't own Marriott or Starwood, and I can definitely see the difference, but I'm still happy with II.  Not as happy as I would be if it were a level playing field, but I still get use out of it.


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## chriskre (May 7, 2013)

buzglyd said:


> It sounds like if I paid for an II membership I wouldn't get the good exchanges with my week because it's not Starwood or Marriott. It is a VRI resort.



I have successfully traded my VRI resort (Ft. Lauderdale beach resort)  into Starwoods & Marriotts thru II.

Granted they were for shoulder seasons but I've been happy with what I got thru VRI to II.  

I don't own the unit anymore but it did get me a few AC's when they were worth something back in the day.


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## sfwilshire (May 7, 2013)

lprstn said:


> Now if II was able to coerce Disney into going back then it would be worth it to me to stay.



I never once got a DVC exchange from II. I've exchanged once through RCI and had several other opportunities.

Sheila


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## Picker57 (May 9, 2013)

jmallder said:


> Well, my "where I want to go" change every season and every year.  I have successflly traded for grown-up leisure travel to New Orleans, Las Vegas and Key West. Hoping to go to Sedona next Spring Break and  currently have requests in for San Fran and NY, but IDK if I will get these..



*It might be well worth your while to look into SFX - they've done well for us in San Francisco.  And if you deposit a "prime" week with them, there are some extra benefits. 

            --------Zach*


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## rpennisi (May 9, 2013)

Having both RCI and II, I find the RCI website to be superior to II's.

RCI's website allows you to custom fit your choices (AI or no, Kitchen (full, partial), etc.).

I also prefer the RCI TP's which can give you multiple (not all or nothing) vacations from one deposit and you can split deposit a 2 bedroom lockout and get even more TP's.

With that said, I do love getting Marriotts with II.


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## garyk01 (May 9, 2013)

*SFX*



jmallder said:


> I have been a member with II for over 15 years. I cannot say that I am very happy, but I'm ok with it. We have received some decent exchanges with lots of patience and flexibility on our part. Two of the three weeks I own are affiliated with RCI as well as II. I was contemplating enrolling in RCI to increase my exchange options. All weeks are deeded, fixed, annual. No points.
> 
> Is it worth it to have two memberships? Does RCI offer more options than II?



I cancelled my memberships with them two years ago and now only use SFX exchange. If you have higher end resorts as that's all they deal in, they are a great to work with. I have the Elite status membership but they have free memberships as well.


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## d2r4s (May 9, 2013)

Ihave had a dual membership in both since 1986, as that was the set up with my Jockey club which I no longer own.  However I own at Diamon and Wyndham and have the best of both worlds because of there ability to make things good.  

If your resorts allows for it then I would give a go as it increases your options, however weeks in RCI depending on there trading scores may not be that good, so do some research.

For me I pay for neither annually as it is in the maintenance fees and my trade fees are at a good rate.

If I ever would give up one, it would be RCI, as I use it less frequently.


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## walkergirl (May 10, 2013)

I've been a member of both with a deeded week. first 10 years or so II exclusively . Then changed to RCI some as we like the Festiva and Tradewinds catamarans only on RCI. II resorts are nicer in general and have Royal Resorts in Cancun. now my home resort is no longer gold crown or 5 star BUT RCI has a way of turning your deeded week into 'trading points' and I can add together and get trades I've never been able to such as week IN San Francisco in May. I would definitely look at each and switch annual or 3yr memberships depending. No need to be member of both. 

Good Luck!


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## cowboy (May 10, 2013)

I have not read in any of the prior posts about II's request first option which rci doesn't offer. I am a member of both II and rci and my rci membership is expiring and I don't plan on renewing as I have not had very good experience with them.


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## htusa2002 (May 10, 2013)

*RCI Points account*

Hi,

With Rci, I used to have a points account and basically got everything I wanted and got amazing last minutes for such cheap points values. I put requests in and got everything that weeks holders I knew never got. I think with a points it is great, but with weeks not so much.

With II obviously if you are not super happy it could be you are unable to get the high season gold level properties on major holiday times. However this is why man people pay a huge amount to own those weeks and makes it hard to get that.


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## tashamen (May 10, 2013)

sfwilshire said:


> I never once got a DVC exchange from II. I've exchanged once through RCI and had several other opportunities.



Back when DVC was with II I was able to exchange into 2BRs with an AC two years in a row during Epcot's food & wine festival in October - now those were good trades!


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## Coach Boon (May 10, 2013)

*RCI experience*

@Mike. Great reply to the question. It was informative and factual. 

My RCI membership expires the end of this year. I had a 3 yr subscription and that worked well. The call me on occasion offering me a discount. I have a deeded week only. I never converted it to points - thank goodness but as you said, I can convert my week to points when it suits me. This gave me, at one point, and extra 2 weeks to use which I was actually able to do. 

I'm a member of one of the smaller exchange companies just to see what the availability is. So far nothing has worked for me. And considering that my resort is with RCI only, I guess I'll renew with them again for 3 more years.

Great topic by the way.


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## LynnW (May 10, 2013)

It probably depends where you live and where you want to go. I have kept up my II membership because of the great getaways in places I want to go.

Lynn


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## SMRgirl (May 14, 2013)

jmallder said:


> Sfwilshire, can you describe what you mean by "more flexible"?
> 
> PS: I just saw you are an owner at Tree Tops. We are traveling there in June. Any recommendations what to do? This will be our first time to Gattlinburg. IM me so to not hijack the thread?



Look up Cllint's bbq. it's in sevierville. good food, country band, and dancing.  CLINT'S BBQ & COUNTRY COOKIN' MENU 2334 Newport Highway - Sevierville, TN 37876 (865) 453-5150. They advertise "Where the locals go to eat" 
I have not found any great eating in Gatlinburg but do love Tree Tops.


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## Meson33 (Nov 25, 2013)

*RCI vs II*



jmallder said:


> I have been a member with II for over 15 years. I cannot say that I am very happy, but I'm ok with it. We have received some decent exchanges with lots of patience and flexibility on our part. Two of the three weeks I own are affiliated with RCI as well as II. I was contemplating enrolling in RCI to increase my exchange options. All weeks are deeded, fixed, annual. No points.
> 
> Is it worth it to have two memberships? Does RCI offer more options than II?



Interval has almost all the name brands. Not just Marriott & Starwood but Hyatt, Four Seasons, Westin, Sheraton, Westgate, Welk. RCI has Disney, Hilton, Holiday Inn & Wyndham.

RCI is like socialized vacation, just to use a metaphor it goes by who requested first if ur on points.  So if u own in a saturated market like Orlando or a regional destination like the poconos, u will have a fighting chance like everyone else if u are in RCI & it would be better to be with them.  If you have a high demanded property with low supply like Aspen Colorado Hyatt, Atlantic City, Manhattan Club, or a stand alone zero substitute  for it property like Atlantis in the Bahamas it makes much more sense to capitalize on the way II works & u will have no problems exchanging. II definitely has nicer resorts - but RCI has more and the gold crown are II quality plus most are all still nice & beat the hell out of Hotels.
In terms of getaways vs hot weeks -RCI getaways- they are all surplus inventory. In a network like RCI that has more resorts u should naturally find more if them, however the surplus inventory in a network that doesn't have a prerequisite on quality means it can often be the stuff no one wanted & not as nice - where in II very often surplus inventory is just as good as the regular stuff, though u won't find Tahiti or Atlantis or Dubai on the palm on a getaway naturally but I have seen Marriott on St Kitts peak season on a getaway for 400 bucks b4 so there's that.

I hope this helps you. 

On another note, it i important for everyone touting resale over purchasing from the developer to know that Beaver Creek Hyatt didn't sell out Xmas week for 330k dollars because affluent people who can spend hat kind of money aren't aware u can buy timeshare online for a dollar. These are obviously different products.  Developers today offer exclusive member benefits as part of the ownership that don't transfer on resale. In fact the week or the points on most instances are less than 15% of the benefits. Plus, many developers will actually sell it for you later if u had purchased w/them, making it deed real equity as opposed to worthless.  U get what u pay for.  Do u think the exchange company doesn't know who spent 30 grand & who thinks they are slick trying to get something for nothing? Who do u think is going to Atlantis this year for 184 bucks and who is saying timeshare stinks? Be it ain't the same guy.


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